Professor Alden Graves stood at the front of the cssroom, his sharp emerald-green eyes burning with quiet fury.

  Behind him stood six students—the only ones who had passed the test.

  The professor spped a wooden ruler against his palm, the sharp crack cutting through the tense silence.

  His gaze swept over the room.

  "I am disappointed in you."

  The room seemed to shrink under the weight of his voice.

  "It’s already been a month since the start of your training—and yet only SIX of you managed to memorize and execute the Fundamental Flow correctly!"

  The six students standing behind him—including Ethan and Misha—felt a wave of relief wash over them.

  The rest of the css, however, stiffened as the professor’s gaze darkened.

  "Let me remind you…" His voice sharpened. "This is the SIMPLEST mana circution technique. If you can’t even master this, you will NEVER be able to handle more advanced techniques!"

  Shame spread across the faces of the seated students. A few lowered their heads, while others clenched their fists, unable to deny the truth of his words.

  "Frankly," the professor’s tone grew colder, "I’d prefer to kick you all out right here, right NOW!"

  A collective gasp swept through the room. Several students’ hands shot into the air, some of them already pleading for another chance.

  But Professor Graves ignored them completely.

  "BUT…"

  His eyes narrowed.

  "The Academy’s rules state otherwise. I am forced to give you… a CHANCE."

  A breathless silence followed.

  "You will be tested again next week."

  The collective tension in the room lifted ever so slightly. Students let out relieved sighs, some clutching their chests as the threat of immediate expulsion faded.

  A quiet determination settled over the room as the students silently vowed to do better next time.

  Professor Graves turned toward the six students who had succeeded.

  "As for the six of you…"

  His gaze sharpened as it swept across them.

  "You have passed—but do NOT expect any congratutions."

  Ethan raised an eyebrow.

  "Passing is the bare minimum expected of students at this Adventurers Academy. Meeting expectations is not an achievement—it’s simply proper."

  Misha’s head drooped slightly at the professor’s harsh tone.

  "That being said…"

  Professor Graves stepped toward his desk, where three booklets y neatly stacked. He picked up the first one.

  "Academy rules state that those who pass on the first attempt are allowed to aim higher. As a reward, you may each select one of these three Intermediary Mana Circution Techniques to learn."

  He held up the first booklet between his fingers.

  "This is the Gardik Circution Technique."

  A few students in the back straightened slightly, recognizing the name.

  "The Gardik Technique improves your mana capacity over time. If your mana pool is small, this technique will gradually increase it."

  He paused, letting the words sink in.

  "Its effects won’t be immediately noticeable, but in the long term, it can increase the size of your mana pool by up to twice its original size."

  His gaze sharpened.

  "It’s safe. Stable. Reliable. But if your mana pool is already rge, the effects may be negligible."

  He set the booklet back on the table and picked up the second one.

  "This is the Memoria Circution Technique."

  A flicker of interest passed through the students' eyes.

  "Probably the most popur of the three—and for good reason."

  "This technique allows you to store the structure of a single spell in your mana paths, allowing you to cast it almost instantly."

  A low murmur spread through the css.

  "However…" Professor Graves' gaze darkened. "The memorization process is painful. The higher the grade of the memorized spell, the longer it will take to engrave it into your body."

  He let that statement linger for a moment before continuing.

  "Once a spell is engraved, you can NEVER remove it. And after casting, you'll need a full minute to recover before using it again. Overuse without proper cooldown will permanently damage your mana paths."

  Ethan’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

  Professor Graves set down the second booklet and picked up the third.

  The air in the room seemed to shift as he held up the third booklet.

  "This is the Vortex Circution Technique."

  The professor’s tone sharpened.

  "This technique increases your mana regeneration speed significantly. Unlike the Gardik Technique, which increases overall capacity, the Vortex Technique focuses on speeding up the recovery of spent mana."

  A hum of curiosity rippled through the css.

  "However—this technique is fwed and dangerous."

  A few students visibly stiffened.

  "It requires exceptional mana control and focus. If you’re interrupted while practicing or using it in battle, you may suffer internal damage."

  He let the silence stretch before adding—

  "The amount of mana regeneration is also NOT fixed. It depends entirely on your mastery of the technique."

  A hand went up in the back.

  "If it’s that dangerous, why would anyone choose it?"

  Professor Graves' mouth curved into a faint smile.

  "Because this technique has the potential to fully restore your mana pool in just a few minutes—IF the conditions align."

  "Conditions?"

  "Yes."

  His expression sharpened.

  "In a mana-rich environment—such as inside a dungeon—the technique’s effectiveness will be multiplied. Mages and healers alike are dead weight without mana. The ability to recover quickly can be the difference between survival and death."

  He pced the third booklet down and folded his arms.

  "Each of you will have until the end of the day to decide which technique you wish to learn and make a copy of it."

  His gaze lingered on the six standing students.

  "Choose wisely."

  Ethan rubbed his chin, weighing his options carefully.

  Gardik Technique… Completely useless for him. His mana pool was already rge—doubling its size wouldn’t make much of a difference right now. His problem had never been running out of mana; it was figuring out how to use it efficiently.

  Memoria Technique… Definitely the most attractive on paper. Being able to store a spell for instant casting could give him a huge edge in battle. The problem? He hadn't even mastered a single spell yet. Without a spell worth storing, its core advantage would remain locked away.

  Vortex Technique… Objectively the most practical for his current situation. Not because he needed mana regeneration—his mana pool was already sufficient—but because the other two techniques were essentially dead weight to him right now. Gardik wouldn’t increase his combat strength in the short term, and Memoria was pointless without a proper spell. Vortex, at least, would give him immediate tactical flexibility.

  But then again… did he really need a boost right now? His chances of surviving the school’s brutal curriculum were already slim. Would it really matter in the end?

  A soft tug on his sleeve broke his concentration.

  Misha leaned in close, her breath brushing lightly against his ear.

  "So… which one will you choose?"

  Her voice was soft and sweet—too sweet. A shiver ran down his spine before he could stop it.

  Ethan’s heart skipped a beat. For a split second, he was caught off guard—but he quickly masked his reaction with a sharp gre, more out of reflex than actual irritation.

  "W-what?"

  Misha flinched slightly at his sharp tone, clearly not expecting such a cold response. But Ethan quickly sighed, brushing aside his brief pse in composure. He turned toward her with a smirk that was a little too sharp to be innocent.

  "Why do you ask?" His eyes narrowed slightly. "Do you want me to learn it… and teach your body again?"

  Misha’s entire body stiffened. Her face turned a deep crimson.

  "T-T-T-T-T-Tha-that’s…"

  Her mouth trembled as her hand began to rise toward his face.

  Ethan arched an eyebrow.

  "What? Are you going to sp me again?"

  He leaned in slightly, his smile sharpening into something dangerously amused.

  "Last time it was my fault, so I let it slide. But if you try it again…"

  His gaze darkened.

  "You can forget about getting any more help from me."

  Misha’s hand froze mid-air. Her lip quivered as her gaze flicked between Ethan’s challenging stare and the heat burning in her cheeks.

  After a tense moment, she reluctantly lowered her hand, her face burning with humiliation.

  "Guh…"

  Ethan’s smirk deepened.

  "Good girl."

  Misha’s face turned even redder.

  "Take the Gardik Technique."

  "Then you—"

  "No." Ethan shook his head. His gaze sharpened slightly. "I'll take something else. But from what I felt from your body earlier…"

  Misha’s face instantly turned crimson.

  "W-W-W-WHAT!?"

  Ethan ignored her outburst, his smirk widening.

  "I can say for sure you have a pretty small mana pool. You should focus on fixing that before worrying about anything else."

  Misha covered her face with both hands. "C-Can you not say it like that?!"

  Ethan chuckled. "Why? It’s true."

  "But then… how—"

  Ethan’s eyes gleamed with quiet amusement.

  "I'll just read your copy and interpret it for you." He tapped the side of his head. "Don't worry. I may look like this, but I’m pretty smart."

  Misha stared at him, biting her lower lip.

  He was right. Gardik’s Technique was the most beneficial for her, but the idea of learning it alone intimidated her.

  As much as she hated to admit it… Ethan’s teaching method worked.

  It had worked better than she expected—maybe even too well.

  Her cheeks flushed as her mind drifted back to their "training session." The way Ethan had drawn those mana paths over her body… his hand brushing against her skin…

  She shook her head vigorously, forcing the memory away.

  Still… even if it meant enduring a little humiliation, it was undeniable that Ethan had helped her pass the test. And at the end of the day, results mattered more than pride.

  "Will it… really be all right?"

  Ethan waved his hand. "Yeah, yeah. It'll be fine. Now go ahead. I need to figure out my own choice."

  Misha hesitated for a moment longer, then nodded.

  Slowly, she approached the table and reached for the Gardik Technique booklet that had been mostly ignored until now. She opened it and began carefully copying down the contents onto a bnk sheet of paper.

  Ethan let out a long sigh, rubbing the back of his neck.

  How the hell did I end up in this situation?

  He had his own training to worry about. Helping Misha shouldn't have been his problem.

  But…

  Yeah, right.

  He knew exactly why he was doing this.

  If not for their "secret practice session," there was no way he would have aced the test so easily. And honestly, helping Misha—teasing her, seeing her reactions—was kind of fun.

  He didn’t know how long he’d st at this school, but at least for now…

  Helping Misha might not be the worst thing in the world.

  Benefits included.

  A small, slightly lewd smile crept across his lips before he spped his own face lightly to shake it off.

  "Focus." He muttered to himself.

  His gaze wandered around the room, checking the progress of the other students.

  To his surprise, all four of the other girls had already chosen their techniques.

  Three had picked Memoria, which made sense. Girls in the healer css would naturally value quick casting over raw power and having an ace always ready better than higher mana regeneration if you had the time in between fights to recover yourself.

  But one girl…

  Ethan’s gaze settled on the st student, who had chosen Vortex.

  His brow furrowed slightly.

  Her?

  Her name was Eliza Corwin—the top-ranked student in their css according to the entrance exam scores.

  She had a slender frame and delicate features, with long silver hair tied neatly into a braid that fell down her back. Her round gsses sat perfectly on the bridge of her nose, and her school uniform was crisp and spotless, without a single wrinkle.

  She looked more like a schor than someone aiming for the frontlines.

  And yet…

  She had chosen the Vortex Technique.

  Why?

  Vortex was high-risk and unstable. It required precise mana control under pressure, and any mistake could result in permanent internal damage. It wasn’t the kind of technique a conservative, book-smart student would typically choose.

  Was she confident in her mana control? Or Did she know something he didn’t?

  As Ethan was considering this, Daniel leaned over.

  "Hey."

  "Hmm?"

  Daniel gestured toward Eliza with a tilt of his chin.

  "Surprised about her choice?"

  Ethan nodded. "Yeah. I didn’t expect someone like her to pick Vortex."

  Daniel chuckled. "That’s why she’s number one."

  Ethan raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

  Daniel shrugged casually. "High-risk, high-reward. Top-ranked students aren’t afraid to gamble when they know the odds are in their favor."

  Ethan’s eyes narrowed slightly as he watched Eliza calmly copying the Vortex Technique without a trace of hesitation.

  She adjusted her gsses as she wrote, her expression perfectly composed. Her hand moved with mechanical precision, not a single wasted motion. There was no hesitation, no doubt—like the outcome had already been calcuted and decided in advance.

  Was it really that simple?

  A gamble with her own life at stake?

  Ethan doubted it.

  Something about Eliza didn’t quite add up.

  He didn’t know much about her—only her name, her ranking, and the fact that she had no friends.

  Every time he saw her, she was alone. No one sat with her during meals. No one paired with her during training. She didn’t engage in small talk or gossip. All she did was study—taking notes, reading from the academy library, and practicing without rest or distraction.

  It was as if she didn’t allow herself the luxury of human connection.

  What drove her so far that she rejected even the most basic social interaction?

  Was it pressure from her family? Personal ambition? Or was it something else entirely?

  Interesting…

  Eliza suddenly gnced up, her hand pausing over the page for the first time.

  Her cool gray eyes, sharp behind her gsses, swept zily across the room. She looked detached, as if nothing around her truly mattered.

  And then, purely by chance, her gaze met Ethan’s.

  Ethan’s smirk widened as their eyes locked.

  Without thinking, he gave her a pyful wink.

  Eliza’s eyes widened ever so slightly behind her gsses. A faint flush crept up her neck to the tips of her ears, turning them a soft shade of purple.

  And then, just as quickly, her gaze sharpened.

  She lowered her head, adjusted her gsses with a swift, precise motion, and returned to writing as if nothing had happened.

  Ethan’s smirk deepened.

  Now this just got interesting.

  But now wasn’t the time to chase new prey.

  It was time to cast his own vote.

  Ethan gnced at Eliza one more time. Then at Misha, who was still diligently copying down the Gardik Technique.

  Finally, he let his gaze wander toward the other three girls—each of them having already chosen the Memoria Technique.

  Ethan sighed internally.

  In the end, I’m a mob, not a hero.

  Better to stick to the majority if I want to survive.

  With that thought, Ethan stood, walked toward the table, and reached for the Memoria Technique.