"I am the 3-ring Battle Mage, Seiya Luxenburg, call Instructor Seiya," the red-haired mage introduced, his booming voice spreading to every student's ears. "And the one next to is the Class Assistant, Ms. Luna Lafayette, a 3-ring Arcane Mage with many specialties, primarily Life Magic. She's quite introverted, so don't communicate with her unless you have to."
"D-Don't listen to him. If'-if you need sothing, don't hesitate to ask," Ms. Seiya hurriedly explained. Her voice was soft, but sohow, everybody could hear her.
"As I said, timid and introverted," Instructor Seiya calmly stated. His red, piercing gaze scrutinized everybody in the class, and for so reason, many students shivered when it was their turn. The instructor then walked back and forth in front of the group to get a better look at each student, but Ms. Luna remained stationary.
"As you may have noticed, I introduced myself as a Battle Mage, and that's because I take pride in those two words. Unlike those bookworm mages that only know how to study and debate, a Battle Mage is soone who can wield the true destructive power of magic," Instructor Seiya calmly explained. Then, his body paused briefly, and his gaze softened a bit.
"As Earth Civilization's recruits, you are destined to be soldiers. Although it may be unfair to you, it's also an opportunity to change your life. My job, as your instructor, is to mold you into the best Battle Mage possible. However, not everybody is fit for this role. War is never just about good soldiers and generals; there is much logistical work to do, so of which is even more important than soldiers. So, do not take it to heart if you are not fit for the role of a Battle Mage. In the fight against the Demon race, everybody has a role, and you only need to find yours."
"Despite his appearance and behavior, this instructor seems quite empathetic," Zane pondered.
"Alright, enough with the wishy-washy stuff," Instructor Seiya roared, yes, roared, since his voice was so loud.
"If you want to beco a true Battle Mage, there are three categories that you must train: body, mind, and magic. We will start with the body. The target is the 800m run, and you have 4:15 seconds; the use of Mana Channeling is prohibited. What are you waiting for? The ti has already started."
Zane dropped his staff in the corner before rushing out of the field and into the starting area. Although so people didn't do that, he didn't dare try to break the rules. When in a weaker position, the most stupid thing to do is challenge authority. Once he was set, he started to run properly. And despite having just exercised this morning, he was still in peak shape.
"I said, no mana channeling," a booming voice spread throughout the running track, and imdiately afterward, a giant fla hand caught a student and threw him out of the track. Zane glanced at the eliminated student before focusing on his own course. His result was decent: 2 minutes and 24 seconds.
"Ti's up," Instructor Seiya stated. "All the people who fail to et the requirents stand on the left."
More than 80 of the 275 students in that class moved to the left, with many lowering their heads. Zane looked at Tom Nguyen on the other side and sighed to himself. This will probably deal another blow to this arrogant young man. Well, maybe now, he'll be more interested in training with Zane in the morning.
"Sir, we're spellcasters. Why do we need to run and exercise like knights?" soone suddenly asked.
Instructor Seiya looked at the speaker: a young white man with brown hair and green eyes, wearing luxury brand clothes.
"Did you know that the Knight Path was created because Mages felt their bodies were too weak?" Instructor Seiya asked.
"Hm, no."
"Ancient mages were envious of elves' agility, the physical strength of orcs, the regeneration of trolls, the defensive capabilities of dragons, and their attempt at granting humans this power resulted in the creation of battle energy," Instructor Seiya explained.
"So, ancient mages trained both mana and battle energy?"
"That's correct," the instructor nodded. "I know your next question is why the tower doesn't offer this training thod, and the answer is because it's outdated. Battle energy is the fusion of life force, mana, and ntal energy. However, after the fusion, a portion of a mage's ntal energy and mana will always flow into their battle energy, drastically reducing the speed at which they can advance their ditation stage.
"So, they sought out better options. Over the years, potions and rituals have been developed to enhance a mage's physical attributes to match a knight's. However, these thods are costly and do not guarantee success. But do you know a surefire way to train? Exercise. With the right breathing thod, a mage can slowly strengthen their bodies and break their limit."
Instructor Seiya raised his hand to retrieve a tal ball from his inter-dinsional bag and casually threw it. The students watched in terror as the ball flew more than six hundred ters. "Just so you know, I didn't use an ounce of mana, just pure physical strength," Instructor Seiya calmly stated.
"That ball probably weighed more than 10 kilograms, and he threw it as if it were a tennis ball," Zane thought, his eyebrow raised. "And with such casualness at that."
"The advantages of a powerful body for a mage are countless," his booming voice once again reached everyone's ears. "First, it's endurance. Do you think mage battle is about just standing still and throwing spells at the enemy? No, you must be mobile. Defensive magic uses too much mana, so evasion must be your first instinct.
"Magic battle, at its essence, is not about who has stronger spell abilities — especially for apprentices. It's about who can save more mana. If your body is strong, you can dodge spells without using mana channeling or casting any physical-enhancing spells, conserving energy to cast more spells than your opponent. Or, at the very least, last long enough until your opponent is drained."
Zane hurriedly pressed the recording button on his phone; he was glad he had stood at the front so he could better record everything. Although the instructor's voice was loud enough for everybody to hear, he didn't want to risk missing the slightest sound.
"As soldiers, endurance is even more important to you. The demon race is feared in the Astral Cosmos because of their endless legions. They —"
Ms. Luna suddenly coughed.
Instructor Seiya also cleared, "Well, yes, you don't have to worry about that for now."
Zane squinted; this was the second ti a professor had accidentally revealed crucial information.
"The second advantage is defense," Instructor Seiya continued. "I'm assuming you've already learned about the difference between physical, magical, spiritual, and natural damage?"
Zane and the other students nodded. Their professors had covered such information in the past few days.
"Well, for humans and most flesh and blood creatures, the source of their physical resistance is a strong body. Why can knights fall hundreds of ters from the air and still function as if nothing had happened? It's because their bodies are strong, which ans they have high resistance to physical damage. A mage can acquire the sa ability if they train long enough."
Instructor Seiya turned to look at the student who asked the question, "Are those reasons good enough? Probably not, so let give you two more: constitution and willpower. Grand Mages can survive the most terrifying of injuries as long as their heart and brain are not directly damaged. With a strong enough body, you can survive severe injuries long enough for a Life or Light Mage to administer ergency treatnt.
"Finally, consistent exercising is the safest way to train your willpower. Most mages don't care about this attribute, but they don't know that a Grand Mage must have sufficient willpower; otherwise, they will die during the ascension process. Those examples should be enough to convince you, right?"
"Y-Y-Yes, sir."
Instructor Seiya glanced at him for a few seconds, and this student's legs began to shake. Luckily, the gaze did not linger before focusing on the entire group, who failed to et the requirents.
"The majority of you are Necromancers. Do you think that's a coincidence? Necromancers used to have a bad reputation — well, still do — but it was not just because they played with dead bodies. Their negative energy will slowly corrode their bodies, turning them extrely pale and thin — bonelike might be a better word choice. Most of them looked like monsters."
Ms. Luna coughed again.
"I'm just telling the truth," Instructor Seiya shrugged. "Anyway, all you need to do is to constantly exercise to keep your life energy potent and active, and you won't have any problems."
"Sir," a student suddenly raised their hands, and before the instructor picked on them, they asked their questions: "We, Dark Mages, also have a bad reputation. Should we worry about our dark mana affecting us?"
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