"He's here! He's here!"
A burst of excited voices erupted in the large practice courtyard.
Students turned their heads and saw two figures slowly approaching, led by the academy's Assistant Eveline.
The man following Eveline instantly drew many people’s attention.
There was an indescribable special charisma about him.
Although his original features were already flawless, it was that aura that truly grabbed everyone’s eyes.
"Is it him?"
"Yes, Professor Gauss."
"That's strange, he's not even older than ."
"Who is the person beside him?"
"Probably a teammate?"
"Damn it."
Curiosity is human nature; whether traveling rchants or this group of privileged young mages, none could escape it.
More people arrived than Gauss had expected.
He admitted that he ca mainly for the money this ti; after all, coming by during his free ti to give one class could earn him a hundred gold coins.
Teaching was not exhausting, who would refuse the money?
But seeing these proactive students and the worship in their eyes, he suddenly thought that even without the money, coming by occasionally to teach would be nice.
Of course, having said that, he still needed to collect the money — it was provided by the school after all.
"Hello everyone, I'm Gauss. Today I'll give you a practical lesson."
That previous lecture had been theoretical; magic as a discipline ultimately needed hands-on practice.
"Let's start with Magic Missile."
Gauss picked a spell very commonly used among professional mages.
Among spellcasters, nine out of ten would learn this spell.
The reason was simple: Magic Missile was not too difficult to learn. Once soone advanced professionally, they could basically master this 1st circle spell.
Magic Missile was stable and reliable, highly practical, essentially a "national-level spell."
Even if one didn't learn it as their first spell upon reaching level one, most would make up for it later.
So students who had not attended the previous lecture wondered what there was to teach about this spell; most people here already knew it, many were even quite adept.
Yet despite their doubts, no one interrupted.
"Raise your hand if you know Magic Missile."
The mont Gauss finished speaking, nearly everyone in front raised their hand at once, as expected.
"Then for this class, I'll teach you how to reduce mana consumption when casting Magic Missile."
Gauss had ntioned this in his last lecture, but due to ti constraints he had only sketched a few ideas and had not gone into depth.
"Reduce the cost? Can we really do that?"
So students were skeptical.
They did not doubt Gauss's ability—he was far stronger and had a deeper understanding of mana than they did.
Reducing mana consumption would decrease power, but it still had considerable utility, especially for 1st- and 2nd-level casters whose personal mana reserves were not abundant.
They needed an attack that sat between a 0-circle cantrip and a 1st circle spell.
But not every spellcaster dared to modify a mature spell model.
"Of course. When I was still an apprentice, I tried it by myself and succeeded."
To give the doubtful students confidence, Gauss spoke encouragingly.
Back then he had been weak; besides Mage Hand, he only knew Magic Missile, and he had not yet had the stack of class features, racial talents, and equipnt bonuses he possessed now.
"Ah?"
The students below exchanged surprised looks.
Gauss's line contained a lot of information and they needed a mont to parse it.
First, it ant he had mastered a 1st circle spell while still an apprentice, and on top of that he had attempted to improve it and succeeded on his own?
Was he simply exceptionally gifted, or incredibly bold?
If sothing had gone wrong, Gauss might have self-destructed back then.
"Don't worry, it's simple."
"I need a volunteer to co up and demonstrate."
"!"
"My na is Dail."
"Teacher, I'll cooperate with you."
A tall, thin girl in the front row stepped forward boldly.
"Thank you, Dail."
Gauss thanked her, then concentrated his Dragon Breed power into his eyes, and quickly his erald irises shifted to a pressure-inducing burnished-gold.
Others noticed the change and stared a bit more intently.
Rumor had it Professor Gauss's draconic veins were highly pure; seeing it now, the rumors were true.
"Cast a Magic Missile so I can see."
With his enhanced perception, Gauss’s ability to sense mana flow beca clearer.
The girl waved her wand; though nervous under Gauss's stare, she still cast a cobalt Magic Missile with practiced ease.
Judging by her proficiency, Magic Missile was likely her primary offensive spell at 1st circle.
The missile left the wand and struck the target ten ters away with precision.
"Pop!"
Blue light burst everywhere as the target absorbed the spell’s magical effect.
The girl turned and looked at Gauss, nervous but expectant, waiting for his assessnt.
She had already heard of Gauss before he ca to this academy and admired this peer.
"Very good."
Gauss nodded in praise.
Although he kept his gaze on Dail rather than the target, he could see her proficiency from the pattern of mana flow in her body.
According to skill-panel grading, Dail's Magic Missile was at roughly level 3, mid-tier.
Although far from his own level 5 proficiency, it was already impressive for an ordinary caster.
It was clear she had so talent with Magic Missile; no wonder she volunteered.
"Now let demonstrate."
Gauss did not take out his wand; in theory he didn't need to move at all, but to make the process clearer for the students he raised his arm.
A mont later, a missile glittering with intense mana instantly condensed before him.
"Boom!"
Despite not pouring in much mana, the missile shot out like a shell at at least twice the speed of Dail’s earlier cast.
"Pop!" It struck the target, which lurched violently twice before absorbing the impact.
"So powerful..."
Dail's hair was blown upward by the force, but she barely cared, staring at Gauss in astonishnt.
"You didn't heighten the spell?"
That destructive power could have passed for a 2nd circle spell, no one would have doubted it.
"No. On the contrary, I used less mana than you did."
"However, this involves spell proficiency and mana intensity."
Gauss shook his head.
He had feature bonuses—Spell Mastery and Stable Casting Master—and the racial Dragon Breed boosting him. His spell proficiency was level 5 and his mana intensity far exceeded ordinary casters, enabling him to lower the spell’s level yet achieve effects comparable to heightening.
Returning to instruct, Gauss cald his mind and replayed the details and habits he had observed from her casting, thinking slowly.
He quickly formulated an adjustnt thod.
After outlining his plan briefly and clearly, he looked at Dail.
"Try it again following what I said."
"Don't worry; if anything abnormal happens I'll Dispel your magic."
A few days earlier Gauss had specifically learned the 3rd circle spell Dispel Magic for use in class. Though it was a side job, he treated it seriously.
"Okay."
Arbitrarily modifying a spell’s model was dangerous for the caster, especially when an outsider offered adjustnts based only on watching once.
But for so reason, hearing Gauss’s steady voice, she instinctively chose to trust him.
Assistant Eveline, standing aside, looked like she wanted to say sothing but ultimately held back.
Dail took a deep breath, reviewed the adjustnt points Gauss had explained in her mind, and slowly raised her wand.
"Magic Missile!"
This cast was noticeably slower, clearly because she had to watch details; her mana flow felt a bit awkward.
A blue orb slowly ford at her wand tip; this ti the orb was visibly slightly smaller than the previous one.
The orb trembled twice, and just as everyone thought it might fail—
"Whoosh!"
The Magic Missile shot out amid astonished gasps, struck the target, and burst into a halo of blue light.
It worked?!
Even Dail, the caster, looked incredulous, glancing down at her wand.
She had not expected it to go so smoothly.
Then she realized this success was due to Gauss.
Although he had only watched her cast once, he seed to understand her body and mana better than she did—she couldn't comprehend it.
Dail was completely convinced.
"Professor Gauss, you are amazing!"
Gauss dispelled the mana he had reserved for Dispel Magic and shook his head.
"It was your own mastery of Magic Missile that made it succeed."
"I just provided a small bit of help."
If a student were around level 2 proficiency, they definitely would not have succeeded on the first try.
"Keep practicing this a few more tis and rember the feeling."
"Okay, thank you, Professor," Dail said gratefully.
Aria, who had been silent beside them, smiled—she had long known Gauss was very good at teaching.
Unlike these students who could only occasionally enjoy his instruction, Aria and her companions could receive his guidance every day.
Seeing this, other students hurried forward to ask for help.
"One at a ti."
Thanks to his Dragon Breed clarity for sensing mana and his mastery of Magic Missile, Gauss quickly gave targeted guidance based on each student's body and mana intensity.
With his help, many students gradually mastered the lowered-rank casting technique for Magic Missile.
Of course, there were failures, but before any mana abnormalities escalated, Gauss used Dispel Magic to imdiately dispel the effects on those students.
Still, almost all the students grasped the technique.
Essentially, the release difficulty wasn’t high; the challenge lay in understanding the spell deeply and tailoring adjustnts to different people.
From above in a building, Vice Dean Kieran Xavier watched silently and nodded.
Indeed, hiring Gauss at a high salary was worthwhile. Compared to Gauss’s "instant cure" teaching effect, Kieran felt the salary might even be too low.
At least he personally could not achieve such teaching results.
The only pity was knowing Gauss would not beco a full-ti professor or remain to teach.
A young genius like him managing to co once a month was already a blessing for the students.
After the class, nearly all the students were thoroughly impressed with this young professor.
Even those few most arrogant 3rd-level casters in the crowd were no exception.
They had high standards, but not lacking in judgnt; people with real ability often won them over.
Gauss not only had high personal skill, but his teaching ability was excellent. Being on good terms with him could greatly benefit career developnt.
It was a sha the instruction ti was so short.
With so many students, the ti for individual guidance was limited.
After giving everyone tailored advice, Gauss casually answered a few deeper questions about refining Magic Missile, and class ti quickly drew to a close.
When Assistant Eveline stepped forward to preside, the students realized the lesson was ending.
One by one, they looked reluctant to leave.
Gauss's explanations were incisive, often cutting straight to the flaw in their casting.
"Professor Gauss is incredible, he explains things so much more clearly than other teachers."
"And he’s so young."
"Yes."
...
Seeing Gauss's face again left them dazed.
He was so young that it inevitably induced self-doubt.
They were all the sa age—why was his magical level so far ahead of theirs? It wasn’t a slight gap, but a complete, total separation.
"Ti is nearly up."
"Last, I'll answer a few questions, any question at all."
"Not necessarily about Magic Missile."
Watching the suddenly quieter students, Gauss prepared to finish by answering a few final questions.
The students exchanged looks for a mont, then soone raised a hand from the back.
"Professor Gauss."
"I want to ask, how can one have talent as outstanding as yours?"
The student’s eyes flickered with confusion. Before this, many had thought they were among the most talented of their peers, but this lesson made them feel the vast innate gulf between them and a true genius.
Their proud talents seed insignificant before Gauss, who already carried three stars and was the best among them.
Hence their bewildernt.
Gauss and the student t each other’s eyes.
After a mont of silence, he spoke slowly.
"Impossible."
"Your magical talent will never be the sa as mine."
He did not offer comforting platitudes.
Differences in magical talent were innate.
Such talent gaps were almost everywhere.
Hearing Gauss’s slightly cold reply, the previously quiet crowd fell absolutely silent.
Although many realized Gauss was right—he was not insulting them, rely stating a fact.
"However, that's not important."
"You did not start becoming a spellcaster to compare with , did you?"
Gauss knew perhaps his piercing critiques had struck a blow to so students' confidence with their effectiveness.
"Actually, you need not compete with ."
"Even if your talent is not as good as mine, you can still advance on the path of spellcasting to Master, to Transcendent, and even stronger."
"That is already enough, isn't it?"
Gauss answered plainly.
Comparing themselves to him was deeply unfair to this group.
Everyone had different starting conditions.
But then again, what real fairness exists in the world?
The disabled long for wholeness; in ordinary eyes, they want physical strength; for low-tier adventurers who fight their whole lives without breaking through professional ranks, being able to advance professionally is a gift from the heavens.
What these students had now was the future many prayed for but could not obtain.
"Class dismissed, everyone."
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