Basic Physical Strengthening was exactly what it sounded like—a class built around the fundantals of building and maintaining your physical body.
It wasn’t flashy. It wasn’t exciting. But it was important.
We trained with standard equipnt to improve core strength, balance, and endurance. And occasionally, Professor Ray Black would throw out case study scenarios, asking us things like how to avoid overexertion, or the best way to build muscle without injuring ourselves.
The guy might look like a living wall, but he actually had a thod to his madness.
It was simple, really—but that simplicity was its strength.
If your body wasn’t in shape, everything else—magic, combat, even survival—was a lot harder.
All the exams in this class, by the way, were practical. You could ace a written test, but if you couldn’t move properly? You’d fail. It was all about testing overall growth.
Basic Magic Control, though—that was a whole different beast.
This class was considered special for a reason.
Every superhuman in this world, no matter their background, had at least so aptitude for magic. But that didn’t an they could just snap their fingers and beco spellcasters overnight.
Magic was volatile. Especially for young students like us, trying to mold it into sothing useful with shaky control and raw potential.
That’s where this class ca in. A structured space to help cadets tap into their mana, control its flow, and learn how to actually use it without blowing themselves—or others—up.
Most talents were tied to magic in one way or another. But of course, there were always exceptions.
And if your talent wasn’t magic-related, and your rank was low? Well, good luck trying to feel your mana, let alone manipulate it.
Unless you were so elite prodigy or had been raised with magical tutoring since you were five, you were basically fumbling in the dark here.
That’s what made this class kind of exciting—and terrifying.
Oh, and guess who else was in this class?
Ryen.
Yeah, that Ryen. Mr. "I Can Already Use Magic Like It’s Breathing."
He didn’t need this class. But he still took it.
Why?
Well, according to the original story, his dad used to work in construction. Taught him early on that no matter how flashy the design, a weak foundation ant the whole thing could collapse.
So, even though he was a genius, Ryen took six basic courses in his first sester. Just to make sure his foundation was rock solid.
Classic protagonist move, honestly.
As for ?
I wasn’t complaining. I was actually kind of curious about this class. As normal human being I didn’t get see any real magic in life.
So if I have opportunity to study magic? I would take it of course.
Even if I was starting at zero.
"Hello everyone! My na is Alice Draken, and I’ll be your Basic Magic Control professor!"
A bright, energetic voice snapped out of my thoughts.
At the front of the room stood a petite woman with bouncing blonde hair, a star-tipped wand, and a pointed witch’s hat slightly tilted on her head. She looked like she’d walked straight out of a fairy tale. Cute, cheerful... and completely out of place in this tension-filled academy.
Or maybe not, because she had just appeared out of thin air.
Seriously—one mont, the podium was empty, the next, poof—she was there, twirling around like it was the most normal thing in the world.
Gasps echoed through the classroom, students shifting in their seats in stunned silence. Even Ryen blinked a few tis, eyebrows raised.
And ?
My jaw practically hit the desk.
This was the first ti I’d seen soone actually teleport in real life, not through a screen or the pages of a novel.
I knew this would happen, eventually. I’d read the book, after all. Seen the illustrations.
But seeing her in the flesh—this character I had only ever imagined—felt surreal.
Still. I needed to get used to this fast.
Alice Draken.
Magic control professor. Beloved by students for her cutesy, almost doll-like appearance. The so-called "mascot" of Velcrest Academy.
But to ? She was a ticking ti bomb.
In the original story, she wasn’t a villain yet... but she would be. A seed of betrayal, waiting for the right temptation to bloom. She would eventually turn on the academy for a promise she couldn’t resist.
But right now?
She smiled like a ray of sunshine and waved at us like we were kindergarteners.
"Oh? Are you all laughing because I’m short? Do you want an F?"
Most of the class burst into light laughter. They thought she was joking.
Except Ryen. He kept a straight face—probably because he didn’t judge people based on appearance.
And ?
Yeah, I didn’t laugh either. Because I knew she wasn’t kidding.
Her expression darkened slightly. Her smile stiffened.
"Hmmm... I didn’t know so many of you were interested in retaking this class next year. You really want to see again that badly?"
Fwoosh—!
A pulse of magical energy erupted from her body, thick and suffocating like the air before a storm.
A few students flinched. The temperature dropped—or maybe that was just their nerves acting up.
Gone was the cheerful little witch.
In her place stood sothing else entirely—sothing powerful, dangerous.
A predator in pixie clothing.
I held my breath. Even though the pressure wasn’t aid at directly, I could feel it. Like the air was humming against my skin.
And then, just as quickly as it ca—
"Hahaha! I’m just kidding. No need to wet your pants. It’s not like I’m going to kill you over a little joke. You really should learn how to take a joke, you know?"
The room exhaled as one. Nervous laughter filled the space.
Yeah... totally a joke.
Right.
She bead again, the threatening aura vanishing like it had never existed.
"But I will give you Fs if you slack off in my class. So don’t test , okay?"
And just like that, she was back to her bubbly self.
"I have to say though," she continued, placing a finger on her chin thoughtfully. "This year, we have so interesting students. Especially those two over there."
She pointed toward the back row.
Ryen sat up straighter, clearly expecting it to be him.
But...
She wasn’t pointing at him.
She was pointing at .
Wait.
?!
I blinked.
The class turned to look.
...What the hell did I do now?
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