With everything in order, Barney handed Carn the curriculum schedule paper. Carn looked at the schedule and discovered that the entire Monday's classes were 'Mana Practice'. As for the rest, it looked the sa as a regular high school curriculum.
Barney began the class, "Carn, since you don't have a wand, you can observe the class today. As for you three troublemakers, show your howork."
Hamr and Chuck smacked their lips and brought their magic wands and a stack of A4 papers to their desks. The third student, Koa, also put his papers and artifacts in front of him.
Koa was another huge teenager. Unlike Chuck, who was only fat, Koa's build resembled a Japanese sumo wrestler, and he was at least three inches taller than Carn. As he wore a sleeveless shirt, the tribal tattoos on his chest were visible. Combined with his toned skin and unique topknot hairstyle, he resembled a Hawaiian professional wrestler rather than a student.
Barney walked over and picked up the stack of papers from Chuck's desk. He flipped it, inspecting the drawings on each paper.
As Carn was sitting at the back of the class, he could vaguely see the pattern on the papers, which consisted of a human body on top and so paragraphs at the bottom.
Five minutes later, Barney finished reviewing the howork and gathered the papers, his face clouded with disappointnt.
"I asked you last month to draw an anatomical map and describe the after-effects of using mana daily, but only Koa turned in a complete report. Chuck, Hamr, you both just copy-pasted the sa paper. Do you realize that if sothing goes wrong while you're inside a rift, you'll have no one to bla but yourselves? Without accurate records, we can't guide your growth properly!"
Hamr scoffed, "Sir, I don't see the point of docunting how we feel after using mana. With enough mana gems, we don't have to worry about side effects. We just feel a bit of an itch in our stomach, that's all!"
"That's only because you have enough fat and blood to fuel your magic! If you ever run out of either, no matter how many mana gems you have, you won't be able to use your power."
Hamr shrugged and dismissed the argunt. "That's only a problem for an idiot who doesn't prepare. Maybe you should worry about a certain skinny shrimp at the back."
Chuck cackled, backing up his friend as usual. Barney sighed, knowing it was futile to argue further.
anwhile, Carn rested his elbow on his desk, propping his chin with his hand as he watched the loudmouths, musing to himself.
'How did these two make it through the inquisitor's mind scan? She never lets spoiled brats or thugs slip through. Maybe it's because they aren't cultivating real Aether?'
Carn then glanced at Koa, who had been quiet throughout this morning.
The Hawaiian youth already put on thick eyeglasses and brought out a thick textbook, fully prepared for the lecture.
Seeing the cover of the textbook, Carn copied Koa, pulling the sa textbook 'Mana Science' from his bag. Flipping the pages, Carn checked the index, wondering what the Earthling scientists had to offer.
Barney continued with the lesson, "Bring out your Mana Science textbook, page 31. We'll review the mana absorption thod. Get your mana gems and a mana circle ready."
Koa flipped his textbook and pulled out an A5 paper, which contained a printed magic circle. He put the gemstone wand on it and pressed the paper with his fingertips.
Chuck and Hamr ignored the instructions. They brought their magic canes closer to their mouths and licked them as if they were a lollipop.
Carn and Barney frowned at Chuck and Hamr, cringed by their vulgar behavior. They shook their heads and treated them like NPCs.
…
After the tedious morning classes, Carn yawned. The lessons were so dull and cringe-worthy that another day in front of the inquisitor sounded more entertaining by comparison.
Everything was outdated. The magic circles in the textbooks and the thods for using mana were all inefficient and overly complicated.
For instance, a simple night vision spell cost Carn only a fifth of a silver mark using his own thod. But with the Earthlings' approach, it would cost five silver marks, and he would lose weight due to the flawed magic circle pattern.
'No wonder these kids are piling on fat. But in real combat, they would be the first to die. With zero cardio and zero mobility techniques, they would be sitting ducks. Real monsters and beasts are not stupid. When they see mages and priests, they will co after them first. Hell, even I went after the fragile backliners first whenever I see one.'
Carn packed his belongings, ready to head to the cafeteria, but as he stood up, Hamr and Chuck turned and started walking toward him.
Behind them, Barney noticed the troublemakers and shook his head, choosing to look the other way. Koa also ignored everyone, already making his way to lunch.
Left alone with the two bullies, Carn sighed. He moved his desk and chair aside to clear so room. But before he could finish, Hamr jumped onto his desk, swinging a punch directly at his face.
"GET WRECKED, SHRIMP!"
The punch flew toward Carn's nose.
*CRACK*
A sharp sound echoed in the classroom.
Chuck smirked, eager to see Carn's face bloodied and broken.
The punch had landed, but it was not on his nose. It hit Carn's forehead.
Hamr winced, pulling his hand back. Looking at his knuckles, he discovered that they had started swelling, and intense pain stung throughout his arms.
His bones cracked!
anwhile, Carn calmly rubbed his forehead where the punch had hit. It didn't hurt, but the impact irritated him.
"I don't normally beat up kids, but when I do, they are all spoiled brats." Carn indirectly warned Chuck and Hamr, giving them one more chance to walk away.
Ignoring his broken hand and warning, Hamr growled. He shoved Carn's desk aside and changed his stance, throwing a middle kick. Because of his height, it beca a high kick, aiming at Carn's neck.
Carn raised his left hand and caught Hamr's shin. His fingers dug into the flesh like claws.
Hamr's expression darkened. He sensed sharp pain from his left leg, but he couldn't pull it back. Moreover, Carn's grip grew stronger every second, and his fingertips reached his bones.
"AAAARRRGH!"
The giant bellowed because of the intense pain.
Carn sighed deeply and looked at Chuck, smiling, "Welco to today's supplentary lesson, 'F-ck Around and Find Out.' Let's start with the definition of 'Find Out'."
*CRACK*
With a slight jerk and a bit of force, like how a man snapped a cookie in half with one hand, the thick shin bone, tibia, of Hamr broke in half.
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