Professor Sharon stood at the front of the classroom, her gaze sweeping across the students.
"Today, we will be covering elental attributes and their mathematical calculations in magic application," she announced, writing a complex equation on the board.
"Now, this might seem a bit tricky, but it's crucial for advanced spellcasting.
Can anyone tell the correct mana conversion ratio for this elental spell if the ambient mana is 45 units and the caster's internal mana is 120 units?"
The class erupted into murmurs.
So students, like Amy Bluerose, squinted at the board, furrowing their brows.
Others leaned in closer to their desks, trying to make sense of the numbers.
Noah, seated in the back of the room, stifled a yawn.
He had been skimming through his old notes on mana theory, barely paying attention to the lecture.
His eyelids drooped as the soft chatter of his classmates filled the room.
Professor Sharon's sharp eyes caught the yawn.
She raised an eyebrow.
"Mr. Ashbourne."
Noah jerked upright, eyes wide. His heart began to race.
"Uh, yes, Professor?"
"Why don't you co to the front and solve the problem?"
Noah's stomach dropped.
He hadn't even been paying attention to the question.
He swallowed hard and got up, walking slowly to the front of the class.
His mind scrambled for so recollection of what the problem might be.
He approached the board, staring at the equation.
Ambient mana: 45 units.
Caster's internal mana: 120 units.
Calculate the conversion ratio for elental spellcasting.
There was a formula for this sowhere in his head, but it felt just out of reach.
Noah could feel the eyes of the class on him.
He heard whispers—so confident, others doubting.
"He's not going to get it," one student muttered.
"Maybe he's just pretending to be lost," said another.
Noah's palms began to sweat.
He didn't like being the center of attention like this.
He took a deep breath and began writing down the basic steps.
He started calculating the mana ratio, dividing the internal mana by the ambient mana, making ntal notes of the steps.
120 divided by 45… that gives you the baseline conversion factor.
Noah continued writing, completing the steps as the class watched in silence.
After what felt like an eternity, he arrived at an answer.
Professor Sharon stepped closer, inspecting his work.
"The final answer is correct, Mr. Ashbourne," she said, her voice neutral.
"But your thod is wrong."
Noah blinked at the board, confused. He double-checked his steps.
"I don't think it's wrong," he muttered, almost to himself.
"It's supposed to be like that."
Professor Sharon frowned but didn't argue.
She moved to the other side of the board and began solving the problem her way.
The class watched intently as she worked through the equation using a different thod.
After a few minutes, she arrived at the sa final answer.
The class murmured again, so students nodding in agreent while others remained confused.
Noah stepped forward, eyes on the board.
"Actually, Professor," he began hesitantly, "you made a small mistake in the third step." He pointed to a section in her work.
"You overlooked the ambient mana fluctuation.
It's subtle, but it affects the output.
That's why my thod works."
Professor Sharon paused, looking at the section Noah pointed out.
"I hadn't considered that," she admitted, her tone thoughtful.
"Interesting approach."
Noah nodded, gaining confidence.
"There are probably other ways to reach the sa answer, too.
The academy's purpose isn't just to teach us one thod of doing things, right?
We're here to be creative, to find different ways of solving problems."
The class buzzed with murmurs again, this ti louder.
A few students seed impressed, while others whispered among themselves, incredulous that Noah had corrected a professor.
"Did he just correct Professor Sharon?" one student whispered.
"How did he even see that?"
Professor Sharon smiled faintly, nodding at Noah's words.
"You make a fair point, Mr. Ashbourne. Creativity is key in magic.
It seems like you won't struggle much with the upcoming placent exams."
Noah chuckled nervously.
"It would be nothing short of a miracle if I passed," he said, brushing the complint off.
As the class murmured and chuckled lightly at his humility, Professor Sharon glanced at the clock.
"Alright, everyone. That's it for today. Be sure to review this material—it may show up in your exams."
Noah let out a quiet sigh of relief as he returned to his seat.
His pulse had finally slowed down.
"Thay was unnecessary spotlight...glad it's over..."
He mumbled.
As he sat back down, he could still hear so of the students murmuring about his sudden turn at the board.
When the class finally ended, Noah gathered his things, grateful the mont was over.
Noah stepped out of the classroom, a slight frown creasing his forehead.
He glanced around the hallway, half-expecting to see Maya waiting for him at the usual spot.
But she wasn't there.
She hadn't even co by the dorm this morning to get him, which was unlike her.
"Where is she?" he muttered to himself, starting down the hall.
As he walked, his mind still preoccupied with thoughts of Maya, a sudden jolt knocked him out of his thoughts.
He collided with soone, books scattering to the ground.
"Ah, sorry, I didn't see—" Noah began, but his words trailed off when he realized who it was.
Amy Bluerose.
Her cheeks were flushed, and she avoided his gaze as she knelt down to retrieve her fallen books.
Noah instinctively crouched down to help, but Amy imdiately stopped him, her hands trembling.
"I'll do it!" she blurted, her voice a little too loud.
She fumbled with the books, nearly dropping them again.
Her head remained lowered, and before Noah could say anything else, she stood abruptly, clutching the books to her chest.
Amy then bolted down the hall, her pace hurried.
Noah stood there, confused.
That was definitely strange.
Amy was usually composed and sharp-tongued, especially in the classroom.
But today, it was as if she couldn't even look at him.
"...what's up with her..."
Just as Noah turned to leave, Draven appeared behind him, placing a heavy hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry about her," Draven said, a knowing look in his eyes.
"Amy's been stressing out about the placent exams. It's been getting to her. She'll be fine."
Noah nodded, though he still found her behavior odd.
Draven gave him a final pat on the shoulder before walking off, leaving Noah to ponder what just happened.
As he started to walk away, another voice called out to him, soft and hesitant.
"Noah?"
He turned to see a girl with blonde hair and bright blue eyes approaching him.
It was Ariana Snow, one of the quieter students in class and a minor main character compared to the others.
She fidgeted with her fingers as she stepped closer.
"H-Hi," she stamred, her voice barely above a whisper.
"I… um… I was just wondering… about today's class.
The question Professor Sharon asked…"
Noah blinked, not sure where this was going. "Yeah?"
"I couldn't figure out how you got that answer," Ariana admitted, her cheeks flushing pink.
"I've been trying to wrap my head around it, but it didn't make sense to .
I an, not even Amy or Rylan got it, and they're always top of the class… but you…"
Her words trailed off as she bit her lip, glancing at the floor.
Noah scratched the back of his head, feeling a bit awkward.
"I don't know… I just thought about the problem from a different angle.
Maybe I went too advanced or sothing."
Ariana shook her head quickly.
"No! I an… you were right, and it made sense, I think… I just couldn't follow your thod.
Would you… maybe… um… be willing to tutor ? In this course, I an."
Her voice was so soft now, Noah had to strain to hear her.
Noah blinked, taken aback.
"Tutor you? But—what course are you talking about?"
"Elental Attributes and Mana Calculations," she said, her voice still trembling slightly.
"You seem to understand it better than anyone else in class."
Noah's eyes widened.
Had he overdone the solution?
He hadn't thought his approach was anything special.
Maybe it was too advanced after all, but it just seed right in the mont.
He glanced at Ariana, unsure of what to say.
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