Chapter 92: Chapter Ninety Two
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"Now. Let’s talk about the other traits of magic."
Zeke looked at his students. Teaching was satisfying—sharing the knowledge he had worked hard to learn—especially when the kids listened the way they did.
"The next trait on the list is energy source."
He began to pace.
"Almost everything in this world requires an energy source. Magic is not an exception."
He held up a hand.
"You could argue that it’s basic knowledge, since the Magic Power stat exists on your status sheet."
The class nodded in agreent.
"Tsk, tsk." Zeke shook his head. "Many scholars have studied this question. They’ve concluded that ’magic’ is called magic because it is the purest art—other than innate abilities—that alters reality."
He stopped pacing.
"The Magic Power stat is the energy source that all arts and systems operate on. Magic just happens to be the closest form, aside from abilities."
He pressed a finger to his palm.
"You ’transmute’ the energy source inside you—Magic Power—into ’mana’ to cast magic. Mages simply call their art ’magic’ because it is the closest to the original form of energy."
He held up a finger.
"Your energy source determines the strength of the result of your intent plus execution."
A small fla appeared before him.
"With a small addition of energy, this little fla could be as large as a drumstick. Or even bigger." He tilted his head. "It could be as large as a building and do less damage than a wisp of fla."
He dismissed the fla.
"Which brings
to the next trait of magic: user dependency."
He t their eyes.
"Magic is only as powerful as the mage using it. Your talent, your knowledge, and your actual power rank determine how magic works. An F-rank’s fireball will never deal the sa damage as an S-rank’s fireball. A Grandmaster’s use of magic will always differ from a novice’s."
He raised a third finger.
"The last trait of magic is affinity."
He let the word settle.
"What is affinity? Affinity is a natural inclination or compatibility between a mage and certain types of magic. Think of it as a talent, a bias, a shortcut. Where energy source is the fuel, affinity is the engine type—so engines run better on certain fuels, and so mages find certain spells easier, stronger, or more intuitive than others."
He began ticking off categories on his fingers.
"A mage with fire affinity learns fire spells more easily than water spells or spells of other affinities. Affinities usually fall under three categories."
He raised one finger.
"Elental affinities. Fire, water, earth, air, and other very special elents."
A second finger.
"Domain or school affinity—otherwise known as deviant magic. Healing, protection, curses, illusion, summoning, necromancy, enchantnt, divination, transmutation."
A third finger.
"thod affinity. A connection to a specific casting thod. Incantations, gestures, runes, thought-based casting, material components."
He lowered his hand.
"The golden rule of affinity: affinity is a starting point, not a cage. A fire mage can learn water magic—it just takes more effort. A healer can learn curses—but it may feel wrong or exhausting. No affinity locks you out entirely, unless the system’s rules say otherwise. Most powerful mages have multiple affinities, or have trained hard to cover their weaknesses."
He resud pacing.
"Your talent in magic determines your potential in branching out into other affinities. It’s also argued that your potential in branching out determines your talent in magecraft. An S-rank mage trait allows you to branch out to different affinities more easily than an A-rank."
He stopped. Looked at them.
"Say you’re talented in thought magic and have the elental affinity of fire. With S-rank talent, you can learn other categories of magic better than an A-rank could."
He shrugged.
"It’s really not that difficult to excel in all branches. Look at . There’s no branch I can’t perform—only magic I don’t know about. As my students, you are going to have at least a semblance of that talent. Either by nature, or as a result of
beating it into you."
His grin was sharp.
"Which brings
to the next agenda: combat. Since you’ve caused trouble because of your urges for battle, I’ll have to quell that urge sohow. And I know just how to do it."
---
"Just a little force and he’s got to teaching."
Nox stroked his beard, watching Zeke through the scrying window.
"Look at him teach. Who would have thought he had the makings of a professor?"
"Well, I did." Nox’s smile widened. "That’s why I hired him. Hohoho."
Castiel stood beside him, his posture rigid, his gaze fixed on the image of the classroom. "Indeed. The immortal teaches with fervor worthy of a class full of geniuses."
"Fervor, he says." Nox laughed. "Now, you and your cronies can stop pestering . The advent for their growth has been provided."
"It is just one lecture."
"A very impactful lecture."
Nox corrected.
Castiel turned his head, his eyes narrowing. "The hundred-year peace will end in a year. The main storyline will begin soon. Philosophical lectures will only take them so far."
"Philosophy has done a lot for the world." Nox rose from his seat. "Open up, little angel." He gestured toward the scrying window. "And who says the great Zeke would only teach philosophy and theory?"
He smirked. "See?"
Castiel’s gaze snapped back to the window. The classroom was empty. The students had vanished—Zeke with them. He could not sense them anywhere in the surrounding area.
He turned to Nox, searching for answers.
Nox’s smile did not waver.
"Worry not. Your fledglings are about to wish they’d stuck with theories." He paused. "Or not. They could co out all the more chaotic."
He walked toward Castiel.
"My choices have never been wrong." He placed his hands on Castiel’s shoulders. "So tell your friends that their little plan should wait until the era of peace ends."
His voice dropped.
"Or else..."
"I will deliver your ssage"
Castiel smiled—thin, controlled. "Do rember: you are but a little administrator now. And administrators can be replaced." His gaze was steady. "So don’t threaten an angel of Heaven so vulgarly. Others might not be this receptive."
He dissipated from the room.
Nox blinked. Looked around with mock surprise.
"Hah. Did he just threaten ?"
A greater pressure burst from him. The room shook with his power. If one looked outside the window, the weather had changed —thunderstorms gathering, threatening to fall.
---
The students found themselves in the white building—the training ground of the Crucible. Clean. Vast. Waiting. The ceiling was sowhere above the point where looking stopped being useful.
They looked around.
CLAP.
"You may be wondering why I’ve brought you here when I ntioned combat."
Zeke’s voice broke their reverie. They turned to face him.
"Well." He spread his arms. "Welco to my world."
"Your world?" Virelle asked.
"Not a world, exactly. It’s a training space that I own. A marvelous space."
He waved his hand. Their clothes shifted, replaced by simple training gear.
"Let
give you a breakdown of this space."
---
"This is the best," Kenshin whistled.
"Mm." Dean nodded vigorously.
"The spar that had been held back can now comnce." Kenshin roared like a barbarian.
Sam shook his head, smiling.
"Do you only know how to fight?" Virelle scolded.
"No. But we are in a space ant for battle." Kenshin tilted his head, genuinely puzzled. "What do you expect
to do? Cook?"
He could not understand how this tiny girl thought. Free reign to fight, and she still held back?
Bah. Could never be him.
Whom should he challenge first? It was a good call to fight the strongest.
His eyes found Daemion. The quiet boy would be a good fight. He sensed strength in him.
But he had ntioned the strongest.
No. He couldn’t be thinking of it.
But why shouldn’t he? The allure of not dying held strong.
"Yosh." Kenshin bellowed.
Before he could speak, Zeke wiggled his finger, shaking his head, a smile plastered on his face.
"Before you act on your thoughts, Kenshin, we have to set so rules."
Kenshin’s smile turned sheepish. He scratched his cheek.
"Gather round, children."
The class walked toward Zeke.
"Other than the difference in ranks in your group, most of you have hax that makes fighting you unfair."
"Hax?" Zephyr asked.
"Unconventional abilities that allow you to ignore certain things. But it’s also an unavoidable thing, since it’s most of your only abilities."
He looked at them.
"Your class is a class of monsters."
"A class of monsters that can’t beat their professor," Daemion muttered.
"That’s because I’m in possession of hax abilities myself. And I could just copy your hax abilities." Zeke shrugged.
"What are your hax?" Seraphin asked. "Better yet, what abilities do we possess that classify as hax?"
Zeke let out a small laugh. They wanted to know how he had known their abilities, and they were using this thod to ask.
Seraphin maintained eye contact with him.
They had co to a realization: if their sches were found out, all they had to do was confirm that they had been scheming, and Zeke would acquiesce.
Zeke scoffed. They were no fun anymore.
"These eyes of mine see everything." He pointed to his eyes with a wide grin.
"Nyssara, my class rep." He turned to her. "You’re dangerous to put down because of your ability, [Superposition]. It allows you to be everywhere and nowhere at once, without cost. That ans you would be the most difficult to kill among your comrades. And with your promise in magic, you could be a sniper mage, spamming magic attacks from anywhere."
He turned.
"Kenshin. You have two traits that, when put together—especially against your classmates—are pure hax. Regeneration that cannot be stopped by anyone without enough firepower to totally kill you, and it does not expend any energy. Then you have [Infinite Stamina], paired with an ability that does not require mana but stops your access to it—[Heavenly Restriction]." He winked. "Against your classmates, you’re a pure fighting machine that would continue fighting for eternity."
He paused.
"And your innate ability is pure destruction. Of everyone here, you’re the only one with the highest chance of killing . But too bad—I can copy better abilities to protect myself from yours. One such ability is [Superposition], and the ability of young Daemion."
He turned.
"[Dinsional Eyes]. An ability that grants you ocular prowess, intangibility, access to another dinsion, and teleportation to and from it. The only weakness is the energy cost it requires. With it, I can simply beco intangible at the mont you use your ability."
He addressed Kenshin again.
"And as for the owner of the ability, copying it and having access to the sa dinsion as you is all I need." He turned back to Daemion. "Though your ocular abilities are more than just dinsional prowess. Enhanced visual acuity. Predictive tracking. Ability copying—not like mine, but simple skills, physical movents, simple magic spells. There is nuance to be uncovered as you progress."
He laughed.
"It’s a sha you say you don’t major in magic. Well, I’m your professor, so you don’t really have a choice."
He moved on.
"Rhaegar, my boy. The one who gets
the most." He smiled—teasing, sharp. "Not really. I’m immune to your bullshit ability."
The class shifted.
"You possess an exaggerated ability that allows you to read, control, and rewrite the minds of people with weaker ntal stats than you—either by traits or abilities. Killing you would be easy. You’re only difficult to fight within your class."
He turned.
"Sam, my favorite vice rep." His voice softened. "We’ll talk about certain things at a later date. But your abilities are the focus now."
He gave Sam a calm look.
"Your ability allows you to see a few seconds into the future, giving you a more advanced version of Daemion’s prediction ability. Your psychic ability to exert force on your opponents would make you a devilish opponent to face, as does your ability to read the surface thoughts of others—a weaker version of Rhaegar’s ability."
He moved on.
"Aelric. Your ability allows you to control your skeletal system. And not just control—you can bring it out of your body. Your bones carry the ability to cause molecular deterioration, as long as your opponent does not have the ability to regenerate faster than the deterioration. It’s relative to the strength of your opponents." He shrugged. "Again, quite easy to kill you."
He raised a finger.
"Oh, I just rembered sothing. I’ll tell you when I conclude the ability exposition."
He turned.
"Dean Winchester. My favorite twin." He grinned. "Yes, I have no bias saying it out loud. My favoritism changes like the seasons, anyway."
Dean’s chest puffed slightly.
"Your ability is quite unique. And useless, to be honest. You need more damage-dealing abilities. It’s the reason you lost last ti—you have no options against weaker opponents. He’s not the only person you’ll face who’s versatile."
He addressed the class.
"The basics of his ability will be made public at his own behest. The only information you all need to know is that he gets stronger against stronger opponents."
He turned.
"Zephyr. An ability that allows you to catalogue weapons you understand, creating a portal that brings them out for a duration your Magic Power can sustain. Neat."
He looked at the two girls he had not yet nad—Virelle and Seraphin. Then he swept his gaze across the class. They were all paying attention, surprised as he listed their abilities and their intricate details.
"Seraphin. Miss ’I ca here to get stronger.’ Are you feeling pressure from your ability, [Pressure Sovereign]? An ability that allows you to apply pressure to anything in your line of sight. Amazing. Like other abilities, it’s relative to the strength of your opponent."
He smiled.
"I forgot to even ntion how I would kill you. I believe it has been ingrained in your mind how futile a fight against
is."
He turned to the last student.
"Virelle, the boss of boss ladies." He glanced at Nyssara. "Well, other than ’her’."
Zeke smiled at he ntioned ’her’
"OOOOO." The students cooed.
"I know that look," Seraphin added.
"Bah. Don’t stop my exposition." Zeke’s smile widened. "Virelle. [Echo Bodies]. Maybe it’s the reason you have excess energy. An ability that allows you to create up to ten different bodies that hold your physical abilities."
He stretched.
"You guys are avid listeners. It’s nice to go on and on with y’all."
He straightened.
"Now for the climax. First off, my biggest hax: I’m immortal."
He let that land.
"Although with enough energy and strength, Kenshin could erase
from existence. He simply can’t. Because of a trait I forgot I had." He grinned. "When I ntioned killing you all earlier—weaklings simply cannot harm ."
"Oh, c’mon." The class groaned.
"And if you add the fact that with my eyes, just seeing your status window is enough to render your skills obsolete—because I’ve already copied them."
"Son of a bitch," Dean muttered.
"Language," Zeke laughed.
"Since introductions are out of the way, let’s set up the rules for our combat session."
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