Summoned by Siana, Shirone followed her to the faculty lounge.
She set down a teacup with a smile.
Siana: "Here. You treated me last time—now it's my turn."
Shirone (laughing): "Haha, thank you."
'She looks much happier than when she was teaching Class Seven.'
Rumors had reached Siana that Shirone had grown more sociable, even joking with classmates.
Shirone (curious): "So, why did you call for me?"
Siana: "I saw your grades. You're maintaining steady growth—especially in my subject, chemistry. That's encouraging."
Shirone (sheepish): "Heh. It's just one point, though."
Even if it was only one point, it was a point Siana could take pride in.
'Honestly, I didn't expect him to last this long.'
Even geniuses usually hit a plateau, but Shirone's scores stayed remarkably consistent—averaging 45 with less than a 2-point variance per subject.
'His limits are higher than I predicted.'
Siana: "At this rate, you'll break into the upper-mid tier next month. The school will take notice of your study methods."
Shirone (flustered): "Oh, I wasn't trying to get attention."
Siana: "I know. That's why I called you—I have a proposal."
Shirone: "A proposal?"
Siana: "You know we have bi-monthly practical exams, right? This month's is a targeting test. Familiar with it?"
Shirone (nodding): "Yeah, I saw Amy do it in Class Four. You hit floating targets within a time limit. Amy was insanely fast—it was amazing."
His eyes sparkled with admiration.
Siana smiled. His lack of envy was one of his strengths.
Siana: "Right. Sounds like Amy's adjusting well to the senior class. Must be hard being apart from your girlfriend."
The senior and advanced classes were far apart, with little overlap in schedules.
Weekend dates were possible, but Shirone didn't want to distract her.
Shirone (smiling): "As long as she's doing well, I'm happy. I'll support her as her boyfriend."
Siana chuckled.
She'd initially worried, but if they stayed this healthy, she might even encourage the relationship.
Siana: "You two are a rare kind of couple. Anyway—the reason I called you is about the practical exam. Aside from instant transmission, do you know any other spells?"
Shirone (sheepish): "No… My grades show I'm still below standard— Oh! Right!"
He suddenly realized.
'Practical exams require active magic.'
Attack spells weren't mandatory, but instant transmission was a passive spell—it only affected the caster.
Active magic, however, influenced the world—fire, wind cutter, healing, ice sword, lightning bolt, atomic bomb, etc.
Shirone (panicked): "What do I do? I need at least one offensive spell, but I've been so focused on theory I didn't think about it!"
Siana (reassuring): "Don't worry. If you've mastered Rainbow Drop, basic active spells should be easy."
Shirone (doubtful): "But my theory average is 45. You said the minimum for spell activation is 60."
Siana: "Normally, yes. But you have one area where you're near-perfect."
Shirone (blinking): "Huh?"
Then it hit him.
Shirone (excited): "Photon Conversion Theory!"
Siana (smiling): "Exactly. There are many photon-based spells. You've studied the theory—now apply it."
Shirone (grateful): "I see! Thank you, Professor!"
Siana: "Just doing my job as your advisor. Come to me anytime."
Shirone (eager): "Then I'll ask now—what photon-based active spells can I develop?"
Siana grinned at the direct question.
Siana: "Ever heard of photon emission?"
Shirone (nodding): "From books. It's about projecting photons outward, right?"
It was called photon discharge—but due to photons' nature, simply emitting them didn't do much.
You could light up a dark forest, but a basic illumination spell would be easier.
Even the groundbreaking Photon Conversion Theory had its limits.
Shirone (hesitant): "I can take the exam with this, but… is it worth studying? Wouldn't it be a waste of time?"
Siana disagreed.
Siana: "By current standards, yes. But advanced magical societies—like the Ivory Tower—believe photon emission holds humanity's future."
Shirone listened intently.
Siana: "People overlook this, but nothing is faster than light. Its linear nature also makes it easy to control. Some believe it could revolutionize information transmission."
Shirone (realizing): "Ah, that makes sense."
Siana: "Photon emission has a bright future. By the time you graduate, it might already bear fruit. Mastering it now isn't a bad idea."
Shirone nodded.
Shirone: "If it's not a waste, I'll do it. I'll start practicing today."
Since photon discharge was his only immediate option, he headed straight to the training grounds.
With little time left before the exam, every second counted.
Shirone (determined): "Alright, let's do this!"
In his photon state, he stretched out a hand.
'Magical action.'
A special stance or gesture to enhance spellcasting.
'Go!'
But no light came out.
'Damn it.'
His circuit was flawless—but his output fell short.
'Instant transmission was easier…'
His defensive affinity made offense harder.
'Switching to offense means sacrificing spirit zone efficiency. But still…'
Was photon discharge really impossible?
'No way. Students with smaller spirit zones than me can cast basic active spells.'
Then he recalled Ethela's words: "The spirit zone can be technically enhanced."
'There must be a trick. What is it?'
The more he pondered, the more contradictions he found.
'The spirit zone is the most sensitive mental state. How can you enhance it further?'
His first day ended with nothing but questions.
Next morning.
Shirone arrived early at the training grounds—but unlike usual, many students were already there.
'Everyone had the same idea.'
Today marked the start of practical exam prep, and morale was high.
The exam varied by class—Shirone's group had targeting, nicknamed "Speed Gun."
Student 1 (groaning): "Ugh, we're gonna drill Speed Gun to death. It's my worst subject. Target-types have it easy."
Student 2: "Not necessarily. Target-types are specialized but get swarmed in exams. Why not switch to offense and blast everything?"
Student 1: "You'll burn out first. Still, offense or target is better than evasion. No one uses that."
Student 2: "Except Iruki. Think he'll go evasion again?"
Student 1 (laughing): "Hah! Only an idiot would. I'm more curious about Shirone. He's strong in real combat—think he'll find a defensive breakthrough?"
Despite not being top-tier, Shirone and Iruki were often discussed—their unpredictability made them stand out.
Meanwhile, Shirone wanted to cry.
Far from being "strong in real combat," he still couldn't even manage photon discharge.
'What do I do? This is bad…'
Then—chaos erupted at the far end of the training grounds.
A dog's furious barking drew a crowd.
Student 3: "What? How'd it get in?"
Student 4: "Must be wild. Look how aggressive it is!"
As students threw stones, Shirone suddenly froze—then sprinted forward.
Shirone (shouting): "Wait! Stop throwing rocks!"
Mark (chasing after him): "Senior, it's dangerous! That's a wild dog!"
Shirone (firmly): "Even wild dogs rarely attack humans. They'd rather run."
"But it's barking like that!"
"That's probably because..."
The dog let out a low growl. I couldn't bring myself to attack it and instinctively stepped back.
In that tense moment, Shirone stared straight into the dog's eyes and slowly moved into the forest.
Just as she suspected, a young, wounded puppy was struggling in the grass.
"Oh no, your leg is hurt. Poor thing."
"Huh? Seriously? Guys, there's a puppy here!"
Mark started to call out to the others, but Shirone stopped him.
"Not yet. Even a mother dog can act unpredictably if her pups are in danger."
"Oh, I get it. Okay! Hey, don't come over here!"
"Instead, could you find someone who knows healing magic? Maybe from Class Five," Shirone suggested.
He hoped Seriel might come to help, but he couldn't just ask his senior directly, no matter how close they were.
"No need. Maria knows healing magic. I'll go get her," one of the students replied.
Since training under Sade, Maria had become a lot more cheerful.
"Oh no! How did this happen?" Maria exclaimed.
"It looks like it was bitten in a fight over territory. Can you heal it?" the student asked.
"Of course, senior. This is easy for me," Maria said confidently.
Having studied magic since childhood, Maria knew many different spells. After a quick treatment, the puppy was up on its feet again, wagging its tail and running around happily.
The younger students watched as the mother dog returned with her pup.
"That was amazing, senior. How did you know what to do?" one of them asked.
"I used to live in the mountains for a long time," Maria explained.
"Huh? Really, senior?"
Not many people knew about Shirone's past.
"Yeah. When animals have young, their cries sound different. You can hear the sadness in them. When I was little, I went hunting with my dad. One time, we caught a dangerous red bear in a trap. It fought hard and almost escaped. My dad raised his bow, but then…"
Shirone paused, remembering his past.
"He lowered the bow. I thought it was strange and asked him why he didn't shoot."
'Dad, why didn't you shoot it?' I asked.
Vincent crouched beside me, pointing into the grass.
'Look over there,' he said.
I peered through the grass and saw a small bear cub crying beside its wounded mother.
'Even though it's just an animal, we don't kill it when it has babies. Whether human or animal, the love for family is the same,' he explained.
'But that was such a big catch,' I said. 'Wasn't it a waste?'
Vincent patted me gently.
'Just like the bear has a cub, I have you. How could I, as your parent, turn my back on you? Surviving is important, but there's a line you shouldn't cross—especially when it comes to your children. It's an unspoken rule of nature.'
Even though I couldn't fully understand it back then, something warm and deep stayed with me—a lesson that never faded.
The other students were moved by his story.
"Wow…"
Even the noble students, used to hunting, had never imagined such a perspective.
"Your father sounds amazing," one of them said.
"No wonder Shirone is so kind-hearted," another remarked.
At that moment, Iruki appeared, interrupting the mood.
"That's a foolish way of thinking. That's not why hunters spare animals."
His words made the younger students frown, clearly disappointed.
Iruki remained calm.
"We don't avoid killing animals with babies out of kindness. It's to prevent the young from growing up to hate humans. This is called imprinting. Once the young animals see humans as enemies, that hatred is passed down. It makes hunting harder in the future. If you kill the offspring, the species dies out."
Shirone clenched his fists, his eyes misting with emotion.
Iruki's logic made sense, but to Shirone, it wasn't about biology.
"How can you say that? Sure, some hunters think that way. But most spare animals out of real compassion," Shirone retorted.
"Compassion, emotions—they can be faked. I'm just being realistic. I don't deceive people with pretty ideals like you," Iruki shot back.
"What? Deceive people? Is that what you think?" Shirone snapped.
He stepped forward, his anger rising.
The argument picked up right where it had left off in the Paranormal Science Research Association.
The other students watched in confusion.
"What's going on with them? Have they been arguing for a while?" one student whispered.
"Yeah, it looks like a rivalry. They're both candidates for the next promotion," another replied.
Shirone glared at Iruki, but Iruki ignored him, looking away.
"Hey, hey! What are you two doing?" Nade interrupted before things could escalate. "The teacher's coming! Let's head back."
Thanks to Nade's timing, the fight didn't get worse, but Shirone was still fuming inside.
What's wrong with that guy? Shirone thought. He just doesn't get what's really important. Whether it's studying explosions or dealing with animals, he's missing the point.
I should stay away from him from now on.
At that moment, Ethela arrived at the training grounds to start the class.
The students gasped at her appearance.
She wore short-sleeved training clothes that showed off her legs, and most surprisingly—she wasn't wearing glasses.
Can someone really change that much?
Ethela had always been popular, but now she seemed almost untouchable.
"Alright, everyone. Starting today, we begin special training. Because of the practice room schedule, Class Five will go first with their speed gun test. From tomorrow, each class will have its own time slot. But before we start, we'll watch a demonstration from the teaching assistant. Sanuel, please come forward."
A tall, handsome young man with long blond hair stepped up beside Ethela.
He appeared to be in his early twenties, with hair that reached down to his waist—a rarity for a man.
"This is Sanuel, a teaching assistant from the graduating class. He specializes in speech magic and is here today to demonstrate a skill related to Spirit Zone enhancement. Watch carefully."
The students applauded, especially the girls.
"Nice to meet you. It feels like just yesterday I was in the advanced class, but time flies. I hope my demonstration helps you in your studies, even if I'm not perfect. I'll do my best," Sanuel said with a smile.
Shirone's eyes lit up. This was his chance to see how students who had competed with Amy performed.
Just watching Sanuel activate the Spirit Zone from his Image Zone earned murmurs of admiration.
"Wow."
A 42-meter-wide sphere surrounded him, similar in size to Shirone's own.
Sanuel spoke calmly.
"Speech magic uses the power of language to amplify magic. First, let me show you a basic tornado without speech magic. Tornado."
He raised his hands casually, and a strong whirlwind briefly formed.
"Whoa, that was fast," some students whispered.
Though some students in the advanced class knew the spell, they could tell his control was on a whole different level.
Sanuel smiled and continued.
"Now, remember that power. I'll now strengthen the tornado using speech magic. This technique uses language to reinforce the caster's will and boost their mental strength."
He began reciting a poetic incantation, composed of eight verses.
"Land of passion, I borrow your power, so touch my hand. The heavens look down, and the history of the ages is contained in an instant. When the power of the void is in your hand…"
As the poem dragged on, the students began to shift restlessly, as if they were in a literature class. Some even yawned, but Sanuel didn't seem to mind. He calmly raised his hands again and said:
"Tornado."
This time, the whirlwind burst forth with a deafening roar. The power of the wind was so intense that it made Sanuel's figure flicker like a mirage.
"..."
"This is the strength of words. When your words carry intent, they empower your spirit. To speak is to reflect—that's the foundation of speech magic."
"Whoa…"
Sanuel smiled as the students, finally in awe, let out a collective breath.
"Now then... let's get started for real."
The students sat in stunned silence.
"Seriously? That actually worked?" someone muttered.
The power from Sanuel's word magic still lingered in the air.
"Land of enthusiasm."
Sanuel spoke the same incantation again, but this time much faster.
"I borrow your strength, so touch my hand. Heaven looks down, and the history of the ages is contained in an instant."
His voice sped up even more, almost sounding like it was warping as it went faster and faster.
"The holy land of heaven exists in the heart, and the will of the magician is contained in the world. Songs of praise and adoration...!"
Soon, the words became so distorted they didn't even sound like language anymore. Sanuel's face contorted with effort, and he let out a high-pitched scream—almost dolphin-like—as his voice reached its limit.
Then—
Boom!