Before Reed could utter a word in response to the noble brat trying to puff his chest, a soft chime resonated across Solvanyr Academy.
It was a gentle, melodic note, elegant and soothing, like a bell made of crystal struck by the wind.
It was also Reed's new favorite sound in the world.
That chime meant one very important thing: First period was officially over, and they had ten minutes to get to their next class.
Reed practically exhaled an audible sigh of relief. His wooden sword dipped slightly in his grip, and he finally let go of the tension in his shoulders.
Around him, students began moving toward the edges of the training field, wiping sweat from their brows or collapsing dramatically like they'd just finished climbing a mountain — never mind the fact that half of them had barely swung their practice swords more than five times.
Predictably, the noble boys who had tried (and failed) to taunt him slunk away, faces flushed redder than a tomato salad at a noble's brunch.
"Tch. Next time, Arkwright," one of them mumbled while adjusting his sleeve like it gave him a power boost. "We won't go easy on you."
Reed didn't respond. He merely gave a small, amused snort, returned his sword to the rack, and walked away.
He was still buzzing from the high of not making a fool of himself during practice — and maybe, just maybe, earning some respect from Professor Thalvorr.
Speaking of which...
"Professor," Reed said as he approached the man, who was still shirtless and glistening in sweat like a statue carved from living obsidian. "Thanks for the lesson."
Thalvorr nodded, that ever-stoic smile on his face. "You have potential. Cracked and raw, but still potential. Keep showing up like today, and you might just make something of yourself."
Reed blinked. That might be the nicest thing anyone had said to him since he got here.
Before he could bask too long, the professor turned toward a nearby wall covered in dozens of engraved runes — each glowing faintly in rhythmic pulses of blue and white.
With solemn grace, Thalvorr bent into a deep bow before the runes, pressing his forehead briefly to the polished stone floor.
The reverence surprised Reed.
This was a guy who looked like he could bench press a wyvern, yet here he was, treating glowing wall scribbles like they were sacred scripture.
"These," Thalvorr said, sensing Reed's confusion, "are the Cleaning Runes. Gifts from Solvanyr's ancient rune-scribes. Each one is embedded with a dual enchantment: cleansing and drying. No one likes a sweaty mage sitting next to them."
Reed nodded slowly. "Wait, wait — cleaning runes? Like... magic showers?"
"Yes. Magic showers. Welcome to the future, Commoner Edition," the professor deadpanned.
Reed stepped forward, eyeing the nearest rune with curiosity and more than a little suspicion.
Everyone else seemed to be using them effortlessly — just pressing a hand and walking away freshly scrubbed like they'd just bathed in a spa.
He hesitated.
'Wait... I don't actually know how to use mana yet!'
He looked down at his palm.
'Okay, Reed, how hard can it be? Just... think magic thoughts? Push out... sparkles?'
He placed his hand against the rune and clenched his jaw.
Nothing happened.
Then he concentrated harder — remembering how mages always "gathered mana" in novels.
Maybe he needed to imagine a glowing ball in his chest or something.
Suddenly, the rune glowed.
A cool mist whooshed out and enveloped his entire body. His eyes widened as the blue steam washed away every trace of sweat and grime.
The scent was oddly comforting, like mint leaves and sunflowers mixed together.
"...Whoa," Reed muttered as the steam dried into warm white mist and left his clothes and body completely clean.
He stepped back, inspecting himself. Not even a hint of sweat. His socks felt brand new. Even his breath smelled faintly better.
"I need to get one of these runes for my house," he mumbled.
"I heard that," said Thalvorr with a smirk. "You'd be surprised how many students try to steal one before graduation."
"I believe it," Reed said.
With that, he pulled out his wristband to check his next class.
"Elemental Theory," he read aloud.
His expression flattened.
The class was known for being a long, complicated lecture filled with elemental equations, magical theory, and lots of diagrams that looked like a kid's doodles on fire.
But it was one of Reed's classes and apparently, very useful for mastering elemental casting.
Still, he didn't want to be late, so he picked up the pace and hurried through the stone corridors of Solvanyr Academy, eventually arriving at a wide archway that led into a high-domed classroom.
Rows of chairs and desks were arranged in ascending tiers, facing a grand arcane board that already had three multicolored triangles and a squiggly fire symbol scribbled across it.
He scanned the room and froze.
Sitting near the large stained-glass window was Elira.
Reed blinked.
'She's in this class too?'
She looked... exactly like someone who shouldn't be sitting next to him.
But fate or rather, the empty chair beside her was feeling generous.
He took a deep breath, walked over, and slid into the seat next to her.
"Fancy seeing you again," he said with a small grin.
Elira turned her head slightly and offered a ghost of a smile. "I should be saying the same. You handled yourself well earlier."
Reed chuckled. "Thanks. I was just trying not to trip over my sword."
The professor entered then, dressed in blue and gold robes that shimmered faintly with elemental runes.
He wore spectacles perched on the edge of his nose and looked like he hadn't slept in two days.
"Welcome, students, Like you knew from Last year, I'm Professor Ernest," the professor began, his voice as dry as the desert winds. "Today, we shall begin with the theory of elemental resonance and how magical affinity affects core stabilization."
Half the class groaned audibly.
Reed glanced sideways at Elira. She was sitting upright, already scribbling notes with terrifying precision.
He opened his notebook and began writing something similar. Except his notes consisted of:
[Core Stabilization = ???]
[Resonance = Loud magic vibes?]
[Ask Cynthia what 'elemental latency decay' means?]
There were a lot of things about the Magic world that was confusing.