Classes

After Elisa left the classroom, Asher turned toward the boy sitting beside him. The boy had black hair and eyes, making Asher assume he was probably a commoner.

"What's your name?"

"I-I'm Noah," the boy replied nervously.

"Alright, Noah. What's our next class?"

"Spellcasting."

Soon, a white-haired, blue-eyed man entered the classroom. His sharp, handsome features immediately caught several girls' attention as they stared at him.

The man calmly introduced himself as Isaac Vane, their spellcasting instructor. His confident voice immediately commanded the classroom's attention.

He explained that spellcasting involved transforming intent into reality by shaping mana through structured forms: every spell required intent, mana, and proper form.

He continued discussing mana control, quantity, trajectory, energy consumption, and other fundamental principles. However, Asher quickly lost interest and stopped listening.

Asher believed practice mattered more than endless theory. Although he understood the fundamentals, he found long explanations boring.

He hadn't joined the Academy to listen to lectures all day. He wanted to watch interesting drama, have fun, and enjoy his peaceful life at the Academy.

After what seemed like an eternity, the spellcasting class finally ended. The students then headed toward the training grounds for their next session.

A black-haired, green-eyed man soon arrived. His well-built physique made it obvious that he took physical training extremely seriously.

The instructor introduced himself as Alex, then immediately gave the students their first assignment.

"Run one hundred laps around the training ground. No mana allowed."

Each lap covered eight hundred meters, meaning everyone had to complete a massive distance using only physical strength.

The students immediately began running. Unsurprisingly, the highest-ranked students quickly moved ahead while Asher gradually fell behind everyone else.

Eventually, Asher found himself completely at the back. He hadn't trained this body's physical strength and usually spent his time playing games or eating.

Several noble students began whispering among themselves, assuming Asher was talented only at mana control and had neglected his physical abilities.

Some speculated that he was simply a book-smart type who had spent his entire childhood training his mana instead of his body.

Asher ignored their comments completely. Their opinions didn't matter to him, especially since his extraordinary mana control had never required serious effort.

After everyone finally finished, Alex announced that physical training would become their primary focus for the following week.

Alex seemed especially pleased when he saw Asher lying flat on the ground. However, the sight became strange when everyone noticed the blanket underneath him.

Asher had also brought juice. The students stared in confusion, wondering why anyone would carry such unnecessary things during physical training.

The answer was simple. Asher kept practically everything he needed inside his subspace, which was enormous enough to hold an absurd amount of equipment.

His subspace contained everything required for comfortable living, including a PC, television, refrigerator, and even mana stones to power his devices.

Asher never understood why fictional protagonists rarely carried essential supplies. Since his subspace had practically unlimited room, he saw no reason to leave anything behind.

Before dismissing everyone, Alex asked which weapon they wanted. They would receive their chosen weapons the following week.

"I don't use weapons," Asher replied casually while continuing to lie on his blanket.

Everyone immediately turned toward him in confusion. The son of the continent's strongest swordsman didn't even use a sword?

Alex quickly recovered and explained that even magic users needed to learn at least one weapon for emergencies.

After thinking briefly, Asher finally agreed to choose a sword. He stood after resting enough and prepared to leave with the others.

Most students selected swords or spears, while several others chose bows. Once they recorded their choices, the class officially ended.

It was finally lunchtime. Since Asher still didn't know where the cafeteria was, he asked Noah to accompany him.

As they walked, Noah asked about Asher's breakfast that morning. Asher casually explained that he had been running late and only ate some fruit.

They eventually reached the cafeteria, grabbed their meals, and found a quiet table in the corner where they could eat in peace.

Asher had barely started eating when several students approached their table. Celestine and Aria led the group, accompanied by three boys and three girls.

Without hesitation, the group sat down with them. Celestine smiled politely and addressed Asher, mentioning that this was their first proper meeting.

She asked why Asher rarely attended social gatherings and never celebrated his birthday. Asher replied that he disliked talking to nobles because they were annoying.

Celestine appeared surprised but quickly regained her composure. She calmly asked why he felt that way.

Asher glanced at her and decided not to explain. Instead, he directly asked what she wanted from him.

After a brief pause, Celestine honestly explained that she wanted them to become friends.

"I'm not interested," Asher replied without hesitation, immediately returning his attention to his meal.

Celestine accepted his answer and soon stood up. The group left the cafeteria table, leaving Asher and Noah behind.

Silence remained for several seconds. Asher then looked toward Noah, who appeared completely stunned, almost as if his soul had left his body.

"What's wrong with you? Seen a ghost?"

Noah stared at him nervously before finally speaking.

"You're... an Astrean."

Asher raised an eyebrow, confused by his reaction. "You didn't know?"

Noah admitted that Asher had never told him his full name. Asher couldn't believe he had somehow missed such obvious information.

He asked Noah what he had been doing during orientation. Noah embarrassedly admitted that he had fallen asleep immediately after the Headmaster's speech.

Asher then reminded him that Elisa had questioned him earlier. Noah became even more embarrassed before admitting that he had been too distracted by Elisa.

Asher stared at him in disbelief. He couldn't tell whether Noah was genuinely serious or simply messing around.

He reminded Noah that everyone had stared at him during physical training. Surely, Noah should have wondered why.

Noah fell silent under Asher's questioning. After a moment, he finally gave his honest explanation.

"I thought it was because... you're a bit weird."

For several seconds, Asher stared at him. Then, unable to contain himself, he suddenly burst into laughter.

Perhaps this Academy wouldn't be as boring as Asher had originally expected. At least, Noah seemed capable of providing some entertainment.