Secondary element

At Elisa's words, almost every student instinctively looked toward Asher.

After all, the person standing there had already made that supposedly absurd level of mana control look like something casual.

Full-body mana coating was dangerous, unstable, and extremely difficult for most students, yet Asher had used it so naturally in training that the warning sounded strange.

Asher, however, stood there with his usual calm expression, as if the topic had nothing to do with him.

Elisa glanced at him and spoke sternly. "Since your mana control is already more than enough, you can use this class to train your secondary element."

Then she asked, "What is your secondary element?"

The moment those words left her mouth, everyone's attention focused on Asher.

They were curious for a reason. Spatial magic and healing magic were usually considered support-type attributes. While both were rare, they were not normally suited for direct combat unless the user's mastery was extremely high.

Spatial magic, in particular, only became truly lethal once a person's understanding reached a terrifying level.

Before that, most spatial mages used it for movement, positioning, defense, or support; because of this, they usually trained another offensive element as well.

Attribute-less spells could still be used for attacks, but compared to properly developed elemental spells, their destructive power was usually lacking.

Since Asher had never shown another element before, many students wanted to know what else he had been hiding.

Asher looked at Elisa and replied, "Nothing."

Elisa was surprised for a moment, but after thinking about his absurd mana control and mastery over spatial magic, she quickly understood.

He had probably focused only on spatial magic, healing, and mana control instead of bothering with another element.

His offensive ability was already among the best in the class, so there was no urgent need for him to learn anything else.

Besides, with his talent, he could always learn another element later if he wanted to.

Several students seemed to reach the same conclusion, and for some reason, a few of them looked secretly relieved.

At least he did not have another hidden offensive element.

That meant if they studied his attack patterns properly, defeating him in future tests might still be possible.

Elisa looked at Asher for a moment before saying, "Since you don't use any other elements, I can teach you one if you want. Choose either fire or wind. Those are the elements I am best at teaching."

The training ground immediately became quiet again.

A Grandmaster personally offering guidance was already something most mages would fight for.

A Grandmaster who had mastered two elements offering to teach someone directly was even more ridiculous, since there were hardly any Grandmasters across the entire continent, and those who had mastered more than one element numbered less than ten.

Many students stared at Asher, wondering what he would choose.

Fire for stronger offense, wind for speed and mobility, or maybe both if Elisa allowed it.

But Asher only looked up at the clear sky for a moment before asking, "Can't I just sleep? Look at how good the weather is today. It's perfect for a morning nap."

The entire training ground went strangely silent; everyone stared at him as if they had misheard.

This was an opportunity countless mages could only dream of, and he was talking about sleeping.

Elisa's eye twitched slightly. "...A morning nap?"

Asher nodded seriously while still looking at the sky. "The sunlight is nice, the wind is cool, and the atmosphere is peaceful. This is the perfect environment for sleeping."

A few students nearly choked while trying to hold back their laughter.

Adam immediately turned his face away, his shoulders trembling violently, while Noah covered his mouth and tried his best not to make any sound.

Meanwhile, the rest of the students felt their minds stop working. Some of them trained until they collapsed to receive a few words of guidance from elite mages.

This monster was casually rejecting personal training from a dual-element Grandmaster because the weather made him sleepy.

One student muttered under his breath, "...I want to punch him."

Another nodded with complete sincerity. "Same."

Then Elisa smiled; it was a beautiful smile, but the moment it appeared, several nearby students instinctively stepped back.

"Very well," she said softly.

Asher finally sensed something dangerous and slowly looked back at her.

"If you don't want to learn," Elisa continued, "then you can complete fifty rounds around the academy while maintaining perfect mana control."

The entire class froze; that punishment was far worse than it sounded. Running around the academy was already exhausting.

But maintaining precise mana control the entire time required concentration, stamina, and control most students couldn't sustain for long.

But instead of looking troubled, Asher gave a bright smile. "A walk around the academy while drinking juice in this weather doesn't sound that bad either. Okay, I'm off for a walk."

Before anyone could react, he casually walked out of the training ground while taking a juice box and a pair of headphones from his subspace.

The entire class watched him leave in complete silence. Asher walked at a relaxed pace, his expression peaceful, holding a juice box in one hand and headphones in the other.

He looked less like a punished student and more like someone heading out for a quiet picnic; some students started questioning reality itself.

Adam stared blankly at his disappearing figure. "...Did he just turn punishment into leisure time?"

Noah nodded slowly. "I think he did."

Aria only watched him with a faint smile. Meanwhile, Elisa silently stared at Asher's back as he walked farther and farther away, her eye twitching again.

Most students would collapse halfway through that punishment even without the mana control requirement.

Perfect control during movement was difficult enough, but doing it while completing fifty rounds would be miserable for nearly anyone.

Yet that boy looked happier after being punished, then Elisa suddenly spoke without turning around.

"If he spills even a single drop of juice, the count restarts from zero."

The class went silent for a second before several students burst out laughing; far away, Asher's walking pace paused for half a second.

Only half a second, then he continued walking as if nothing had happened, though this time, he carefully inserted the straw into the juice box before taking another step.

Adam immediately lost control and laughed loudly. "He actually got serious!"

Even Noah started laughing this time, while Aria shook her head helplessly. "He treats life-threatening battles casually, but becomes careful over juice..."

Outside the training ground, Asher walked peacefully along the academy pathway while soft music played through his headphones.

Students passing by turned to stare at him in confusion; a first-year casually drinking juice during class hours was already strange.

But walking around the academy with that relaxed expression while maintaining mana control made it even stranger.

Asher ignored it all; the weather was nice, the breeze felt comfortable, and honestly, this punishment was far more enjoyable than training.

This is much better than learning a new element.