Chapter 40: Teaching a Class

  Damon stood atop a field of dirt, the bright sky above his head. Rays of sunlight sneaked past the passing clouds to illuminate the training ground he was currently occupying. Opposite him stood a scowling Dylan, grasping several scrolls in his hands. They were currently experimenting with something in the area where they usually had their combat classes.

  “Brother Damon, is this really necessary? We can just continue with spellcraft…” Dylan was opposed to Damon’s plan and attempted to convince him once more.

  Damon’s face was calm and serene, though inwardly his heart was also dripping blood as he imagined the essence stones flying away. However, he still stood his ground.

  “Yes. I need to test whether I can cut the connection to scrolls as well, not just spells. I know it’s a waste, but since I crafted them myself, it won’t be a huge loss. Now go ahead and use the scrolls one by one. When I give you the signals, try using two at once and then finally three.”

  Dylan grimaced as though Damon’s words were cutting into his own flesh. He hesitated for a bit longer, continuously glancing between Damon and the scrolls in his hand. Eventually, he gritted his teeth and began activating one. It was a Flame Barrage scroll.

  Blazing hot balls of crimson flame began to form in the space above Dylan as he channeled his arcane power into the spell. At this moment, Damon withdrew Dawn’s Edge and sent it flying at the fireballs. A golden arc of light with subtle black hues materialized in the air as the small sword soared forward and cut through the spell.

  The flames licked the sharp edges of the golden blade as it passed through, the black light covering the sword flickering as it parted the blaze. However, the flame was not bisected by the weapon. Instead, the weapon swung through the air between the spell and Dylan.

  Dylan had been channeling his arcane power into the spell in a mad frenzy. The moment the sword cut through the air, he felt a sharp pain stab at his Arcane Node before it disappeared immediately. However, it left behind a feeling of emptiness as though a part of himself had been severed when the connection to the spell was torn. This caused enlarging fireballs to stop momentarily before shrinking and soon fizzling out. His mouth hung open, even though they had already tested the effect out on a regular spell cast through chanting.

  Standing on the opposite side, Damon smiled in delight at the successful outcome. This ‘sever’ enchantment allows Dawn’s Edge to cut through arcane connections itself. It didn’t increase its penetrative or cutting power, but this ability is actually more versatile and has unlimited potential. I wonder if it can do the same to a Disciple. Or even an adept. Since it’s a second-tier rune… and it’s engraved on Dawn’s Edge, which I speculate is a third-tier weapon… I wish I could test it out against an adept.

  Damon was grinning from ear to ear by himself, even as Dylan was lamenting the loss.

  “Dylan, let’s try to do two scrolls at once. Do you think you can handle it? If not, use a first-tier essence stone as support.”

  Dylan’s face paled even more. His hand tremored as he withdrew and grasped tightly onto an essence stone. Before starting the business with Damon, he had struggled to get his hands on even one of these. He had been unable to find a fitting mission to complete for merit points, either. Now, Damon was burning through what seemed like his lifeline as though he had all the money in the world. However, he had every right to do so.

  Dylan clenched his teeth in a fierce expression as he finally found the willpower to activate two scrolls simultaneously. A Hydrosphere and Ice Spear began to form above his head. The two water-based spells were dripping water as they condensed into their forms, but all he saw were gold coins and essence stones falling one by one. His chest ached. What a waste.

  Damon was walking by himself to attend his biweekly Runeology class. He had left behind a desolate and tearful Dylan back at the training ground, who was kneeling on the ground and grasping at the dirt without responding to his words. He didn’t know what was going on with Dylan, but he had no time to waste as he would be late to his class if he dallied any longer.

  The expression on Damon’s face was no longer as joyful and exuberant as it had been earlier. Instead, his brows were furrowed, and his eyes narrowed as he walked the familiar route to his class. He was stroking his smooth chin as he remained deep in thought. Soon, he arrived at the Runeology Hall. He was too focused to notice the passing apprentices murmuring and pointing to him. He had discovered the key weakness of the enchantment.

  The ‘sever’ enchantment’s ability to cut spells during their casting and snuff them out before they reach completion is extraordinary. However, it does nothing to a spell that’s completely formed. The moment Dylan finished channeling the required power into the scroll, my Dawn’s Edge could do nothing to prevent it. It is definitely worth using against large-scale attacks, which require long cast times, but for quick and short spells, it might not be able to reach in time.

  Damon continued to ruminate, even as he walked into his usual classroom. The ability was useful, but Dawn’s Edge was already strong enough to defeat most opponents at the Node Awakening or Channel Weaving realms, given that they did not have a defensive artifact capable of withstanding it. Whether this enchantment would be able to enhance his combat strength, he did not know yet.

  Damon finally snapped out of his trance and discovered the entire room was silently staring at him from their seats. He became flushed instantly and looked around him to confirm they were all staring at him. He looked back at the class and scratched his cheek sheepishly and asked, “Am I late? Why are you all staring at me?”

  The other students began whispering to each other in hushed tones. Damon could not make out what was being said, but he was still feeling incredibly awkward. He walked forward to his usual seat near the front when he realized someone was missing from the classroom. It was Skylar. There were also no class materials laid out on the desk at the front, either.

  Just as Damon was wondering where the sharply punctual Skylar had gone, someone finally stood up and asked him a question.

  “Is it true you succeeded in runic fusion? One of Sir Thomas’s cronies had mentioned it the other day, and that it was even a triple fusion, not a dual.”

  The entire room fell silent again, as though everyone was holding their breath in anticipation of his answer.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  Damon glanced at the boy who had asked him the question, and then nodded curtly.

  “Yes, but…”

  Before he could say any more, the classroom erupted into fervor.

  “How did you manage the fusion? In the texts we’ve read in class, it is said to be impossible to accomplish in the Node Awakening realm!”

  “What were the runes in the enchantment? Can you tell us?”

  “Senior Brother Damon, are you single?”

  “Was the enchantment difficult? More so than inscription?”

  “Do you have any secret methods for comprehending runes quickly?”

  It was chaotic as everyone ran up to Damon and began asking him questions regarding the fusion process, enchanting, or other things about Runeology. He even heard some strange ones mixed in as well, but there were just too many for him to answer all at once. The crowd surrounding him was yelling so loudly that his brain shook from the sound waves. Even attempting to circulate his mental power did not alleviate the confusion and anxiety caused by the people. He was not the best at socializing, after all.

  Just as Damon thought he was going to have a seizure, someone squeezed their way through the crowd and pushed back the surrounding students.

  “Enough! The lot of you, enough! Get back to your seats, now!” A stern voice rang out in the small classroom. It was filled with arcane power, causing everyone’s ears to hurt from the noise.

  Standing in front of Damon was Senior Levi. He had appeared like a knight in shining armor to save him.

  Levi turned around and sent a friendly smile in Damon’s direction. He walked to the front of the room and addressed all of the students.

  “Skylar is unable to attend the class today, so it has been canceled. I apologize for being unable to tell you in advance.”

  The students looked surprised to hear it. Skylar had been perfectly fine two weeks ago. One of the girls sitting near the back raised her hand into the air.

  “Senior Levi, can we ask what happened to Senior Skylar?”

  “I can’t give you any concrete details, but he’s left the Academy temporarily to complete a mission,” Levi replied succinctly.

  Another boy on the side raised his hand and asked, “Is it possible for you to teach us a lesson, Senior Levi? Everyone always talks about how great your Runeology lessons are. Please give us an example!”

  All the students began nodding in agreement after hearing these words and began clamoring for Levi to teach the class.

  Levi shook his head in response. “I can’t teach a lesson today. I’m afraid I have other commitments, and I was only tasked to bring you the news. Take the time off today to focus on your own studies or cultivation. Or perhaps you can spend the time bonding with your friends. You are all young and have an exciting life to live before diving into the art of Runeology. Don’t spend it cooped up in a lab like me.”

  Levi finished speaking and swiftly walked out of the classroom. The students began chatting among themselves when one spotted Damon getting up to leave as well.

  “Oh, Brother Damon! Why don’t YOU teach a class today? We’re all very interested in learning about your experiences in runic fusion!”

  Everyone immediately began shouting in approval again, trying to pressure Damon into teaching.

  Damon was startled at the suggestion. I don’t actually have any comprehension behind Runeology. How will I be able to teach you? Though Damon knew that he had nothing to teach, he was standing behind the desk at the front of the classroom before he knew it. Peer pressure was a scary thing.

  “Uhh… Okay, so runic fusion… I accomplished this by inscribing one rune at a time. For example, I would write the base ‘fire’ rune, and overlay it with the ‘heat’ rune to create a hotter flame.” Damon began drawing on the large, pale wooden board at the front of the class with a normal quill. The board was a type of artifact that had been designed to absorb the ink and become clear when arcane power was channeled into it.

  “Isn’t runic fusion supposed to be done all at once? Without drawing both of those runes little by little, it would become too unstable, and the first rune would destroy the second. That’s what I read in the book ‘Introduction to Runic Fusion.’” A boy sat at the back, looking at Damon with a smug smile.

  Damon paused for a second in the middle of writing. His back was turned toward the class, so they couldn’t see the expression on his face. His eyes bulged out, and his jaw dropped. He was stupefied. Is that how you’re supposed to approach it? Is that why it was so unstable? If only I had known… He ground his teeth for a bit as he thought back on the difficulty of the enchantment.

  After a few deep breaths, Damon turned around to look at the boy with a dangerous glint in his eyes. “If you’re so knowledgeable, why don’t you come up here and give me an example of your so-called expertise?”

  The boy shrank down as everyone glared at him. They trusted in the words of Damon, who had recently accomplished a triple fusion, over the writings in a textbook.

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought. Runeology is a vast and unending field of study. There are many ways of doing so. What he mentioned is one way; what I did is another. Just because you’re unable to do so doesn’t mean others can’t as well. Theory is just a crutch for those who cannot advance past the mundane. You must always keep your imagination open. Otherwise, you will be limited by yourself.” Damon expounded in a wise and understanding tone.

  The students in the class all began diligently writing down notes in their own books. Such deep and inspiring words definitely needed recording.

  Damon drew the ‘fire’ rune on the board first, causing it to glow slightly, before overlapping it with the ‘heat’ rune. Though they were just shiny lines, every student in the class could imagine the illusion of a blazing fire being emitted by the combined runes. They gasped in surprise and admiration. They had never seen such runic comprehension, not even from the Senior Apprentices.

  “Now, everyone, take out some regular parchment and try to copy what I did. First, draw the ‘fire’ rune and then overlap it with ‘heat’. Remember to channel the slightest bit of arcane power as you do so, focusing solely on transferring your comprehension of the runes over to the parchment.”

  Damon walked around the class with his hands behind his back as he observed the students practice. He looked like he had already adapted to being a teacher. This teaching thing isn’t too difficult. Perhaps I should take the mission? No. I shouldn’t get ahead of myself. What I’m teaching is probably not going to work for these other apprentices. This deception might work today, but it won’t work forever.

  Damon was snapped out of his reverie when a student at the side exclaimed in delight.

  “I did it! It isn’t as powerful as Older Brother Damon’s, but it looks realistic!” A youthful girl, barely in her teens, had both her hands raised high into the air as she shouted in triumph.

  Damon quickly strode over to her side and looked down at her parchment.

  Wait… Is that..?

  It was as she had said. It was very similar to Damon’s example on the board. There were minor differences, yet the result was astounding. Damon confirmed everybody was too focused on their own practice with his Mindsense before activating his Truesight. His eyes glowed with a bright white radiance. What he saw shocked him to his core as numerous thoughts exploded in his mind.

  We did it! Damon has officially reached the main RS list! Thank you everyone who helped make this dream a reality!!!

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