Chapitre 5: The Trickster Mage

"Everyone, cast your magic at the targets. Don't worry if you fail. We've got our magic tank, Rido, here to back you up."

Professor Samantha's voice rang out across the field.

"Yeah, this is what I do best," I replied with a grin.

The professor smiled approvingly. "I'm giving Rido an automatic A in practicals for this."

"That's favoritism!"

A familiar, annoying chorus followed from Plink and his groupies.

"Silence." Samantha shot them a stern look. "The better your grades, the better my evaluations. Higher evaluations mean better pay. And anyone who helps us achieve that is a blessing—Rido here is practically a god. Can you raise everyone's grades, Plink? If you can, then by all means, let me know, and I'll give you an A too."

Plink's face twisted in frustration. "Tch."

"Time is short. Get to casting."

The students began unleashing magic at the targets.

Standing behind them, I extended my hands, activating my specialty. "Mana Transference!"

I briefly considered not replenishing Plink's mana out of spite but decided on something even better—I'd disrupt their magic flow.

The effect was instantaneous. Their spells fizzled, flew in the wrong direction, or misfired altogether. Plink's brow furrowed in confusion as his magic faltered again and again.

"Dance for me, you fool," I thought with a grin. Revenge wasn't just sweet—it was delicious.

The best part? This wasn't even against the rules. There's a similar disruption spell called "Jammer," though it requires physical contact to work and can be resisted. My method, however, was unique. By forcibly injecting chaotic mana directly into their spellwork, I made resistance impossible—only something with a dragon's innate defenses could block it.

"Plink and his friends, you'll be staying for detention," Samantha declared with a smug smile. "Rido, I'll need your assistance after school too."

"With pleasure, Professor."

I was going to mess with them even harder after class. Ah, sweet, sweet retribution. As long as I was here, Plink's practical grades were doomed to F. Serves you right, you pest.

After the session, Plink stomped over, fury written across his face.

"You're doing something to us, aren't you?"

"Whatever do you mean?" I asked innocently.

"Don't play dumb! It doesn't make sense otherwise!"

"Then show me your proof."

Plink clenched his fists, teeth grinding. "Tch. This isn't over."

When I returned to class after lunch, I found my desk covered in graffiti. How childish. Cleaning it was too much of a bother. Better to paint over it.

I grabbed a jar of black paint and gave my desk a fresh, glossy coat.

"Professor, Rido is vandalizing his desk!" Plink tattled.

Professor Samantha gave him an unamused look. "Rido is fine. In fact, he'll be assisting me with my research later. I want to write a thesis on his Mana Transference technique."

"Yes, Professor. I'd be happy to help."

Heh. Suck it, Plink. I'm practically untouchable here.

Despite my family's low opinion of me, the academy recognized my talent. The headmaster himself told me after the entrance ceremony: I'm one of a kind. No one else can perform Mana Transference like I can, and I've got more mana than anyone—ten thousand times the norm.

I'd never tried it before, but I suspected I could even increase someone else's mana capacity. If I ran someone's mana through a high-speed cycle inside their body, it might work. Maybe I'd test it on that summoned phantom later.

After school, I sabotaged Plink's detention even further. His attempts were disastrous. Samantha advised them to practice independently and dismissed them, clearly unimpressed.

The irony? Even without my interference, Plink's magic was a mess. His repeated exposure to my tampering had ruined his technique—like a pitcher who's been forced to throw with bad form until they can't hit the strike zone anymore.

"Enjoy your slump," I whispered with a grin.

I made my way to Professor Samantha's lab.

"Let's begin," she said excitedly. "Use Mana Transference on me."

"Alright. Mana Transference!" I cast the spell, sending a steady stream of mana into her.

"Hmm. Interesting," Samantha murmured. "The mana you gave me is stable, even after I canceled my spell. How exactly do you activate it?"

"I focus on the idea that my mana becomes the other person's."

"That's... fascinating. If it were that simple, more people could do it. Perhaps this is a rare talent of yours. You used to be a 'mana-less,' didn't you?"

"Yes, Professor."

"That might explain it. Perhaps your body, unable to wield mana normally, developed a unique method of sharing it. It's almost like an act of selfless service—something only someone with the heart of a saint could perform."

Hah! If that's what they believe, I'm not correcting them.

As Samantha scribbled notes, my mind drifted to more complex thoughts. There's a powerful spell called "Death Whisper"—it supposedly kills with a mere word. I'd always wondered how it worked.

It's probably electrical in nature—something that disrupts brain function or stops the heart. A weak electrical pulse could cause cardiac arrest or scramble neural pathways. Still, if that's all it took, wouldn't it just be classified as a lightning spell?

The way Death Whisper is described, the target dies instantly, as if the spell bypasses all defenses. My guess? It's some kind of neural override. Subtle, elegant, terrifying.

"Are you listening, Rido?" Samantha's voice snapped me back to the present.

"Yes, Professor."

"Did you undergo any special training to develop your magic?"

I couldn't exactly tell her the truth about how I manipulate mana. Time to improvise.

"I used to place my hands over withered flowers and wish them to bloom."

Samantha gave me a warm smile. "How saintly of you. That's a beautiful story."

"I think I may have tried it on animals too, but they usually just ran away."

"Yes, wild animals can be tricky like that." She chuckled.

I let the conversation drop there, keeping my secrets intact. I've learned a new technique today—how to redirect mana sensing spells. When someone tries to scan my mana, I can let the flow pass through me naturally without resistance. That way, they detect nothing unusual. It's a great trick, and it'll help me cast Mana Transference covertly.

Next time I mess with Plink, I'll use this to stay completely undetected.

Coming to this academy wasn't a waste. My skills are growing steadily.

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