The day was slow, so Damon decided to practice using that time. He soon realized that while his cast speed when weaving shadow magic spells can be instant, he was just average when using fire and wind.
Apart from minor elemental manipulations, he could t do much. If he decides to cast a real fire spell, he guessed his cast speed would be slower than that of Luthor. He finally realized what Luthor meant when he was rambling about noble blood, but none of that mattered to Damon.
His dream fighting style is meant to be purely dependent on the fighting style, with a lace of magic to improve his damage output and mobility. For now, he could be considered one of the strongest amongst the recruits due to his strong foundations as a fighter who can utilize magic too.
....
The next day, Damon got breakfast and prepared for his first class. He really liked the sleeveless black mage robes with a hood, but he wished they added a second color to it. Maybe the red, green or purple.
He left his dormitory only to meet a carriage waiting for him. Apparently, chosen are dropped to classes by carriages specially assigned to each of them. While it is a luxurious life, Damon knew it is also a dangerous one.
A kingdom as corrupt and cruel as this can not give away free things without a catch. According to what Damon found out. There are always ten chosen every year and within that time any other student in the academy can become a chosen, as long as they become skilled enough to surpass the chosen in whatever Field he decides to master.
It improves competition and builds bad blood. The story of chosen found dead within academy walls are not too uncommon.
In Damon's opinion, this is not an academy but the jungle where the rules of the jungle apply. The strong will survive, while the weak will have to bow their heads in submission or die.
The carriage go to the class and Damon stepped out. Everywhere you go, one can see students all around, but they all have a strange look. Everyone seemed to be putting some distance between him and them like he was a plague.
Either way, Damon didn't care as he walked into the classroom without hesitation. He took a seat and as expected more than fifteen seats around him were empty since no one wanted to have anything to do with him.
Damon waited patiently and a few minutes after some. Symbols lit up on the podium and someone appeared.
It was a young man, with bright blonde hair. Dressed in casual, yet expensive suits. If he didn't come here to teach, people would really doubt he is a mage, since mages then do wear robes only. Even now, some suspected he wasn't a mage.
"Hello, I am professor Alonso, a specialist…. We all know mages come in various classes like the war mage, Oracle's, and others but there are people like us who decide not to lean towards any side and develop In all aspects" professor Alonso said calmly, but his eyes soon shifted towards the student sitting alone.
It was obvious other students were avoiding him.
"You over there, what's your name?" The professor asked.
"Damon Ross" Damon answered calmly, and the entire hall went silent.
The Professor finally understood why Damon was getting this kind of treatment, and he frowned. For someone who wasn't born a Noble and was bullied badly in his early years as a student in the academy, he knew very well how toxic the academy can be. It took a lot of willpower to make it through.
"May I know why, Damon, is getting avoided?" The professor asked casually.
"He dares kill Luthor Wright. The Wright family won't let him off the hook easy!" Someone screamed within the crowd, and the professor smiled.
"Damon Ross was set to have a spar with Luthor Wright. He won easily and out of ego, they made it into a death match… forcing him to participate, which is already against our rules in this Academy…. He won again, and all you nobles can do is plot against him. If I may ask, are the so-called noble family, why do you all remind me of malicious little kids?" Professor Alonso asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, you all can go on hating him, but I know the look in his eyes… those are the eyes of a cold murderer. Keep giving him a reason to kill you and when he gets the chance, I will definitely be at your funerals. Why do you think I put on black every day? I don't want to get caught off guard" The professor laughed.
He watched Damon's performance the other day and concluded that Damon can be considered one of the strongest chosen out of the ten. To gain the favor of the nobles will lead some dumb students to try and kill him using dirty tricks. In the end, he believed this year will be really bloody.
"Let's continue…" Professor Alonso said as he stepped forward and continued his class.
Apparently, the world wasn't as simple as it looks. In the human realm, which everyone starts from, they are simply mages who utilize their mana stored within to cast spells. Once they run out of mana, they run out of juice, limiting mages greatly in the human realm.
The creation of magic circles while preparing for a spell is simply no different from the mana with the mana circuits of a body, blending with the elemental affinity within.
From what Damon understood, casting magic in such a formal way is time-consuming but carries more power. But in situations like his where he depends mostly on physical combat, it's better for him to rely on basic element manipulation.
The professor demonstrated this by creating a fireball out of thin air, almost instantly. But when he created the fireball with a magic circle, its power was at least thrice as much as the previous one!