Target Practice

Outside dorm room 52A, a small crowd of first-year students had gathered. Some were leaning in on the door, trying to listen to what was happening inside. While others were whispering to each other.

For a while now, sounds of things breaking, crashing, curses, and yelling could be heard from inside 52A. Naturally, the kids were curious to know what was happening and had gathered outside the door.

"What do you think is going on?"

"These two are always up to something."

"Yeah, why am I even surprised?"

"You think there will be another fight?"

"I sure hope so!"

"Yeah! Yeah! No matter how stupid these two are, they sure are entertaining."

Just as the children outside were chatting with one another in hushed tones, the door to the dorm room slammed open and a fat pig charged out.

However, upon closer inspection, it wasn't a fat pig at all, but Edward!

Edward crashed into a few children and pummeled them with his weight. He hurriedly got to his feet and looked inside the dorm room. Seeing what he was seeing, he burst into laughter.

"Hahahah—"

His laughter came to an abrupt halt when a flying shoe suddenly smacked him in the face.

BAM!

"Ugh!" Edward grimaced in pain, but he still couldn't stop laughing. "You finally realized? Hahaha!"

After making fun of Adam a bit more, he ran away while continuing to laugh loudly.

The children that had gathered outside the dorm couldn't help but wonder just what happened between these two idiots, when all of a sudden, Adam's furious voice came from inside the dorm.

"Fatty! What the hell did you do to my face?!"

As Adam exited his dorm room fuming in anger, the other kids couldn't help but burst into raucous laughter.

"What's wrong with his face?"

"Hahaha! It's still there!"

"Edward must have used some sort of magical dye!"

Adam was extremely embarrassed when he saw his classmates make fun of him. In the end, he went back inside his room and slammed the door shut. He went to the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror.

But the only thing that looked back at him was a clown.

Adam tried to wipe the paint off of his face many times but it was all futile. It had been two days since Edward painted his face. But the paint simply refused to be washed away.

In the end, he could only sigh helplessly. "Did that fatty really use some sort of magical paint? What a pain in the ass!"

Since he couldn't do anything about it at the moment, he threw this issue to the back of his head. Then, he grabbed some items from his study table and exited his dorm room.

Ignoring all the strange looks people were giving him, he walked to the north end of the campus and entered a building. He took the stairs to the underground level and walked to the reception where an old woman with a crooked nose was dozing off on her seat.

"Ahem!" Adam coughed loudly to wake her up.

"Huh? Who?" The old woman rubbed her eyes and her gaze finally landed on Adam. "What in the world?!"

If it wasn't for Adam wearing the school's uniform, she would have really attacked this clown.

"You sure have a weird fetish, kid." The old woman muttered while rubbing her chin. "Anyway, are you here to rent out a room?"

Adam's lips twitched at the woman's comment, but he still replied respectfully, "Yes, ma'am. May I please know the rental rate?"

"A platinum piece an hour." The old woman yawned.

Although Adam had expected it, it still pained him to learn about the exorbitant price. He couldn't help but hopefully ask, "C-Can I get a discount?"

The old woman looked at Adam speechlessly. "Are you… stupid?"

"No, I am Adam."

Old woman: "…"

Adam: "…"

The two silently looked at each other for a minute. Finally, Adam gave in and handed a platinum coin to the old lady.

"Here, take this and go to room 5." The old woman took the platinum coin and handed Adam a metal room card.

Adam thanked her and walked toward room 5. The old lady saw his departing back and mumbled to herself, "The academy's accepting all sorts of strange characters these days."

Soon she closed her eyes and fell asleep once again, the sound of her snoring echoing in the hallway.

…

Adam waved the metal key card and entered a large room at the end of the corridor. The walls of this room were made of some sort of dark alloy and were inscribed with complex formations.

"These must be the noise canceling and energy absorption runes…" Adam muttered to himself as he ran his hand across the wall.

At the other end of the room, there were three training dummies. They too seemed to be made of the same material as the walls. Adam walked toward the one at the center and knocked on it a few times. "Tough indeed."

He walked to the other end of the room and got into position. The reason why he had come here today was naturally to practice his spell casting!

Currently, he had three spells in his arsenal, but only one of them could be used to attack.

The Rank 1 Spell: Eldritch Beam!

While the other two spells…

Well, they were only used to fool people.

He got on one knee and then began weaving a series of motions with his hands. He had practiced this a lot of times before, hence his movements were fast and fluid.

Within just a second, Adam had already completed the 11 hand and finger movements required for the physical component of the spell!

Finally, he grabbed his right wrist with his left hand. Then, he aimed the index and the middle finger of his right hand at the training dummy in the center. Following that, Adam channeled his spiritual power, and a resplendent and bright magic circle materialized at the tip of his two fingers.

The physical and model components were completed!

And then…

A mass of dark purple energy began gathering at the tips of his two extended fingers. Seeing this, Adam was incomparably excited. This would be the first time he would cast a spell!

He soon calmed his emotions and focused all his attention on the spell. The mass of crackling energy concentrated at the tips of his fingers and the next moment, Adam's eyes widened in shock and apprehension.

BOOM!!