Troops for the enemy, earth for floods
Early morning, Flynn arrived at the auditorium, where most of the school was already present. Today was the second round of their Registration test. Following the instructions on his holophone, he arrived at his seat. They were assigned to different groups, and Flynn was with several people that he didn't recognize. Although confused, he still sat down, waiting for someone to explain the rules.
Soon enough, the principal appeared in front of everyone, with his bald head stil shining under the lights. "Everyone here must have the same question, why are we put into groups?" he said, looking at the students. "Mana Crystals are naturally formed cyrstals that have several effects. They could power Media, be crafted into Catalysts, and much more," he continued, pulling out a blue mana crystal. "However, they are pretty rare, only forming in deep caverns. Mages are sent to locate and extract the crystals. The caves, filled with mana, give birth to some very unusual creatures that will guard the crystals. Mana Beasts, perhaps some of you might have heard of them before, are basically nonhuman creatures that have been turned into mages," the principal said, playing a recorded video of an expedition that happened a couple of years ago.
In the video, they could see a mage get mercilessly ripped open by several mutated rodents that were the size of a small deer. The rodents were clearly enhancing their body with mana, perhaps instinctively. They didn't seem to know how spells worked, but they were enough to take down a decent mage if they worked together. "Instances of mages being killed by Mana Beasts are definitely not uncomfortable, so be sure to be very careful. Each group would be led by an experienced mage, that would also be monitoring and grading your performance," the principal said, as several people walked in the auditorium. Judging by the aura they were emitting, Flynn determined them to be around the level of normal mages. They were definitely more powerful and skilled than most of the students, but they weren't that far away in terms of power.
A man dressed in full military uniform stood in front of Flynn's group. He looked to be about only several years older than them. His hairline was clearly receding, and he had small, beady eyes that were constantly staring at others. All the other leaders also looked to be no older than twenty five years old, which troubled Flynn. "Could they really make the right decision if an accident occurs?" Flynn thought.
He had some encounters with Mana Beasts since he was a child, and they were definitely much stronger than everyone thought. Although they couldn't control mana as precisely as humans, their mana reserves were almost ten times larger than normal mages. Trading their rationality for a stronger body, they are much stronger than normal mages. Their hides were so robust that they were being used to craft very high quality armor and weapons. Some even had special magic properties, which could be utilized in order to craft a catalyst ot a medium. The pearl shaped catalyst that Yen used was actually the core of a Tree ent, a powerful plant Mana Beast.
"Introduce yourself. I want your name and the type of magic you specialize in," the leader said in a rude tone. Seeing that no one wanted to go first, Flynn said, "Flynn, Organic mage, specializes in healing magic." With Flynn setting an example, the others followed suit. "William, Electric mage, specializes in Tech magic," a blonde kid said. "James, Fire mage, specializes in Combustion magic," a kid with fiery red hair said. "Harry, Wind mage, specializes in Detection magic," a kid with curly brown hair introduced himself.
"My name is Andrew, all of you will be listening to my orders, do you understand?" he said, staring at the students. Harry and William nodded, while Flynn and James ignored him. Flynn was someone who would avoid authority at all costs, and James didn't seem to care about Andrew either. Seeing that the two had no reply, Andrew asked again in a slightly harsher tone, "Do you understand?" After contemplating for a bit, Flynn decided that perhaps ignoring him once again would cause him to much trouble. "I'm not deaf, of course I understand," Flynn said, looking right into Andrew's eyes. Looking at the obnoxious kid, a shiver suddenly ran down his spine. Flynn's cold stare seemed to be able to unveil his facade, staring at his deepest insecurities. Seeing Andrew diverge his eyes, Flynn chuckled in his heart. He saw right through the Andrew right away, he was nothing more than just a mage who was trying to act tough. This reinforced Flynn's original assumptions that he ought not rely on the leaders for his own safety. But judging by the fact that the school dared to send so many of its students out with so little protection, the crystal mine was probably already cleared beforehand, leaving only a few weak Mana Beasts acting as dummies for the students.
One by one, the groups exited the auditorium, getting on to large buses. Choosing a seat near the very back, Flynn decided to catch a few minutes of sleep. Harry sat next to him. "Aren't you worried?" Harry asked nervously. "Why would I?" Flynn replied, closing his eyes. "I don't want to be ripped to shreds by Mana Beasts," Harry said, shaking as he recalled the gory video he seen earlier. "Well, that makes to of us," Flynn replied, trying to fall asleep. Just by this exchange, Harry seemed to be a timid fellow, which was probably not ideal for this kind of expedition. James on the other hand, felt like a reliable ally, the mana radiating from him was a sign that he was quite strong.
The road was getting worse and worse, the asphalt road ended, becoming a large dirt path. The whole bus shaking, Flynn couldn't sleep in peace. Slightly irritated, he stared out the window. They were heading into the rural areas of the country, where many rogue mages hid. This part of the country was part of the dark side of the glamorous cities, with thousands of people dying in the slums. Law enforcement rarely patrolled the area, crime rates were beyond most people's imagination. On the sides of the roads were two ditches, where muddy water ran down the trenches. Occasionally, Flynn could spot a body or two, which was not uncommon for this part of the city. He felt slightly disturbed, this sort of scene shouldn't happen in this day and age. Eternity could definitely solve poverty with a simple snap of their fingers, but they chose not to. The superiority complex of a lot of mages also deterred them from helping the ones that were truly in need, which really bothers Flynn. He wasn't a Saint even in the slightest bit, but he didn't like the way the current society was functioning. Closing his eyes, he tried not to look at the sight, but the scene was already deeply engraved inside his mind.
Vowing to make a difference once he obtained the necessary power, he began to focus on the upcoming expedition. He was pretty sure that the mine would be relatively safe, but he didn't want to take any risks. His Mithril ring already on his finger, he checked his pockets to ensure he was prepared. The Medium he obtained yesterday was in his pocket together with a small vial. The vial contained a potion that could recover a good portion of his stamina and mana. He wasn't someone who would rely on potions, but if the situation where he needed to use it really occurs, he would not hesitate to utilize them. There were also several metallic capsules that contained compressed anesthetic gas he created with the spell Anesthesia.
They arrived at a plain looking camp, with some soldiers and a Warden guarding the area. Getting off the bus, the groups got into theit respective lines. The soldiers lead the groups to different entrances, since crystal mines rarely have a single entrance and exit. They were like mazes, some of the caves were even tunnels dug out by Mana Beasts. Flynn's group was the sole group to be assigned to entrance Z, which Flynn felt was quite odd. "They are still targeting me," he thought, recalling a few days ago when he was brought to the interrogation room. Flynn observed his teammates, wondering if one of them was the accomplice of the ones that were targeting him. Andrew seemed to be also quite surprised by the arrangement, he never heard of a entrance Z. Judging from their expressions, Flynn couldn't find any useful clues. Without a decent solution, Flynn decided to walk straight into their trap, since worrying didn't seem to help. "I shall conquer everything put in front of me. Let's see if your little scheme could take me down?" Flynn thought, staring at the pitch black entrance with amusement.