Challenge

The next morning, after informing Lily that he would be absent for a few days, Rami headed to school. This time, he did not go to his usual classroom but instead went to the meditation room, a rare place usually used for absorbing spells in an ideal environment.

Despite its simple design, the meditation room was equipped with magical formations that sparkled in vibrant colors and created a calming atmosphere. The mana focused, providing an ideal environment for spell absorption.

The room was available for free to students for their first attempt at absorbing a spell. However, if a student did not succeed within three days, they would have to pay a high fee for another attempt. Due to its rarity and high operating costs, the school had a limited number of these rooms, as most of the old magical formations had been lost during past wars.

Rami began preparing himself to start absorbing his first spell. He sat in the middle of the room, on the magical carpet, and closed his eyes to focus on the energy center in his heart. He tried to calm his mind and prevent any distracting thoughts. Once he felt calm, he started directing the mana toward the energy center in his heart, which acted as an energy focal point.

Rami struggled to concentrate the mana into the shape of the magical letters. He had to visualize each letter of the "Dragon's Claw" spell accurately and turn the mana into this form tangibly. At first, the letters would distort or disappear, and he couldn't concentrate them enough to form a stable shape. After hours of trying, he began to feel exhausted, but his determination drove him to continue. The flow of mana began to stabilize, but he still faced difficulty in gathering the letters and moving them around his heart. He had to make the letters spin around the energy center without disintegrating or fading away.

Day Two:

On the second day, the difficulty increased. The process of concentrating the letters improved slightly, but he faced issues making them rotate around his magical heart. Every attempt to make the letters spin around his heart met with resistance, as if the mana was scattering instead of coming together properly. The process of gathering and rotating the letters around the magical heart required a high level of concentration. The letters began to spin slowly, but sometimes they would gather irregularly or leak outside the magical circle. Rami felt frustrated but continued to repeat the attempts, determined to master the spell.

Fortunately, after many attempts and failures, he began to improve his ability to control the flow of mana. The letters started to rotate around his heart more regularly and began to form a complete circle of magical symbols.

Day Three:

After two days of intensive work, Rami finally succeeded in forming the magical ring around his heart. The circle glowed with different colors, and the mana was able to gather effectively around his energy center, allowing him to start using the "Dragon's Claw" spell practically.

Rami felt overwhelming joy after succeeding in absorbing the spell and realized how difficult it would have been without this room. He was not surprised that it might have taken him three months to achieve the same result without it.

Suddenly, he understood why the room was free for the first use; the magician attempting to absorb spells for the first time lacks the experience. If he tried outside the room and faced difficulty or failure due to a lack of money, the kingdom might lose a potential magician. For this reason, the school offers this free opportunity, while in subsequent attempts, if the magician has the money, they can pay; otherwise, they can try on their own.

The kingdom is confident that the magician will not give up on magic after experiencing the power of the first spell. If they insist on leaving magic afterward, that's fine, as such a person, in their view, does not deserve to become a magician. Moreover, the process of absorbing the second and third spells is much easier than the first, so it won't take long and can be completed without the need for this room.

Suddenly, Rami felt hungry due to the great effort he had expended during the process. He had only eaten a few energy tablets available in the room to stave off hunger during his time there. He decided to head to the cafeteria, even though it was expensive, but he had some merit points earned by solving a mathematical equation considered unsolvable in this world.

That equation, which was at a high school level in Rami's previous world and considered moderately difficult, he had stumbled upon during his research and decided to try his luck solving it. For him, the equation was not complex, but he discovered that the school deemed it unsolvable. Thus, when he presented the solution, everyone was amazed, and he received a reward. Thanks to this achievement, Rami earned some merit points, not many but enough to complete the year without needing to do school tasks.

When he entered the cafeteria, he enjoyed a lavish meal and savored every bite as he regained his energy after a long day. The meal felt like a reward for the hard work he had put in.

As Rami sat in the cafeteria eating his meal, he noticed a group of people entering, surrounding a young man dressed in fine clothes. The young man was Prince Cain, standing amidst the group, while the others were his classmates.

When Rami finished his meal and decided to leave, Prince Cain happened to see him. Cain called out and invited Rami to join them. Rami had no choice but to respond to the prince's invitation to avoid any complications that might arise from refusing it, and he had no objection to being with them.

---

As Rami sat with Prince Cain and his group, the conversation took a different turn. One of the attendees, Nicholas, casually said, "Have you heard about the theft incident that happened at Prince Rickard's palace? A servant tried to steal some valuable jewelry, was caught, and sentenced to death. Not only that, but his family was also exiled."

Lynn added with a cold expression, "There was no room for leniency with such crimes. Clearly, they deserved the punishment. There is no place for traitors in noble families, and they must be an example to keep everyone in their place."

Rami was shocked to realize that their words were completely devoid of empathy, as if they were discussing an ordinary event.

He was struck by a sense of dismay, having previously thought they were just kids his age, and that even if they were nobles, they wouldn't be much different from him except for some arrogance. But now, he understood that their harsh attitudes and indifference revealed that, despite their young age, they came from noble families. He remembered that he should not confine his perspective to his previous world but adapt to this different world.

The conversation shifted to a completely different topic when Cain said, "By the way, what do you think of this year's academic festival? We should make it special!"

Sarah responded enthusiastically, "Yes, definitely! I heard there is a great opportunity to showcase our talents. How about putting on a grand magical show that combines magic and movement? We can use new magical techniques to make the show exciting."

Cain added, "Let's make the show unique and distinctive. How about organizing a challenge festival where students compete in a series of innovative magical challenges? The show could include segments such as magical duels, mind games requiring magical strategies, and interactive experiences where the audience tests their abilities as well. It would be great to create thrilling moments and surprises that will make the festival talked about for years to come."

Lewis nodded in agreement and said, "The idea of a challenge festival is excellent, Cain. Combining magical challenges with puzzles and games will make the show thrilling and full of excitement. I think we should also add some surprise and dazzling performances to ramp up the excitement, such as unexpected appearances by professional magicians or amazing magical displays."

Nadine intervened, "What about including some unique individual performances? Each of us could present a unique part of the show that reflects our special abilities. There could be a complex magical segment and another showing skills in elemental control."

Cain said, "I think all the suggestions are excellent. Perhaps we should start by forming a small committee among us to put together a detailed plan. We can select the best ideas and combine them into a comprehensive show. What do you think?"

Sarah said, "I think forming a small committee is a good idea. We can try out different ideas and evaluate them based on their uniqueness and audience reaction."

Lewis added, "Then let's start preparing some trial performances and choose the best among them. We can use innovative magical techniques and evolve the show throughout the festival."

The discussion continued in a lively and exciting atmosphere as everyone exchanged ideas on how to present a unique and distinctive show. They were enthusiastic about implementing their ideas and achieving success in this year's festival.

After a while, Prince Cain's attention turned to Rami, who was taking the role of a listener. Cain said appreciatively, "Rami, I noticed your absence these past two days and heard you went to the meditation room to absorb a spell. Did you succeed?"

Rami replied with a smile, "Yes, I succeeded in absorbing the spell."

Cain smiled and said with appreciation, "As expected from someone who was accepted as an exception by the deputy director."

The rest of the attendees began congratulating Rami on his success, praising his achievement.

---

Then Cain came up with an exciting idea. He said, "Since you've mastered the spell, why not test it in a practical challenge? How about facing Muller, the water element user?"

The attendees' pulses quickened with excitement as they looked forward to a clash between opposing elements like fire and water. It was an exciting opportunity to watch a battle between students mastering different elements.

Muller responded hesitantly, "I don't mind, but doesn't the school prohibit fighting between students using spells until we reach the second year?"

Kane intervened decisively, saying, "There's no need to worry, I am the prince and I will take responsibility. As mages, we must improve our skills through practical training."

The attendees exchanged knowing glances, aware that the prince was likely speaking nonsense and was probably just organizing this for a bit of fun. However, who were they to object? They were also excited about the matter, and if anything went wrong, the prince would be there to handle it.

Everyone looked at Rami, and when Rami saw the situation, he finally agreed. He was eager to test his spell and see his abilities against another student, which would provide a good opportunity to assess his strengths and weaknesses.

Prince Kane said, "Alright, it's settled. The match will be in a week. Rami should practice his skills. Is there any objection?"

Kane looked at the attendees to see if anyone objected, and when no one did, he nodded and said, "Make sure to bring plenty of money for betting."