Found something

Mark darted forward, he alongside other classmates of his was trying to find books about his element or important knowledge that he should read and study. Mark found an intermediate book about earth control, he grabbed it quickly before moving from his spot, continuing searching.

'This is not good enough!' He exclaimed in his mind. This was the second floor of the academy, who knows what valuable books might hide on the neat dark wood shelves around him.

Around twenty students were running through the lanes of the seemingly endless book bunker of the academy. Their gazes shifting from left to right as they searched for a book appropriate for themselves. Some were already carrying a book with them, looking like they already found at least something interesting but not exactly what they searched for.

Five minutes, even though it seemed enough to search for a book, wasn't nearly enough time for the approximately twenty students to explore even 10% of the entire place.

"YES!" Mark shouted out of excitement looking at the book in front of him before replacing it from the shelf with the book he already had on hand. He rushed back and after looking around he saw his teacher staring down at the watch in his hands, alongside just a few other classmates of his.

He reached him before placing his hands on his knees breathing in and out, calming his throbbing heart and with it the ringing sound in his ears. A few tens of seconds passed by before the teacher did something.

"Times out!" The voice of Alexander arose inside of Mark's mind, startling him. It felt strange as his teacher was just a few meters away from him but still felt like he yelled into his ear.

This phenomenon happened to each of the students, who either still running searching for a better book or catching their breaths after coming from the labyrinth.

'Wasn't running supposed to be easier?' Mark wondered feeling his exhausted body that was slowly emerged in sweat as time went on. He couldn't call himself extremely athletic but running for a few kilometers before stopping wouldn't tire him out like this, it wasn't only him either.

He looked at his classmates that were taking deep breathes replenishing their stamina.

A few seconds passed by before more of his classmates returned. Mark looked at every student before realizing something was off, there were only 17 of them, exclude Max from this class and they should be exactly 19 left.

"Teacher, there are two people missing" Mark reported after noticing, looking at Alexander who was about to march down the stairs, going back to the first floor.

"Oh, those guys…" Alexander looked towards a specific part of the library. "Two out of 19 people died today because they didn't listen to my fair warning." He explained in a cold voice before turning back once again.

Mark, dumbfounded by the single statement his teacher just said, thought he didn't understand it right. He recalled the words spoken, hearing them playback a few times, the same irritating and devoid of emotion tone.

"So tha-that's it?! YOU…" Mark stopped himself from raising his voice, he realized that the man in front of him was tens to maybe even hundreds of times more powerful than him, with or without his magic.

"What?" Alexander asked, his monotone voice changing immediately into a more concerned one.

"They died and you don't think anything of it?" Mark commented the next moment. He was fuming, it was true that he wasn't friends with anybody other than Max in his class, but not even minding the death of two innocent individuals didn't stay right with him.

"I already did whatever I could, I told everyone to not touch whatever there is in the back but some of you did. This was the result; I wouldn't give my life to try and save any of you unless I get something out of it." He blandly said, again in a tone that seemed non-caring.

"…" Mark was once again left speechless.

His previously good mood turned sour while Alexander led them to the reception, he checked in the books on his name before giving them back to the students.

"Everyone, take good care of the books, these are all signed in my name as no students are allowed to take books outside the library, albeit ground, first or the second floor. Now I want this to not leave your heads, as the opportunity presented is something special."

"Each of you did alright in the competition and including your classmate that was one of the five winners, another two of your classmates that reached the finals in the first part, this was something accomplished by all of you. You ranked as the first class in the first-year category, your performance slightly being over the class now known as '1-B', your class also upgraded to '1-A' as a reminder of your status in 'the class hierarchy'." Quoting the last words he stopped talking, and unbeknownst to the students, he led them outside the main building before turning towards them once again.

"Now that this whole thing is over, go back to your dorms or do something else. I have other things to do" Alexander ordered while thinking of all the work he has to do, reporting on both the books taken and the dead children, he also has to retrieve to bodies that were most probably mangled.

Alexander went inside the academy at a pace faster than the normal walking speed, he didn't run but didn't walk either.

Mark slowly made his way back to his dorm; he didn't see Max anywhere but he didn't bother to search for him. He slowly took out the leather cased book he covered under his clothes, reading the characters written on the side of it.

'Rock Physique Breathing Technique' it wrote with a dull color, almost blending into the color of the casing.

Mark felt satisfied, a breathing technique was one thing he desired, more than actual abilities. After all, he searched long and far on the ground floor of the library but no breathing technique was present other than the basic breathing technique he wasn't interested in.

Earth abilities and guides weren't a lot but still were able to be found with quite an ease, rummaging through a row will get you about two to three books at most but you at least were able to find them.

He looked at the time and noticed that the day still had a long way until being replaced by darkness and so he cracked open the book and slowly but carefully read each word presented to him.