The Airship Class and the Imminent Duel

Sitting in the engineering classroom, I watched as Professor Caldor, a burly man with a gray beard, began to explain the day's topic. The magical blackboard behind him glowed with diagrams and formulas, and all the students leaned forward, eager to learn.

"Today," began Professor Caldor, his deep voice resonating through the room, "we will dive into the fascinating world of naval construction and the principles that allow ships to float and navigate in the skies."

The magical blackboard lit up with a detailed drawing of a flying ship.

"First, we will address the principle of buoyancy," he said, pointing with his wand to the base of the ship. "A ship floats in the air thanks to levitation crystals, which generate a force that counteracts gravity. This principle has allowed our islands and vessels to remain suspended in the air for millennia."

I nodded, recalling my physics classes from my previous life. It seemed that certain principles were universal, no matter the world you were in.

"The design of the hull is crucial," Caldor continued. "It must be wide and deep enough to evenly distribute the force of the levitation crystals, creating the buoyancy necessary to keep the ship in the air. Additionally, it must be designed to cut through the wind currents efficiently, minimizing resistance and improving speed and maneuverability."

The blackboard displayed various hull designs, from the widest and slowest to the narrowest and fastest.

"Now," said Caldor, "let's talk about materials. In Elaria, we primarily use enchanted wood, treated with magic to enhance its durability and resistance to wind and mana. However, we are also beginning to experiment with lightweight metal alloys, combining strength and lightness."

One of the students raised their hand. "Professor, how do we manage the balance and stability of a ship in the air?"

"Good question," replied Caldor. "The stability of a ship is managed through ballast design and weight distribution. Proper ballast at the bottom of the ship ensures that the center of gravity remains low, preventing tipping. Additionally, uniform weight distribution of cargo and crew is essential."

Caldor then moved on to propulsion. "In ancient times, we relied on the wind and sails to move our flying ships. Navigators were experts at capturing natural air currents between the islands and using huge sails and aerial rudders to steer the ships. However, today, we use levitation crystals and magical engines. Levitation crystals not only keep our islands afloat but have also been adapted for ships, providing lift and improving stability. Magical engines, on the other hand, channel magical energy to generate continuous thrust, allowing us to maneuver precisely and achieve greater speeds, regardless of wind conditions."

The blackboard displayed a diagram of a magical engine, with lines representing mana flow to generate thrust.

"Here in Altaria," said Caldor, "our challenge is to combine the best of both ancient and modern technology. That's why engineering students must learn both traditional navigation and magical innovations."

I took notes furiously, amazed at how this world combined engineering and magic. The idea of working with levitation crystals and magical engines was fascinating.

"Finally," concluded Caldor, "safety. Every ship must be equipped with magical barriers and emergency systems. This includes self-protection spells and amulets to maintain stability during storms and attacks."

Professor Caldor stopped and looked at the class with a shrewd smile. "Now, who can tell me how to optimize a ship's efficiency using both traditional and modern methods?"

His eyes scanned the class and finally settled on me. "Cassian, what do you think?"

I straightened up in my seat. I had read about this in the novel, and it was one of my favorite topics. I cleared my throat and began to speak confidently.

"To optimize a ship's efficiency, we first need to consider the hull design. A deep-V hull reduces wind resistance, improving speed. Additionally, integrating levitation crystals at strategic points on the hull can provide extra buoyancy, further reducing resistance and improving stability."

Caldor nodded, encouraging me to continue.

"As for propulsion," I continued, "using a hybrid system that combines traditional sails with magical engines is key. Sails can be used in favorable wind conditions, while magical engines can be activated when the wind is insufficient. Additionally, these engines can channel mana efficiently, ensuring a constant energy supply."

"To maintain the stability of aerial ships, we use an adjustable ballast system. Instead of water compartments, we employ compartments filled with a special liquid or levitation crystals that can be adjusted to change the weight and distribution of the ship. These compartments can be filled or emptied to modify the ship's center of gravity and adjust buoyancy. By changing the amount of ballast in different compartments, the ship can maintain proper balance and adapt to various flight conditions, ensuring stable and controlled navigation."

"Finally, in terms of safety, in addition to magical barriers, implementing a self-repair system enchanted into the hull can be vital. This system would use runes to activate repair spells in case of damage, ensuring the ship can continue its journey even in adverse situations."

The class fell silent for a moment before Caldor broke the silence with a slow clap. "Excellent, Cassian. That was a very comprehensive and detailed explanation. I see that you have studied this topic extensively."

I felt a wave of pride as Caldor continued with the class. I knew my knowledge came not only from this world but from my previous life, but it was still gratifying to be able to apply it here.

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The Professor Caldor's class was over. Aero-Magical Engineering was a fascinating subject that explained the basis and functioning of ships and how to theoretically improve them. In this class, plans and ideas were proposed, which would then be tested in another class focused on creation and verification of those ideas.

Tomorrow, I would have the fight I promised to Lysandra as "payment" for teaching me to fight. Time passed quickly, and one would think that constant training would make everything easier, right? Ha, how naive. Every day, that damn Lysandra hit me harder. There were days when I ended up sleeping in the gym because Lysandra knocked me unconscious and then left. Sure, thanks to that hard training I've improved quite a bit, but I still can't stand for even five minutes against Lysandra. That girl is a monster. Every time I managed to land a solid hit, she laughed like a maniac. To me, she seems like a sadist.

I thought I wouldn't have to fight because I don't have the option to "challenge" someone from the top 100 or any top, since I'm not in the combat or magic department. But Lysandra, who seems eager to see me get beaten up, said there was nothing money couldn't buy. So that's what I did: I promised a sum of money to the person who would fight me. He accepted gladly. From his perspective, it's this: a nerdy engineering student, who many consider a weakling, challenges a combatant and even pays him. It would be foolish to refuse.

The thing is, I can't lose, since I don't have the five gold coins I promised. If I lose, I don't know what will happen. To put it in perspective, five gold coins are equivalent to about 5,000 dollars. Here's how the currency value works:

1 copper = $0.10 USD

1 silver = 100 coppers = $10 USD

1 gold = 100 silvers = $1,000 USD

1 platinum = 100 golds = $100,000 USD

So, being a peasant, where was I going to get that money? The money I earned working was only for the exam registration, nothing more. Right now, I'm broke, living off the academy's scholarship.

The guy I challenged was ranked 99, named Draven Stormwind. He's a close-combat fighter, known for his brutal and effective fighting style. His magic focuses on enhancing his physical abilities, increasing his strength, speed, and endurance to superhuman levels.

For a beginner like me, it was better to fight someone with these abilities. So, tomorrow will be the day of my first fight. I'm nervous; it will be the first time in my life fighting, excluding the training with Lysandra. Well, there's no need to be too nervous, as there probably won't be many spectators, since that guy isn't very popular, and, well, neither am I. I only stood out because of my exam score; they probably would have forgotten about me by now.

So, there's nothing to worry about, right?