"This lesson is about something you all should be familiar with: mana reinforcement."
Instructor Vale's voice cut through the noise, commanding silence.
"Some of you already know how to do this. Most don't. Today, we're covering two essential branches of combat mana usage: weapon reinforcement and body reinforcement."
He walked slowly across the front of the class, boots clicking faintly against the polished tile.
"We'll start with weapon reinforcement. It's the easier of the two."
A translucent diagram appeared behind him, drawn in the air with a flick of his finger was an outline of a basic longsword. Glowing blue streams of mana pulsed through its shape, running from the user's hand to the blade.
"When reinforcing a weapon, you're channeling mana through your palm, into the item, and layering it across the surface. Think of it like wrapping your blade in condensed energy, shaping your intent into every strike."
He paused to let that sink in.
"More force is not better. More control is better. A sloppy burst of mana makes your strike flashier, but inefficient. You want clean flow and even distribution."
He raised a practice sword from the rack nearby.
"Observe."
Without theatrics, he channeled mana from his palm into the sword. He struck the dummy hard.
CRACK.
The wooden sword left a long, clean gash through the thick foam padding.
"Reinforcement," he said simply, lowering the weapon. "Now imagine doing this with an actual sharp blade."
The class murmured among themselves, some nodding, others clearly still trying to grasp the concept.
Instructor Vale turned back to the projected diagram.
"Now body reinforcement. This is where things get dangerous."
A second figure appeared, this time a human silhouette with glowing mana channels stretching from head to toe.
"You don't push mana through your body like you do with a sword. You inject it. Into your muscles. Your nerves. Your bones. Done right, it enhances your reaction speed, strength, and durability."
He tapped the diagram. The glowing veins pulsed faster.
"Done wrong, it tears you apart from the inside out."
That earned a few winces.
"In a real fight, your body is the first weapon. If your bones snap before your sword lands, it won't matter how skilled you are."
He let that hang in the air.
"So, let's break it down."
The diagram zoomed in to show detailed muscle groups: arms, legs, chest, core.
"You start small. Hands and forearms first. Channel just enough mana to feel the strain, not to burn yourself out. Remember once again, we should focus on control, not force."
Vale's eyes scanned the room.
He reached for another wooden blade and held it up.
"And now, let's have a demonstration."
His gaze swept the room and locked, predictably, onto one person.
"You, Axel Lycan. Let the new hotshot show you how it's done."
Axel sighed and stood up.
Gazes followed him down, but Axel didn't let that bother him. He was prepared to show off.
Axel grabbed the oh-so familiar dull sword and ejected his mana into it. A pure white glow shimmered through the brown sword and then he lunged at the regular dummy, landing a clean strike through it.
Vale had a stern look on his face, trying to figure out a single flaw in Axel's style.
"That is the easy part. Now, body." He spoke.
Axel resisted a scoff. After just speaking about how detrimental failed body reinforcement can be, he's making a freshmen try it. Even Yanin and Landon had trouble doing it fluidly.
He rolled his shoulders back, inhaled, and channeled mana into his dominant arm.
His nerves tingled. Muscles tightened. His arm felt lighter.
He struck.
The dummy shook violently under the force. The wooden sword chipped at the edge. Axel grimaced slightly, setting it down and glancing up at Vale.
Vale looked… contemplative. Not impressed, but not dismissive either.
"Very good," he finally said. "For a beginner. You may take your seat."
Axel walked back with calm steps, ignoring the whispers and wide eyes.
"Axel, that was great!" Selene leaned toward him, beaming.
"…Are you sure you're ranked 3321?" Landon asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It'll probably change during midterms," Axel replied flatly.
…
Class came to an end and Axel managed to slip out under Vale's intense glare and Selene's persistent yapping.
On his way to the next class, though, something still itched at the back of his mind.
Something was…off about Vale's mana. It was faint, but Axel noticed that it seemed murky, unlike his own pure white mana. Strange, but it was probably a needless observation.
He shrugged and kept walking.
…
His next class hadn't started yet. Axel dropped into the seat beside Mico.
She turned to speak, but Axel beat her to it. "Yes, that was me in the video. Yes, I won. And no, I don't want to talk about it."
Mico blinked. Her amber eyes were unreadable.
"…What video?"
Axel stared at her.
"…Thank God," he muttered. "Finally someone who hasn't seen it—"
"Pfft. Kidding. I saw it. I just don't give a fuck."
Axel blinked.
"Thank you. Anyways, how's my order coming along?" Axel switched subjects smoothly.
"Good grief, it hasn't even been 24 hours. I'll send it over in 2 days. Text me your dorm number later." She replied.
"Got it"
…
The rest of his classes went by pretty smoothly and he went to the training room as usual. This time, he wasn't accepting ANY spars.