'I don't know if this is a good idea,' I thought as I noticed gazes cast on my robe.
"He's a pillar mage…?"
"What is he doing here?"
Whispers were thrown about as I tried to look for a seat. The room looked like the standard university classroom where the seats would descend toward the front of the class. I found my seat on the right side close to the windows.
As soon as I sat down, a guy with blue eyes and black hair approached me, "Hey! Are you a pillar mage?" he asked.
And in all honesty, I have no way of knowing how to respond. I know Sashi is a pillar mage, so I don't know the consequences of claiming to be one. Or even wearing a robe of one!
Sigh.
"I'm not," I replied, "Circumstances just forced me to wear one."
He leered, "Circumstances?"
"Yes…why?" I asked.
He threw his arms up and rested his head on them, "Nothing, just saw you with Ms. Sashi. That's probably her robe, right?"
Surprised, I replied, "Yeah, how did you know?"
"Because there are only two Alchemy Pillars. That crest on your back is the Alchemy crest."
"What?" I tried looking at my back but found it hard.
Before I could look, the door swung open and a short, bald man walked inside the classroom, his red robe practically mopping up the floor.
"Professor," the blue-eyed student called, and went up to him, showing a stack of papers and whispering.
Without saying anything, the professor took the papers and walked toward the podium at the front. For a brief second, his eyes darted toward me.
He wrote on the board.
How do plants produce mana?
Students scrambled to their seats as the professor turned to the class. He gave an aloof and tired expression.
"You," he pointed towards me.
I embarrassingly flinched at the sudden call.
"Why are you here?" He asked.
'Ah, right. I was supposed to show them my schedule.'
I got up and was supposed to go down the flight of stairs, but the professor abruptly stopped me from doing so.
"You can stay there, just tell me your name and rank."
'W-wait, rank?' I nervously thought…
"W-well, I'm Ji-Yeong and I'm a Fifth ring adventurer." I introduced myself—or at least the version of myself from this world.
"Fifth Ring? Impressive, but I wasn't asking for your adventurer rank." He replied.
Some students chuckled and some sneered. I guess that was common sense, but I don't know my rank.
"…the bottom one..?"
"A novice? Well, I don't know why you have the gall to wear that robe, but you can take your seat." The professor took on a questioning expression. With a defeated posture, he exhaled, "Just hand me your schedule, I'll figure it out then."
So, I do have to come down after all.
I went down the flight of stairs and handed him my schedule. He skimmed it and raised a brow, "House Ou recommended you?" he asked.
"They did?" I asked back.
His face went through quite the twists of expressions before settling into what I could only infer as pity, "Well, they have a stamp of their family crest here, so yes."
Oh…I see. That made more sense.
There's a mechanic in the game where earning a favor from a family means getting their backing.
Come to think of it, how did I get their favor?
"You may be seated."
Realizing I had been idly standing in front of the class, I bowed, more so because of embarrassment.
As I turned back to get to my seat, gazes bore more and more into me, burning through my skin.
Their gazes only left me when the professor started talking, and I got back into my seat.
"As some of you may know, living beings, including plants and animals, produce mana on their own through a process called luminesynthesis on plants and mana respiration on animals—that includes humans as well." He lectured, taking out a wand and waving it on the board to depict plants absorbing sunlight and a human breathing.
I thought it looked familiar.
My classmates took notes. I realized that I had nothing on me and had to rely on my often-unreliable brain.
The professor continued, "A study at the highest pillar concluded that since plants needed sunlight to live, and soil to thrive, it must get its mana from either source."
Wait…photosynthesis? It sure sounds a lot like it.
"But in actuality, both sources of the plant's life are needed to produce mana," He drew a root of a plant, "In the study, two scenarios were simulated with the plant Ashtaceae, known for its survivability even in the Scorched lands of Aldwrath."
Ashtaceae. Aldwrath. Terms I don't know. I'm starting to wonder if going straight to class was the best move. 'Sashi could've at least given me starting material here.'
I couldn't rely on my game knowledge either. The only thing I did in the game was fight monsters and adventure with the princess.
"Both scenarios had sunlight; the only difference is that the other one had good soil, and the other one didn't." He looked up at the class, "Which scenario do you think had produced more mana?"
Hmmm. So, they both still produce mana, assuming both plants could survive in either environment.
A student raised their hand.
"Go ahead," the professor said.
"Sir, the one with good soil," he confidently stated.
The professor nodded.
This garnered a smug look on the individual.
"Wrong."
Huh?
"How could it be wrong?" the student asked, clearly embarrassed.
Chuckle. "That's how we reacted too," he said, "A while after setting up the study, the plant in the 'less-desirable' environment actually produced more mana."
He paused.
Students mused, some tapping their quill.
"To survive," I subconsciously blurted.
"Correct," the professor pointed, "To survive, the Ashtaceae in poor soil prioritized its resources to produce mana…the mana then served as a sort of barrier from the scorching sun…and a water source. Good catch," he winked at me, "Though it meant a slower growth for the plant, it still was able to survive by prioritizing its resources on producing mana to keep itself alive."
The discussion continued with me doing my best to listen and contextualize what I don't know.
It was only after a while that I finally ran out of energy.
Hungry. Tired. In pain. Coupled with the crippiling anxiety akin to a fish being out of its bowl.
The temptation of resting my head on the soft robe sleeves got into my head. Weariness won, and I dozed off. Though half my consciousness could hear some mutters and words, my too-tired mind couldn't process them.
I gave in.
"…hey."
"Class is over, wake up," a voice said, and I realized that it was the blue-eyed student from earlier.
"Huh? Oh. Thanks," I groggily replied.
I got up, feeling a bit more refreshed. It seems my body is still recovering.
Wait…from what, exactly? I only remembered falling down, but the bandages on my body suggested far greater causes.
"Too tired for this…" I muttered.
"For what?" The student asked, "Care to join me for lunch?"
I looked up, "They're free, right?"
"Well, no, but I got you, my treat."
My immediate instinct was to refuse.
Growl
"Yeah…that'd be nice."