Over the next three months, Jody attended classes during the day and spent his nights immersed in ancient and modern tomes within the headmaster's study. In addition, he and Senior Elinor applied for a private room to serve as his personal laboratory. Elinor asked no questions and agreed without hesitation.
This arrangement thrilled Jody most of all. Thanks to his storage ring, he could now take full advantage of his unusual magical talent and stockpile vast quantities of materials. In the past, if a fight broke out, he could only manipulate the elements present in the air, improvising on the spot. Now, however…
Gazing into his storage ring, where jars lined up neatly, he saw carbon powder, liquid oxygen, liquid nitrogen, methanol, ethanol… He had even sensed trace amounts of fluorine in the soil and synthesized a small reserve of hydrofluoric acid, just in case. Due to the special properties of the storage ring, he had no concerns whatsoever about stability or containment. These substances had become his hidden trump cards. The next time he encountered combat, he would be throwing far more than air-crafted fireballs. A few dozen improvised alcohol incendiaries lobbed in succession… heh.
That said, Jody's elemental perception did have its limitations. First, he could not sense elements within living beings, whether large animals, plants, or, needless to say, the human body.Second, he was unable to synthesize overly complex organic compounds or those with long molecular chains, such as plastics, oils, or proteins. Although their fundamental composition still consisted of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen, arranging them correctly was like attempting to assemble a million-piece puzzle without instructions.
For first-year students, the academy's curriculum focused primarily on sharpening elemental perception and expanding mana reserves. To ensure that most students passed their assessments, the practical application of combat techniques was deferred to more advanced courses.
As Jody attended lectures and pored over books, he gradually sensed something peculiar about this world. It was as though all forms of cultivation, whether magic or martial arts, ultimately existed for a single purpose: combat.
Thus had a world taken shape where martial strength reigned supreme, with little regard for civil development. Culture languished, and science and technology were virtually nonexistent.
According to the records Jody read, civilizations on this continent had existed for several thousand years, yet those millennia were steeped almost entirely in conflict and warfare. The royal capital itself had been established only a little over a century ago, and from that moment onward, the nation had been ruled by Emperor William Winter. Yes, the emperor was over two hundred years old, sustained by his status as an extraordinary martial artist. His realm was, naturally, beyond the ninth rank. This was the first time Jody learned the name of that exalted level, known in this world as:
Martial Saint.
From Elinor, he had also learned the title bestowed upon mages who surpassed the ninth rank:
Grand Mage.
No texts recorded the true extent of power possessed by these two realms. No one had even witnessed them take action. All that was known was this: even a prodigy below the ninth rank, capable of defeating two or three opponents one rank beneath them, would still fall when facing five or ten simultaneously.
But beyond the ninth rank, numbers ceased to matter. Simply put, only those of the Saint realm could contend with another Saint.
Of course, such heights were still far beyond Jody. Yet he could feel it clearly: his own breakthrough was imminent. Given the nature of his abilities, advancement meant gaining perception and control over the next row of elements on the periodic table.
On an evening one month before the first-term assessment, Jody was in his laboratory, tinkering with bottles and jars while enjoying hotpot from a copper pot he had scavenged from the room.
Indeed, how could a spiritually barren world possibly nurture a culinary tradition? As a man who had once lived in Huaxia, Jody could not endure such deprivation. For convenience, he had simply moved both his living quarters and meals into the laboratory assigned to him.
He was in the middle of removing pork he had "borrowed" from the kitchen and thawed in liquid nitrogen when a dust-covered red-haired woman strode in without warning, coming face to face with him as he sliced the meat.
She was filthy from head to toe, her vivid crimson hair tied back. If not for its striking color, it would have been impossible to distinguish it beneath the grime. Yet amid the disheveled state, her eyes were startlingly clear and bright, fixed unblinkingly on Jody.
He glanced at her attire. She wore a dark red, form-fitting mage robe that accentuated her figure to the fullest.
Probably a senior, Jody thought absently. No way a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old freshman would have a figure like that.
Snapping back to himself, he adopted the posture of a courteous host and spoke first."Hello. May I ask who you're looking for?"
The red-robed woman ignored him completely. Her gaze locked onto the hotpot behind him. Her nose twitched twice, and in a blur she appeared at his side, grabbing slices of meat straight from the pot and devouring them.
"Hey, wait—Sister—" Jody's heart skipped a beat. So fast. He had not sensed even the slightest ripple of magical fluctuation from her.
"When eating hotpot, you need to dip it in this," Jody said, lifting the bowl of sauce he had prepared in advance.
Without sparing him a glance, the woman snatched the bowl and continued eating with both hands."Good… so good…" Whether from the heat or from her mouth being stuffed full, her words came out slurred.
Jody did not interrupt her. He simply watched as she polished off an entire pot of meat.
The woman let out a long sigh, savoring the aftertaste of what could only be described as lightning-fast hotpot.
Jody was about to speak when she beat him to it."What are you doing here?"
Huh? Jody's face filled with question marks. Shouldn't I be asking that? You barged in, ate my dinner, and now you're questioning me?
Before he could respond, the red-haired woman suddenly shouted at the top of her lungs,"Little Elinor!!! Get over here right now!"
Little… Elinor? She meant Senior Elinor? This woman didn't look that old… well, certain parts were quite mature… no, not that… age-wise, she didn't seem—
In the span of a few seconds, Jody cycled through seven or eight different expressions, nearly rivaling a slapstick comedy routine. But the person outside arrived even faster.
A violent gust of wind nearly scattered Jody's hair as Elinor appeared at the laboratory entrance. A seventh-rank all-element mage traveling at full speed was truly terrifying.
It was the first time Jody had seen the usually confident and carefree Elinor like this. Her head was lowered, and she barely dared to take large steps.
"Teacher… you're back."
"Tea… teacher?" Jody had suspected as much, but hearing it aloud made his eyes widen as he looked the red-haired woman up and down once more. His gaze lingered for an extra second at a certain spot.
"Greetings, Headmaster," Jody said promptly.
"Burp!"Such was the reply of a Grand Mage.