'FIRE!' … 'FIRE!' … 'FIRE!' … 'FIRE!' ...'FIRE!' ...'FIRE!!' … 'FIRE!!' … 'FIRE!' ... 'FIRE!!' … 'FIRRREEEE!!' …

'WHY! WHY IS THIS NOT WORKING!'

Moby had been doing exactly the same for what felt like an eternity and he seemed to be making absolutely no progress. He was on the verge of losing his mind. It had been a very long time since he did not get the hang of a new technique immediately; ever since the summer before school where he practiced his family techniques day and night.

Ever since then, he had been almost handed his new techniques by Avilia and never really struggled to learn anything new to this extent.

"Hey! Moby! You said there was a shortcut on map two. Where is it again?"

"It's on the second path by the waterfall, there should also be a gold chest along the way, you can't miss it!"

"Thanks!" She giggled, smiling like a child playing the game. "You know, you're being too tense. Just relax and calm your mind…"

He decided to take her first hint of advice.

Moby took a deep breath trying to subdue the visible vein popping out of his head. "Okay… I'll try…"

He closed his eyes and tried to do some mental gymnastics. He envisioned a flame in a dark void of nothingness, small and fragile glowing a small area around it as it struggled to stay alive. That flame then slowly grew and grew, until it became a raging inferno. The light around it increased and now the red, rocky ground was more than visible, screams of terror and manic laughs echoed all around him as the flames slowly exploded into a purplish-blue with a scaly eye at its center that seemed like it was staring into his very soul…

He could no longer contain himself and sprung his arms out forward with the symbol of agi, fire on his right hand…

'Fire…'

*Poof…*

Moby opened his eyes only to see a small puff of black smoke exit his palms along with the subtle smell of charcoal. Still nothing…

"Oh well…"

After all he had done and tried he could not do it.

His disappointment was immeasurable and his day was ruined, but there was still tomorrow to try more. There was no way he was about to give up now.

"WOW! WHAT THE HELL! THAT WAS AMAZING! YOU REALLY DO HAVE TALENT!" Avilia sprung out of her seat and completely ignored the game console in her hand.

"Wait what?" Moby's surprise was more than clear. "That was pathetic…"

"You don't understand! What you did is incredible! People doing this take months or sometimes years to get to this stage! Considering your talent, I expected it to be a week or so but never a few hours!"

"Thanks, I guess…" Moby raised an eyebrow. He was having a hard time seeing if Avilia was exaggerating but it still made him feel much better about what he had done.

"Be happy! At this rate, you should be able to produce actual results in a few months!"

"I guess I've been really rushing things. It's nice to have this power… We should come here everyday from now on,"

"Agreed," Avilia nodded.

"By the way what time is it?"

"Oh… haha… I know you told me to keep you updated on the time while you focus on training but... It's 8:57, your class starts in 3 minutes…"

"WHAT!!"

With no hesitation, Moby promptly opened his options menu and logged out. And, by doing so, Avilia was forced to do the same without her input.

A split second later, he found himself in that same capsule as before, the liquid completely drained and the door wide open for him.

Like a flash, he rushed over to the washroom to brush his teeth and take a shower, using his agility stat for what it was truly meant to be used for before jumping out of the window of his dorm and sprinting straight to class.

***********************************************

8:59 am

In a white classroom of around thirty students stood a tall and proud woman. She wore a very sleek and polished attire, a navy and white suit that had tapered pants that fit her snugly, black boots on her feet. Despite her clearly intimidating aura, she was still very attractive. She had long navy hair that matched her clothing, tied into a bun at the top of her head, underneath her glasses were keen, dark blue daggers that bore a terrifying yet certain charm. And, her well-endowed figure and assets were not so easily masked under her well-tailored suit.

"Good morning. Class is about to start soon, so I'll be introducing myself! My name is Rayna Archibald and I will be your mana crystal teacher for the semester! So first, I'll be—"

"I'm-I'm not late am I?" Suddenly, interrupting the entire class, a man was seen at the door, a hint of panic on his face.

*Ring* *Ring* *Ring* *Ring* *Ring* *Ring* *Ring* *Ring* *Ring* *Ring* *Ring* *Ring*

"Well... In the school rules, you're not late… But, showing up on the last second is really disrespectful!"

"I'm sorry miss… I was too caught up training to realize the time…"

*Hmph!* "That is no excuse young man! Is this how you expect to start the new year at elite school? Unbelievable! Do you see this class? Don't be someone like this! I guarantee someone like him won't last for the first semester! Training is important but showing up to class appropriately is even more important!"

The class sat stiff and silent, not even moving an inch before a few heads nervously nodded, their eyes switching between the teacher and Moby at the door.

"Excuse me?" Moby interjected.

"Excuse me you say? You dare talk back!?" Her screams echoed throughout the entire class, a black tentacle-like aura springing out from underneath her with strength and ferocity he had only seen matched by Mason Griffith himself. But, even still, Moby stood his ground and did not budge nor cower and simply responded, reaffirming his words.

"Yes I do! What kind of teacher insults their student on the first day?"

The entire class's eyes grew wide out of shock. Any man in his place would have just taken the insult and stayed silent. He was pretty much asking to get points deducted.

"Huh… You know what… Congratulations!!" Her aura of intimidation and power suddenly disappeared and a bright facial expression was seen on her face." I actually appreciate the courage from you young man! I just expected you to stay silent. Standing up for one's self when they feel wronged or insulted is an excellent characteristic to have in life. Keeps you from being a sheep following the herd. I would have done the same thing if I were you! +100 points!"

'Huh?'

'HUH!?'

Moby's, along with everyone else in the room's brain felt like they were malfunctioning taking in exactly what the teacher just said.

"And for the rest of the class, there is a difference between standing up for yourself and being an idiot. I always do this once a year where I act poorly to every student and the first one to talk back adamantly would get points. But, for all my years of teaching, it never happened. Some might get close but when I scream back at them they just cower in fear. From now on I will act more fairly, but still strict so if you think you can farm me for points don't bother unless I myself deem it justified!"

Moby's brain was still hurting. When he first entered the class and heard what the teacher said, he absolutely despised her and dreaded that he was in her class. But, just like that, in the matter of a split second, she might have become his favourite teacher of all time. So, far, the teachers in this school seemed to be fair and of good quality which was a complete contrast to those on the outside.

"Thank you for your kind words miss Rayna! I truly appreciate it!" Moby bowed deeply to his teacher.

"Don't worry about it. But, please don't come this late to class again okay?"

"Yes of course! This was only a one-time thing since I lost myself in the new VR machine."

"Oh! You've tried them out… Very interesting…" She nodded slowly. "Please take your seat in the back middle of the class, there is an empty seat over there!" She continued.

"Thank you," He lifted his head and directed his gaze towards the class for the first time, and past all the somewhat familiar faces of shock and disbelief towards where his seat was.

That was when he noticed who his seat was put exactly beside… It was a scruffy-orange-haired boy staring daggers at him with glowing eyes and a serious expression on his face, twiddling with his fingers on the desk in front of him.

'Of all people… Why did it have to be him? *sigh* this is gonna be one long year…"