A cold wind of February stroked Alviona’s cheeks as she followed Cornelia. Despite the disgruntled complaints from Mimi and Janine, she did not feel uncomfortable. On the contrary, the chill originating from this natural phenomenon was pleasant. The girl’s body was still emitting heat. Excitement, joy, and the thrill of the unknown flooded her mind.

First of all, Alviona was walking beside Janine, listening to her breathing patterns, and glancing at her hot red cheeks caused by the low temperature. Second, she kept thinking about various literature she would gain access to starting the next day. And lastly, she was excited to venture into unknown to her world of magic.

On the macro scale, the girl knew and understood a lot more than the average mortal or even a deity. However, as she had thought, utilizing her abilities that did not obey the realm she inhabited could prove to be fatal. What if she were to create a black hole? Would the mass not destroy the entire planet, even if it were the size of an atom? What if she were to create a solar flare, or accidentally attract a meteor to the world? Would it not wipe out all life?

A chill ran down her spine as she thought about the possibilities. If there was one thing that kept her sanity together, it was the fact that she was not ready to face anyone in her current state. The essence was still at its infant stage, and due to her curiosity, she had triggered the growth prematurely. This situation was horrid, one that the child was fully conscious of and regretted.

When discussing the micro level of magic, one that was mostly used by the gods and mortals, Alviona found herself to be staring at the light in its purest form. Not only was it blinding, but it also became difficult to distinguish which color to pick. Some could be welcoming, while others had a possibility of being invisible to the naked eye. How would she be able to tell what the right spell or effect was? Contemplating over this, the words spoken to her by #233 slowly crawled back into her mind.

Is my body this flawed? But then, if I was to create a second one when my essence stage 2 unlocks, would I not be going against the judgment of my creators? Besides, this is all my fault. If only did I not become curious when I witnessed Anita play with water a few weeks ago, none of this would have happened. Alas, it is too late to think about that now. The best I can do is deal with the current situation and plan for anything unexpected accordingly. I need to gather knowledge and see what I can find.

“Ah, Alviona. Your body is so warm,” said Mimi who was bothered by the cold so much that she ended up clutching the 1.74-meter tall elf, catching her off-guard, and causing her to fall. “Whoops. I am sorry. I did not measure my strength.”

“It is all right,” replied Alviona with a chuckle. “Mimi, you are very strong.”

“Hmph. Of course, I am a dwarf. And, not an average one either. I am Mimi, a girl that will learn the summoning magic and create mighty golems,” said the girl with pride, not forgetting to rub her chest lightly.

“Golems are great,” replied Alviona with a smile.

“Right?!”

“Oh, yes!”

“Excuse me, girls. I think that you should tell me what faculties you are taking so that we can visit them right away. We do not have all day, you know,” said Cornelia who was also starting to get bothered by the cold.

“Well, I am taking the elemental school of magic. This girl here is going to study the Divine one as her major, but elemental as her minor. Does that sound good?” Asked Janine as she clutched Alviona like Mimi and enjoyed the heat emitted from her body. Unlike the dwarf, she did not feel too comfortable doing this but could not give up the spot for some odd reason.

“I see. So you two are planning to attend same classes related to elemental and divine. That makes it easy, I suppose.”

“No. Only elemental classes and electives. I am taking psychic as my minor since I am already familiar with it.”

“Ah. Are you trying to acquire that newly discovered class by chance?” Asked Cornelia, with her eyes displaying curiosity.

“The ShadowMage, correct. I need to raise the proficiency level of my elemental class to 80% and have 50% in psychic. Then I need ten eyes of a cyclops, fifteen pieces of troll’s hide, a lich king’s skull, the blessing of silence from Monastery of Despair, and a tear of a dragon. That is about it if I remember correctly.”

“Do you not think that this ambition is a little, too much? I heard that only one person acquired the said profession and he is a mystery. If the rumor is correct, he made a bargain with the god of death. In exchange for defeating his enemies, his soul is to eternally serve the deity after one hundred years from the acquisition of the said class, and his body is to be used for creating a new type of guardian,” said Cornelia whose facial appearance indicated that she was serious.

“Well, I plan to make no such bargains. It is my goal though. And yes, I am serious,” replied Janine with a grin.

Alviona, whose body was heating up even more due to Janine tightly holding her arm, could not keep up with anything that was being discussed. What is a class? What is a profession? She wondered.

“Speaking of which, the two of you seem to be enjoying holding her. Is she that warm? Here, let me join in,” said Cornelia as she took Alviona’s gentle, slender hands, and rubbed her fingers. “What, the heck. You are indeed too warm. Ah, stand still and do not move. Oh god. It is as if the cold does not exist right now.”

Alviona’s body temperature kept increasing, so much that she was becoming dizzy from the heat. A status window appeared inside of her mind that notified of the severity of her condition.

Your health is rapidly deteriorating. -3, - 10, -23...

No! Not good! Screamed Alviona in her mind, panic entirely taking over her body.

"I apologize, but you need to excuse me for a few minutes. I will be right back," said Alviona as she ran away, cowering behind a tall building, extending her wings, creating an instruction to become invisible and silent, and flying up as quickly as was possible. Her skin was starting to peel off slowly.

You have used over 1400 Mana, - 6000 HP. Current status: Health02 - 3,638/10,387

Being aware of a lake that was outside of the academy perimeter, she flew towards it. Without slowing down, the girl moved her clothing to the and cast several fireballs at the ice. Seeing that the hole was large enough, she plunged into the depths of the deadly cold lake. After fifteen seconds, she swam towards the surface, her eyes widening, gasping, and coughing severely while vomiting water in the process.

Goodness. That was too close. Better yet, now I need to undo this condition, thought the girl as she prepared instructions to create a water bubble around her head for air supply. Seeing that it was useful and choking was no longer a hazard, Alviona plunged back into the depth of the water with another order. This time, it was different from anything she had done prior.

Adjust the 90% power to Essence ratio to 70%. Maximize PtM Transfer. Ignore the limit and allow the injury. Send the remainder 20% of Energy into recovering the body from any, and all damage. Disable Motor part of the Central Nervous System for the duration.

Populate the body with missing blood cells. Send a jolt of electricity to wake up the user upon completion.

Upon activation, Alviona's mind faded into nothingness. She did not return to her dimension. Instead, she was wholly unconscious. Only after fifteen minutes elapsed did she feel a jolt of electricity through her body, forcing her to snap back. The first sound she heard was of her eternal clock that was tocking violently.

It is all right, Mr. Tock. I apologize for my actions; however, I do not think there was much else I could do. I panicked and did not want to scare others.

*Tock, Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock*

Thank you for understanding. I love you just as much.

Alviona did not move until her vision came back. After it did, the girl swam up towards the surface and got out. Her body was violently shivering as the result of spending too much time inside the lake; however, it rapidly regulated the temperature back to the acceptable limit. Since her instruction for invisibility and silence was still active, Alviona extended her wings once again and retrieved her clothing from the . Afterward, she returned to the confused party members that were left behind.

"... And I plan to make golems so that our dwarven kingdom will not have an infestation again."

"Well, that is truly interesting, Mimi. I respect your dedication and ambitions, even if it is uncommon for your race," said Cornelia with an excited face.

Seeing that Alviona was back, the party's attention shifted to her.

"Welcome back. I am glad to see you in one piece. Is everything all right? What happened? Oh, don't tell me that you ran back to the dormitory only to grab that," laughed Mimi as she saw her roommate wear her unusually large hat.

"That, uhm, yes," replied Alviona with nonchalant laughter. "It is my treasure, and I had to bring it."

"Good grief, kiddo. You do scare me at times," said Janine coldly.

Looking into the girl's fierce eyes, Alviona could tell that she was concerned, angry, and confused. I am sorry for lying to you, dear friend. But until I figure out what is going on with me, I can not tell you the entirety of the situation.

"Mistress, are you certain that you will be fine?" Whispered Solomon who considered the girl's feelings.

Yes. I appreciate you caring for me. Please, do not tell others. I will explain everything to you at a later date.

***

For three hours, Alviona was unable to make up her mind on which classes to take. Janine was content with taking anything as long as she was placed in the same courses as her.

“Tell you what, since you enjoy using martial weapons, why don’t we sign up for martial class? It is two hours long every day of the week. Your body needs strengthening, correct? It could also help me to understand how to deal with various physical attacks instead of relying solely on the barrier provided by my gear. Perhaps I will learn how to protect myself from rogues,” asked Janine after seeing that the girl was ready to start crying from all the options.

Alviona blushed, thought for a moment, and nodded. “Okie! Thank you, Janine. In that case, would you mind taking potion brewing as a second elective? Grandma knows how to make these so she can teach us some valuable techniques. I am also very interested due to the concept that this booklet says about potion making.”

“A sound plan. Mimi, pry I ask what your electives are?”

“Oh, you want to take some with me too? Well, I am currently enrolled in forging, jewelry crafting, counter spellcasting, automation, and amalgamation.”

“Would counter spellcasting not fall under the divine category? Is that not what barrier does?” Asked Alviona with a puzzled face.

“Not quite. This subject teaches how to interrupt spells while the caster is performing an incantation. You can break the core spell and direct it against its own user. While a beneficial subject, it is also rather complicated and does not warrant one hundred percent success rate.”

Alviona looked at Janine and back at Mimi. Analyzing the words spoken, she concluded that this subject was of interest for her.

“Well, that leaves us with two more electives,” said Janine who was looking through the screen to find anything of interest. “Ah. There, I would be interested in archaic spells. Alviona, how about you? Would you like to join me?”

The girl shook her head. “I am sorry, but I need the two electives to be an open book for me. I need it for my research on everything else,” replied Alviona with a smile.

“Oh, right. I forgot about that. Well, how about I do the same then? Would it not ease up your search for specific materials and documents if I were to come with you?”

“Are you sure? Would it be fine?”

“Yes. I can study the archaic spells from the books while you do your research. Besides, I promised Mira that I would take care of you,” replied Janine proudly.

Alviona's body and mind were filled with joy. Her heart skipped a beat, as she cheered for victory. Despite being unable to comprehend or understand what these emotions were, she was satisfied. Right now, this child was the happiest person that one could imagine. Her eyes were displaying excitement, and her body trembled ever so slightly.

“Janine, thank you very much. I truly appreciate your help. Yes, I would be more than glad to be graced by your company,” said Alviona as she performed a slight bow.

“Pfft. No worries, kiddo,” replied the girl with real laughter. Her words prior were also genuine.

After completing registration, the party moved towards the registry desk and received student cards. Once this was complete, they went to the shopping area to receive uniforms, and after that was done, they purchased necessary utilities such as feathers, pencils, erasers, magical scrolls, blank pieces of paper, and ink.

“Uwah! This is too much fun!” Said Alviona ecstatically. “Say, what is that large building over there?”

“That? That is a dueling arena,” replied Cornelia.

“What does that word mean?”

“Dueling means that people fight each other to practice, prove that one side is correct while the other is wrong, and to settle disputes. Duels come in many forms; however, in this academy killing is prohibited. As such, the arena has been enchanted for centuries by the angels. If a fatal blow were dealt, automatic resurrection would come into play.”

“I see. Is it possible for us to enter it? Is there anyone fighting? I would be interested in watching,” said Alviona, curiosity taking over her body.

“I do not see why we can not. Let’s go,” replied Cornelia, leading everyone into the building. Upon entering, they were greeted by a clerk who inspected the student cards. Seeing that everything was in place, he allowed them to proceed.

A loud noise of metal clashing against each other resonated throughout the arena. Several students appeared to observe the performance. Some girls and boys were cheering while others wrote down notes.

“Hey there, Cornelia! Here to see the duel? Kastor is fighting against Bastion!”

Alviona looked at the combatants. A giant red circle with numbers floated above their heads. She had never seen anything like this before.

Kastor HP: 6,788/8,377 Bastion HP: 4,332/5,549 Barrier: 1323. Physical Defense: 14. Magical Defense: 22

Barrier: 2200. Physical Defense: 23. Magical Defense: 15

Both men were breathing heavily.

"Are you not giving up yet?" Snorted Bastion.

"As if!" Shouted Kastor, using [Agility], [Blink], and [Backstab] abilities. The man instantly teleported behind his opponent and stabbed at him with the dagger, leaving a form of light behind where his weapon was. It happened so instantly that if Alviona or the observers were not paying enough attention, the motion would be wholly missed.

Bastion is dealt a Critical Strike. 2,600 damage. Barrier falls to 198

The man attempted to follow up with a regular attack but was stopped from doing so because Bastion slammed him with his back, creating distance, and directing his sword towards his opponent.

"Eat the [SwordDance]," he shouted as he performed an odd slashing motion in three separate directions. Alviona did not understand what the ability did; however, the rest of the audience appeared to cheer.

"Bastion! Go Bastion! Make him dance towards his grave!"

Kastor is dealt 1,388 damage, followed by another 300 from regular attack. HP - 128.68

"Shit!" Kastor blinked away a short distance and tossed few projectiles at his opponent. Despite Bastion moving away, one dagger still ended up hitting him in his shoulder.

Bastion is dealt 10 damage from the shock dagger. 2-second paralysis is in effect.

"What?!" Bastion's eyes widened as he realized the attack that the opponent performed. Kastor did not miss the opportunity and repeated his [Blink] and [Backstab] combo, followed by [Death's flurry]. As the ability activated, the opponent fell to the ground with his breathing seizing.

Bastion is dealt a Critical Strike. 2,300 damage. [Death's Flurry] deals fifteen swift strikes totaling 4,220 damage. HP - 4822.40

"There! I win. Pfft. Tell me again that you are tough and I will laugh in your face," snorted Kastor with spite. However, his moment of victory did not last much longer. Bastion opened his eyes and got up. "What? How?"

"Passive ability that does not let my class die. Did you not know that Divine Defenders cannot die unless killed twice? Oh, and I am invincible for 2 seconds so do not even try blinking. Instead, fall." With his words, Bastion utilized [Amplify Strength], [Sacred Ground], [SwordDance, and [Justice].

Kastor is dealt 2,488 damage. Bastion is healed for 23% of damage dealt and regenerates 700 barrier. Kastor receives [Justice], 1200 damage. HP - 3688.

It is fine! I still have 3,359.32 HP left. I can win! Thought Kastor as he prepared another dagger and tossed it. However, Bastion appeared to welcome it. What?

"You fool. Attacking inside the sacred ground, are you kidding me? Any negative status is deflected back to the attacker. Good job. Bravo," said Bastion as he repeated his offensive abilities. This time, Kastor dropped dead, his body disappeared, and the arena crystal announced the winner.

"BASTION! BASTION!" Cheered the crowd as they watched the victor.

Cornelia turned to Alviona. "Well, what did you think?"

"I... It was strange. I did not imagine that combat would be like that," replied Alviona.

"Ah. Yes, Bastion is our strongest duelist for a full year now."

Alviona nodded; however, this was not what she referred to.

I do not understand, she thought. What model is this world based off? Why make things so overly complicated? If the person was struck in the vital, would they not bleed to death? If that man got paralyzed, why was the person with the dagger not able to find a weak spot inside of his plate and strike it? I know that grandma talked about the barrier. And yet, this concept is so... odd. I could accept magical defenses existing as it is mana reliant. But the weapons make no sense! A spell potency can depend on the limit and knowledge of the spellcaster. But, do the instruments of war not rely on sharpness? Ah, this is giving me a headache.

"Who else would like to fight Bastion? Are there any contenders who wish to challenge him?"

Hmm... Perhaps it would not hurt to test out how these mechanics work? Of course, I will not allow him to damage my vessel.

"Janine, do you think it would be all right if I challenged him?"

"Oh, a brave one, aren't you?" Asked Cornelia with a mocking giggle.

"No. That is out of the question. You will bloody murder that man! Remember what Mira told you not to do? Please, do not do it."

"But... I will not use anything overly dangerous. I will not let him damage me and nor will I let myself slip and win in one swoop," said Alviona with a pout. For some reason, she also had an urge to perform well in front of her companion. Besides, I wish to test a theory. I need to experiment!

"Fine," said Janine. "But, you must promise me that nothing will explode, no one will die, and that you will not damage your body. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I agree to your terms. I promise you, Janine," said Alviona as she tilted her head and landed a soft kiss on the girl's cheeks, catching her entirely off-guard, forcing her to blush and slowly caress her cheek. Janine's heart also skipped a beat, and her body began to feel hot. She was slightly turned on. However, the feeling soon dissolved since Alviona was known to hug and kiss those that she loved.

I am her friend. That is all.

"I would like to duel, please!" Said Alviona chirpily, as she walked downstairs, towards the center of the arena.

"We have a new contestant! Hello, please put your student card inside that keyhole over there. It will allow you to display your Health and Barrier status. Nothing else will be revealed. Are you consent with that?"

"Yes," replied the girl.

"Great. In that case, please pick your gear and weapons from the counter over there. You may keep any one item from your present inventory.

"Okie. May I keep my hat then?"

"Certainly. I assume you have no jewelry then?"

"No. And I do not know what that is," replied the child with a smile.

Alviona moved towards the counter and picked up her items of interest - metallic staff, a pair of knee guards, and a light robe. A status screen appeared in her mind:

Training staff

Rank: Common

Physical Damage: 366

Magical Damage: 50

Active effect: none

Training knee guards

Rank: Common

Physical defense: 2

Magical Defense: 9

Barrier: 150

Training Robes

Rank: Common

Physical Defense: 5

Magical Defense: 14

Barrier: 400

"Are you set?"

"Yes. Also, is it ok if I cut my finger a little?"

"Do whatever you like," replied the man with a smile.

"Thank you," said Alviona as she moved the index finger of her right hand towards her horns and applied small pressure to create a slight cut. Library, I would like you to write down the results of this experiment inside the book. I am going to disable PtM and instead, will release 0.3% of power from my main core. I will gradually adjust the number if it is insufficient. Well, let's go!

Bastion and Alviona stood in front of each other. Both were told to perform a light bow. Afterward, they were seperated some distance and were told that countdown would begin.

Bastion HP: 5,549/5,549 Alviona HP: 9,478/10,387 Barrier: 2,200 Physical Defense: 23 Magical Defense: 15 Barrier: 1450 Physical Defense: 7 Magical Defense: 23

10...

9...

8...

7...

6...

5...

4...

3...

2...

1...

"Go!"

Bastion was first to move by casting [Agility] and charging at a tremendous speed, shortening the distance and utilizing his martial arts [SwordDance]. However, his opponent nimbly dodged and counter-attacked with her staff.

Bastion is dealt 281.82 damage. Barrier falls to 1918.18

Owie. While my body is moving much faster, 0.3% is not sufficient to do much. Hm, let me try 0.7%.

The man charged at her again, swinging his sword several times and not activating any abilities. Alviona moved her staff to block the incoming attacks before pushing herself back and creating distance. Observing his movement pattern, the girl predicted that he would utilize the ability from earlier.

"Dodge this, girl!" Shouted Bastion as he unleashed [SwordDance]. Alviona patiently waited for this moment to observe the ability. Without seizing her retreat, the girl ensured to pay attention to any pattern that could be detected.

Status: Complete. Name: [SwordDance]. Skill type: Martial. Description: An ability that utilizes quick bursts of Mana to direct user's sword swings in a 180-degree arc. The opponent will not be able to accurately predict when or where inside of the cone will the strike come from, hence the name "Sword Dance." The motion will randomly vary between thrusts and swings. An excellent ability when dealing with multiple adversaries simultaneously. Drawback: When utilizing this martial art, the user is locked in the said direction until the end of the performance.

"Perfect!" Thought Alviona as she quickly mounted her staff and launched her body over her opponent. The cut finger had not healed and was ready to unleash her experiment. Not willing to delay any further, she moved towards the man who was unable to stop and pressed her finger onto his neck. And now, let there be some electricity. As she finished her thought, a quick jolt of light passed through the man that inflicted paralysis.

Bastion is dealt one damage. Paralysis is in effect for 10 seconds.

"Now then, mister. Would you like me to whack you with that staff one hundred times while refreshing this state of yours in a loop, or will you be kind enough to surrender?"

The man was speechless. What sort of magic or ability has the girl used? Was she an elemental user that was gifted with rare affinity to electricity? But even if this was the case, he has faced few adversaries in his life who wielded such power. It was not comparable. What was going on?

"I surrender," declared the man.

"I surrender," declared Alviona.

The referee was confused.

"C-can you please repeat it?"

"We surrender," replied both of them simultaneously.

"It is a draw!" announced the referee who was unusually confused.

Janine, Cornelia, and Mimi who were all avidly watching Alviona's duel unfold could not help but exclaim the same question: "Wait, what?!"