The Nightmare Wizard
Chapter 101: First Day of Classes (2)

Chapter 101: Chapter 101: First Day of Classes (2)

Ignoring any action inside the classroom, the teacher continued her lecture: "You must learn to perceive environmental mana; every place is different and interacts in different ways with the body. This will help you perceive danger in an area without needing to enter it, and it’s one of the most basic skills for a mage."

Turning to the group, she stared at them before saying with a contemptuous look, "Any idiot can cast a spell. Only a true mage understands what happens before magic occurs. For example, how many of you can guess what kind of spell I will cast?"

The professor extended her hand, and a small energy wave formed. The teacher held that wave for a moment to let the students feel it and try to analyze it. After a few seconds, an ice spear shot out.

"An experienced mage could have perceived that my hand had a water-type magical ripple and predicted that my movement would be related to that element. It’s very difficult to predict exactly what the spell will be, but based on experience, you can get a basic idea."

The teacher’s words caused William’s mind to have an epiphany, thinking that they had an advantage no one else had: "Angel, have you understood the essence behind that technique?".

"I’ve been updating my information with everything the teacher has said, and I must say it makes a lot of sense. During her experiment, I tried to guess, and although I deciphered that it would be of the water element, I assumed it would be a water ball. Multiple experiments would be needed to correctly find the patterns and achieve 100% accuracy in guessing, so I don’t rule out that we might be capable in the future."

Angel’s words made William very happy; he was sure he could exploit this advantage in the future.

While William discussed some actions with Angel, the noble spoke again: "Though maybe she didn’t come to study. Maybe she just came to hunt for a husband. Don’t waste your time, you dog, no one would stoop to your level."

William turned to stare at him. The veins on his forehead bulged, and his aura seemed ready to kill. "Shut up," William said, his voice still quiet but causing the noble’s hair to stand on end from the danger. The pressure was so intense that his whole body froze for a moment.

The nobles around them were oblivious to this situation, so they began to laugh, mocking William: "Who do you think you are?" "Do you even know who you’re talking to?" "No matter how you look at it, a commoner will always be a commoner." "Damn ignorants." Multiple curses sounded around him, scoffing at him.

"Don’t think you’re invincible just because you’re a Level 2 Apprentice, you arrogant fool."

"Mr. Tharn," the professor intervened, without raising an ounce of severity, "remember that the use of spells inside the classroom is forbidden, except during authorized practices. Insults, however, are not punished by the regulations. Continue, if you wish."

A general laugh rang out among the apprentices. William couldn’t understand why the professor had said this; it was like giving them permission to mock them. No matter how much he tried to calm down, the blood in his body was too hot, and he needed to release it regardless of the consequences.

"I don’t need a spell to shut you up," William said.

Tharn also stood up. As a nobleman’s son, he was quite confident in his body. His family had always given him the best beast meat and the best potions, and he also had private trainers who were with him every day and all hours to improve.

"How brave, commoner. You’re going to regret..."

William didn’t wait. He stepped forward, delivering a merciless, dry punch directly to the pit of Tharn’s stomach. Tharn fell backward with a choked grunt, knocking over a bench.

The silence was absolute. Lía had also stood up but did not intervene. The professor didn’t even blink.

"Does anyone else wish to interrupt my class?" Elnara finally said, as if all of it were nothing more than a minor annoyance. "I don’t recommend getting distracted; repeating the course costs resources."

William sat back down, looking at the other nobles with a firm gaze; his eyes were searching for the slightest provocation, but no one dared to look at him directly for fear of provoking him.

"Take note," Elnara said, continuing her class, "the last concept we’ll see today is called compression. The mana within a spell is not fixed. The ability to inject more energy without destroying the spell is one of the most important characteristics of a Level 3 Apprentice, as before ascending to become a formal Mage, you must be able to compress enough mana within your own bodies. With that, my class is finished. Now I will give each of you 5 of these orbs. The orbs are filled with a specific element; the mist surrounding them protects against detection spells, so don’t waste your time cheating. Next week, I expect each of you to be able to correctly feel each element. This will be your welcome exam. All who fail will be expelled from my class. Have a good day."

The professor said not another word before leaving the classroom with a firm stride, disregarding the students. The classroom remained silent until they began to pick up their scrolls where they had been taking notes. Tharn was still asleep on the bench, so his companions approached to lift him and drag him out as quickly as possible, carefully avoiding William to prevent him from attacking them for being Tharn’s friends and having mocked them.

"Let’s go eat, Lía, I’m a bit hungry." With a nod, Lía stood up and followed William. The nobles standing in the doorway in front of him panicked and moved out of the way, not daring to accidentally block his path.

Seeing him walk so nonchalantly, the nobles from other classrooms were surprised, as they had heard there were only two commoners and thought the nobles in that class would easily dominate them.

Whispers filled the hallways as gossip spread throughout the entire school.