The world of students would be in a weird state, if it was compared to the world of professionalism.
The adults who are working are in constant competition. The money, fame, power, and a lot of other things.
All of them are important in the world of adults, and most of them tend to become slaves for all those things.
It is also the same for students. The adolescent youngsters who were slowly learning the value of money, power, and fame would also seek that.
The competition would be fierce, and everyone would seek the opportunities that would be thrown at them.
That was especially the case for the students of the Hunter Academies since, contrary to other occupations, their strength was directly related to their prowess.
Therefore, every ounce of opportunity was very important for these students.
And amongst those opportunities, there was one that even the heirs of high-ranking families would never refuse.
Guidance from the Invoker, Eleanor White.
A certain Hunter who had stormed through the ranks in the past ten years. The genius Hunter was able to control her mana so well that the title Invoker was given to her.
And now, the students get the chance to get guidance from such a figure. Thus, they were doing their best to show their presence.
Taylor was no different from others. Even if her family was rich and was a behemoth in the media industry, the amount of instructors that her family could hire was limited.
Today, however, something unexpected caught Taylor’s attention. As she was doing her best to show her talent, she saw some students pointing at someone.
Curiosity piqued, she approached, only to witness a sight that made her blood boil.
Standing there, Astron was engaged in what seemed like an intense conversation with Eleanor White. The same guy she had dismissed as talentless and beneath her. Eleanor was directly talking to him, her expression serious and focused. Taylor couldn’t hear what they were saying; Eleanor had erected a sound barrier around them, ensuring privacy.
Taylor’s fists clenched at her sides, her nails digging into her palms. It was one thing to be ignored, but to see someone she considered unworthy receiving the guidance she so desperately sought was infuriating.
She could see the intensity in Eleanor’s eyes as she spoke to Astron and the attentive look on his face as he listened.
‘How could this be happening?’ Taylor thought, struggling to contain her emotions. ‘What could she possibly see in him?’
The scene played out in front of her, a silent tableau of instruction and learning, with Astron at the center. Taylor’s mind raced, plotting her next move.
‘I was about to let this guy go, but I guess I loosened his leash way too much.’
She couldn’t let this slight go unanswered. After all, in the place of her, that guy was there, with his worthless presence.
If he was gaining favor with Eleanor White, she needed to find a way to either match his progress or sabotage it.
But for now, all she could do was watch, seething with envy and frustration, as the sound barrier kept her from knowing the secrets being shared just a few feet away.
As for the inside of the barrier, Eleanor was observing Astron and was about to give him feedback.
“Now, please demonstrate. I will check up on it and give you feedback,” Eleanor instructed, her tone authoritative yet encouraging.
Astron nodded and took a deep breath, focusing his mana on the blade as Eleanor had shown. The sword began to glow, though not as uniformly as Eleanor’s demonstration. Eleanor’s sharp eyes immediately caught the subtle flaws in his technique.
“Stop,” she commanded softly. “Let’s correct those errors.”
She stepped closer, placing her hand over his to guide him. “Feel the flow of mana,” she instructed. “You’re allowing it to pool here and here,” she pointed to the specific spots on the blade, “which disrupts the overall tension. Now, focus on spreading it evenly along the surface.”
Her words were sharp, and her demeanor was also sharp. There was no ounce of hesitation in her movements nor any type of shyness or shame.
‘Still, not bad.’
Astron closed his eyes and concentrated, feeling the flow of mana as Eleanor had described. He adjusted his control, trying to spread the energy more evenly along the blade.
“Good, now try again,” Eleanor encouraged, stepping back to observe.
Astron infused the sword with mana once more. This time, the glow was more consistent, though still not perfect.
“Better,” Eleanor acknowledged with a nod. “But you’re still concentrating too much mana at the hilt. Distribute it evenly from the hilt to the tip.”
Astron adjusted his technique again, taking Eleanor’s feedback into account. He focused intensely, ensuring that the mana flowed smoothly from the hilt to the tip of the blade. The sword glowed with a uniform light, indicating a more efficient distribution of energy.
“You’re improving rapidly. Now, let’s refine it further.”
They repeated the process several times; each time, Eleanor pinpointed minor adjustments, and Astron corrected them swiftly. He learned with remarkable efficiency, not making the same mistake twice. Eleanor could see the focus and adaptability in his eyes.
He didn’t speak or say anything. He just did as he told.
‘Still, he adjusts the things I am saying to himself. He is not directly copying everything. This kid has a knack for learning. He absorbs everything like a vortex.’
Eleanor disliked unnecessary flattery and words, and that was the best course of attitude since she liked those who focused on the things that benefitted them.
As they continued, the glow of the sword became steadier and more vibrant, a clear sign of Astron’s progress.
“Very good,” Eleanor said finally, a rare smile touching her lips. “You’ve made significant strides in a short amount of time. Keep practicing this technique, and it will become second nature to you.”
“Understood, Instructor Eleanor.”
Eleanor nodded in acknowledgment, but she also felt like she understood his attitude a lot more now.
‘Mirroring principle, isn’t it? He is behaving like how he is being treated. At the start of the semester, he was a bit different, but his rebellious attitude was probably an attempt to show that he could also treat me the same. Is this his way of protecting his own borders? That may be the case.’
She felt like she was remembering the time two months ago a lot more now, but she knew it couldn’t be helped. She was an adult, so she knew how children behaved.
‘Since I can not change my past actions, I should change how I behave now. Let’s see if my observations are correct.’
With that thought, she waved her hand, and the sound barrier was dispersed. But, at that moment, she noticed a lot of students looking at her and Astron. And the gazes directed at him weren’t specifically well intended.
‘Ho? Would you look at that?’
She smiled inwardly, seeing the reactions from the cadets.
‘They are quite envious.’
She threw a slight gaze at Astron and thought.
‘Let’s see how you deal with this. It will be a good test for you.’
With that, she left his presence with a nod, returned to her own location, and continued to observe the students.
*******
I stood still for a moment after Eleanor returned to her position, processing everything she had taught me.
‘Really, the title Invoker is a no joke.’ The subtle adjustments she pointed out had made a significant difference, and I could feel the improvement in my technique.
You need to remember that I learned how to control mana thanks to Senior Maya, but even then, it seemed my control wasn’t complete. After all, Senior Maya taught me for only a little while, and I filled in the blanks on my own. And considering that, at that time, I was a complete beginner, it is not surprising that I made some mistakes at certain points.
‘But this….’ I glanced around and noticed the other students’ envious gazes directed at me. Shrugging it off, I focused instead on my progress. It is not like they were different than before, anyway.
Turning back to my practice dummy, I took a deep breath and infused my blade with mana once more, applying Eleanor’s corrections. The sword glowed with a consistent, even light, signaling a proper distribution of energy from hilt to tip. I swung the blade in a series of practiced motions, feeling the smooth flow of power with each strike.
SWOOSH!
The air parted cleanly with each swing, and the blade left behind faint trails of mana, just as Eleanor had demonstrated.
‘Indeed, the feeling is different. So that’s what I was doing wrong,’ I thought, reflecting on Eleanor’s feedback about my mana pooling in the blade.
I had been unconsciously allowing my energy to gather in my pockets, which disrupted the tension and reduced the effectiveness of my strikes. Now, with the mana flowing evenly, my strikes felt more powerful and precise.
As I continued practicing, I felt a newfound feeling in my swordsmanship, but I knew that it wasn’t limited only to that.
‘This can be utilized a lot more with Celestalith as well. It even opens up new possibilities for the rifle form since I found a better way to utilize compressed bullets now.’
Lost in my practice, I was suddenly interrupted by a voice behind me.
“You….I thought you were trying to lay low.”
It was a voice that was familiar but not expected. After all, Irina, in general, didn’t interact with me too much in the classes.
“I was.”
“Then, what was that commotion?”
“I don’t remember a commotion happening.”
“Even if you don’t consider it as a commotion, everyone’s gazes are on you now.”
“Let them be. They won’t be able to do anything.”
“But, won’t this go against your intentions?”
“I can’t control what Eleanor does, so this was inevitable. I can only opt according to the situation.”
“I guess this is just like you.”
“It is.”
“But well, in any case, now that you gathered everyone’s attention, you gave me a reason to compete with you as well.”
“Compete?”
At the mention of competition, a smirk appeared on Irina’s face.
“Yes, compete.” Saying that, she raised her sword.
“Let’s spar.”
And pointed it to me.