Class Seven – The Advanced Tier
Despite being labeled "advanced," Class Seven still allowed Shirone to reside in the same dormitory as students his age.
Surprisingly, he was given a private room.
As a school attended by nobles, funding far exceeded expectations, ensuring maximum comfort for its students.
The Ozent family had also begun sponsoring the academy this year, so Shirone didn't have to worry about standing out.
His room was Male Dormitory 707.
Though other nobles might find it lacking, to Shirone—who had lived in a cramped hut—it was luxurious. The bed, the desk, everything was of high quality.
A bookshelf lined the wall, though it was, of course, empty for now.
When he asked the staff member guiding him, he was told classes ended at 5 PM, after which students had free time.
Except for weekends, leaving campus was prohibited, but given the vast grounds, nearly all necessary facilities were available on-site.
Students could form research clubs based on their interests, and if a club gathered enough members, they could receive funding.
The library—open 24 hours across four locations—had minimal borrowing restrictions as long as deadlines were met.
Shirone was satisfied.
This was the optimal environment for learning.
Before leaving, the staff member warned him about unauthorized magic.
"Except in designated labs, magic use after classes is prohibited. Those researching forbidden magic—regardless of reason—will be disciplined."
Forbidden magic included Necromancy's Death Puppetry and, notably, Anti-Magic.
When Shirone asked why Anti-Magic was banned, the staff member simply said he didn't know and left.
"Hmm… in that case…"
Lying on his bed, Shirone planned his next steps.
Joining a research club wasn't urgent. Aside from his commoner status, he still needed to discover where his aptitudes lay.
"I should visit the library. After two years of studying only history, it's time to broaden my knowledge."
He was confident. This was why he had suppressed his curiosity and built a "spine of knowledge"—a structured foundation.
Now, all that remained was to absorb information voraciously.
The First Day
A beautiful piano melody echoed through the ceiling, waking Shirone.
"Morning already."
The sound was transmitted via Ether Resonance, a spell performed by a music major.
Yet, no masterpiece could compare to the moments he had played with Reina.
Memories of the Ozent family surfaced.
Were they doing well? Was Rian, like him, nervously awaiting his first class?
After freshening up, Shirone headed to the dining hall.
The dormitories were gender-segregated, but the dining hall was the sole shared space.
He took a seat in a corner.
Though socializing could be enjoyable, a quiet meal was his preference.
This habit had once made him the target of teasing from the mountain children, who called him timid.
But here, many students shared his temperament. No one cared whether he used a fork or his hands.
However, his appearance drew the attention of female students, and soon whispers filled the room.
Unable to ignore them, Shirone finished his meal quickly and retreated to his room.
Following his schedule, he packed his textbooks and left. The weight strained his shoulders—Class Seven's curriculum was intense, marking the true start of magical training.
The classes were, unsurprisingly, difficult.
Compared to nobles who had rigorously prepared, Shirone's knowledge was limited.
Yet, his broad but shallow foundational learning—his "spine of knowledge"—allowed him to keep up.
'My judgment was correct.'
As he mentally categorized new subjects onto this framework, Shirone focused intently.
Spirit Zone Training
After lunch, the afternoon session was Integrated Spirit Zone Training.
Students from Class Seven to Class Four—280 in total—gathered in one place, exchanging greetings until the training hall buzzed with noise.
"Senior, thanks to your help last time, I passed the exam!"
"Senior, over here! I saved you a seat!"
At first, Shirone thought they were just chatting, but he soon realized these were interactions between juniors and seniors.
Even older students bowed respectfully to younger ones—clearly, hierarchy mattered.
'Even within the advanced classes, the hierarchy is strict.'
In society, a mage's rank dictated their status, so the same respect was enforced here.
Of course, the awkward scenario of a junior surpassing a senior could happen, but seniors still expected deference.
'Does that mean reversals are rare?'
Shirone grasped just how difficult advancing a class must be.
The Four Forms of the Spirit Zone
The instructor, Lomi Ethela, was a 6th-Class Certified Mage—surprisingly young, likely in her mid-twenties.
Her brown hair was tied simply, and her large glasses gave her a gentle, unassuming demeanor.
"Everyone, today we have a new student joining the advanced classes. Shirone, please stand and introduce yourself."
All eyes turned to him—including Amy's.
"Oh, Amy! Isn't that the boy from yesterday? His name's Shirone?"
While her friend gushed, Amy remained deep in thought.
His face was strikingly familiar, yet the name Shirone was new.
A junior from Class Five chimed in.
"Senior, have you heard? He's a new student placed directly into Class Seven. Rumor has it the teachers are keeping a close eye on him."
"That makes me like him even more. Which noble family is he from?"
Amy suddenly exclaimed.
"Damn it all!"
Her friends stared, shocked—she never swore.
"Amy, what's wrong?"
"N-Nothing."
But it wasn't nothing.
Shirone was the one who had ended the darkest chapter of her life—a humiliating period she'd rather forget.
'Yes, he had talent. But a commoner? How did he get into a magic school?'
Shirone introduced himself.
"Hello. I'm Arian Shirone. I'll be joining Class Seven. Pleased to meet you."
The students applauded.
Seniors welcomed a new junior; girls welcomed a new boy.
But some eyes held hostility—he was a future rival.
As the murmurs settled, Ethela began the lesson.
"What is a Spirit Zone?"
"A mage's mind given form," a student answered.
"Correct. The Spirit Zone is the materialization of the mind. Its default form is a sphere—concentration manifests as such. But in real combat, a sphere isn't always efficient."
She stepped into an "Image Zone," a magical device.
Like during the entrance exam, a magic circle with concentric rings appeared on the smooth floor.
As the floor vanished, replaced by darkness, Ethela seemed to float.
Then, she expanded a 10-meter Spirit Zone—and it became visible.
'So this is the legendary Image Zone.'
Materializing the mind into reality required cutting-edge magical engineering and vast resources.
But seeing the Spirit Zone would drastically improve training efficiency.
This was why Alpheas Magic Academy was one of the kingdom's top five prestigious schools.
Ethela moved effortlessly within her Zone as she explained.
"This is the basic form. But in real combat, spherical Zones are rarely useful. Observe."
She flicked her fingers, and a target appeared 20 meters away.
"A 10-meter Zone can't reach it. You'd have to move or expand the Zone. But by altering its shape…"
The Zone compressed, then stretched toward the target—maintaining volume but changing form.
"With mental control, you can reshape your Zone. Then…"
She extended her hand.
"Fire."
Flames shot out like a guided thread, incinerating the distant target.
The new students—Shirone included—were awestruck.
Ethela's gentle appearance now carried undeniable weight.
"But this method has a fatal flaw."
The students tensed—was the demonstration a bad example?
"You can reshape your Zone, but in battle, constant reshaping is inefficient. Thus, mages standardize four patterns—the Four Directions Form."
Shirone's heart raced. Until now, he'd only trained a single form.
"The first is the Defensive Form."
Her Zone shrank, morphing into a 20-faced polyhedron—cruder than a sphere but close.
"The base is a hexahedron. You construct a mental frame for structure. More frames mean greater durability and coverage."
"Next, the Offensive Form."
The Zone condensed further, sprouting spikes in all directions.
"Often called the 'star' form. By reducing the core area, you extend spikes to lock onto targets. Ideal for multiple enemies."
"Third, the Targeting Form."
The Zone stretched into a cross, extending north, south, east, and west.
"The cross shape offers the longest single-range reach. Less firepower than Offensive Form, but precise targeting."
Targets appeared, and Ethela's gaze sharpened.
"Lateral 45 degrees. Fire."
As the rotating cross locked onto targets, flames erupted—flawlessly accurate, as if she had eyes everywhere.
"Mastery requires rotation speed. Snipers use an extreme 'linear' form, but its directional shift is sluggish."
"Finally, the Separation Form."
Shirone was baffled.
If the Zone was the mind, its core was the brain. This was like removing the brain from the body.
Ethela smirked.
"Watch."
Her spherical Zone detached from her body, moving independently.
Shirone was stunned.
What anchored the Zone now?
"This is Separation Form—the most agile but difficult to master. Specialists exist solely for this form."
She then demonstrated rapid shifts between all four forms, leaving the students in awe.
"Now, you'll train these forms repeatedly. Let's begin."
As students split into classes, Ethela approached Class Seven.
"Start with Defensive Form. Even if you specialize elsewhere, this form is essential. It bolsters focus in chaos and resists Anti-Magic."
Shirone recalled the school's rules. The staff hadn't explained, but his curiosity remained.
"Professor, may I ask… is it alright to ask a question?"
Ethela chuckled.
"Of course. Unless that was your question?"