The First Class, Part 3
Professor Elena von Walter's sharp gaze locked onto Granger.
Every step he took filled the classroom with a heavy, suffocating tension.
The students held their breath, their eyes glued to him.
Granger. The student I kept my eye on during the first exam.
Memories resurfaced in Elena's mind.
The astonishing skill he had displayed during the first exam.
And his unprecedented, record-breaking score in the second exam.
She swallowed hard without realizing it.
What is he going to show us this time?
Granger turned his head toward the professor.
His eyes were brimming with confidence.
"Professor, could you show me the weapon to be engraved first?"
Elena handed him the staff she had prepared.
A small, orange mana stone was mounted at the tip of the staff.
It pulsed with a faint light, whispering of the mana contained within.
This should be enough.
Since it was the very first class, Elena had planned to teach a simple spell.
Ignite Spark.
It was a beginner-level spell that merely conjured a tiny flame.
The Dance of Flames drawn on the blackboard was far too difficult to teach to freshmen, and engraving it onto a weapon was an even more daunting task.
That was why she had intentionally prepared an ordinary staff fitted with a low-grade mana stone.
She figured the students would be able to handle a weapon of this quality without much trouble.
Granger took the staff, inspected it briefly, and walked toward the blackboard.
The moment his finger touched the board, something incredible happened.
A brilliant blue mana began to dance at his fingertips.
The mana materialized in the air, writhing and gliding through the empty space like a living serpent.
It looked as if a mystical blue river were flowing right through the air.
Elena's eyes widened.
A mixture of shock and awe washed over her face.
Wait, his mana manipulation is already at a master level...?
Granger's control over mana was transitionally far beyond the level of an ordinary freshman.
He was wielding it as effortlessly as a veteran mage who had spent decades refining his craft.
Even more astonishing was the way he materialized the magic circle in midair.
It was almost as if he were doing it on purpose to help the other students understand.
Gasps erupted from the students as the complex principles of magic unfolded vividly right before their eyes.
Watching him, Elena bit her lip unconsciously.
This student's talent was far exceeding her wildest expectations.
"Ah, I will explain as I demonstrate."
He began to speak, lecturing the class as if he were a seasoned professor himself.
Intricate geometric patterns danced in the air, slowly taking shape.
The classroom filled with the students' awe-struck murmurs.
The sight unfolding before them was like a living piece of art.
Elena's jaw dropped.
Granger's actions completely shattered her assumptions.
Before Elena could even instruct him on which spell to engrave, he had already begun naturally modifying the Dance of Flames magic circle drawn on the blackboard.
Elena watched his hands move, swept up in a complex swirl of doubt and anticipation.
The Dance of Flames wasn't just about manipulating fire; it was a high-level spell that required absolute control over the flow and rhythm of the flames.
The fact that someone so young could cast such a complex spell was mind-blowing in itself.
But Elena's shock didn't end there.
Setting aside Granger's magical genius, the situation was even harder to believe when considering the quality of the materials he was using.
Implementing such a high-level spell with a low-grade mana stone and staff was practically impossible.
No matter how talented he is, that low-grade mana stone and staff shouldn't have the capacity to hold that spell...
Before Elena's doubts could even settle, Granger continued his explanation.
Every word he spoke shattered her preconceived notions.
"As Chloe explained so well earlier, the triangular pattern at the center of this triangle and the spiral circuit surrounding it make up the thermal energy amplification structure. However, trying to fit all of this in would overload the medium."
At Granger's fingertips, the magic circle began to morph as if it were dancing.
There was not a single moment of hesitation in his movements.
The complex magic circle grew simpler and more streamlined, yet its core essence remained perfectly intact.
Elena watched his work, holding her breath.
The way he modified the magic circle felt like watching a master artist bring a masterpiece to life.
"Now... by doing this, we can insert this spiral circuit into the path connecting to the staff's internal mana stone..."
His explanation flowed seamlessly.
He bypassed countless complex calculations with effortless ease.
"Also, since the mana stone's performance isn't great, trying to engrave both the 'Ignis' and 'Combust' runes would be inefficient. Instead, we can use the rune 'Flama', which encompasses both concepts, to maximize the circuit's efficiency."
Elena's eyes nearly popped out of her head.
His explanation wasn't just theoretical.
He was actively manifesting that complex process right before their eyes.
A blue light danced and flared from Granger's fingertips.
Mana flowed along the surface of the staff, etching intricate patterns into the wood.
Suddenly, the orange mana stone at the tip of the staff flared, emitting a brilliant radiance.
"There, it's complete."
Granger said.
"I will now demonstrate the Dance of Flames."
Dance of Flames
As he raised the staff, a flame bloomed from its tip.
It was similar to the display Elena had shown, yet far more refined.
The fire, predominantly red and orange with occasional streaks of blue, began to dance gracefully in the air.
Moving fluidly, the flames traced patterns that were even more intricate than those in Elena's demonstration.
"Oh..."
A soft gasp escaped Elena's lips.
The heat of the flames was perfectly regulated, and the control was incredibly stable.
Despite using a low-grade mana stone, the spell's power and precision hadn't degraded in the slightest.
If anything, it looked more stable and efficient than Elena's own demonstration.
Elena was utterly amazed that he could produce such a result with the low-grade materials she had provided.
It felt like watching a performance by a master mage.
This wasn't just a simple demonstration; it was a moment that revealed entirely new possibilities for magic engineering.
Elena stood there, her mouth hanging open.
His skills were undeniably far beyond the level of a freshman.
A fleeting thought crossed her mind that he might even rival her own expertise.
Just who on earth is this student...?
Questions swirled endlessly in Elena's mind.
As she stared at Granger, she couldn't even begin to imagine the revolution this young man would bring to the world of blacksmithing.
Once the class ended, the students began to filter out of the classroom one by one.
The faces of the students filling the hallway were all painted with expressions of sheer ecstasy.
Their gazes still seemed anchored inside the classroom.
It was as if the spectacle they had just witnessed was still playing out right before their eyes.
"What did we just watch?"
one student muttered, completely dazed.
His voice was still thick with disbelief.
"Magic... No, wait. That was a weapon crafting lecture."
His friend corrected him, though his voice carried the same stunned tone.
He sounded as if he still couldn't wrap his head around what had happened.
They all seemed completely captivated by Granger's explanation and his brilliant demonstration.
It felt as though the mundane classroom had transformed into a mystical realm of magic.
The lingering scent of mana still seemed to drift through the air.
"Did you... take notes?"
a female student asked her friend.
There was a hint of anxiety in her voice.
"Huh? Only up to the middle. I couldn't keep up after that..."
her friend replied sheepishly.
"Let's compare our notes later."
"Yeah... But seriously, was being a blacksmith always this cool?"
Her expression was dreamy, as if she were lost in a fantasy.
Her eyes sparkled with the unique excitement of someone who had just discovered a whole new world.
"I don't think I ever really understood what a blacksmith actually does until today."
Another student nodded in agreement.
"Same here."
Several voices chimed in at once.
A swelling emotion rose in the hearts of the weapon crafting students.
A passion and pride they had never felt before began to burn deep within their chests.
It was as if a long-dormant ember had suddenly erupted into a roaring flame.
With him, developing new weapons and bringing innovation to this world didn't feel like a distant dream anymore.
Granger's lesson had transcended the simple transfer of knowledge.
Through his demonstration, he had shown them something far greater.
A message that the leaders who would guide the next era would be none other than them—the blacksmiths.
And that message was engraving itself deep into the students' hearts.