Professor El-Melloi II cleared his throat, and his gaze—sharp and precise like a finely tuned instrument—swept across the room, instantly silencing all whispered chatter.
“All right, you little brats, quiet down. Your noble titles mean nothing to me. If you’ve got the guts, come challenge me for my position at the Academy. Otherwise, sit down and pay attention.”
Professor El-Melloi II’s voice was steady and carried a piercing clarity.
Even Shet, the Duke’s son who had been antagonistic toward Luo Ye from the start, had no choice but to restrain his casual demeanor at that moment.
After all, his father had warned him before he left: it was fine to offend any teacher but never the Sage or El-Melloi II.
Just as Luo Ye was about to sneeze, a stern and sharp gaze fell upon him.
Instantly, Luo Ye held the sneeze back with great difficulty, inwardly cursing the professor’s strictness.
But to Luo Ye’s surprise, after a single glance, El-Melloi II picked up a book and, from the angle only visible to those seated at the very back and top of the tiered classroom, slightly raised a smile.
Luo Ye: ?
What’s this supposed to mean? A peace offering in honor of the Sage?
So I’m some kind of privileged insider now?
“Ahem.”
Professor El-Melloi II cleared his throat twice, drawing everyone’s full attention.
“Before we begin the first lecture of the new semester, let us all stand and pay tribute to the great pioneers who paved the way for the truth of magic.”
“Especially to one of this century’s greatest cornerstones: the Magical Law established by our revered ‘Sage,’ Lord Kadiya, which laid the foundation of the modern magecraft system.”
Almost immediately as the words fell, all the students instinctively stood up in unison.
Luo Ye followed suit, rising at a calm and measured pace.
But as he straightened up, he keenly felt a number of cold, contemptuous gazes shooting from the front—particularly from those who had just sneered at him.
These looks were laden with undisguised malice and ridicule.
Luo Ye could almost picture their twisted smirks and silent mouthing: Look, that’s the Sage’s bastard son.
Their eyes conveyed a naked message:
Stand to honor the Sage?
As if you deserve it.
A spoiled child riding on borrowed prestige!
Luo Ye’s brow twitched ever so slightly, then he returned to a calm facade, fixing his gaze on the empty space before the podium while rolling his eyes inwardly.
Dealing with idiots really is exhausting.
“The salute is over, please be seated.” El-Melloi II’s voice cut through the room.
The classroom echoed with the sounds of chairs sliding.
Luo Ye sat down, relaxing more than when he had stood, and reopened the thick, somewhat unwieldy tome titled Advanced Elemental Shaping Theory.
Professor El-Melloi II moved to the center of the podium, his expression turning intensely focused as he began his lecture:
“Everyone, before we delve deeply into elemental shaping and magic construction, we must first clearly understand the cornerstone supporting all magical activity—mana itself, and the fundamental laws governing its operation.”
“This law was discovered and ultimately established by the great Sage Kadiya. It is as immutable as the movement of the stars and is the key to comprehending the limits of our own power.”
“At the core of this law lies the relationship between the ‘total amount of mana’ and ‘growth.’”
His voice echoed crisply throughout the silent classroom:
“First, a basic consensus: all humans, from birth, possess nearly the same initial mana amount. We can regard this as the baseline ‘1.’”
He pointed his magic wand at the air, and a shining number “1” floated in the space above.
“Then comes the key point: this baseline is not fixed forever; it grows as the individual matures.”
“From childhood until adolescence—that is, roughly from age 1 up to 15 years, when one reaches adulthood—the total mana steadily increases with age.”
“On average, a 15-year-old adult’s total mana roughly equals their age—thus, a base value of 15.”
“After 15 years of age, the situation changes.”
The professor’s tone deepened as he tapped his wand, and the floating number shifted from “1” to “15,” lingering for a moment.
“The natural cessation of mana growth at 15 is a physiological barrier. However, this law does not end here.”
“It further states that if, after 15, an individual continues long-term, systematic, and focused magical study and practice—such as advanced study in the magical arts, followed by consistent training after graduation—their total mana will slowly increase beyond the base 15, at an average rate of +1 per year.”
“This growth typically continues until around the age of 35, after which…”
The professor paused, his voice tinged with reverence for the passage of time, “increasing total mana becomes extraordinarily difficult. Those who surpass physiological limits and maintain a total mana of 63 at age 63 are one in a million—true miracles.”
Luo Ye listened intently, his mind racing as he cross-referenced the theory with the memories of the original Luo Ye.
His current simulated age was roughly 16 to 17. As a second-year student with exceptional talent, having a total mana above the baseline 15—around 17—is reasonable.
As for the Sage himself… it was obvious he belonged to the rare few at the very pinnacle.
El-Melloi II’s explanation continued, now turning directly to the core of magical study practice:
“Understanding the growth rules of total mana allows us to grasp the essence of casting limitations.”
The professor’s gaze swept over Luo Ye and Alicia seated in the front row, as if specifically awakening those capable of pushing the boundaries of advanced magic.
“The mana consumption for casting spells of different ranks does not increase linearly, but exponentially!”
His wand tapped again, and the air glowed, outlining a clear exponential formula:
Mana cost of spell rank = 2^n.
“For example, casting a Rank 1 spell requires 2^1, that is, 2 units of mana.”
“Rank 2 spells need 2^2, which is 4 units of mana.”
“And so on…”
“Ranks 1 through 6 require 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64 units of mana, respectively.”
“Do you see?” El-Melloi II’s voice took on a solemn tone. “When you want to cast a Rank 5 spell, it demands 32 units of mana!”
“And a Rank 6 spell requires a terrifying 64 units of mana!”
“This is why many people never master higher-rank magic in their lifetime! It’s not just because the learning difficulty grows exponentially!”
“Of course, that is a huge challenge—but a more fundamental and insurmountable barrier is that most people’s total mana simply cannot sustain the massive consumption of high-rank spells!”
“Someone with a total mana of only 25, no matter how brilliant or insightful, can barely force out a Rank 5 spell at great cost. Trying Rank 6? That’s pure folly!”
Having finished, Professor El-Melloi II looked directly at Luo Ye.