"There are five basic Elements: Fire, Wind, Water, Ground, and Darkness or Dark. These are the basic five; other than these, there are countless different ones, such as mine—the Light Element."

  "Having more than one or not having any Element makes quite a difference. But this is also not ultimate. An Element is like having extra weapons: even if you have ten different weapons, it doesn’t mean you have ten arms to use them, and even if you have ten arms carrying ten different weapons, you can still be defeated by someone who isn’t even using any weapon or just using a single one."

  Bella Noll didn’t wait for Eric, Lyria, or Livy to raise new questions related to Elements and continued explaining.

  "When becoming a Mana Wielder for the first time, one can feel if they have any link or connection with any Element. A lot of people in the world don’t have any Element, and this is also why many prefer being Warriors, as having an Element or not won’t make too much difference for them. There are also more reasons to choose being a Warrior, such as being strong from the beginning, whereas Mages need time and training. Also, a Mage needs to obtain Spell Books to learn and then cast Spells, while a Warrior isn’t entirely dependent on such things and is fairly strong physically. But trained Mages have far more firepower than Warriors. Having good Elemental Control would certainly help for both pathways... Just learn these things as you go. No need to learn all this together right now."

  Eric, Lyria, and Livy nodded.

  Basically, what Bella Noll meant was: don’t underestimate an opponent who doesn’t have any Element, but more importantly... don’t feel depressed if they don’t awaken any Element.

  They all felt their faces twitch and turned depressed.

  Eric, among the three depressed souls, was the most relaxed and also confident.

  He knew he would surely awaken countless badass Elements, such as Fire and Thunder, for no reason other than that he was handsome! Ahem—mainly because he was an evil villain, and villains have easier rides. Only good people, heroes, and protagonists suffer.

  Although he loved the Light Element, especially after Bella Noll’s badass performance during the graveyard incident, as a young evil entity aspiring to become the Ultimate Final Evil Boss of Celestia, Eric felt the ‘Light Element’ just didn’t suit his pure evil self. Perhaps he would be mocked by other minor evil bosses for having the Light Element, so he wanted to stay away from it.

  Bella Noll laughed, watching Lyria and Livy’s depressed expressions, then shook her head in amusement.

  She could understand they were having an existential crisis, and that was why knowing these things beforehand wouldn’t help anyone as results wouldn’t change, and they would only feel panic and impatience to know the result before they could relax.

  "Don’t be so depressed," Bella Noll consoled. "As I mentioned previously, having an Element is certainly good, but not having one doesn’t mean you can’t become accomplished. For example, there’s a legendary human swordswoman, who is also the strongest swordsman in the world. She has no Element but has remained undefeated for thousands of years. Similarly, there are many powerful people in the world who have no Element or don’t rely on using theirs despite having one."

  Lyria and Livy’s expressions brightened. They quickly nodded and no longer worried about this.

  Eric and Riya felt their mouths twitch upon hearing about someone being a legend for thousands of years.

  'She must be a legendary granny!'

  Livy raised her hand. "How does one differentiate who is a Mage and so on? Also, can we see other Ranks after becoming Mana Wielders?"

  "Good question." Bella Noll nodded and answered, "There’s no way for an Apprentice Rank to check whether another is a Warrior, Mage, or Mystical Knight, but those who are experienced can still differentiate. You can also differentiate them by how they dress and such. But don’t rely on visual judgments—even a bulky, muscular person can be a Mage despite appearances."

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  "For a Mana Wielder, the 'body' largely reflects their preferred type. Even a thin, short figure can be a powerful Warrior with very high stats. So don’t rely on physical looks."

  "About judging others’ Ranks—this requires experience to feel their 'presence.' People who haven’t met many different Ranks will always struggle in judging. For example, in Ringwood Town, none could figure out that I’m a late-stage Rank 3 because they haven’t met many like me. They’d even struggle to judge a Rank 2 and which minor stage they’re in—all due to their lack of experience. Otherwise, in the larger world, you’ll see even lower Ranks can judge higher Ranks and their minor stages by sensing their presence."

  Eric, Lyria, and Livy nodded in understanding.

  They were already aware of Bella Noll’s Rank, as she had informed them in the past when Livy asked.

  Eric recalled a past incident and asked curiously, "A few years back, you pressed down Cooper without even touching him. How did you do it? And I also felt some weird sensation, as if my body had turned extremely heavy out of nowhere. What was that?" He’d been confused about this for a long time—it was an overpowered attack, perfect for his evil moves.

  The moment Cooper’s name was mentioned, both Lyria and Livy’s bright expressions collapsed. They still held an enormous grudge against him for attacking Eric, but since he no longer troubled them, they barely forgave him. It seemed Cooper had already learned his lesson.

  Bella Noll nodded and explained.

  "It’s called Spiritual Pressure. It comes from a Mana Wielder’s Spiritual Base. The Spiritual Base theoretically means Rank. 'Rank' is just a made-up word. The Spiritual Base is what connects the Physical, Mana, and Soul bodies together. You’ll understand these things as you progress, so I won’t explain further."

  "For Spiritual Pressure, it depends on one’s Constitution stats. The higher one’s Constitution is compared to the target, the more they can press someone down with their Spiritual Pressure."

  All three oversized children gaped.

  Then wouldn’t all fights end too easily? Wouldn’t a lower Rank be completely helpless against a higher one?

  Bella Noll chuckled at their hopeless expressions and explained, "It takes a huge amount of Mana to use it. Normally, you’ll mostly see Apprentice Ranks using it randomly, as they don’t understand it can be deadly for them—especially if the fight doesn’t end soon. One also can’t keep using Spiritual Pressure back-to-back without rest, otherwise it’ll cause major headaches and other issues, all deadly during battle. To use Spiritual Pressure effectively with minimal side effects, one needs very high Intelligence stats and Mana Control. I think it’s better if you experiment with Spiritual Pressure yourselves once you become Mana Wielders."

  Lyria swiftly raised her hand. "What if multiple people use it on one person? Also, is it possible to dodge this?" This was a major threat as their opponents could end the battle in one shot if they fell for it. She needed to understand this power well.

  "Multiple people using it on the same person is just wasting their Mana. Only the one with the highest Constitution stats will have an effect; the rest are useless."

  Bella Noll paused, then continued slowly, "...Theoretically, it’s possible to dodge Spiritual Pressure, but it requires exceptional battle-sense and instinct. This level of awareness and reflex is rarely seen in the world..."

  She didn’t mention she had trained all three of them with this intention. Eric, Lyria, and Livy didn’t know, but they possessed high battle-sense and instinct despite never fighting a true battle. All they needed was to become Mana Wielders for this skill to truly shine.

  Bella Noll continued explaining other aspects of Spiritual Pressure, then answered more of their questions.

  After a while, Eric stroked his chin and muttered, "So Constitution is the most important stat?"

  Bella Noll nodded, then shook her head. "The most difficult stats to increase are Constitution and Intelligence, and these two are also the most important. For example, Constitution determines how fast you can Rank up—at least till the end of Apprentice Rank. Intelligence helps improve Mana and Elemental Control, among other things. You’ll understand better after becoming Mana Wielders and reaching higher Ranks."

  After the lengthy lecture, Riya understood the most. She’d used Eric to ask questions she needed for her plans. What she’d theorized was massive, but she couldn’t be sure how it’d work until Eric became a Mana Wielder.

  Bella Noll drank water and continued, "Mortals can almost never kill a Mana Wielder due to their abnormally high Constitution. Mortal-tier weapons are far from enough, as they can guard themselves with Mana—but they still share physical weak points. Nonetheless, don’t try your luck casually until you’re also one."

  She smiled at the three little monsters she’d trained with full effort. She hoped the world would let them grow, not kill them as children. Perhaps from beyond, she’d giggle watching them create their own legends.

  She had one final suggestion.

  "When you become Mana Wielders, try joining an Academy—at least for a few short years. It’ll benefit your journey. Joining an Academy allows you to establish identity, resources, connections, and most importantly, knowledge. My knowledge comes from experience—it may be wrong—but I’m certain I haven’t misled you. Always be open to new possibilities, as Celestia is full of surprises." She didn’t mention most Academies have an age limit, and no one knew when they’d become Mana Wielders.

  Bella Noll sighed deeply.

  'Finally, it’s over.'

  She could now relax.

  "Right, one more thing."

  Bella Noll's expression suddenly turned serious, which surprised Eric, Lyria, and Livy, as during the entire class Bella Noll had been fairly casual, so their expressions also tightened.

  "Don’t join a family—no, most specifically, do not sign any Contract Scrolls, no matter how tempting the offer! Let me repeat: do not sign by using your Mana Signature on any Scrolls unless you have absolute trust or have created the Scroll yourself. There are many ways to deceive others—even if nothing seems wrong on the surface, you never know what tricks are hidden."

  Three of them nodded and noted that down in their memory.

  "Alright, this last class is finally over. Congratulations! For completing my personal classes—though there’s no medal or certificate." Bella Noll laughed.

  Lyria and Livy’s eyes reddened.

  Bella Noll waved a hand tiredly. "Don't get so emotional all the time. It becomes harder for me to see all of you with such heavy expressions. Eric's expression is most pleasing to me. He is indifferent, and even smiles and laughs at me. Haha."

  Bella Noll wasn't being sarcastic, as she was genuinely grateful to Eric for acting completely normal with her.

  "Go ahead—leave. Time for your evening training. You can still ask me questions later."

  The trio nodded.

  Lyria and Livy stood, but Eric didn’t.

  "Ly, Liv, go. I have personal matters to discuss with Grandma. Also, I won’t train today—don’t wait for me."

  Lyria and Livy were surprised, but since they were in front of Bella Noll, they held back their curiosity. And so, after nodding in acknowledgement, they left Bella Noll's room.