"Now, before we split up and start with the practical lessons, I will tell you about one further topic. While this is more relevant for the mages amongst you, I have no doubt that all of you can profit from knowing this."

  "Magic is divided into two major categories. The first one is the one you all should have some experience with by now, namely the skills you use. Invoking a skill is the most cost-efficient way of achieving a certain effect. While they do leave room for improvement, they're already incredibly optimized. This is not because 'the system created them', but because they are part of your soul. Think of them like extensions of yourself. Casting a skill is no different from moving your arms or legs, it's instinctual on a level that is impossible to achieve in any other way."

  "Now, different from magic through skills, there's also free magic in which you don't cast via a skill but instead by your own doing. For that, you first manually aspect some of your available mana to the aspect you plan on using for the magic you are going to cast. If you want to cast a fireball, you would use fire-aspected mana. If you want to move a ball of dirt out of the way, you'd instead use earth-aspected mana. You then fuel the magic with the mana you aspected, while your intent is responsible for creating the effect. This type of magic is known as freeform magic, very versatile but the most difficult kind of magic there is. While using your intent to will magic into existence gets easier with rising in tiers, it is extremely inefficient when compared to skills. While casting a fireball through the respective [Fireball] skill might barely scrape your mana pool, creating the same effect through freeform magic might cost you your entire reserves of mana."

  "This effect is even more pronounced when you use mana that you do not have an affinity for. Some of you, those with aspected classes mainly, will probably have some kind of aspect affinity among your passive skills, which increases your affinity with a certain aspect of magic. The main benefits of affinities are better efficiency and higher potency when using mana of that aspect to create magical effects. If your class was the fire-aspected class [Pyromancer], then creating a freeform fireball will be worlds easier than creating a jet of water, even though it is technically possible. On top of not having an affinity for water, another problem for the [Pyromancer] is that his aspect is diametrically opposed the aspect. While this doesn't make it impossible for them to cast freeform water magic, it's incredibly difficult, and it would cost tons of mana to even create small effects."

  "The same concept of opposition applies to defense and offense with aspected magic as well. However, while it is a bidirectional opposition when viewed purely based on the aspects, it becomes a directed opposition on the physical layer. [Pyromancers] always have an incredibly hard time defending against or attacking a same-tier [Hydromancer], simply because the water aspect dominates the water aspect in the physical realm. Meanwhile, a [Cryomancer] would have find it challenging to defend against fire-aspected magic. Some other well known directed oppositions are that dominates , dominates , dominates , and dominates and . There are a lot more known interactions, but most of them are self-explanatory or common sense and should be obvious from the way they behave in the physical world. Every aspect has some kind of positive or negative interaction with other aspects. The only known possible exception to this rule is once again the aspect. Records of the past indicate that dominates every other aspect. While they sadly didn't experiment much with it during the last time a [Hero] was summoned, all commonly known aspects were ineffective against the [Hero]'s magic, according to our records. However, the research of interactions between aspects is still very incomplete, simply because there is an uncountable number of possible aspects out there. Maybe sometimes in the future we will discover an aspect that has no opposing interaction with , or maybe even one that dominates it."

  Wow, even more bullshit benefits for the [Hero]? This is getting more and more ridiculous. Doesn't anyone else see the danger this creates? Having magic that is inherently effective against every other kind of magic is incredibly unfair. What if a [Hero] somehow loses his mind or simply decides to go rogue? The world would be doomed if that were to be the case. After all, I doubt that there is anyone that could stop a sufficiently high-level [Hero] with the benefits of cheat-like magic and having a legendary-grade class from level one. What kind of threat is this world facing if it has to resort to creating such an overpowered existence in defense? This is getting more fishy by the second.

  "With that, my introduction to mana and magic is finished for now. We will now go over to the first practical lesson. I trust that all of you are able to determine whether your class is more magical or more physical by yourselves. If not, don't hesitate to ask. Now, those with physical based classes, please go with instructor Austen; he will bring you to your practice area. The magical practice will happen right here instead."

  Great, I don't have to walk anywhere. Of our class exactly half went to go with instructor Austen, while the other half stayed here with instructor Carmelia. While I was happy to see the [Hero] Blake leave with the physical classes, his friends Eric and John apparently both had a magical class just like I did. The hybrid-classed [Windwalker] Leyvin also decided to stay with us. What I found most unexpected was Ms. Edelwei? joining instructor Austen's group. Did she have a physical class as well? She did mention to us that her class was well suited for protecting and defending, so a tank-archetype class then? I don't even know why that was so unexpected, but the thought of seeing our German teacher, Ms. Edelwei?, carrying a giant shield was a bit funny.

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  "Now then, I would appreciate if everyone could tell me what class and aspects you have. If you don't want to give out your exact class name for some reason, just your aspects are fine as well."

  We were eight people in total here, me included. Of three of them I already knew the class. Aurelia Moore was the [Sage], Leyvin Valeria the [Windwalker], and Whitney Hellebore the [Vivomancer] that opted out of the actual combat in our class meeting this morning. Apart from us four, there were Blake's friends Eric Wither and John Aster, one other guy named Carl Hemlock, and a girl with the name Dahlia Cineraria.

  "You over there, we'll start with you." Instructor Carmelia pointed at John. "Do remember to also mention your name, otherwise I will be going to refer to you by your class or a random nickname I'll make up on the spot, okay?"

  She suddenly flashed a big grin at us that sent a small shiver down my back. That instructor Wyn was already bad. Did every high-level person have to be weird or eccentric in some way? Aren't there any normal people in this world?

  John cleared his throat lethargically before responding. "I'm John, rare grade [Geomancer]. Aspect is obviously ."

  "Great, nice to meet you John." She then pointed at Carl. "You next."

  "My name is Carl. I'm apparently an [Electromancer], also rare grade. My aspect is ."

  Instructor Carmelia flashed him a quick grin. "Oh, lightning is good. Quite rare and very hard to control at lower tiers, but extremely powerful when used correctly."

  "You two, Aurelia and Leyvin was it? I already know your classes. Am I right to assume that your aspect is , Leyvin?" He nodded in response to her question. "Great, what about you Aurelia? Usually a [Sage] should not have any specific aspect but instead a general passive skill called something like [Elemental Affinity] or [Aspect Mastery] that provides an affinity for a whole slew of different elements."

  Aurelia shyly answered instructor Carmelia. "I have something called [Minor Primary Elemental Affinity], which supposedly mainly gives me affinity for , , , and , while also marginally increasing my affinity for 'all other elemental aspects', whatever that means."

  "I see, that's good. The other elemental aspects mentioned most likely include rarer elemental aspects like Carl's aspect, or something like or . However, non-elemental aspects like and , or something rarer like , are not included. Anyways, good to have you. I expect great things from you."

  Aurelia looked to the floor. "I will try my best..."

  "Now, I've also heard about our healer-girl over here, Whitney was your name? Your aspect is then?"

  "Yes to both questions."

  "Great, I already like you. Healers are always good, even if they can't fight very well. The aspect is pretty much opposed to anything destructive."

  Now there were only me, Dahlia, and Eric left. My heart skipped a beat as she suddenly pointed at me. "What about you?"

  I blanked before stuttering out my answer. The longer I spoke, the quieter I got. Damn it, couldn't any social interaction ever go the way I wanted it to? I had already prepared what I wanted to say in my head, but the moment I was asked to speak, I drew a blank. "Err... m-my class is called [Firefly], uncommon grade. My aspects are and ..."

  "[Firefly], huh? Haven't heard that one yet. Having two aspects is also rather unusual for an uncommon class. Oh well, great to have you then, Miss Firefly." She flashed me her signature grin again.

  Shit, I forgot to say my name, didn't I? Damn it, that name is so corny. I wanted to sink into the earth in embarrassment as I could clearly hear some of my classmates failing to contain their laughter. My ears must have been burning in a shade of crimson as I mumbled out my name. "My name is Hanah..."

  She ignored me. I want to cry.

  "Great, only two left now. You right there!" She pointed at Dahlia. "You wouldn't happen to be a [Pyromancer], would you?"

  "Err... yes? How did you know?"

  Instructor Carmelia let out a small laugh. "Call it intuition from one [Pyromancer] to another. My tier two class was also [Pyromancer]. What grade is yours? Also, what's your name?"

  Dahlia grinned back at her. "I'm Dahlia. My class is a rare grade with the obvious aspect of ."

  "Well then, last but not least, what about you?" She pointed to Eric, the last unknown magical class here. I hope his class sucks.

  "Ah yes, I'm Eric. My class is [Warlock], rare as well. Aspects are and ."

  Another rare grade, I really have the only uncommon class here...

  The permanent grin instructor Carmelia carried on her face vanished the moment she heard his class. She narrowed her eyes at him "[Warlock], you say?"

  Eric replied obliviously. "Yes? Is that bad?"

  "Well... not inherently, no. Classes with aspects like your and are more often than not found among criminals and other human and non-human scum. They make it easy to hurt other people in sinister ways that are hard to detect or trace back, very painful, and often permanent. While it isn't forbidden or inherently evil to have a class like this, it is very rarely taken well. This world has seen way too much pain caused by classes like this in the past. While you being among the summoned heroes speaks for you to some extent, you may find yourself getting monitored closely going forward. Also, just my recommendation, please don't try to keep your class a secret. If it comes out that you tried to hide having a class like that, who knows what will happen?"

  "Oh... I see." He replied sadly.

  Hah, finally something I can be happy about. Now you get what you deserved all along. Let's see how you will take to others going out of their way to avoid you, spreading rumors about things you never did, and trying to get rid of you in ways that aren't obvious at first. I can already see the way my classmates are looking at you slowly changing. I hope you experience even a tenth of what I had to go through because of you, John, and Blake. Let this lesson either make you a decent human being or let this be where you go under. You reap what you sow; I hope for the latter.