“Come on, come on!” I clenched my teeth, trying to twist the fingers on my other hand into the correct form. Yet, despite my best attempts, when I sent a current of starpower into the form, the energy started ballooning out, immediately breaking the flow.

  “Stupid absorption form…” Moving my fingers, I twisted the flow inside into a fractal shape, while still trying to keep it consistent. Making a solidification form with my other hand, I imagined an immovable barrier in front of me, funneling the fractal construct into it.

  The greedy absorption form immediately decided to envelop the flow of the solidified starpower, instead of consuming the thing I told it to. “Don’t touch starpower, go for force!” But the thing was deaf to my words, obeying only the language of emotions.

  In a last-ditch effort, I decided to communicate in a way this thing might understand. I shifted my hand into a force form, aiming right at the invisible fractal, disrupting the flow.

  It froze; I could feel it as an extension of myself. The absorption construct fell out of the solidification flow and started expanding, growing itself. “Oh no, you don’t!” Without the disruption, the solidification happened easily and swept within the flow; the unruly construct joined together.

  With a flash of light, in front of me appeared a glowing purple barrier. Its structure looked weirdly crystal-like. I held the barrier in the air with the force form. The fractal became stable… it couldn’t absorb solidified starpower, but it could absorb force.

  Self-reinforcing Barrier Technique created at Initiate!

  Absorption Form learned at Initiate!

  With a smirk, I flicked the shield. The fractal reacted immediately, sending out a wave of energy. The shield remained unmoving… An idea dawned on me, I stopped holding it with force form.

  The shield remained floating, the fractal within pulsed, sending out starpower and making the shield thicker. “The absorption form seems a little too strong.”

  It helped weave the starpower into a bizarre fractal, which grabbed as much of my starpower as possible and turned it into less starpower. It was absorbing for nothing, but now that I aligned it to force, it became incredible.

  Self-reinforcing Barrier

  Type: Phasics, Reflectics, Catalytics

  Mastery: Initiate

  Progress to Adept: 1/100

  Form Affinity Compatibility: Null (90%), Diamond (5%) Onyx (5%)

  Casting time: 6.8 seconds

  Note: First we need to perfect the way of aligning the absorption form, then we need to increase the casting speed. Seven seconds is more than enough to get killed.

  The first technique I made… It was quite disappointing, and it was probably made by someone else before. Nevertheless, if I made it better, it would help cover holes in my defense.

  “Hey, Magnus! Oh, that’s a weird… floaty thing?” Steel walked into the room, staring at the floating barrier. It was slowly getting more and more translucent.

  “Welcome back. Did you find an attack technique?” I flicked the shield, and immediately it became less translucent. I flicked it again.

  “You need help with that?” Steel tilted her head and walked towards the shield.

  “No, I don’t-” Before I could finish answering, Steel already wound up and punched the shield. It immediately cracked and its pieces disappeared into nothing.

  “-need help.” I sighed, I could just make another, no problem, it’s not like I wanted to look at it under the detection form. “What technique did you pick?”

  Smiling proudly, she cleared her throat. “I picked the Super Strong Fire Cough!”

  I stared at the girl. No way that thing could be a good technique. What kind of moron would give a name like that?

  “I bet you’re so jealous! Wanna see me do it?” Clueless as to my actual thoughts, she quickly spoke.

  I couldn’t hold back the urge to roll my eyes. “Go ahead. Just not in my direction.”

  A grin appeared on Steel's face. With a slap, she put a palm on her neck and started moving her fingers; her eyes started glowing red as she growled nasally, puffing her cheeks. Then she took a deep breath and coughed.

  She expelled burning liquid from her mouth, covering the floor and the wall in front of her. It was some sort of napalm. What a nasty technique.

  “Ihs sho eashy to learh! The boog was sho shimple!” She stuck out her tongue; it looked burnt. “I couldn’th make the protectishion thingie.” Steel frowned.

  “Maybe you should train up on that.” I grabbed a pill from the bottle and threw it at her. “We both have our techniques, so all that’s left is to train.” Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she clenched her fists. “Not by sparing! By practicing the technique.”

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  She gulped the pill. “Thath what I wash goingh to do!” By the way she frowned, I knew it wasn’t true.

  “Right… No time to waste! Magic and dungeons await.” I took a deep breath, returning to practice. “And please, be careful with that technique.”

  Steel made a thumbs-up and stared at the wall, probably reading the book again. I honestly didn’t expect her to actually read a book, not from the way she acted. Still, she was a clone of a dragon who made this place; no way she was completely stupid.

  I did my best to master the techniques. Switching from ice bomb to the barrier, I carefully controlled my every movement, using the scanner to direct myself towards the correct outcome. By the end of the evening, I managed to get the ice bomb to 23 and the barrier to 17. I only needed three seconds to cast both of them now; it was an insane rate of improvement. And it made me wonder what sort of things they will be capable of at lord level.

  Steel also practiced her technique, and by the end of the evening, she even managed to use it without burning her mouth. I thought dragons were supposed to be fireproof; maybe I should’ve learned fireball. She made me use five whole pills, but I had more than enough.

  I felt determined, ready to take on the world as the Supreme Wizard. Steel looked just as confident, staring at the wall…

  “Hey, I think it’s time to go dungeon delving.”

  Her eyes opened wide. “Right! I almost forgot.”

  “You literally can’t forget! Just lead me to the place. I desperately need some actualized potential.”

  Steel groaned. “Don’t order me around. I’m the leader.”

  “And what are we going to do, oh, mighty leader?”

  “Ehm…” She scratched her head. “We’re going dungeon delving. Follow me!” I chuckled.

  Even during the evening, the halls of the academy never grew quiet. Only now, the youngest of dragons were replaced by the older of students. I was getting used to the constant gazes, so it no longer bothered me, and Steel didn’t even notice them.

  According to the mental map, we were moving towards the elevator. The shaft was just as decorated as everything else, and it was getting quite repetitive. This place needed some posters.

  Quickly, the elevator arrived, and we stepped inside. There were no buttons here... “How are we supposed to pick a floor?”

  “I want to dungeon delve!” Steel shouted proudly.

  The elevator let out a bling and the doors quickly closed. I took a deep breath, trying to control my nervousness. We went up and kept going for ten minutes. Then the door opened.

  I thought nothing could surprise me anymore, but how wrong I was. In front of me stretched out a seemingly endless field of alien flowers, orderly placed trees, and magnificent nature. The smell hit me like a sudden shock, reminding me of home… yet it was even stranger.

  The trees twisted themselves into the shapes of actual dragons, and the grass grew into roads leading towards massive spires reaching towards the ceiling. And even the ceiling shocked me. Made entirely out of grass, stars shone down on me and the trees. There was a calm atmosphere of a dark night, combined with the majesty of space.

  But it looked wrong… Beyond the glass ceiling, if I twisted my head in just the right way, they formed into the shape of a massive dragon. Like a constellation… Was this an illusion? Or maybe Rame actually moved stars just for show. Lord Iekeil, in one of dad’s books, moved a star, but I thought that was just a story.

  “Oi! Stop staring. We have to go!” Steel shook me by the shoulder.

  “Right.” I took a deep breath, enjoying the aroma. Everywhere I looked, I could see those spires on the edges of the field. When I took a closer look, I noticed hordes of people standing in front of them. My mental map said those were the dungeons. There were five of them in total.

  We walked across the unnatural meadow, and the grass felt so soft under my feet. Steel didn’t even care about the view, staring straight at nothing… or I guess at her map. “Do you know who made this place?” I asked her if I could have the power to create such things… I couldn’t even begin to imagine.

  “Nope.” Expectedly, she didn’t.

  As we closed towards the smallest of spires, I could discern a small group of children. Steel’s face brightened up, and she started running there immediately. I didn’t hold back, running after her.

  “At last, everyone is here.” Standing in front of the group was a dragon woman with short cyan hair, wearing a weirdly bright military uniform, the same kind Varaxis was wearing. One of her horns was broken. Her eyes immediately snapped towards me, glaring holes into my forehead.

  “Steel present! I brought a partner.”

  Professor Willich

  Species: Dragon-Tiershen (Standard genome)

  Standing Emissions: 355

  Age: 33

  Affinity: Diamond-Sapphire

  “I can see that.” She slicked back her hair and gestured towards the tower. “Form a line!”

  After the order, the group started shuffling around, standing in a line. I stood near Steel. My eyes widened when I noticed two familiar faces. Ivaldie was standing near Louize…

  The class leader didn’t even care to look at me, but Louize was staring with a smirk. The professor loudly clapped.

  “Today will be your first dungeon dive. I have ordered you to bring a partner who is not from the soldier course, and for a good reason. Every soldier must master the art of networking – finding the perfect person to help you will be vital in assembling a team and surviving on the front lines.”

  That sounded like a bunch of nonsense. Networking is for commanders; soldiers are supposed to follow orders.

  “Your order is to complete the first floor of the dungeon. Those who won’t be able to will have to take remedial classes. You are free to take all actualized potential that you’ll find; however, the first to bring me the core of the Fleshsire will receive a knight-level core.”

  I couldn’t help but salivate at the possibility. I could open that core and get something sweet, or maybe it would serve as a perfect base for my next trait. I had to gather as many cores as possible.

  “Each team will be given a core bag. Remember that in the dungeon, your lives are at stake. Only teamwork and careful preparation will help you finish it. This will be a race. Use anything at your disposal and show those geists the power of dragons!” She raised her hand, and the crowd of kids roared. Well, everyone except me, Ivaldie, and Louize.

  “By the order of the line, each team will come forward and take their core bag. We will enter the dungeon simultaneously. If you haven’t completed the first floor after 2 hours, you will be retrieved and assigned remedial classes.” She pointed her finger at the first in line – Ivaldie and Louize. “Come forth.”

  Team by team slowly each group grabbed a bag, tying it on their belts. Finally, the professor called us. Willich glanced at Steel. “I didn’t expect you to pick a human. Watch over him and be a good protector.”

  “I can protect myself, thank you very much.”

  She stared at me, giving the tiny bag to Steel. “That remains to be seen.” She smiled. “Hold your hands and go stand next to the tower.”

  I twitched at the prospect, but nevertheless followed her order. Steel and I approached the massive tower. There were other students too, some talking about the dungeon.

  It was a giant spiral leading into nowhere. No doors or windows present, just a massive black monolith reaching beyond the ceiling. It reminded me of the Archive, but the dungeon wasn’t that big.

  “Get ready! I will open the dungeon.” Willich shouted loudly and started making gestures. Right in front of us, within the black stone, a glowing portal materialized. “Go! Go! Go!”

  I dug my feet into the ground, but Steel nodded at me and pulled me inside. The world turned to white.