NOVEL NEXT Chapter 41: Long Night Ahead
Kyle analyzed the Runic paper before him. It had a brown color that made it look aged and a hard texture. It was a square with each length measuring about 50 centimeter.
'I wonder if we're meant to use our pen?'
"What would we be using to draw, Instructor?"
As if reading Kyle's thoughts, a boy from his back has stood up and asked the Instructor.
Instructor Victoria, who sat behind her desk answered from the chair.
"You saw me use a marker, didn't you? You're free to use whatever you want."
Some students who had already begun drawing sighed in relief from Victoria's response.
Kyle picked up his pen and began drawing. Though he knew to write, he hadn't drawn much in his previous life.
But from his observations, it didn't look hard at all. Wasn't it just the same thing as copying what someone has written?
{45 minutes later...}
Ring!
"You can stop, the bell has gone."
Victoria's voice snapped Kyle out of his concentration, making him drop his pen weakly.
He managed to twist his neck, freeing it of some fatigue before raising it to look at the devil who had spoken. Gone were his thoughts of her being an angel.
The torture she had put all of them through was something he had never experienced.
He had exhausted every inch of two papers from his allotted seven. Canceled drawings filled the them, making it look he had been scribbling all along.
They were meant to draw the runes, exactly how it was on the board— failure to do so meant a repeat. This had continued till the end of the class.
Kyle's reminiscence of the hellish class were interrupted by a grin announcement from the teacher.
"For your assignment, I'll want you to draw the fire rune. Correctly," she said just before she left the door. "Have a nice day!"
A collective sigh came out from the class, as everyone grunted in anger.
A boy took the initiative to speak up after the teacher left the class.
He had thick black hair, a slim build and sharp eyes— The boy who had earlier asked what they'd use to draw.
"No one told me, I would be an art students when I signed up for Rune making!"
Everyone nodded their head in agreement, including Kyle.
"We came here to learn how to inscribe powerful effects not to learn how to draw!"
"Yess!" Everyone screamed in fervor.
"Now, who's with me? Let's not do the assignment."
His question made everyone to resume packing, ignoring his outrageous plan.
Kyle sighed, slinging his bag to his shoulder, he left the hall.
'I have to practice channeling my mana for that spell, now I also have to draw that Rune correctly… What a day this is."
He walked towards his dormitory before a certain thought came to him.
'Ah. I almost forgot my daily quest. Welp, I'll do it after having a rest.' he concluded as he was so tired.
He walked groggily to his dormitory, changed his clothes and set an alarm for 5:00 PM. He had a long night to go through, and he wouldn't mind getting enough sleep to keep him energized.
***
[Bzzzz!]
'It's 5:00 PM already?' Kyle sighed, fighting the urge to go on with his sleep and heading straight to the bathroom.
He took a quick bath, changed his clothes and got ready to complete his quest.
'From there, I'll grab a meal,' Kyle decided, setting off for his run.
***
[Congratulations! You have completed your daily quest]
[You have obtained 1 STA point]
[STA: 15 >> 16]
[Energy: 30 >> 32]
[Time: 0:37:09]
He didn't push himself hard this time, enjoying the calm before the coming storm as he ran.
The cafeteria was bustling with the chatter of students as Kyle sat down at a small table near the corner, his dinner tray in front of him.
He had chosen a simple meal that would keep him up: some roasted meat, vegetables, and a cup of coffee.
As he ate, his mind wandered to what awaited him this night.
'I guess I'm not sleeping tonight,' he decided.
He chewed slowly, savoring the flavors while using the opportunity to access his comm.
With a few quick taps, Kyle pulled up his messages, as a notification showed on it.
[Message from Instructor Dan]
Kyle read, opening the message.
[Kyle, I've arranged our personal training session for this Saturday from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM. Do well to arrive early ^_^]
Kyle's eyes widened at the message.
'Saturday? 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM?' He let out a soft groan under his breath. "More stuff on my schedule... just great."
He sighed, rubbing his temple with his free hand. Between classes, practicing spells, and refining his mana control, his time was already stretched thin.
Now, this training session with Instructor Dan was going to take a chunk out of his Saturday evening.
'Who knew the much coveted academy life could be this stressful?'
He stuffed another bite into his mouth, chewing without tasting it. The academy demanded much, and Kyle was starting to feel like there was barely any room to breathe.
After he finished his meal, Kyle placed his tray on the disposal rack and quietly left the bustling cafeteria, heading toward his house.
As soon as he closed the door behind him, the silence greeted him like an old friend.
The sky outside was already dark, glowing stars contrasting well.
He confirmed the time before he began. 6:09 PM.
Kyle's gaze lingered out the window for a moment, appreciating the brief calm before he dove into more practice.
He stretched his arms and shoulders before settling down on the floor, legs crossed, preparing himself for the long night ahead.
Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and focused on his mana core, feeling the familiar mana within him.
He decided to practice the Lightning Bolt, channeling it and forming it.
No one needed to remind him about the importance, as he had lost miserably due to his slow casting speed
For the next two hours, Kyle worked on improving his speed.
He concentrated on forming drawing out the mana, and holding it without releasing it for as long as possible.
With each attempt, he could feel his control increasing. The frequency of the spell dissipating after being formed kept decreasing, evident of his useful practice.
After what felt like only minutes, but had been hours, he exhaled deeply, his muscles tight from the effort. His control had improved, but there was still much more work to be done.
Next, Kyle moved on to drawing the Fire Rune.
Drawing Runes was a different beast altogether. It required patience, steady hands, and the ability to visualize the rune's shape in his mind.
He didn't need that, as he had the Rune on his textbook
He grabbed a runic paper and began drawing. After many trial and errors, everyone in the class had already been trained by Instructor Victoria on recognizing if it was perfect, as that was what she wanted.
After exhausting another Runic paper, Kyle was satisfied with his progress for the night.
'I can't kill myself,' he thought, placing the Runic paper and pen in his bag.
He sighed, staring up at the ceiling before closing his eyes. He needed rest, even if his mind wouldn't stop racing. Tomorrow would bring more challenges, but for now, sleep was the only thing on his agenda.
And for now, that would have to be enough.