NOVEL NEXT Chapter 13: Chapter 13
In a dimly lit room cabin of Dirigible, a youth sat cross-legged and closed his eyes, as if he was in a slumber.
The room was rather small; it was just a partition. There was enough space for a bed, but hardly any room to stand at all.
The youths eyelids flickered and after some time, there were a many spots of lights flickering in the youth's surroundings. They entered the body of the youth, and very soon they disappeared.
"Spiritual force? Its something closely related to the progress of Magi, and it can only be increased by meditation techniques. At least that's the only method that I know of, but unfortunately similar to knight meditation technique Elementary Meditation also have a limit to be used." Leylin thought with a frown.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, good evening!"
The voice, sweet and melodic, rang out across the corridor from the cafeteria. The announcement was routine by now, today's menu : foie gras, truffles, roast chicken, white bread, squirrel meat…
Leylin stood up and walked towards the cafeteria. Two weeks had passed since Leylin's initiation, and using the Elementary meditation techniques.
Elementary meditation techniques are basic techniques, designed to increase spiritual force and involves a process drawing mind runes in acolytes minds, and the more runes they draw, the stronger their spiritual force becomes.
The meditation process is divided into three levels: Level 1 is achieved after drawing 8 runes, Level 2 after 24 runes, and Level 3 requires reaching a spiritual force threshold, consolidation of mind runes, reinforcement of sea of consciousness and mastering spell models
The speed at which an acolyte progresses is largely determined by their aptitude. A fifth-grade acolyte can reach Level 1 in about 5-6 days, a fourth-grade acolyte in 15-20 days, a third-grade acolyte in roughly a month, a second-grade acolyte in about six months and a first-grade acolyte may take several years to reach Level 1.
This difficulty in progressing will only increase when ascending to level 2 acolyte and level 3 acolyte, hence is it understandable for professors to favour acolytes with high aptitudes.
Leylin used his elementary meditation techniques and reached Level 1 within just three days!
It had been a swift progression, even more so when considering that Dorotte had been impressed and handed him not only his repaired magic ring but also a basic alchemy book filled with notes from his acolytes days.
From Dorotte's mannerisms, Leylin had quickly deduced that while the man was a bit eccentric, he was indeed a good teacher.
Leylin walked in the rather dim corridor and there was a small lamp every few steps, which produced a yellowish glow.
The surrounding wooden cabin doors opened, and acolytes came streaming out from them.
The cafeteria was filled with long tables and white chairs. In a corner, Beirut, the friendly red-haired acolyte from the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy, waved at him, seated with a few other acolytes.
Leylin nodded but didn't make any immediate move to join them. He walked over to the food counter, collecting a silver-colored tray, then headed to the table beside Beirut.
The cafeteria resembled something closer to a university canteen—simple, functional, and filled with the chatter of various academies' acolytes.
Beirut grinned at him. "Leylin, you're always holed up in your room. You should enjoy the scenery sometimes."
Leylin gave a small hum, not bothering to respond. It wasn't like he had much to do here anyway. He had no interest in the mindless conversations others were having, no need to partake in the trivialities of this mundane existence. He wasn't here to make friends—he was here to rise above.
Beirut continued, "Did you hear about the fight between two students from Sage Gotham's Hut and two of ours?"
Leylin didn't reply, instead continuing to eat the tender chicken drumstick on his tray. Beirut's chatter faded into the background as his thoughts wandered. The world was full of distractions, but these petty squabbles didn't concern him.
As he observed the room, he noticed the other acolytes scattered across the cafeteria, all separated into groups by their respective academies. The tension in the air was palpable, with silent barriers between them, especially between those from Abyssal Bone Forest Academy and Sage Gotham's Hut.
These moments of mindless interaction were as pointless as the days spent on this flying ship. The journey had already dragged on for fifteen days, and there was nothing to do besides eat and sleep. Leylin was beginning to understand why Beirut and the others occasionally wanted to escape their tiny cabins.
At that moment, a clattering noise echoed across the cafeteria. Leylin turned, eyes narrowing as he saw Kaliweir, his face flushed with anger, growling at Jayden, the arrogant fifth-grade acolyte.
"Jayden, this is something that I saw first! What do you want?" Kaliweir snarled, his muscles tensing, his body looking like it was ready to explode.
A silver tray crashed to the floor, spilling food everywhere. Jayden, sitting calmly, glanced at him with a look of disdain before calmly picking up his golden chicken drumstick.
"It belongs to whoever takes it first," Jayden quipped, his voice filled with arrogance.
The surrounding acolytes didn't intervene. In fact, they seemed to enjoy the drama, as though they were waiting for an explosive confrontation to unfold.
Leylin watched with mild disinterest. A fight over food? No, it wasn't about the food. He could see through the motives. Jayden likely wanted to rile up Kaliweir, proving his dominance by goading him into a physical confrontation.
The childishness of it all was beneath him. And yet, it seemed like a game these fools loved to play.
"You forced me to do this!" Kaliweir roared, his muscles bulging as he flexed, his internal energy igniting with an obvious aura of strength.
Leylin felt the surge of internal life energy, marking Kaliweir as a Knight. As a noble, he had trained in Knight techniques and already ignited his internal energy. The man was strong, but nothing special.
Kaliweir lunged forward, a blur of motion as he dashed toward Jayden. "Today, I will show you what happens when you cross a prideful lion!"
Jayden chuckled, unfazed by Kaliweir's aggression. Instead, he glanced at Leylin out of the corner of his eye, an almost cocky smile playing on his lips.
"I'll show you who the real number one freshman is!" Jayden declared with confidence, and in one swift motion, he pulled out a green badge from his chest pocket.
Leylin's eyes narrowed. A magic artifact? He hadn't expected that from Jayden, but it was becoming clearer now. Dorotte had fixed his ring while giving Jayden one of his own.
As Jayden began chanting in an ancient, unfamiliar language, Leylin's mind immediately understood the words. He recognized them instantly, it was mentioned in his alchemy book which mostly highlighted the artifacts formation.
'The summoning ritual.'
"Pilis-Duwasha! Creature of the green! Hear my calls of summoning, and come out to the mortal world!" Jayden intoned.
A layer of light shimmered from the green badge, and suddenly, brown vines erupted from the ground, twisting and writhing like snakes, reaching forward in a flurry of motion.
Chi Chi!
The vines wrapped around Kaliweir, tripping him up and sending him crashing to the ground. The vines coiled tightly around his body, and in moments, he was completely immobilized, his face the only thing still visible.
"A magic artifact!" the surrounding acolytes gasped in awe. "He… he's already a Level 1 acolyte!"
The crowd murmured in disbelief. To use a magic artifact, one had to at least be Level 1. Jayden had already reached that stage.
Kaliweir's face reddened in shame and fury. "How is this? If you swear to obey me, I'll release you," Jayden taunted, stepping closer to him.
"Never!" Kaliweir shouted through gritted teeth. "The pride of the Golden Lion family will not be dishonored!" His veins stood out on his neck, and his body trembled with effort.
Jayden shrugged. "Then I have no choice." He flicked his wrist, and the vines tightened around Kaliweir's form. A sickening crack echoed as the vines squeezed, and it was clear that some of Kaliweir's bones had been broken.
Leylin simply continued eating, barely looking up. If he wanted, he could easily subdue Jayden. But why?
Kaliweir was insignificant, and beating Jayden would be meaningless. Jayden considered him a rival, but Leylin didn't even view him as a worthy opponent.
Bang ! Suddenly with a bang the dirigible swayed, and the light dimmed.
A few of the acolytes fell onto the floor, "What happened? Did we meet with some intense turbulence?"
Confusion and fear spread amongst the acolytes when the teachers and magus commanded them to return to their quarters.
The dirigible was rocked by a violent gust of wind, with windows cracking and blue electric currents scattering.
The acolytes returning to their respective rooms were in panic, realizing their ship had encountered a matured giant storm sprite, a dangerous creature of immense power.
The captain, Kirkwul, tried to appease the sprite by presenting a letter of agreement with the storm king sprite, but the creature refused to abide by it. A battle ensued, with the Magi launching attacks to subdue the creature, which was only as strong as a half-elemental Magus. After a brief clash, the storm sprite fled, and the acolytes cheered in relief.
The incident made Leylin reflect on his own path. He realized that although Kaliweir had ignited his internal life energy and become a Knight, he was still no match for an acolyte with a magic artifact, signaling the superiority of Magi.
As the dirigible continued its journey, it faced more challenges from flying creatures, but the letter of agreement kept the ship safe.
After several weeks, the dirigible finally landed at the Abyssal Bone Moor, where the acolytes disembarked.
"We have arrived at the Abyssal Bone Moor! Attention to all acolytes of the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy! Please bring your belongings and leave the dirigible in an orderly fashion!" A voice rang through the cabins.
"Jayden, Leylin, please take attendance!" Dorotte held a black staff, with a large green jewel embedded in its tip.
"Alright!" Jayden and Leylin nodded their heads and started accounting for the attendance.