Seeing the looks of shock that spread through the ranks of students, a satisfied smile crept onto the professor's face. But upon seeing Lilly's hand shoot up at the front of the class, her expression froze.

"Yes Lilly?" she asked, sounding tired.

"Professor, I thought dragon's were extinct?"

A strained silence stretched out over the field, bringing an uncomfortable sensation with it. For a moment, Michael thought that the professor was going to punish them all for Lilly's stupid question, but it seemed he didn't need to worry.

Instead of answering her question, Quinn ignored her and turned towards one of the training dummy's nearby. "Combat magic is broken into three categories," she explained, lifting three fingers. "Attack magic, defense magic and support magic."

The woman waved her hand, causing a green magic circle to appear in the blink of an eye. In the next moment a ball of fire materialized, surging towards the nearby dummy with speed and precision.

The attack impacted the dummy, blocked by the translucent shield surrounding it. A deep orange glow shone resplendently from the shield, causing some of the nearby students to inhale sharply.

Michael too watched on with awe.

She cast that fireball instantly without an incantation…

"The fireball is one of such spells that fall into the attack magic category—whereas the shield that blocked it is in essence a defensive spell." Quinn explained patiently.

"Though, since the defensive spell is maintained by a ward, it's not technically combat magic… But for sake of this lesson, let's consider it as if the training dummy cast a defensive shield."

"Moving on… Attack and defense magic are rather self-explanatory." She continued, turning towards the class once more. "However, support skills can often be the difference between victory and defeat against a mage of the same level."

"For those of you who don't know, support magic is basically a spell that increases the abilities of a mage. Whether through improving cast speed, enhancing one's physical prowess—or even mana regeneration."

"Of course healing magic used to be part of the support magic category, but such a thing was lost after the great war." She added with some regret.

Michael stiffened at the mention of healing magic, feeling both of his friends turn to him in that moment. He could feel a sense of anticipation at the thought of reviving such a magic and possibly changing the entire landscape of what was possible as a mage.

"Which is why potions are a necessity when fighting." Quinn added, uncharacteristically wordy today. "Not only do they not require a mage to waste time or mana casting a spell, they can also be prepared far in advance as a contingency."

"Of course magical items and artifacts also fall under this category—but that is for another lesson. I don't want any of my students to be relying on magical spells stored in artifacts or one-time use magic scrolls at this point in time…"

Quinn stretched her arms above her head, causing her tight bodysuit to groan softly—revealing a tantalizing sight for the young men in the group. Of course by now, many had gotten used to such a sight, or at least knew not to look at such a time.

"Well, I think I've given enough of an introduction. Today we'll be working on your attack and defense—specifically the magic missile and aegis spells."

"Both of these are tier one spells at their core, so they're easy enough to cast. I will reveal the incantation, I want you to cast the spell before I give you permission to use it in combat."

The class began to stir, excitement evident. What student wouldn't be happy to learn a new spell? Particularly one as iconic as magic missile and the aegis spell.

In fact, many of the students present already had some knowledge of the two spells, but the fact that they would be able to use it in a combat scenario was something to look forward to.

Yet as the lesson wore on, the excitement waned considerably.

"You call that a shield? Again!"

Quinn roared out orders, her eyes roaming over the students who had been casting the aegis spell non-stop for the past hour. Occassionally she would throw a swift kick to the translucent shield, shattering it in an instant.

"My grandmother can maintain a shield better than you bastards," she shouted, hurling abuse and quips like a drill sergeant. It was at this point that everyone realized their mistake, thinking that the second semester would be better than the first.

Throughout the hour, quite a few students had stopped participating entirely—their mana reserves spent. Out of the original hundred or so, only a handful were now left, receiving the insults and strikes from the professor.

Michael persisted through sheer will alone, his teeth gritted as he saw Quinn approach him once more for the next round of assault.

"Too thin." She stated impassively, sending a swift yet powerful punch towards his aegis spell, causing it to fracture into tiny pieces. "Again!" she barked, moving onto Rudy beside him.

Michael who had now dropped to one knee in exhaustion, felt his anger stir. It wasn't that he was bad at casting the aegis spell, just that the professor seemed to have vastly different standards compared to a normal person.

Either she was a perfectionist, or a sadist that just wished to inflict emotional and physical torture on her students.

He was more inclined to believe the latter.

"Again!" she cried out after shattering Rudy's shield once more. They both shared a brief look before turning to Melody who had surprisingly remained on her feet up until now.

The girl's white face was flushed red, her sapphire eyes glaring at Quinn as she approached. She had obvious signs of fatigue, but it seemed like it was sheer willpower that kept her from passing out in that moment.

"Not bad," Quinn remarked, evaluating the translucent shield for a few moments.

The whole class swivelled their heads towards the sight, almost not believing their ears. Had the professor just complimented someone? Melody of all people?

"But not good enough." Quinn finished, sending a swift kick to the center of the shield—causing it to burst into motes of light.

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