Battered and bruised, Michael and the others returned to the dorms in defeat. If it were not for the fact combat class was the final class of the day, he might have decided to skip the remaining classes and lay in bed to recover.

"Dude, mana exhaustion sucks…" Rudy said, collapsing onto the ground while nursing his head. The guy had lasted to the end alongside Michael and a few others, but this was mainly because they were one of the few who were crimson mages.

The most surprising result was actually Melody, who was the final one to drop—and only because she received far more attention from Quinn when everybody bowed out from exhaustion.

It was quite confusing since the girl only possessed two orange rings, a full two small tiers below Michael and Rudy.

"I'm going to wash up…" Melody mumbled, walking straight past the two in a zombified stated. It seemed that she was also suffering from the effects of mana exhaustion.

Michael too wanted to shower, but he decided to let her go first. Even if she was mana exhausted, he didn't think he could win that fight.

Thankfully, she didn't take too long and it was soon his turn.

Some time later, the three gathered in the lounge area. Michael glanced at the girl whose flushed cheeks had returned back to her usual milky white color.

"So are you going to tell us how you managed to last for so long against Quinn? Your mana reserves should be even less than ours." Michael probed, getting comfortable on the chair.

Melody sent him a lazy glance, only to roll her eyes. "It's because you both suck." She said simply, as if this was a suitable explanation.

"Huh? What the hell is that meant to mean?" Rudy retorted, clearly annoyed by the statement.

Michael didn't react the same way, his gaze remaining on the girl. If he knew her well enough, the proper explanation would come soon, provided he didn't react too much. Melody often liked riling him up, getting a small satisfaction out of his anger.

I guess her and Quinn are quite similar in some regards… he thought briefly, only to freeze a moment later. Wait, are all women like this?

As Michael went through his internal crisis, Melody and Rudy began a back and forth, posturing against one another like two peacocks.

"Do you really think you can brute force your way through magic?" She spat derisively. "This isn't like martial arts—these are structured spells."

Just when it seemed like Rudy was about to fire back with another string of curses, Michael decided to step in and put an end to it. "You're right, we've been mostly using brute force thanks to our higher purity mana."

"Can you tell us what we're doing wrong?" He asked, not wanting to give time for Rudy to say something stupid.

Melody looked at him weirdly, as if he was dumb. "Haven't I taught you this before Michael?"

"You have?" Michael asked in confusion.

The girl looked annoyed before letting out a huff, "Whatever, just make sure you remember it this time…" she added.

"You can cast spells using various methods, scrolls, artifacts, incantations and even drawing a magic circle with your mana. Each of these has their own benefits and drawbacks," Melody explained with surprising patience.

"The benefits of scrolls and artifacts are that you can prepare them in advance. They require mana to activate, but are generally limited in versatility—never differing from how its constructed upon the parchment. It also requires expensive ingredients and someone proficient in their crafting to complete."

"Drawing a magic circle is similar to magic scrolls in the fact that it lacks versatility, yet since you're creating it with your own mana—the cost is negligible. Of course it takes time to prepare, and a single mistake could cause your spell to fizzle out before it can even be activated."

Michael nodded along. He knew some of this information already, though he was surprised at the ease and detail in which Melody explained it.

"Incantations on the other hand are quick and versatile—yet they are expensive on mana. Only by having great control over one's mana and a clear vision of what you wish to cast can you truly control a spell to the fullest. It is also possible to recreate a spell without an incantation like Quinn, so long as you perfect the mana output and are able to visualize the magic circle."

"Wait, so you can control your mana even after saying an incantation?" Rudy asked, his eyes blinking in confusion. "Every time I utter an incantation, my mana moves on its own…"

Melody sneered, "That's why I said you're a brute…"

Michael winced, waiting for the inevitable argument that would resurface after such a comment. However, what came next was unexpected.

Rudy leaned close, his eyes sparkling, "Please tell me what I need to do to improve."

The blue-haired girl also seemed to be taken aback, left speechless for a moment. After finding her bearings, she cleared her throat, "Well… Since you asked nicely…"

Michael blinked incredulously after watching the scene. An interaction like this between Rudy and Melody was not on his bingo card for this semester. However, he quickly shook his head, leaning forward on the lounge, wanting to hear the explanation for himself.

"You need better control over your mana, something that gets harder as its purity rises." She explained dutifully. "By controlling the density of your mana and visualizing the spell you're casting, you can greatly improve your mana efficiency—not only increasing the effectiveness of the spell, but also altering in a way that better suits your needs."

"The shield I used was smaller, yet more reinforced than you both. Not only was I able to achieve this with mana less pure than yours, my aegis was even more resistant to Quinn's attacks. Not to mention it cost less mana…"

Hearing the word density seemed to stimulate Michael's memory, however he only frowned in response. While it was true she had mentioned something similar, they were only talking about chore magic—she didn't explicitly state that it could be used in all type of magic.

I'll keep that part to myself, lest she calls me stupid for not making that connection…

Embarrassment aside, Michael felt as if he'd learned something today. If he could master this, it would be a great boon to his strength in the future. After all, if his spells were more versatile and consumed less mana than his opponents, wouldn't it give him an even better chance of winning?

This did well to counter the shock he'd experienced earlier that day upon finding out that he wasn't even considered a first-circle mage. Though he still had a long way to go before he was strong enough to get his revenge—every step he took forward only strengthened his determination.

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