Specializations. That was somewhat intriguing, though he already knew what he wanted to specialize in. He also knew what Alwin wanted to specialize in as well. Luckily for him, it was the same thing. As for Winal, he would simply follow whatever choice they made.

"First, let me explain to you all, why specializations are necessary," Milvus said, drawing on the board using his paper-thin tentacles.

"Every monster is different, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. That's where specializations come into play. It allows a monster to contribute towards the cause in a way that best suits their abilities. In the Academy we have five tracks that a monster can focus on, though you will still continue your general studies with me. Let me give you a brief overview of each specialization."

Milvus drew five empty bubbles on the board. In the first one he wrote: Pill Refining.

"The name speaks for itself. It is the study of refining pills. They are extremely useful as I'm sure you're all aware. However, at the same time they're tricky. An improperly refined Pill is equal to ingesting poison. That's why skilled Pill Refiners are always in high demand. As for the types of Pills, the four main types are Healing, Mana, Resistance, and Buff."

Milvus went on to write on another bubble, drawing an arrow and linking it to Pill Refining. In it he wrote the word Enchantments.

"Enchantment is similar, yet different to Pill Refining. The similarities lie in the fact that they imbue effects into objects. One being pills and the other mainly into gear. You've all seen the Training Dummies. The reason why they don't break under your attacks is due to the enchantments placed on them. As part of your studies, you will be also in charge of maintaining the enchantments of the Training Dummies in the Academy."

Milvus drew another arrow to a third empty bubble, then wrote the word, Forging.

"Those in the Forging track normally work together with those in the Enchanting track. As the name implies, you will be forging gear. Though these items naturally have some sort of Resistance depending on the materials used to forge them, they can be further enhanced using Enchantments."

Then he moved on to the fourth bubble, though this time without drawing an arrow. In it he wrote the word, Medic.

"In this track you will focus on the care of your fellow soldiers in the battlefield. Note it is not for the faint of heart. The horrors one might encounter will haunt you for the rest of your life. Moving on."

Milvus went to the final bubble. Instead of writing on it, he wiped it clean and drew another, larger one in its place.

"The final specialization is Magic. It is the study of the arcane arts and it is actually the largest specialization with many sub-specializations, such as mastery over a specific Element. More information will be provided to those who want to pursue such a specialization."

Milvus placed the chalk down, turning to face his class once again.

"That was a brief overview of the different tracks. Don't worry about having to make such an important decision immediately. You will all be given a two week period to mull it over and trial out the various specializations. Now, before we begin the special surprise, I would like you all to take a few minutes to discuss amongst your squad about the specializations. While it is not required for you all to have different specializations, it is useful as you won't have to rely on others. While you all do that, I will be back with the surprise."

The class burst into lively discussion. Everyone moving themselves closer to their squad members. Except Brie, who was still stuck outside of the class.

Niwla and Uchronia moved toward Gus' table. The yellow Fluffpaw had polluted it with muffin crumbs.

"So," Niwla said. "Is there even a need to discuss?"

"For me? No. I've made it plenty clear that I'm going to pursue all of the different specializations. But what about you two?"

"Magic."

"Makes sense. You somehow got the Minister of Magic to tutor you."

Niwla nodded, feeling his large head pull him forward as he did so. "I will most likely have an arrangement where I will continue under her tutelage rather than joining the rest of those undergoing the same specialization."

"Lucky," she said. "If I had a Minster to teach me, I'm sure to make leaps and bounds in my progress. Maybe I should ambush one and convince them to teach me," she said, rubbing her chin with her leaf.

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"If you require assistance, I will gladly provide it."

"You will? Wait, are you really Alwin?"

"For simplicity's sake, while I am in this form I am more courteous than normal."

"Honestly? I like it. I hope you don't mind if I hit you up for more sparring sessions in the future."

"Please, just let me know and I will oblige."

"Thanks! Yeah, I really like you like this." She turned her head, looking at the third member of their squad. "And what about you, Gus? What speciality do you want to pursue?"

"Prill Ref'ning," he said in between bites of his muffin while still also spewing out more crumbs onto the desk.

"And why would you want to do that?"

The answer was obvious, but he knew why Uchronia asked. She wanted a verbal confirmation.

"Because Pills are yummy. They're the best toppings for my muffins! This way I can eat all the Pill Muffins I can without bothering you all the time."

She sighed and shook her head.

"I guess that's the end of that discussion. Looks like we still have plenty of time left, so, tell me Alwin. What exactly are you now?"

"I am a MODOC."

"Mental Owl Designed Only for Chilling?"

"Yes."

"Don't be so surprised. I did a lot of reading during the vacations too."

He, in fact, was not surprised.

"So are you going to tell me how you broke that chainmail I painstakingly forged so easily?"

"Would you like me to tell you or would you prefer to perform an analysis and I tell you where you went wrong?"

"The latter. Just give me a sec."

Uchronia sat there thinking, ignoring Gus' munches and the cacophony of the classroom as she analyzed the battle prior.

"Sorry, for taking so long. It's not exactly that complicated, but I just wanted to make sure."

She had only taken 32 seconds. A decent time.

"The weakest parts of the chainmail are the joints between the rings. You targeted them with that new spell of yours, Homing Ice Needles, was it?"

"That about summarizes it."

"Cool. Cool. So, what kind of stuff has Lapis been teaching you?"

"I see that you're hoping to glean some information from me. I can assure you that I am not lying when I say that the current results were mostly due to my independent effort. Although Lapis has helped by guiding me down the right path."

"If you don't want to reveal your secrets, you don't have to," Uchronia sighed.

"As I have mentioned, I am not withholding any information. Lapis's 'teachings' if you could even call them that can be boiled down to: understanding the basics and using those fundamentals as a scaffold to build your spells from there."

"Okay, now we're getting somewhere. What are these basics that Lapis has taught you?"

"Do you recall our encounter in the library?"

"Yeah. When I gave you the book that you were searching for."

"The basics were taught to me through the reading materials suggested by Lapis. If you so desire I can replicate the list provided."

"Wait? That's it? Just a bunch of books from the library?"

"Yes. I, too, was as shocked as you are. However, I can assure you that the results speak for themselves. Spells are a puzzle. The books provided to me have given me the tools required to solve said puzzle. What Lapis has 'taught' me was that there are many ways to arrive at the same destination. Though it is true, objectively there is always the best way. However, best is based on many factors. Is it the most mana efficient? Is the preparation the fastest? There are numerous things that Lapis should be teaching me, but alas she is not. However, I have hope that she is merely waiting until my skills have reached a sufficient level before she awards me with such information."

"That's… wow. I really like this new you, Alwin," Uchronia said. "Do you truly believe Lapis's methods are the best?"

"Given my lack of exposure to other teaching styles, I would have to conclude that yes. It is the best. She vehemently dislikes Skill Books and would rather I figure things out myself. It strengthens my foundation which would inevitably lead to more stable spells in the future."

"So you're saying I should stop relying on Skill Books?"

"No. I am saying that this is Lapis' method. Though untested, I determine that it is equally viable to reference Skill Books in order to reverse engineer how those with more experience arrived at such a conclusion. Whether which method is superior is up to debate."

"Yeah, I really like this new you," Uchronia said.

"What about muffins?" Gus asked.

"What about them?" Uchronia replied.

"Do you like them?"

"I guess? But what has this got to do with anything?"

"I don't know. I just thought we were talking about things we liked. And do you know what else I like?"

"More muffins?"

"No—well, yes. I like the surprise that Milvus is bringing us."

Niwla already knew what the surprise was. It wasn't exactly hard to determine what it was. He determined that during the surprise Alwin should be the one in control. It would lead to the least amount of problems down the line.

A flash of light later and Alwin the Yin-Yang Slime was back.

Brie shrieked and the door burst open.

"Surprise!" Milvus shouted. "Happy Hatchday!"

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