As Thomas made his way towards his dorm room he suddenly recalled something and felt a deep desire to facepalm. Last night he'd been so focused on practicing his magic and abilities that he'd completely forgotten to spend the experience he'd gained from diving into the dungeon! As he stepped into his dorm room he opened his character sheet and looked over his available experience points with a smile. A hot shower combined with the wonderful feeling of increasing his attributes sounded heavenly.

The experience he had on hand was enough to get his Power, Endurance, and Agility up to 66 each but that only left him with about 1,700 experience. Not wanting to just let it sit there he increased his Agility and Endurance up to 67. The next time he gained enough experience he would up his Power to match. As he confirmed his attribute increases he pulled out his tub and cast his shower spell. He sighed happily as he stood under the flowing hot water and felt the energy from his increased attributes flow through his body. He'd been right, it really was a heavenly feeling.

After his shower, he immediately got dressed. The greatest thing about using water magic was that he didn't need to dry off at all when he was done. He could be under the water until his mana ran out and he wouldn't prune either. The water conjured from magic always disappeared after a little while and this was both good and bad. It was great because he could use it as his shower without needing drains or towels to dry himself off. However, it was likewise bad because he couldn't use it to create drinking water if he was ever stuck somewhere.

Once he was dressed, Thomas made his way out of his dorm and down to the library. He was planning to leave the academy soon and while he had learned one more technique for his 'Transmutation' innate ability, he could potentially learn more. At the library, he made his way to the counter and checked in the book he'd previously borrowed. With that done he went back to the section containing the books on Alchemy and resumed his search for new information on 'Transmutation'.

Until classes resumed or his duel with Brao was set he didn't have much else to do with his time. Of course, he could always go into the dungeon for more experience, practice more magic, or a few other things. He knew he could do all of that and simply didn't want to. What he really wanted to do was craft new items. He simply didn't know anyone in the city he could borrow a forge from. Asking to borrow a random stranger's forge just felt... awkward to him so he avoided it. He just reminded himself that in a few days he would be back in Ulvstad and be able to use Hekrin's workshop to his heart's content.

Thinking of Hekrin and his workshop, he wondered if Hekrin might be able to help him secure a shop in the capital. If any city was a good place to work and get materials it would be the capital. Thomas dismissed those thoughts for the time being and instead focused on his book browsing. For now, improving his 'Transmutation' would be an excellent step forward on his crafting journey.

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After hours of thumbing through various books, Thomas was no closer to finding a new use for his 'Transmutation' ability. He found that many of the books actually covered the same information just from different points of view or with different inspirations. He'd found and noted down many different potion recipes but since he didn't intend to become a full-fledged alchemist he only noted down the ones he felt would be useful. Such potions included higher tier health and mana potions along with useful potions such as a water breathing one.

By the time the sun was going down, Thomas had noted down a few dozen different potions. Many were too complex or high tier for him to really wrap his head around at the moment but their effects all seemed rather interesting. He now had recipes for buffs, debuffs, poisons, and utility potions that may or may not come in handy in the future. By no means did he copy down every possible potion though.

The last interesting tidbits he collected were various treatment solutions. They were very similar to the one he'd used to treat the iron plate he carved the transmutation circle into. These he found very interesting as they could be used to treat metals, wood, leather, and other materials to make them better or work out their defects. The single most exciting find in this category though was a quenching solution that claimed to not only harden metals but prevent them from fracturing and even removing any cracks that might exist. As exciting as that seemed, the recipe for it contained over thirty ingredients and it did not seem cheap or even cost-effective for regular use. It would have to be something saved for very special pieces.

Thomas packed up his notes and left the library. He skipped dinner in the cafeteria and simply used his heat magic to reheat leftover kabobs and various other snack foods he'd purchased. Tomorrow classes with Fulin would resume and he would finally be able to turn in Fulin's quest and see what was so special about the four elements of 'life'.

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The following morning, Thomas arrived at the classroom and stepped inside. He smiled when he spotted Fuller and made his way over to sit down next to him. Fuller watched Thomas and after he was sitting Fuller asked, "How did it go for you?"

Thomas narrated his first four days of dungeon diving with Selena as well as working with Janice and Victoria to defeat the fifth-floor boss. It wasn't a grand tale of conquest, but Fuller paid attention and when Thomas finished with the defeat of the boss, even showing his ruined kukri, Fuller exclaimed, "So you got to spend most of your time running around in the dungeon with beautiful women?"

Fuller sighed and slumped a little, "I can't even begin to explain how unfair your life is! I spent the whole week working alone and practicing those elements. It took me six days to get all four up to rank twenty-five."

Thomas looked a little surprised and couldn't help asking, "Why did it take you so long?"

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Fuller let out another sigh as he explained, "I don't really feel comfortable diving into the dungeon alone or with strangers that I can't trust. So instead, I had to spend my time just practicing in the training areas around the academy. With no monsters to defeat I didn't gain much experience from casting the spells we learned."

Thomas nodded in understanding. Using magic in combat definitely gave a bit more experience than just casting the spell at a target dummy. Thomas patted Fuller on the back as he said, "If you'd said something to me I would have gladly invited you to join me in the dungeon."

Fuller planted his face on the desk and sighed, "I'll remember that next time."

Thomas continued to pat Fuller's back but didn't say anything in return as Brao and Treena entered the classroom at almost the same time. Thomas gave Brao a snarky grin and hoped that his duel request would go through faster so he could see the look on Brao's face when he received it. Brao would only have two options. He could either accept the duel and the subsequent ass beating or he could deny the duel and risk being expelled from the academy. Thomas had no doubt that with Dean Zorzic and Selena on his side to testify that Brao would end up with the worst punishment.

Seeing the grin on Thomas's face, Brao was immediately infuriated. His face turned dark red as he held back his urge to walk over and pummel Thomas. Brao did his best to ignore Thomas while making his way to a seat as far from Thomas as he could get. Thomas knew he might be acting a little petty or immature but he felt justified since it was Brao. Honestly, he knew he'd been a bit rude to Brao when they first met and that was his own fault. If Brao had simply acted more like a normal person and asked for an apology instead of spouting off about his nobility then Thomas would have honestly apologized to him.

With Brao present in the room it became silent, even when the other students arrived they just greeted each other silently. An air of awkwardness permeated the room until Fulin came striding in and looked at all of the students. Seeing everyone present he nodded his head and asked, "So, who here did not manage to get the Earth, Wind, Water, and Fire elements up to rank twenty-five?"

He waited a few moments to see if anyone replied and when no one did he continued, "Then we can move on to the final step. Everyone summon your mana."

Thomas and everyone else lifted their hands and within seconds there were small white balls of mana floating over everyone's palms. Fulin started speaking, "When I mention one of the four elements of life I want you to change to that element. ONLY the four elements of life, understood?"

After making sure everyone understood he began speaking, "In the beginning, the gods were all that there was. They talked, fought, loved, and hated. Over the eons, they became bored with each other. With the mutual desire for something new to happen the first change occurred. Fire was born."

Everyone converted their mana into fire and within moments a small flame hovered over everyone's palms. Fulin didn't stop talking as he continued the story, "Fire brought heat and light. This change excited the gods and for a while brought new joy to them. Though after a time the novelty faded and they once again craved something new and exciting. The gods saw that fire was ephemeral with no solidity so they worked together to make something solid. Thus Earth formed and our world came into being."

As he said the word 'earth' all six students shifted from the fire element to the earth element. Fulin continued on without pause, "The world was barren of life and nothing more than dirt and stone piled together. Still, it was new to the gods and they marveled at their creation. They began to wonder what else they might be able to do. With the creation of the first world, our world, the gods knew they needed to do more. Eons passed as the gods wracked their minds for ideas but could come up with nothing. Soon they began to cry tears of frustration and thus Water began to fall from the heavens and fill the world with rivers, seas, and oceans."

All the students switched to the water element and Fulin kept going, "Seeing the change their emotions wrought the gods were once again filled with joy. The movement of the water on their little world excited and energized them. They watched, fascinated, as water evaporated and made clouds that would rain back down on the world. They watched, enthralled, as the shape of the world changed from the flowing of water on the surface of the world. They watched the world and began to sigh with boredom as nothing changed. As more gods grew bored and more sighed another new change took place. Their sighs blew the clouds across the world and brought forth the birth of Wind."

All the balls of water floating over the student's hands immediate took on a green hue as wind swirled over their palms. Fulin continued still, "Seeing motion brought to the world from their very breath the gods rejoiced and once again watched in fascination. The four elements worked in harmony. Fire brought heat and light. Earth brought solidity and a foundation. Water brought fluidity and rain. Wind brought movement and air."

As Fuling mentioned the four elements the students rapidly shifted through them as he spoke. Wind became fire, then earth, then water, and once again wind. Fuling concluded with, "The gods could not know what their efforts would bring forth and were shocked to see the first signs of life as trees emerged from the ground. Life, born of their efforts. Life, born of their Fire. Life, born of their Earth. Life, born of their Water. Life, born of their Wind."

Once again the students cycled through fire, earth, water, and wind. As Thomas's mana converted to wind for the final time he felt his mana surge. Power flowed through his body as his mana became agitated. It flowed, against his will, through his arm and into his hand. He watched as his little sphere of wind became a sphere that was evenly split between fire, earth, water, and wind. The four elements rotated and swirled without mixing together and staying in perfect balance.

System Notice: Your Fire Magic, Earth Magic, Water Magic, and Wind Magic have merged together to become "Elemental Magic [Life]". "Element Magic [Life]" has been set to Rank 25 with 0 experience. From now on when using Fire Magic, Earth Magic, Water Magic, or Wind Magic all experience will be earned by "Elemental Magic [Life]".

System Notice: Quest Complete! Instructor Fulin has required that you get your Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind magic up to rank 25 before classes resume next week.

Rewards: 2,000 Experience, "Elemental Magic [Life]"

Failure: Expulsion from the Reykhoten Academy of Magic

Time Limit: 1 Week

System Notice: You have gained 2,000 experience.