The tests continued for the next few weeks.

Not only did they try how different materials reacted to each energy type, but they also began to design how they would use the rune in actual battles.

As they would need to carry the rune with them to use it, they decided to use something easily portable. After a short brainstorming session, they decided that their best option would be to create various staffs.

Creating a staff would be easy, as they could create an object where they would draw the rune and then glue it to a rod. That way, if something happened, they would be safer than if they carried the rune in their hand, as the rune would be at one end of the staff.

Like that, each one began to design its staff to meet its requirements.

Nathan, specializing in non-elemental energy, bought a crystal ball to draw the rune on it.

Travis decided to make it with a regular stone as it would resist his fire-energy without any problem.

As for Marianne, she decided to go with an iron ingot, as it absorbed her earth-energy without great difficulty. As for her life-energy, she found in the early stages of their experiment that life-energy could be contained in almost any material, as long as she didn't surpass any limit, as that energy type didn't have any offensive capacity by itself.

Having drawn their runes, each brought a mana-steel rod to complete their staffs. Mana-steel was the perfect material for this task thanks to its high energy-conductivity, as they would be able to send energy through it toward the rune to activate it whenever they wanted, as well as its high durability and resilience.

When they were putting the finishing touches on their work, someone began to knock on the laboratory's door.

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"Are you expecting anyone to visit?" Nathan asked without moving his gaze from the staff.

"I'm not," Marianne replied as she polished her rod.

"Me neither," Travis answered as he continued drawing his rune.

"I guess they were wrong then," Nathan replied.

But just as he said, they heard the knock again, but this time louder.

"We did pay the laboratory's rent this week, right?" Nathan asked as he began to become concerned.

"Yeah, we did. I remember perfectly how the janitor counted each of my precious energy coins after I gave them to him." Travis said.

"Good, good," Nathan replied as he continued working.

But once again, they heard a knock on the door become louder, and this time, it came accompanied by a voice.

"I know you three are here! Open the door immediately!" A masculine voice shouted through the door.

Realizing that they didn't have any other option, the three friends hid their investigation before opening the door to check on who was perturbing their work.

When they opened the door, they saw an old man with a long white beard and a black pointy hat that covered his bald head. As soon as they saw him, the three of them became stiff.

"Branch Master Carter, what brings you here on this lovely morning?" Travis asked with a smile on his face.

As he heard those words, one of the veins on the man's forehead began to bulge.

"You are kidding, right?" The man said." Almost a month ago, I gave you three a quest to check a nearby forest, and I have yet to see a single report. That quest was supposed to be completed in less than three days. Do you have any reason to explain the delay?"

Hearing the man's words, the jaws of the three friends almost dropped to the ground. In that same instant, they began to exchange glances as they thought about how to solve that problem.

"It seems like there you don't have any. I'm starting to understand why you have been sent here from Eden." the man said as he turned toward the door to leave." You have until tomorrow at midnight. If I don't see a report before that time, you will need to find a new academy because you won't be welcome in this one again."

With those words, the man left the laboratory with the three friends inside.

"Ok, new plan. Let's end the staffs' creation as soon as we can so we can explore the forest in the fastest way possible so we don't get expelled." Nathan said as he resumed his work.