The weather has turned cooler, and thick down jackets have replaced the girls' short skirts and stockings; before we know it, winter has arrived.

"Achoo~~~~~~ Damn it, if I had known, I would have practiced fire magic first; maybe this winter would be a bit easier." Early in the morning, Lucifer cursed while practicing control on the rooftop.

After more than a month of practice, Lucifer could now control four stars.

The process of controlling the stars… how should I put it? It’s a bit like a high-difficulty version of dominoes.

In other words, you have to carefully place four dominoes in one go without letting them wobble even a little; that would count as a small step forward.

If any of the stars are not placed correctly, once one falls, everything starts over!

That’s how it is with the stars. First, you need to lock onto a star and command it to remain still with your mind. During the process of keeping the star still, you must concentrate fully; even if you experience mental backlash from the star that causes your head to throb, you have to grit your teeth and hold on, without letting your focus waver even a bit.

Only by gritting your teeth and concentrating intensely can you command and struggle with the star, allowing the somewhat unruly thunder star to obediently listen and hover there.

Once you have one star under control, you must also allocate some mental energy to do the same with a second unruly star, ensuring it listens as well.

If you accidentally overexert yourself on the second star and fail to maintain control over the first, the star that was just obedient will immediately fly away, taking the second star with it, rendering all your previous efforts futile.

The teachers had previously mentioned that this step of controlling stars is extremely difficult. On one hand, the difficulty of manipulation is very high; on the other hand, it requires the mages to have sufficient mental energy to expend.

Practicing control like Lucifer does every day, failing even once can leave him feeling mentally exhausted. He can practice for a maximum of two hours in a row, after which he ends up in a state of mental collapse, experiencing tinnitus, blurred vision, and a chaotic mind.

At that point, he can no longer meditate or practice control.

"Four stars, controlling five at once is even harder. Sigh, I wonder if I can manage to control all seven little rascals and connect them into a star trail before the end of this semester… Speaking of which, Alastor said he can only practice control for a maximum of one hour a week; if he goes over by five minutes, he’ll collapse. I wonder why I could practice for two hours right from the start; could it be because I awakened dual elements?" Lucifer muttered to himself.

"The energy consumption for controlling a star should be the same, which means my magical energy is double that of Alastor and the others?"

Every magic student has limited mental energy. Each attempt to control a star is a drain on that energy. Given the current level of mental energy among magic students, it seems that the vast majority can only practice control for one hour…

Having an extra hour of advantage, combined with Lucifer's daily efforts, has allowed him to surpass many of his peers. Even the most outstanding student in the class, William, was said to have only controlled three stars according to his sycophant.

Seven is the target for completion, and Lucifer has already controlled four, with hopes of breaking through to five within this week. It seems that awakening dual elements has not only allowed Lucifer to open dual paths but also extended his practice time compared to others!

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

This is a perfect advantage!!

Reaching the pinnacle of life and marrying a rich beauty is just around the corner!

……

……

Classes start promptly at eight, and the first lesson is on demons, taught by the homeroom teacher of the neighboring class, Jeams.

"Lucifer, why are you late again? Can't you show a bit more seriousness? You already lack the talent of most of your classmates, your foundation is particularly poor, and you study so carelessly. Just look at our classmate Tony; he has a talent for thunder magic, is intelligent, has a good foundation, and studies magic with a good attitude. Others can already control four thunder stars, while you? I heard you still can’t control any fire stars; your awakening of fire magic is being wasted!" Jeams immediately scolded Lucifer as soon as he arrived late.

Lucifer couldn't help but roll his eyes. Teacher Jeams really never lets up; he brings up that thunder guy almost every class.

That so-called classmate Tony is the one who awakened thunder magic during the opening ceremony, and Jeams mentions him every day, his face betraying an unmistakable pride even while pretending to educate others.

"Has that guy controlled four stars? I’ve already controlled six; I’m just one step away." Lucifer thought disdainfully but didn’t voice it, lazily walking to his seat.

"Alright, everyone, open your books on demons. Today, I will continue to talk about the more common demons. As we all know, demons are found outside the cities where humans reside and pose a definite threat to humans. They roam around, fighting each other… So, what should a mage do if they encounter a one-eyed demon wolf in the wild?" Jeams began to enthusiastically lecture.

The one-eyed demon wolf.

This is a type of demon that inhabits the wilderness closest to human cities. Lucifer has only seen its general appearance through bookmarks and videos; it looks quite ferocious.

Ordinary people cannot deal with such creatures; only mages can fight them. Of course, for this group of magic students who still cannot cast any skills, encountering a one-eyed demon wolf would be a bloody massacre!

The one-eyed demon wolf is a key topic in the demon class, and Jeams has spent a week discussing this type of demon, which has become quite tiresome for Lucifer.

Now, relying on his unique double practice time, Lucifer has already controlled six thunder stars. As long as he concentrates fully, he can arrange those six stars into a star trail.

The problem is, the seventh star is particularly difficult to handle, like a chaste maiden, resistant to both gentle and forceful approaches, which makes Lucifer extremely anxious!

He’s just one step away!!

"Lucifer, how’s your progress with fire magic?" Alastor asked hurriedly as soon as Lucifer sat down.

"Same as always," Lucifer replied casually.

Fire magic…

Just as Jeams said, Lucifer still cannot control any fire stars.

That’s unavoidable; this semester, he has devoted all his energy to thunder magic.

"No way, it seems your foundation really is affecting your practice. I heard that William can already control four ice stars. If he puts in more effort during the winter break, he might be able to release the ice magic skill 'Ice Vine' next semester." Alastor said.

"I know."

"Bro, why aren’t you worried at all? I’m telling you, he and his sycophant Kunson are already plotting how to give you a hard time."

"It’s fine, let them come."

Lucifer’s mind is entirely focused on how to control the seventh star; everything else is just background noise.

"Sigh, just be careful… This semester is ending soon. Next semester, Lucifer, you need to step up your game. If you can’t complete the magic release assessment at the end of next semester, the school leaders might find all sorts of reasons to expel you."

……

……

The semester quickly came to an end, and Lucifer vaguely felt that the seventh star was about to be moved by his sincerity.

"Damn it, practicing is harder than serving a goddess, with endless greetings and communication…" Lucifer complained as he walked out of the school.

Throughout this entire semester, Lucifer had hardly left the school gates, practicing control for two hours every day, followed by ten hours of meditation, then classes, meals, and sleep, without a single day off.

Regardless, the semester has ended. After receiving their winter break assignments, the students returned home to their families.

As he exited the school gates, Lucifer almost instinctively boarded a bus to head home, but when he realized, he was suddenly at a loss.

He almost forgot that his dad had sold their house, leaving him essentially homeless.

His dad was probably still driving, and with nowhere to go, Lucifer thought it was time to visit his aunt and check on Nancy.

After all, it had been almost half a year since he last saw Nancy; he wondered how she was doing at her aunt's.

"Let’s just go pick her up from school."

Lucifer boarded the bus, heading towards another middle school.