Chapter 9: Illumination

It took a few moments for the class to react.

“What!? He’s already condensed his spirit core?”

“It's only been a day since we learned the Basic Meditation Technique!”

The students immediately broke into a clamor, momentarily forgetting their teacher’s presence.

Initially, when Teacher Turner sensed Ain’s progress, he suppressed his surprise and refrained from announcing it to the class.

After discovering a prodigy in their class, most teachers would be elated and couldn’t wait to parade the student throughout the school. After all, it would be counted as part of their contributions. But not everyone desired to be in the spotlight, and there could be several reasons why a student might hide their talent.

Teacher Turner understood this. Yet, he also believed that such concealment could hinder a student’s progress. Hence, he declared that the spell book for the Rank-0 spell, Illumination, would only be distributed after reporting a successful advancement to Rank-0.

This was a veiled hint for those students who wished to keep their abilities under wraps. It subtly indicated that remaining unnoticed came at the cost of their growth!

Had Ain not come forward today, he wouldn’t have received the spell book. Although postponing the learning of a Rank-0 spell like Illumination might not be extremely detrimental, this was only the second day at the Spirit Academy. If he continued to do the same, the effects would compound as the year progressed.

Hence, Teacher Turner was content with Ain's decision, even though Ain had never intended to hide his progress.

Teacher Turner had the student roster memorized, so identifying Ain was not an issue.

“Congratulations, Ain. I believe you’re the fastest student to reach Rank-0 in our academy. Here's the spell book.”

Teacher Turner smiled and handed Ain the spell book. He had brought it over earlier, hoping Ain would ask for it.

“Thank you, teacher.” Ain graciously accepted the spell book and returned to his seat.

The students around Ain watched his movement with expressions still tinged with disbelief.

Teacher Turner didn’t make a spectacle out of it, so it was hard for them to believe whether this was real. Most of them had just gained control over their spirit energy and were still learning to circulate it according to the meditation technique, yet someone had already condensed their spirit core.

Their previous sense of ease vanished, replaced by an urgency they hadn't even realized.

“Alright! No more daydreaming!” Teacher Turner's voice sounded at this moment, snapping the students back to reality.

“I’ve said it before, everyone’s progress will vary. You need to put in even more effort to showcase your true potential.”

Teacher Turner saw this as an opportunity to motivate the students. A bit of healthy competition could work wonders.

At Teacher Turner’s chiding, the students quickly composed themselves, accepting that it was the truth. They focused and resumed their training with renewed determination. Seeing this, Teacher Turner revealed a satisfied smile. He had smiled more today than yesterday.

While others set their sights on achieving Rank-0, Ain delved into studying the spell book.

Although it was labeled as a book, it was, in reality, just a thin booklet with a few pages. It didn’t take long for him to read through it once.

This time, Ain didn't use Analysis; he chose to comprehend the spell on his own initially.

It was his first time learning a spell. While Illumination was known as the easiest spell to master, Ain still spent about an hour memorizing and analyzing it before he felt ready to give it a shot. This was due to his unfamiliarity with the subject.

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Ain focused his thoughts on his upturned palm. He manipulated the spirit energy within his body, attempting to trace the spell rune inscribed in the booklet.

All spells utilized spirit energy, but the methods to manifest their effects could vary.

For Illumination, the students simply needed to trace the corresponding spell rune in their minds using spirit energy, a process known as visualization. Once the spell was well-practiced and mastered, a spirit tamer could execute this step subconsciously.

The spell rune for Illumination was relatively straightforward, but Ain still failed multiple times.

Ain vaguely grasped the significance of condensing a spirit core before learning spells. After reaching Rank-0 and condensing his spirit core, Ain's control over spirit energy had improved.

However, he still found it somewhat challenging to construct the spell rune successfully.

If he had attempted this before, he wouldn't have been able to even make the attempt due to his limited control.

After numerous attempts, tiny particles of light started to congregate in Ain's palm. Just as they were about to coalesce into a sphere, Ain's control faltered, and the lights dispersed.

Most students were engrossed in their training with their eyes closed, so only Teacher Turner noticed this.

“His comprehension is indeed impressive. This is a common trait of those who awaken Deep Insight. But even among them, his talent is certainly one of the best.” Teacher Turner pondered, involuntarily evaluating Ain's potential.

He had taught students who had awakened Deep Insight before. While they had demonstrated high comprehension as well, Ain's performance surpassed them all. Teacher Turner held high expectations for Ain.

As Teacher Turner continued observing the other students, Ain decided to finally utilize his innate talent.

Given that this was the first spell Ain was trying to learn, he wanted to gauge how far he could progress without relying on his talent.

Now that he had a basic understanding, Ain could use Analysis to better comprehend the spell.

Not only would Analysis help him grasp the spell's intricacies, but it would also aid him in evaluating his previous attempts and identify areas for improvement.

As soon as Ain activated Analysis, his spirit energy started depleting rapidly.

After a few minutes, nearly half of his spirit energy had been consumed before the analysis concluded.

With a brief pause to contemplate, Ain extended his palm forward, facing the sky. As he concentrated internally, small lights began gathering once more before melding into a ball of radiance.

While the light ball he created was smaller and less intense compared to Teacher Turner’s demonstration, its structure was equally stable as it hovered above his palm.

‘Rank-0 core spell, Illumination, successfully cast.’ Ain inwardly acknowledged his accomplishment with pride.

Although he hadn’t mastered the spell entirely yet, his casting speed had improved remarkably from his earlier attempts.

The mistakes he had made in previous attempts had played a significant role in this progress. The spell analysis alone couldn't have led to such a substantial improvement.

‘With more practice, mastering it won’t be difficult. The only concern is the amount of spirit energy.’ Ain pondered.

Each attempt at the spell consumed a portion of his spirit energy. After practicing and using Analysis, his spirit energy was running low.

Hence, Ain chose to pause his spell practice and focus on meditation.

Spirit tamer training via meditation techniques didn't drain spirit energy; in fact, it helped restore it more rapidly compared to passive absorption.

Ain closed his eyes, entering a meditative state. And so, time continued to flow.

After the morning training session concluded, Ain attended classes on other subjects before dedicating his afternoon to more practice.

A small commotion arose as Ain was encircled by classmates eager to befriend him.

Ain politely declined a few invitations and returned home to continue practicing. Slowly but surely, he was becoming addicted to the sensation of swift progress.

Naturally, Ain had another task on his agenda today. Therefore, before he commenced practice, Ain used his hololink to browse through several food markets on Cyberspace.

These weren’t ordinary markets; they were specifically designed for spirit tamers. These options had only become accessible after Ain's Cyberspace access was upgraded.

“Wildfire Buffalo meat, Daylight Rabbit meat, Green Pig meat…”

Ain murmured several meat items that were budget-friendly as he browsed the catalog.

He noticed that only Common-quality Rank-0 Spirit Beasts fit within his budget. Anything higher was exponentially pricier.

After a bit of research, Ain decided on purchasing Daylight Rabbit meat and Green Pig meat.

Their price fell towards the lower end of the spectrum, providing reasonable nourishment for Ain’s current state.

Ain intended to sample both and make a personal comparison. He spent around eighty star coins to obtain a day's worth of these servings.

As he made his selection for delivery, Ain noticed an unfamiliar option called “Cyberspace Transmission.”

Although it was his first encounter with this feature, this information was publicly available.

Cyberspace came with its enigmatic transmission system. Through special devices, items could be instantly transmitted over long distances.

Of course, most spirit tamers couldn’t afford these devices. Thus, cities were equipped with Cyberspace transmission hubs, enabling item shipments or receptions via Cyberspace.

But Ain’s previous 1-star access level hadn't granted him this ability. Now, seeing this option, Ain's curiosity was piqued.

The moment he selected “Cyberspace Transmission,” a small pop-up appeared with a few words.

After reading it, Ain's eye twitched, and he felt as if he had fooled.

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