Zaroth towered over everyone, his height well beyond six foot, which gave him an imposing presence. Dressed in his flawless formal attire and possessing strikingly handsome, masculine features that would most definitely easily catch the eye of people around him.

He was truly what one might call "the perfect golden ratio". His walk, gestures and expressions all radiated elegance.

However, to many, his perfect external features were nothing more than a false front.

"That bastard!..." She said with a huge sigh trying her best to surpress her anger that was triggered at the sight of Zaroth.

It wasn't just her words that were harsh, her actions were as well. She clenched both fist so tightly that it could have drawn blood and incessantly bit her lower lip.

Zaroth had taken all the credit for her: Seraphina Nightshade father's achievements, thereby reducing him to a wreck, which ultimately led to his death. So, in her mind, Zaroth was a 100% responsible for her father's death, and she loathe him for that.

Although the world praised him as the genius behind Spell Interpretation, she knew that it all rightfully belonged to her father.

"Attention please!..."

Zaroth spoke into the dome shaped crystal orb sitting on the podium in front of him. The object amplifying his voice to make him louder.

"I will very much like to begin the lecture!..."

He stared into the vast auditorium filled with hundreds of people staring back at him.

Despite her anger, she knew it wasn't the right time to take action. Although she certainly wished to see Zaroth dead and the only reason she took his course in the university was to take revenge against him for causing her father's demise.

After all, her innate talents surpassed his and she was sure she would win in an even, free for all playing field.

Whether it involved learning more powerful magic to kill him with her own hands or rising to a higher status to destroy his reputation and social image, her revenge would become sweeter the longer it ages. This task was the only driving force for her living as she patiently waited for that satisfactory moment when she would get her revenge.

But, a little trouble making wouldn't hurt. As an idea popped into her head, Seraphina pulled her robe tighter and spread a cunny smile across her face.

***

The auditorium was wide with high ceilings and huge chandelier hanging above the audience, the light coming from it didn't do much as most of the light was provided naturally by the open windows of the huge room.

People were at every sitted space available, all staring at Zaroth in anticipation. Their gaze was overwhelmingly bright, and the flashes of antique cameras felt almost stunning to him, but strangely despite the intense attention it didn't bother him at all.

Instead of being intimidated, he found the attention to be somewhat natural as if it was his daily norm. Seemingly so because of his attribute Elitism.

"Greetings. I am Zaroth Kaldar from the Kaldar family."

He began the lecture. The opening of the lecture on the script served as both the introduction to the class and the introduction to himself.

"I am the Head Professor at the Mage tower of the Dexurial University, a Monarch-rank mage in charge of the natural elements. I manage the four elements— water, fire, wind, and earth and am not limited by any categories of fundamental magic".

His statement had an unmistakenly narcissistic tone to it.

"As you all know, magic is divided into three properties and nine major categories. The properties include Elements, Origins and Instruments. The categories are Summoning, Elemental, Destruction, Support, Enchantment, Manipulation, Ductility, Harmony, and Specialization".

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He recited exactly what was written on the script. But it sounded so original and authentic enough to grab everyone's attention, thanks to his Intimidation and Dignity attributes.

"Therefore, all mages have to concentrate on the properties and categories that suit them to achieve magical success."

*Kssssspaaaaaaa*

He suddenly snapped his finger after ending his last statement and following the sound, the lights from the chandeliers in the auditorium went out as magic spells appeared in the air.

"Executing these spells with mana is the act of performing magic. Therefore, understanding these spells is essential before implementing magic. We will now take a look at the spell I've provided above," he finished. He paused allowing the audience to see the magical circle.

It was a geometric shape, composed of dozens of straight and curved lines.

"This sixty-eighty stroke magic circle spell forms a curved shape, where mana first concentrates in the center before expanding outwards. The spread from inside to outside typically signifies Destruction and Support... "

"... However, since Destruction magic requires the magic circle to be linear, this pattern is clearly to Support magic... Moving on... "

The first chapter of his class, Basics Of Magic, continued for about 20 minutes, and he didn't lose composure for a single moment. The script seemed to flow effectively from his mouth almost as if he was the one that prepared it.

"One might ask... Whether the magic always results from mana and whether one must always learn these spells perfectly to use this magic?... "

Now, the topic he was illustrating on was Methods Of Using Mana. A very necessary step since the auditorium also had participants, including the guests who were not mages but merely ordinary students, knights, a few noble men, and aspiring adventurers, the topic was specifically arranged for them.

"That is not true. It depends on where in the body you have your mana stored."

As he finished speaking, the magical spells dispersed and were replaced by a human anatomical diagram showing blue masses of mana positioned in the heart, head and abdomen.

"Firstly, the head otherwise known as The Crown can easily imagine spells, making it capable of forming complex lines and circles. Therefore, mages usually store mana in their heads."

He had mana points stored in his head. If expressed numerically, it would be at 3,375 mana points. This is not very high, considering he had seen some named characters with initial mana points as high as 30,000.

"Next, the heart: Otherwise known as The Orb. Since the heart pumps blood throughout the body, mana stored in the heart spreads more easily but is difficult to hold in one place. Therefore, the heart is more suitable for knights than mages," he continued, reading from the script and speaking slowly and precise so that everyone could understand him.

"Lastly, the abdomen. The core of the abdomen is where the inside and outside mix most frequently, Otherwise known as The Deep it is universally applicable to all mages, knights and ordinary people alike..."

Before continuing, he glanced at his wrist watch to pace how long the lecture have been going on. He was closing in on 45 minutes already.

"My points are simple. Effort is important, of course. However, if one's talent is modest, it's necessary to consider efficiency. Talent is not given to everyone, so in most cases, you need to focus and make choices for yourselves".

Somehow, his words were a perfect fit for his current condition and he somewhat found it funny or ironic even, to be the one lecturing a topic that he should most likely be paying attention to.

"And..."

He suddenly paused just as he was about to read the final part of his script. He felt a sudden wave of annoyance as he skimmed through the words, considering whether to to continue reading or skip that part entirely and close the lecture session.

He wondered if the original Zaroth would have read it, given that it was included in the script.

He removed his gaze from the script and glanced at the crowd who were waiting patiently for him to continue speaking.

"Finally, does anyone have any questions?"

Silence.

He thanked the heavens inwardly no one raised his or her hand with a question because he was sure to not know how to answer.

"If not..."

He started to gather his papers when someone suddenly raised their hand and stood up abruptly—a mage wearing a robe.

"Professor Zaroth. Last night, a mysterious spell was found in the mage's domitory. At the moment it's suspected to be the work of a demon, and given your reputation as a Genius Of Spell Interpretation... "

She began speaking before he could even say anything.

"Are you affiliated with tha Mage Tower of the university? If so, I would require you to state your identity and affiliations..."

Zaroth interrupted her as she spoke, a sense of uneasiness crept in his stomach but he still remained elegant on the outside.

"Ummm... My name is..."

"Hmmm. Too late my dear, I won't take questions from someone without manners," he said, cutting her off once again as she tried to reveal her identity.

"... what?"

Her face turned bright red as everyone in the auditorium began to murmur. Zaroth almost felt sorry for her but he had no choice.

The lecture alone had drained his mana points significantly as consumption for Comprehension was enormous.

[Mama Points: 2,005/3,375]

The interface popped into the center of his vision.

"1,300 mana points consumed already? If I had continued with lecture I would have definitely burned through more mana. Interpreting a new spell would require much more and I definitely don't want to strain myself. Not to mention, I feel kinda dizzy at the moment". He mused within himself.

"Class Dismissed!".

The mage stood alone in the center of the auditorium having people who sat beside her laughing at her sardonically. He adjusted his crumbled suit sleeves, put on his coat and buttoned them up. Lastly, he gathered the last of the script and stepped down from the stage.

"But!..."

A loud voice echoed in his ear, catching his attention. The still standing unknown female mage drew a spell with her mana and floated it in the air.

"At the moment, the Mage Tower treats the incident as mere rumors and refuses to comment on the case! Given your reputation Professor Zaroth, I thought you would be able to quickly determine the category of this magic!" The Mage continued.

He stared at the persistent mage in silence. It was audacious of her to challenge him like that. Especially since most people are intimidated by the character Zaroth.

However the spell she presented was undeniably strange. It wasn't defined by straight lines or curves unlike usual magic circles. Instead, it resembled dozens of interconnected living parasite like appearances.

The moment he saw the spell, his Comprehension kicked in involuntarily, and due to the complex nature of the spell presented, it consumed even more mana than usual.

His eyes grew heavy by the second as he stared at the structure of the spell. His thoughts and calculations seemed to speed up as if time slowed on the adjacent scale.

[Mana points: 360\3,375]

In seconds, his mana points completely depleted. With that, he could barely manage to identify the nature of the magic.

He acknowledged that to comprehend, to implement or disassemble the spell would require twice the mana points than normal spells. But fortunately, the mage who asked the question was not looking for that kind of information. She only wanted to identify what the spell was about.

"A team of hand picked freshmen mages are analyzing it as we speak. But, progress is very slow due to the knowledge gap, the vacation and lack of professional expertise. If only you could at least give us a hint... "

[Enchantment Category: Domain Manifestation]

"No such hints or anything else is needed. It's a barrier magic from the Enchantment Category. It seems someone wanted to trap you, " he said.

"What?... "

"That's it," he replied with a confident affirmation.