The class was abuzz with an excitement that was hard to describe.

All could feel it, despite no one saying a word.

James Robertson simply had that kind of air about him. That unspoken authority that made all kinds of people gravitate towards him.

"To start, let us perform an experiment of our own." The man began. "I will release some of my own Magic and allow it to pass over you. That is, I will spread it around the room without actually activating any Skills."

He waited until everyone had more or less settled down again.

"It, like most kinds of Free-Form Magic, is a technique all of you can learn, so long as you have the stats and the time to master it. This particular one is called Presence. Please experience it to the fullest extent."

He said it as if we'd be experiencing a stiff breeze or a radiant summer morning.

Then he let loose a trickle of Magic.

I felt it pass out of his pores without forming into any kind of distinctive pattern. Yet when it passed over me, it felt like a punch.

'No! Not like a punch! It's like I'm being crushed! Like there's a hand on top of me pressing down!'

I put both hands on the desk. Struggling to breathe.

'This is crazy! He's just as crazy as his old man! I have to do something! If I'm struggling like this, then the others are.. Huh?'

The others were completely fine. Despite all of them being weaker than me.

In fact, Mercy and Patience were even starting to show some concern.

"Hey, Original, are you okay?"

I wanted to say no, but then the pressure redoubled. Taking what little air I still had out of my lungs, before the pressure eased and vanished altogether.

"Now, some of you might have felt some small level of discomfort." The bastard said casually. "Others may have felt nothing but a small tugging from all directions. This is fine. This is normal. This is the effect of my Magic. On foreign Magic, being used on you without any specific Skill or spell activation."

He actually stopped to give another lighthearted smile.

"In other words, what you felt was the sheer weight of my own raw Magic. The fuel for all my spells and Skills, when it was not being used to power any spells or Skills. I caught hold of it through my own Core and then I expanded its reach beyond that of my skin, until it reached every corner of the classroom."

He looked about the space again.

"If you're confused, think of it like moving a muscle you hadn't realized you had. The amount is based on your Endurance stat, while the stopping power is based on Potency and the degree of skill that you have to wield it is based on Precision. Those of you currently in level 1 will not be able to do much with this kind of practice. In fact, there is a good chance you won't have the Precision to generate this kind of fine control at all at this level. That's part of why these lessons aren't given to you young ones under regular circumstances. There is little benefit to you learning about them and your time is better spent working out or hunting in the Dungeon."

He snickered.

"But those of you on level 2 or higher may be able to appreciate that I was able to completely suppress you without lifting a finger or indeed, using any kind of real Magic at all. Meaning you are not hurt and I don't have to spend any of my own Magic, but you still feel hurt. You still feel like you definitely shouldn't mess with me."

He raised a finger.

"Can anyone tell me how this could be useful?"

"It's a new kind of attack you can use, even if your Core isn't meant for attacking!" Tracy shouted.

"Close. But not quite Tracy. Also, please raise your hand next time."

The boy shriveled.

"You could use it for attacking." James Robertson conceded. "But that is a poor use of resources if I've ever seen one. If there's a monster in front of you, then you should either kill it outright if it is weaker or run if it is stronger. There's no need to impress it with the size of your..."

He stopped long enough to make sure everyone got the joke.

"Magic."

Not everyone snickered, but a lot of people did.

"No. The real uses are both practical and experimental. First off, it can allow someone of higher level, or someone with a significant advantage in stats, to overpower someone weaker without killing them or risking major bodily harm. For your information, being adept at this technique is a requirement for joining the local police department."

He raised a finger at the board.

"More importantly, it allows us to see how my own Magic behaves after it leaves my body. In a way we couldn't see when this Magic is bound to specific Skills. Notice how it swirls around me when I let it go. Notice how it wasn't actually spent, but merely stretched out. Notice how it returns to me as soon as I let go. Almost as if it was bound by a gravity only my body could emit."

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

I did observe and I did note how he was right.

The faint traces were flowing back to him. Little by little.

"This experimentation with our own Magic can lead us to see additional effects at higher levels, meaning we get a verifiable way to see how each new level affects the qualitative effects of Core-attuned Magic. For example, someone with a [Sun] might se their own Magic turn visible and glow in the air when they use Presence. At level 3 or higher, this glow will go from that of a lightbulb, into one of a lighthouse beacon. While also causing additional effects like setting fires spontaneously. Since we can measure the size of the area each person can cover via Presence and see the effects each Presence has, we can learn much and more about individual variations between Cores."

He stopped to glance at his watch, before turning back to the screen and clicking the remote again.

"Finally, techniques like Presence allows us to get a better feel for our own Magic. By itself, it is an excellent way to squeeze in a few more points in Precision. Though this kind of practice also tends to be rewarded with new and innovative Skills."

He then turned back to us, a brilliant smile on his face.

"Please see the images and graphs on the board. Note how they all relate to someone with a common Stage 2 [Lake] Core. Now note how far each individual got in terms of levels and Skills. Do you see anything odd?"

Tracy raised his hand.

"Yes, Tracy. Please answer."

"They all have the same base Skills, but one of them has a lot more Skills the others don't." Tracy said hesitantly. "That, and one of them has much higher stats, despite being the same level."

"Precisely." James Robertson swooped. "All of us, everyone here, has things that come naturally to them. Skills that come from instinct and the general feel for Magic you get through the connection to your Core. But you shouldn't think that this is in any way a limiter. Magic can be freely manipulated to a point. We have not yet found a way to sterilize it of each person's individual attunement, but each person can wield their own Magic to a degree and each person can use their own attunement in new and innovative ways to develop new Skills. Some of which may be so good that they elevate a Core far beyond its already existing status. This lady...."

He pointed at the picture in question.

"Was my first wife. And though she's no longer with us, I constantly use her as an example that one can succeed, no matter what their Core is. She had found a way to generate water inside the lungs of monsters through the repeated use of her Presence. She did this by extending her own Magic as far as she could, running by monsters and then using the regular Skill she had for creating water while her Presence overlapped the bodies of monsters. In time, this went from a deadly gimmick, to something she could call on command. A genuine Skill had formed from all her years of practice and she used it to humble people who thought they were better than her all the time. So keep this lesson in mind. Hard work, dedication and ingenuity will always pay off."

He clapped his hands together.

"And now, I will lead all of you on a little fieldtrip to our very own resident Dungeon. So that all of you can have a chance to learn this technique for yourselves."

He turned to the newer students.

"Those of you who can't yet grasp your own Magic to this degree, you'll be accompanied by our resident coach Homer through a higher floor, so that you can have a chance to familiarize yourself with the setting and train up those stats."

The cheers that erupted were almost deafening.

Clearly, the presentation had done its job in sparking another wave of enthusiasm among the recent arrivals.

"As for our regulars, you'll be travelling with me and coach Russell here for protection."

Coach Russell looked at us. Or more specifically at me.

Giving me the kind of grin John Wayne Gacy gave his houseguests after they'd had too much to drink.

'Now there's a riddle.' I thought to myself. 'Coach Russell is here to protect us from the monsters, but who'd gonna be here to protect us from coach Russell?'

----------------------------------------

The descent to the 10th floor of the Dunstonberry Dungeon was a largely uneventful affair. All the new Skills and levels my classmates had gotten back in my Dungeon had paid dividends. Especially now that they were fighting a bunch of drooling animals in different natural biomes, rather than the entrenched denizens that I had left in their path last month.

Say what you want about Pool-Cecil's methods. He deserved all of the criticism and more. But no one could deny that throwing themselves against fortified positions while being shot at had done a number on each person's attitude and overall competency.

My own team of Ramji, Drew and Marcos could more or less handle the 4th floor back then when I was with them during the summer. Now, any one of them could blaze their way through the 8th floor monsters without breaking a sweat.

Indeed, I could make out several more people who were now ripping and blasting their way through all resistance with glee. The chance to let loose on monsters who couldn't shoot back being too good to pass up.

I did try contributing every now and then. Growing a Bio-Rifle from my right arm or else [Spawning] some basic Riflelings. Nothing too major.

Yet the people around me reacted as though I'd pulled up my shirt to reveal dozens upon dozens of sticks of dynamite.

Literally throwing themselves to the side and screaming bloody murder every time I tried to help.

It was upsetting at first. Then annoying. Then infuriating.

"Oh come on!" I shouted as we trudged through the 10th floor. "Julian is level freaking 3! He should not be scared of a few Riflelings! He can probably kill them by farting in their general direction!"

Elsie shrugged.

"Probably. But that isn't the point. You kind of scarred him for life. What with you shooting a parasitic worm into his intestines."

"That wasn't me." I countered.

"True. But that's not how he sees it Cecil. I know I joke around, but he really is having recurring nightmares. A lot of us are."

'Weak.' Pool-Cecil hissed. 'Pathetic worms scrambling and wriggling at my feet. At our feet. Imagine having so many opportunities since birth and still being a measly level 3. Disgusting. Oh what I could have done with such advantages. What we could have accomplished with just another month, another week in my Dungeon.'

I cringed, but kept walking.

I closed my eyes. Trying to grasp the Magic in my Core and moving it about without activating a Skill.

It turned out that it was a very similar process to when I threw around Magic for the farm and I felt the blades of red grass beneath my feet eagerly drinking up the Magic, even when I tried to keep it steady.

"Huh. I can't keep a field of Magic up without living things trying to get at it." I complained.

"Oh no!" Elsie exclaimed with faux-horror. "You're telling me that Cecil the genius has things he cannot do on the first try! The horror! Imagine what little Eva will say when he comes back home!"

"Haha. Very funny."

"It really is." She agreed. Switching gears on a dime.

"Granma took years to get her particular Skill to work like a Skill Cecil. You didn't even know about Presence or the other techniques of Free-Form Magic until today. Take a deep breath, let it go and keep on trying. Grandpa James was right that hard work always pays off in some form or another. The harder you work now, the faster you'll get the hang of it."

I didn't say anything else, but nodded regardless.

Noting how genuinely helpful and nice she was being.