Life sucked in magic like a sponge, so on this planet, forests were anything but normal. Damaged trees recovered quickly. Even the mayhem caused by monsters would be mostly fixed within the following days.
As the bat monster rose to its feet while wailing in pain, its tentacles flailing in every direction, tiny acorn sprouts rose from the surrounding snow at a visible speed.
“It’s coming,” said Annie while taking deep breaths to try and regain her composure.
“Yes, they’re relentless bastards.” Mr. Griffin stepped in front of the teens and pulled out his sword. It was wide and long with the blade on one side and a flat tip.
Immediately, Finn felt his knees buckle. He gasped for air, and along with Michael, Natalie, Tommy, and John John he dropped on all fours.
‘Shit. How?’ It wasn't fear he felt, but more like the air around him became a solid object and slammed into the earth like two magnets colliding. Being caught in the middle, Finn could not move an inch.
“We’ll get in the way,” said Annie. Somehow, not only did the teacher’s pressure not affect her, but the fear in her eyes was gone. Mr. Griffin gave her a look and clicked his tongue.
“Take a good look, little girl.” He walked towards the beast while dragging his blade on the ground. “This is something only the strongest can do.”
Mr. Griffin took a horse stance and gripped the sword with both arms. He then used it to cut into the ground all the way to the grip. Then, as if the planet’s mana converged around his blade, the soil started twisting around it. Smoke came out upon contact and the earth began to boil.
The old man let out a battle cry and sprinted towards the beast, leaving a trail of lava in his wake. The bat roared in kind and flung itself at him.
Griffin swung the now beet red blade out of the ground, and a thin wave of lava shot out towards the gigantic bat. The creature was too big to dodge, so half of its wings and a quarter of its tentacles were sliced clean off.
The bat fell mid-flight and rolled on the ground while shrieking. Its eyes then focused on the teacher and it let out a roar.
However, Mr. Griffin not only ignored it, but he sheathed his sword.
“It’s over.” The teacher took a seat on the ground. He tried to massage his own back but failed.
“It’s coming,” shouted Finn, now released from the pressure.
“I’m getting too old for this,” Griffin mumbled. He straightened his spine and winced as it cracked in three places.
The tentacled bat stumbled towards them while shaking the ground like a walking earthquake. Finn pulled out his bow and prepared to shoot. The others too stepped in front of the teacher trying to protect him.
“As I said,” the old man searched for a comfortable position and failed, “it’s over.”
Suddenly, the wounds where the tentacle bat was cut became beet red. Lava sprouted out of them, making the creature panic and throw itself into the nearby trees.
“Look.” Mr. Griffin waved off Finn who was standing in front of him. “I can do this.” He snapped his fingers and long tendrils of molten lava sprouted out of the bat’s wounds. “And this.” The tendrils suddenly pierced through the bat making it scream so loud the entire forest's canopy let go of its snow.
The teens covered their ears, so they wouldn’t go deaf.
“And finally,” Mr Griffin closed his fist. The tendrils of lava tied around the monster, suffocating it. From the cuts they inflicted, inside and outside the body, more tendrils appeared destroying its organs and wrapping around the bat like a fiery cocoon.
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Soon, the molten lava cocoon shriveled in size and was eventually sucked back into the earth. Of the once mighty monster, only a pile of puss and a single fossilized rib was left as a testament of its existence.
“Gruesome.” Michael’s eyebrows raised and his eyes sparkled.
“Can we learn that?” asked Finn, his jaw slightly agape.
“Finish your studies, and then see me for training, Thomas and Natalia.”
“Huh?”
“What about me!?” shouted Finn.
“And me!” added Michael.
Griffin slapped both of them upside the head.
“When’s the last time either of you touched a sword!? This is what you get for trying to be ‘clever.’”
He turned towards Annie who looked indifferent, and then, finally towards John John whose shoulders were low.
“I’m sorry,” he told the boy, since he also had a sword on his hip. “This level of combat does not suit you.”
[Three weeks later]
After nine years of grueling challenges and unending lectures, the final day of school had finally arrived. The ceremony was held in the old classroom Joe and the other parents had built with utmost care.
The 14-16 year olds sat in their assigned seats, while the parents watched proudly from the back. One by one, each student was called to the front. Ms. Martha spoke of their achievements while Mr. Griffin gave them a hearty handshake.
They all received honorary diplomas made of actual paper written with actual ink. To achieve this, Mr. Griffin dipped into his retirement money while Ms. Martha pulled some strings at the church.
But, it was worth it. For one precious hour, everything was perfect. And then, the parents left.
“Pull the desks to the side,” Mr. Griffin ordered. “You’re not kids anymore.”
With the floor cleared, all 20 students sat down in a circle while the teachers remained standing on opposite sides. Ms. Martha spoke first.
“Arthur, Michelle, Leopold, Angela, Lucas, and Brianne. I am sorry, but with your current knowledge and aptitudes, you do not qualify for any of the 10 academies. I recommend you seek employment with either a noble or the church. Since you can read and write, you’ll earn a good living.”
Brianne started to sob and Arthur buried his head between his knees. They all tried their hardest, but with a lack of books and paper and the exorbitant amount of information they had to absorb, it was simply not possible.
“Jacob, Dylan, Luke, Lilly, Madison, Gabriel, Aiden, Carter, John John, and Annie. The Goodfellow and The SwordArt academies do not have team competitions or exams. Their requirements aren’t as strict either, so based on your inclination towards books or combat, I advise you pick one or the other.”
Tommy immediately raised an arm. “Annie’s inclination is magic. She should go to a magic academy.”
All eyes turned towards him and the girl, and silence fell on the room. After hearing Griffin’s report, Martha too swallowed her spit.
“That would be ideal,” she sighed deeply. “Annie shows signs of unknown abilities. As far as I know, not even the nobles can use magic without help, but...”
“But, what?” Natalie stood up.
“Magic academies hand out quests, just like all others, as substitutes for exams. These quests cannot be handled alone, not without at least the backing of a noble.”
“Isn’t there an academy with mixed studies?” asked Tommy.
“Yes, there is one,” Martha tried to hide her smile. “But, you will fail.”
“Why?” asked Finn, his teeth clenched. “I may be ignorant, but I don’t think we’ve underperformed.”
Annoyed by the grim atmosphere in the room, he too stood up. “No one in this room is a slacker. Even without books, and even when we learned on grass, each of us gave it their all.”
“Hmph. You of all people should know that effort does not equal results.”
“Annie is an unheard-of prodigy,” Finn retorted. “Michael is the strongest brawler there is. Tommy and Natalie have been chosen by Mr. Griffin as his apprentices, and my memory is second to none.
In the past nine years, I have learned everything you have taught. Everything. With all due respect Ms. Martha, but if we’re still underqualified, then this is on you.”
[Name: Andrew Finn.
Nickname: Achoo.
Age: 14 years and three months old.
Race: Quarter elf.
Abilities:
- Sleeping and pooping {master}
- Eating solid foods {Master}
- Walking and running {Master}
- Language {Master}
- Gardening {Master}
- Raising poultry {Master}
- Clay construction Miniature models {Master}. Full scale clay construction {Intermediate}
- Dancing {Advanced}
- Patience {Intermediate}
- Leadership {Beginner}
- Swordsmanship {Beginner}
- Knife fighting {Intermediate}
- Bows and arrows {Advanced}
- Photographic memory {Master}
Debuffs:
- Teen's body.
Comments: None]