Tyrus was the first to arrive given that the classroom was empty. Since he was usually a fast walker, he ended up reaching the room earlier than he expected. While it wasn't a problem, the only issue was that there was no teacher in sight. He stood there awkwardly, contemplating whether or not he should just wait near the door or to enter.

"That's him, isn't it?" one student with green eyes said out loud.

"He's definitely the Demi-human," said a short-haired girl. "Seeing a beast's ears and tail on a human really is weird to look at."

Elemental Mastery I was held within the main building of the academy, so naturally there were a lot of students in the hallways, making their way to their next class. Because of those unfortunate circumstances, a small crowd was growing by the minute, pointing and whispering. Before any trouble could potentially brew, Tyrus made a split-second decision and went inside, shutting the door behind him. Upon entering, he didn't expect such a spacious room to greet him.

The room had a rectangular shape, spacious enough to fit around one hundred students. Positioned in the center was a raised, circular platform adorned with intricate runes along its edges. Surrounding the platform were seats that appeared to ascend in height the further they extended. Towards the distant end of the room stood a station, most likely the instructors' area, equipped with a lengthy desk displaying unfamiliar instruments that Tyrus had never encountered. Behind the desk was a sizable board and towering shelves brimming with an assortment of books.

"This place looks interesting. The space in the middle kind of looks like a little arena."

Tyrus walked to a seat near the instructor's station and took his time sitting down, keeping his ears perked. The students outside were loud, but Tyrus ignored them as he stared at the high ceiling. Wisps of light hovered around the room, casting a pleasant glow that replaced the sunlight since the room lacked any windows.

So far, attending the academy was quite fun and interesting. His first impressions were already positive, and as the day went on, that notion had only improved. The facilities were top-notch, and the classrooms were impressive. Instructor Hugo seemed nice and very knowledgeable about his field. While he'd yet to meet the other teachers, he hoped the others would be just as well.

Regarding the students, he was slightly surprised no one has come up to him and cause trouble like those boys back in the Grand Tower. Instead, they settled with staying far back and gossiping. At least they weren't outright bothering him.

Now that he thought about it, what would he do if someone were to push their luck, seeking a fight? Winning wouldn't be a problem since he was first amongst the first-years in the combat department. That meant he was undoubtedly the strongest, but it would only create more unnecessary problems.

They might seek revenge, sullying his time at the academy like mud getting on his garments. He was here to learn and enjoy himself, not deal with petty drama. Then again, a small part of him wished someone would cause a ruckus so he could get it over with and deal with the aftermath, but the better, rational part told him not to.

Tyrus shook his head, chasing the troublesome thoughts away. The room was starting to fill with students, and the murmurs of the crowd grew louder and louder. Some sneered, some pointed, while a few brave ones stared him dead in the eyes as they took their seats. Tyrus kept his cool, pretending not to notice. What he did notice was that most of them sat far away from him.

Before he knew it, the seats around him were vacant, and only two people sat near him. One of them was a girl who had taken the seat further down the row, and she seemed to be the type to mind her own business as she set down a few books and paper.

The other was a boy with spectacles and a face that reminded Tyrus of a weasel. He sat a few seats to Tyrus' left, mumbling to himself as he watched students piling inside the classroom. Tyrus checked the clock near the instructor station, taking note that there were about ten minutes left for the lesson to start.

As the minutes passed, the line of people entering the room had dwindled. A little more than half of the seats were filled, with the other side already full. To pass the time, Tyrus had been using mana sense on his classmates, getting a feel for the amount of mana they possessed. So far, his observations were nothing special. He was a little disappointed with the results. The weakest one's mana heart was the size of a cup, while the second strongest was the size of a small bucket.

They weren't kidding when they said I far surpassed the first-years. How come their mana hearts are so... weak? Do they not train or something?

With five minutes left until instruction, a rowdy group of four—three boys, one girl—stepped foot into the room, disrupting his thoughts. They were so loud that the already present students stopped their conversation and looked their way. The group was loud, chatting and laughing, with no care in the world.

One of the group members, a dark-haired second-year boy by the looks of it, surveyed the room as he strutted in. He noticed that one side of the room was already full and made his way towards the other, stopping midway as his eyes landed on Tyrus. He paused, and the corners of his lips curved upward.

"I thought I smelled something funny here!" he called out. "An animal somehow got into our academy! How did you even manage to sneak in?"

His buddies burst out laughing, as if the remark was the funniest thing they'd ever heard. Tyrus remained seated, his ears flickering at their grating voices. The rowdy group approached Tyrus with smirks, stopping in front of his seat.

"I've heard all about you. Your the first-year everyone's been talking about. Never has there been a Demi-human in the academy's history attend here, let alone one that has a silver-pin. Tell me, how did you get that? Don't tell me you stole it from someone?"

Tyrus sighed. He knew it was too good to be true that no one had confronted him yet. Now, another group decided it was worth the time to come up and try their luck. It was only his first day and someone was already picking a fight. Not only was it an annoying experience to have to deal with, but it was also a waste of time on both their parts. The thought of having to deal with this every day made him frown.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

The dark-haired boy, who seemed like the leader of the group, chuckled at Tyrus' scowl. "Would you look at that? The Demi-human here looks mad! If we're not careful, the animal might bite—"

Tyrus didn't want to waste his time dealing with the fool. Without warning, he stood and grabbed the boy's wrist, squeezing. He gasped and tried to pull his hand back, but Tyrus tightened his grip, causing him to cry out in pain. The dark-haired boy's friends eyes widened, and they all scrambled, attempting to free their leader.

However, they weren't given the chance to take another step forward. Tyrus whirled his head around, glaring at them. He even used Beast Transformation to make himself look more intimidating with the claws and fangs. The students froze, not daring to move another inch as their legs wobbled.

"Why'd you stop?" Tyrus taunted. "Aren't you going to help your friend here?"

"S-Shut up, you animal!" the girl stuttered, her voice cracking. "Let Dasan go! Don't you know who you're messing with?"

Tyrus tilted his head, strengthening his grip. "Sorry, I have no idea who he is. And quite frankly, I don't care in the slightest. You started this, not me. If you have a problem, then why not deal with me directly? Put me in my place, if you can."

"Release me, you filthy animal!" the leader growled with teary eyes. "When my father hears about this—"

The entrance door slammed open, and the sound of shoes clacking against the floor echoed through the room. As if sensing an aura, everyone turned their attention towards the newcomer, a tall and attractive middle-aged woman with long black hair and fair skin. Her piercing blue eyes scanned the classroom, stopping when they landed on the group of troublemakers.

The newcomer raised her arm toward Tyrus's direction, flicking her fingers. Tyrus felt a sharp sensation in his hand, and without warning, the boy slipped out of his grasp and collapsed onto the floor. His three companions followed suit, groaning in agony.

The woman sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "It is only the first day and there's already trouble. May Sthito strengthen my patience..."

She strolled toward the group, her movements graceful like a dancer. She stood before the rowdy bunch, crossing her arms and tapping her foot. "As I'm sure you're already aware, fights between students are strictly prohibited on academy grounds, except for the training grounds. If both students agree to a duel, only then may the two of them settle their differences under supervision. Since this is only the first day, I will leave you off with a warning. Squabble again, and I will not hesitate to give you all a strike. Am I understood?"

Tyrus flinched from the warning. Getting a strike was one of the worst things a student could receive in the academy. In the rules given to every student, it stated that getting five strikes within a year would result in immediate expulsion. Getting expelled from Valis Academy of Sorcery was akin to being shunned by other sorcerers. If one was expelled, they could not enter another academy or become an explorer, let alone find employment in high positions in the world. It was basically a stain one could never get rid of. It was also extremely difficult to garner five strikes throughout a student's tenure in the academy.

There was a lot of stuff to remember about strikes, but the important ones he remembered was that missing more than three classes without valid reason, cheating on assignments, and failing to meet the minimum grade requirement for over three courses were strikes. To remove those strikes, a student would be assigned mandatory services to complete. That meant either helping employees cook, clean, or even tending to the gardens.

Tyrus did not want to do either of those things, so he would have to be careful not to do anything stupid or else he'd have no choice but to. But there were times when action was necessary. Allowing bullies to continue their harassment would make him seem weak, and thus continuing their assault. It was better to put a stop to it now and save himself the headache later on. The older boy named Dasan, however, was in no mood to comply.

"You're letting him off the hook, instructor?!" Dasan protested. "Look what he did to me! My wrists are red because of that anima—"

The instructor's face darkened, and she stomped her foot, making the students jump in surprise. Her gaze bore into the young man, making him flinch. Dasan bowed his head like a lesser hound showing submission, not meeting her gaze.

The woman nodded in approval. "That's what I thought. Now, get to your seats so that I may start the class. We're already three minutes late because of you unruly children."

Dasan grumbled as he and his group made their way towards the nearest available seats. They settled in the row closest to the entrance, furthest from Tyrus. When they were finally seated, the woman turned to Tyrus.

"Silver pins should be extra careful with their behavior. Receiving even one strike would revoke you of your privilege. The top-ranked students are ole models, and should act as such. And please be mindful of your strength next time. I'm sure you know this already, but you are much stronger than your peers because of your bloodline. I can't have you breaking the bones of my students and sending them to the infirmary."

"Understood, Instructor Alveria," Tyrus replied, nodding. "I'll be more careful next time."

She gave Tyrus a brief smile and turned toward the class. "And this goes for all of you as well! There will be no fighting or any sort of physical altercations inside my classroom, unless I permit it. I am not one to be trifled with, and you will treat your peers with respect, no matter the age, gender, or social standing. Is that understood?"

The class responded with a chorus of 'Yes, Instructor Alveria'. That seemed to brighten her spirits as she literally flew toward her station. She opened a drawer—setting down a hefty book that sent a loud bang across the room—and pulled out a wooden case. The woman flipped it open and took out a wand, pointing it towards the board. With a flick of her hand, white, glowing letters appeared, as if an invisible hand were writing the words.

"Welcome, class, to Elemental Mastery I. My name is Instructor Alveria. Here, you will be introduced to the basic elemental magics and how they can be utilized."

With a wave of her wand, the illustrations of the four common elements magically appeared, arranged neatly in a square pattern. Above each element, their respective names were proudly displayed. And then, in a separate spot on the board, two additional elements, light and dark, made their grand entrance.

"I'm sure many of you are already acquainted with these elements. They are the building blocks of our world, forming the foundation of our abilities. While there are other elements, they are not the main focus of this class. The primary aim is to learn more about your primary affinity and others. Throughout the course, you will delve into elemental theory, learn about fundamental properties, and practice casting spells."

"The objective of Elemental Mastery I is to familiarize students with the characteristics and principles that govern the elements. Through this course, you will develop precision in the safe and efficient channeling of elemental mana. Moreover, you will acquire the ability to exercise control, while also learning about the potential dangers and optimal techniques associated with casting elemental spells. In essence, this class is specifically designed for Fledgeling Sorcerers."

Surprisingly, Instructor Alveria cast a discernible glance toward Tyrus. He gave her a peculiar look as she turned away and addressed the class. "Before we embark on an activity I have planned, it is important that I first cover some essential information that every sorcerer should be aware of: the Sorcerer Plane and the Karti Tree."