Kai was currently in the academy library, the most extensive library in the entire realm of Erundal, engrossed in a book.

‘There’s nothing here either...’

Over the past three days, he had gathered as much information about this world and himself as he could find. He was inhabiting the body of a freshman student who had been admitted to the Scholars Hall, the only hall open to the unranked. In that sense, he was very fortunate, considering that only 10% of the entire student body was unranked.

Course selections had already begun. While most of the subjects didn't particularly interest Kai, he looked into them anyway in hopes of finding some clues and getting an understanding of the academy. He still had no clear understanding of the trial, apart from the cryptic word "Marduk" he had seen in beginning.

He hadn’t found much about the phrase in the many books in front of him either. The only mention he had found was in an old history book referencing it as the name of a hero who had slain a dragon and nothing more. No mention of the place or time or how he had accomplished such a feat, only that he had done so. Kai could not spare more time to look for information any longer though.

Looking through the course chart, Kai tried to understand which course would be related to the trial. He had an irking that all of them would be part of the trial and it wouldn’t matter which ones he chose. In that case he might as well choose courses that would make him stronger even as an unranked.

‘Today’s the last day to sign up for the magic language and structure course. It’s supposed to be taught by a Rank 3 Great-mage. Having a great mage as a teacher would be an extra layer of protection no doubt.’

Mages and Meisters were considered to be the most powerful professions out there. While Meisters used mana to bolster themselves and their weapons, mages harnessed it to cast actual spells. Great mages had the ability to conjure spells that could create a hailstorm in a desert or obliterate mountains in an instant… they were the cream of the crop.

‘I wonder if I can become a mage, or if it's related to my class.’

“Hey Kai, whatcha thinken there with that serious expression of yours.”

“Nothing much, just deciding if I should take the magic language course or not.”

Kai turned to his rotund roommate standing beside him. Gram was a Rank 1 Kindled with a silver core who supposedly had a passion for research. Instead of enrolling in the War Hall or Magic hall, he had joined the Scholars Hall. He was a researcher through and through.

“Join the magic course with me Kai! We’d be able to research magic together!”

“I don’t know the first thing about research you know. And I’m still unranked, I don’t even know if I would be able to learn anything there.”

“You don’t have to be ranked according to the course requirements! It’s not just that though. I heard the professor teaching the course is the youngest great mage of this century!”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

“You just want me with you so that you have someone to talk to, don’t you?”

Gram laughed sheepishly. It seemed Kai had hit the nail on the head. It wasn’t that Kai didn’t want to, In fact he should have an advantage with his {Mark of Raven} attribute but he wasn’t sure he would be able to do anything without a core to hold mana. In the end he agreed.

“Alright I’ll come with you, I have nothing else anyway.”

Making their way to the magic language class, Kai observed that the lecture room was sparsely populated, with only one other student in attendance.

“Are you looking for something young man?”

Kai looked at the slightly older 23ish looking guy. He was wearing an simple violet coat and glasses with a gold rimmed cane in his hand.

‘Is he the instructor? He looks quiet young… Gram wasn't kidding about him being the youngest great mage of the century’

While Kai was sizing up the instructor, Gram responded,

"We're looking for the magic language and structure class."

"Ah! You're here for my class? Come, come, have a seat up front,"

Kai looking at the number of people blurted out

“Isn’t this too little for a class? Are we perhaps early?”

The instructor, with a rueful smile, pointed at the board, covered in incomprehensible runes similar to those in the records were translating for him.

“Ah this course is always empty like this. Runes and magic languages are powerful tools, no doubt, but if you can chant magic and call forth mana with your mind, why would you bother learning a dead language? This course is typically taken by those looking to earn extra credits or with an interest in ancient ruins. Anyway, with you two here, we can begin in earnest! Now let us introduce ourselves, I'm Aionos, your Professor for this course."

“I’m Kaiser, unranked, from the Scholars Hall, this is my friend Gram”

“Hi! I’m Gram, Rank-1 kindled, from the Scholars Hall”

Professor then looked at the girl sitting at the front. She stood up and bowed

“Syiu, Rank-1, Magic hall”

Handing them a booklet professor Aionos smiled.

“Well now that everyone is ready lets start”

Kai listened as Professor Aionos explained the nature of mana and how magic structures functioned. Gram diligently took notes, seemingly captivated by the information.

It seemed that mana was a condensed form of energy theorized to be leaking into reality from another dimension where entropy decreased over time. Mana itself was pure and soothing but became volatile when mixed with other energies. Rank 1 kindled could absorb mana and store it in their cores and use it in a variety of ways to enhance them selves but could not send it out of their body while maintaining control. In fact as one rose through the ranks the better they could use mana.

It was said that the founder of the academy, a bonafide ancient monarch, had such control of the worldly mana that he could directly cast magic without absorbing mana first.

“Now magic is fun and all, but to shape it precisely using the mind is difficult. The human mind isn't naturally suited for casting high-level magic; the strain is beyond imagination. Thus, ancient civilizations developed languages that invoked magic, reducing the mental strain by allowing you to visualize it more easily. When you reach Grand rank, understanding a language becomes crucial for efficient casting. But that's not all. Learning a language enables you to cast high-level magic even as a Kindled, provided you have enough understanding and mana!"

The girl named Syiu, besides them raised her hand and asked.

"Sir, how many magic languages are there, and what sets them apart?"

"Indeed, there are numerous magic languages – elven, draconic, and even our common human language can be used as a magic language. However, differences exist between them. The closer a language is to the world's source, the more potent it becomes. The most renowned magic language is Elvish, classified as a 3rd level language. Then there's the ancient Draconic tongue, a 2nd level language. Our human language falls under the 5th level category. Many ancient languages have been lost over time. Most extensively studied languages are at levels 3 and 4. Over the duration of this course I'll be teaching you a 4th level language, Velir from the ancient Valkyrie race."