It had become quiet, and fewer and fewer students were walking in the corridor when Auran came to the lecture hall he was looking for. The area he was in was not designated as a special area by any means. But it was a general trend within the academy that those who studied highly difficult fields were respected more than those who studied less challenging ones.
Within these highly difficult fields, there were also tiers that divided immensely high difficulty fields and naturally high difficulty fields. The magic field of Symbiotic belonged in the latter category, but was still highly respected by others.
One of the perks of this respect was the utensils they were given in the lectures and halls. Even the people who walked past these lecture halls behaved themselves, careful not to talk too loudly and disturb those studying difficult subjects.
Looking at the name of the professor and the field of magic, and after confirming it was indeed the hall he was looking for, Auran entered.
There were already students occupying the front seats of the hall, and when Auran entered, some mistakenly thought he was the professor—but only until he walked past them to the back row of the hall.
After a few more minutes passed, and a few empty seats in the front row were filled, a professor entered the room. He was a muscular man who could not hide his physical fitness even under the professor's uniform. The steps he took were heavy enough to make a slight creaking sound on the wooden floor.
"He's sturdier than I expected."
It was not the first time Auran had participated in a symbiotic magic lecture. In fact, he had seen almost all of the professors in the academy who taught symbiotic magic—but this was the first time he had seen this professor.
"He must be a new one, or an old one who had been in his lab doing research but recently came out. I hope it's the latter case—if so, he might have more insight into symbiotic magic than others."
With Auran's expectations rising, the professor started his lecture.
The professor first introduced himself, which confirmed to Auran that he was indeed a new professor. Then he directly jumped into the subject of symbiotic magic without any further delay. Auran liked that attitude even more.
"Symbiote magic—one simple word—is a field of magic where you coexist with something more powerful or helpful to you. Most of the time, it can be a magical weapon, and in some rare cases, it can be a living being."
This was information Auran already knew, but unlike him, the others were freshmen who had less knowledge about the field.
"I was wrong—this is gonna be boring,"
He soon realized that the lecture was going to be focused on introducing the field to newcomers. Lectures like this—Auran had heard enough of them to guess the next word the professor was going to say.
"When the two of you are bonded, whether it's an item or a being, you coexist together. Both sides depend on each other to obtain something they could not gain alone.
For example, if it's a fire-mana-based item that you're bonded with, then the item bonds with you with the intention of absorbing fire mana. But if it's an air-mana-related item, then it will bind to you with the intention of receiving air mana. The purpose of this is to improve themselves. These items—which are viable to bond with others—are those that cannot advance alone. And mages like us, who are capable of improving ourselves, are the vessels that can be home to these items.
Also, the coexisting item or being constantly needs a source of nourishment.
Mostly for items, that nourishment is the mana of the field the item belongs to. If it's a being, then it depends on the nature and specialty of that being."
Hearing the professor's lecture, Auran's boredom vanished, as he suddenly got an idea.
"The book didn't allow me to turn to the second page not because it needed me to master the spells, but because it needed me to get comfortable with time mana and use it constantly—so it could absorb bit by bit from me. That means the more time mana I supply to the book, the more pages it can turn."
It was only a guess that appeared in Auran's mind, and he wasn't absolutely sure of the theory. But since the idea was already there, he also wanted to test it practically.
After the lecture ended, Auran walked out of the lecture hall and silently arrived at the cafeteria.
The lecture had taken the whole morning and only ended when it was time for lunch. Although the lecture would continue afterward, Auran had already decided not to participate.
After lunch, he arrived back at his room—where a guest had been waiting for him.
"You're still here? I heard you graduated."
The one who waited was Henry, and in his hand was a box—a thin but long box. Auran was slightly surprised and also curious about his purpose, but first, he greeted him as a friend would.
"I did. Want to celebrate together?"
From the box, Henry slightly revealed a bottle inside.
. . . . . . . . .
Clink!
With a tap, the cap that sealed the bottle was pulled off, and Henry poured two glasses for the two of them—him and Auran.
Taking the glass in his hand, Auran gazed at the bubbling liquid inside.
There was a drink that alchemists produced which helped boost a magician's brain power to its limit, allowing them to think in ways and at speeds they had never experienced before. Because of this, the drink was popular among magicians. Most used it when they were stuck in their research, hoping to think from every possible angle and come up with a solution. However, just because they drank it did not guarantee that a solution would come. And the overuse of this drink could cause brain damage, which was the reason its popularity existed mostly among freshmen who didn't know much about its side effects.
But the one Auran held in his hand was a bit different. Although it came as a byproduct of the brain-enhancing drink, it did the total opposite. Instead of stimulating the brain, the drink slowed down its processes, allowing magicians to feel a strange sense of comfort from this odd sensation.
To begin with, magicians were those with high mental capacity, constantly trying to figure out the truths of the paths they had chosen. And to them, a drink like this—one that temporarily released them from all those stressful thoughts—was like a treasure. It was one of the reasons this drink had become the most popular one among seniors in the academy.