{Mana Control I, Mage Academy of Efthimia, Kingdom of Solovok}

Sleeping in a brightly lit room was hard, primarily because almost everyone was used to sleeping in the dark. I managed to avoid that by shoving all the lamps into the bathroom, but it seems like not everyone thought of that. The effects of the little prank that the academy decided to play on us were very easy to see. Almost everyone had frowns etched onto their faces. They looked irritable and uncomfortable with themselves as they fidgeted in their seats. 

While observing everyone who had a case of black eyes or bad hair, it was quite easy to see who was unaffected by the room trap as well. Leonidas gave me a smile that was hiding a smirk, but it was Alex who surprised me. He looked chipper, and from what I could tell, he had showered.

I glared at him and received a cheeky grin in return, "Hey, it's not my fault that you always had trouble making friends. You should talk to people more, you know."

I ignored him after that remark as he sat down beside me, feeling surprisingly petty about not getting to take a shower because, surprise, surprise, you need mana for everything in the academy, except the toilet, which I was thankful for. I grumbled at the prank and looked at the circular orb in front of me. I quickly looked around, and it was an easy observation to make that it was a prop to be used in today's class. It had certain similarities with the glowing crystal from the lamps.

'They couldn't have added a common washbasin for those who don't know how to use magic. I could have at least washed my face before coming here,' I grumbled, feeling dirty and a little humiliated about walking around with my bed hair.

The door at the front of the class opened, and a middle-aged man walked through it. His black cloak bellowed behind him as he took steady steps through the podium and arrived at the front of the class. His eyes roamed over the classroom, and a smile tugged at his lips.

"It is good to see some traditions have been maintained at the academy." The black-haired man began as everyone quieted down. Supposedly, this class was super important, so while everyone was grumpy, the hidden excitement was revealed once again.

"When I first joined the academy a few decades ago, I had to go through the same thing. I sat on the same seat, feeling irritable as I waited for the professor to turn up. What you are feeling is justified. Of course, anyone would feel irritated and tired, which is good. It will make this lesson sink in." His voice was strong and steady.

"...Today is a very important day for a lot of you. Some of you may know how to operate the devices that you will need to depend on for basic survival. But for most of you, it was a first, a different world plagued by different rules. And even though you didn't like the introduction yet, I'm here to congratulate everyone. Congratulations on becoming a Mage..." His starting speech was short, but unsurprisingly he had gathered everyone's attention.

"Till yesterday, you were used to using a mug and bucket to take a bath and doing everything manually. To light a candle or an oil lamp to see at night, you need to go to the well to fetch water. Those things are behind you. Now, all your life will revolve around mana. Everything will be controlled and manipulated by the power you generate. I'm here to welcome you to this new world and teach you how to survive and thrive under these new rules. But remember, you need to learn quickly. Otherwise, you will have to ask for favors or spend the rest of your time feeling and smelling like..." 'Shit...' He didn't finish the words, but everyone thought the same thing.

After giving everyone a brief moment to settle down, he began, "My name is Marios Lavrentios..." Quite a few people turned to glance at Leonidas sitting beside me.

"I graduated from the academy at the top of my class 37 years ago. I have been called back to teach you how to gain access to your mana. And while most of you won't like it, the simplest and easiest way to do this is to meditate." His words were followed by a loud groan that resonated through most of the students.

"I know, I know, just meditating, clearing your mind, and concentrating on nothing can be quite boring. That's why, this time, we will focus on something else entirely. What can anyone tell me about the {Processing Power} stat that you have in your status window?" His question resulted in a lot of raised hands. 

He pointed at one of the students, this one from the Aeries faction, as signified by the white cloak, "The {Processing Power} stat determines one's capability to understand something and learn it. The higher the stat, the faster you can learn spells and other skills."

'Huh, that explains it. Emilios's {Processing Power} was in single digits. That's why he was so slow in gaining experience in the Earth Manipulation skill. I should try it out later and see if anything has changed.'

While the thought of an advantage I could abuse did make me feel better, I focused on the professor's words, "That's a good enough answer if I asked you to summarize the importance of the stat. But every stat is much more than it may initially seem. The 8 stats shown in all of your status windows decide how successful you may become, whether it is how strong you are going to be or how fast you could react to a situation. Everything could be improved, but the hardest stats to improve are the mental ones."

"Take the {Memory} stat, for example. It's such a simple stat, isn't it? It corresponds with the number of years you have lived and survived in this world. It is the numerical representation of your experiences. But at the same time, it is a very important stat as it determines your mana regeneration rate, so how would someone improve {Memory} stat when it is a natural growing stat." His words made sense. From what I can tell, it was a useless stat to worry about. Unless there was a way to improve it besides spending the two precious points we get per level-up.

"The {Processing Power} is the same. It is a numerical representation of how effective you are in accumulating new experiences. Most scholars and scientists have very high {Processing Power} stat as they think more about the world around them. The more you try to understand the mysteries of our world and how magic works, the more your brain will get used to understanding these theories. Both these stats grow with time and patience, and why am I yapping on about these?" He questioned.

Eirini spoke when no one answered, "Because mediation and exploring our own mana would help with these stats, or at least help with the {Processing Power}." 

"Exactly..." The professor smiled at the green-skinned beauty before he addressed the class. "Mana is a very important part of our world. Almost every living thing has mana, from animals and beasts to even warriors and common folks who can't use mana actively. They use mana passively, but for mages, mana is everything, so from the very first day, you need to force this fact through your minds. You are a Mage; Mana is Mage. Mage is Mana." 

After another round of rambling, the professor finally tuned the topic back to what the class was all about, "You already know about mana. It is your lifeblood, but also something most of you don't know how to use. Considering you gained access to the system just a few months ago, it could be excused, but we won't be wasting any more time. I want everyone to look at the crystal ball in front of you. It does look familiar, doesn't it..." He chuckled at the glare a few of us were giving to the crystal.

"This is a very special crystal known as the Luminous Crystal. They are plenty abundant in any mine and are a common byproduct of solidified mana. They react to even the lightest touch of magic, and they light up..." As Professor explained, his hands grabbed onto a similar-looking crystal on his desk, and it glowed a bright Yellow, gathering everyone's attention.

"I want you to hold onto the crystals on your desk as you meditate. Do so now and then close your eyes, listen to what I have to say, and then follow my words." He began instructing, and the whole class shuffled into their seats as everyone leaned forward.

"Good, feel the cold crystal in your hands, feel it like an anchor..." He let the moment sink in for a moment. I rubbed my hands on the crystal. It was smooth, like a glass ball.

"Now focus on feeling that cold, and search inside you. There is a warmth surging just under your skin. You can feel it. It will take time, but concentrate on it, and slowly, you will be able to feel it. It will-" I tuned out his voice as I felt it. It was unlike anything I had ever felt. A surge of warmth that flowed just underneath my skin. I focused on this feeling.

...

'This must be mana,' I thought as I lost myself in the moment. It felt surreal but so real, like a film of warm water flooding my body—not unlike blood, but something powerful and intoxicating. 

I watched it, as somehow it flowed through me. It originated from my heart, and with it, it spread in waves through tiny little lines throughout my body. 'Like Blood veins,' I thought. Slowly, as I began to become more aware of its presence, I realized it was a little different than a lake. It flowed through little tunnels or rivers as it spread throughout my body, connecting my heart to the very object I was holding. 

'The crystal is influencing my Mana, making it easier for me to sense it,' I thought as I focused on it. My mana was connected to the crystal, but it was just that—a connection that made it easier for me to see or, rather, feel my mana. A thought popped up into my head, and instinctively, my mana moved, responding to my thoughts as the connection was opened further. My mana left my body and rushed into the crystal ball.

The coldness of the crystal ball was elevated as I now had a sense of what it was. It was something like a focus, and inside of it, I could sense and feel my mana better. I could control my mana according to my will as it flowed into the ball.

Ding! 

Ding! 

Ding! 

A burst of sudden noises interrupted me, breaking my concentration. I opened my eyes and looked at the screen in front of me with confusion. Behind the transparent screen, I could see the crystal ball in my hands glowing.

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...

...

My confusion at the messages was interrupted by the Professor's voice, "Congratulations, Mr. Charis. By the looks of your confused face, I can tell you finally have access to your Mana Pool." I gave him a nod, and he smiled at me, "Do continue practicing. I'm afraid the class would have to continue for a while as not everyone was blessed with your level of control and awareness of your mana."

I gave him another nod and then looked around. Pretty much everyone who I was expecting to have been trained before coming here had a glowing crystal in front of them. Leonidas was one of them, and he gave me a small smile before closing his eyes and working on his control once again.

I looked back at my crystal ball, and I grabbed it, pushing more of my mana into it. As I closed my eyes, I was focused on another interesting fact. The feeling of having control or even awareness of mana was a totally new experience. I didn't feel any Deja Vu, so that meant that Emilios Charis was never able to achieve something like this on his own.

'Then how did he gain 23 EXP in Earth Manipulation, without ever feeling the mana?'

...

AN- I dunno how this chapter worked out, tell me if anything felt a little off, I tried not to ramble on but maybe I got lost in explaining Mana or something?

P.S- 3 Chapters ahead on Patreon!