Chapter 354 - 354
Soon, the group of students were done with their training, but all of them were beyond fatigued. As it was 4 pm in the afternoon, they had two hours until dinner.
Darius had allowed them to spend this time however they wanted, so for today, they chose to use it to relax a little. The five of them shared stories about themselves while still lying in the training field.
… it couldn't be helped, they couldn't feel any of their muscles. All they could do was lie there and wait for their bodies to recover somewhat.
By 5 pm they somehow managed to shuffle back to their rooms and immediately took a bath to clean the stench and sweat on their bodies.
The robes each one had worn during the day got collected by the Maidbots and would be cleaned in time for tomorrow in case they wanted to wear it again.
Ash eventually reached the dining hall just before dinner time, now dressed in a brown robe, symbolizing his Earth element.
This time, they were served with a portion of steak, marinated ribs, lasagna, and shepherd's pie. The food tasted especially yummy after their training with the half-giant they wolfed it down like little beasts.
Of course, it was also partly due to the great exertion they made during the day. However, as Ash and the others took long swigs of their drinks, their faces changed greatly.
They felt pure energy and vital power flow through their bodies, healing their sore muscles and fixing many flaws they had created with their intense training during the day.
They all gazed at the glasses they had just drunk from, then the pitchers, wondering what kind of holy water they had been given. Their minds would never wrap around the notion that their Master would actually provide them with 30% diluted Lunar Dew to drink.
After all, with how rare the fluid was, they wouldn't even expect their own close family members to necessarily share with them even if they somehow miraculously procured some of it, much less such a highly concentrated amount for a mere dinner.
After eating their fill, they shuffled to the lecture room where Darius already awaited them. He smiled and snapped a finger just as they stood there wondering what would happen next.
A few moments later, five Maidbots entered holding five different trays. On each tray sat five spell manuals that glowed with elemental lights relating to the elements they had selected during their Awakening.
They were so beautiful that the Apprentices stood there in shock, utterly mesmerized by the sight before them. They could feel the elemental calling from those spell manuals, that the moment they held them, they would be able to ascend beyond their current states.
"I have prepared these spell manuals for you. However, just like the saying goes, there is no free meal. As such, I shall also give you an accompanying long-term assignment, which is to perfectly master your primary element within one month. Failure to do so will net you a very painful punishment." Darius stated calmly.
The Apprentices took the books excitedly, but their joy vanished after hearing Darius' harsh demand. They couldn't help but look at him like he had slapped their mothers on the face.
To master their primary element's basic spell in such a short timespan?
Why didn't Darius go ahead and ask them to make the Grandmasters of the Fallon Continental Council dance like monkeys?
Darius noticed their thoughts and felt amused.
It wasn't their fault, for they did not know how powerful Transmutation was. After all, there was a great difference between learning a spell and mastering it.
His spell manual gave everyone a 100% chance to learn them, no matter how stupid one was, so learning the spell inside was guaranteed after a single read-through. However, to master a spell was a whole different ball game.
To put it in contrast to the Supreme System, he told them to bring up the basic spell's level from 1 to 20 in a matter of 30 days. Naturally, these kids did not have the convenience of dumping any Skill Points into it to accelerate to process.
In other words, it would all depend on their own talent, so as complete newbies it made sense that they were horrified by this task.
Heck, even some Grandmaster mages still hadn't mastered the basic spells they had started with.
However, they couldn't muster the will to complain before Darius, and could only grit their teeth and acknowledge their Master's order. The moment Darius dismissed them, they rushed to their room to begin learning and mastering the spells as fast as they could.
Darius was pleased by this behavior. He had no need to groom Apprentices so seriously, even using Lunar Dew and precious Transmutation resources to assist them if they were going to sit and grow like a bunch of average plebeians.
With great power comes great responsibility. Or in this case, with great resources and blessing came the requirement for a great amount of effort and hard work to prove they deserved it.
Ash and co quickly locked themselves up in their rooms and carefully opened the manual relating to their primary elements. Once they did, their faces greatly changed as they felt their minds merged with the content within.
It wasn't that it gad instantly entered their minds, but as they read each word, it was like they were engraving themselves into their very souls. Elemental power surged through their bodies as they were engrossed in their read, lost in the world of magic.
By the time they woke up, they were shocked to realize that they had perfectly learned the spell. Not only that, but it felt so solid and wonderful in their minds that they could stare at it forever.
However, they quickly frowned as they realized that these amazing spells still had much room for improvement that could only be achieved through practice, familiarity, and experience.
As such, they wasted no time in rushing out of their rooms and heading to the training rooms that Darius had made for them.