Chapter 457: Should Mages Really Engage in Close Combat?
When the class finally kicked off, the true magic of this “foldable classroom” was revealed in all its glory.
Euphilia fiddled with a transparent orb in her hands.
This orb was like a controller, allowing her to maneuver anyone within her range with the flick of a wrist.
If a student needed to speak, just pluck them and place them right next to Euphilia, ensuring everyone could hear and see clearly.
Of course, she could also boot them out, drag them in, swap places, or…
“Go stand in the corner!”
This kind of public execution was undeniably out in the open, laid bare before everyone; every hair follicle could be scrutinized. Talk about social d*ath!
Sure enough, now that she’s a teacher, how could she not punish her students?
But these were merely appetizers before the main dish. The reason she brought everyone outside for class was to talk about something different.
“In the last class, we stretched our imaginations together, using guiding methods. This time, we’re diving into magic power.”
“But the essence of magic power has a significant resemblance to elemental forces; they’re often discussed together.”
“Simply put, magic power comes from within and is easily controlled, while elements float around in the outside world, making direct control tricky. So, you need to use your magic power to guide the elements.”
“Not to mention, some gifted individuals can directly control external elements, and some have magic power that comes with elemental properties.”
“This outdoor class is all about experiencing magic power and elements.”
“Before we experience, we need to clearly understand what magic power and elements are.”
Magic power is actually invisible and intangible; it’s tough for anyone to accurately describe what it really is.
It’s just something that exists, lurking around us.
There are two ways to understand it.
The first is to visualize them as tiny little balls; many spells are based on orb shapes. They bounce around like balls do.
The second is to think of them as some kind of information, which lets us initiate spells from a distance.
This highlights the wave-particle duality of magic power and elements.
Ahem, let’s not get carried away.
Here we’re sticking with the Classical School and leaving behind all that Modern School nonsense about physical magic.
Since the Classical School is idealistic, it’s not that complicated.
As long as I think about it, it’s there.
The convenient method for feeling the magic power and elements is to increase the body’s absorption speed. So first, we need to exhaust our magic power completely.
Once magic power runs low, our bodies will crave it, making it easier to sense its presence.
All of this is rather basic, found in standard textbooks of Classical School magic.
Now, where Euphilia’s real mischief lies is in how to utterly deplete her own magic power.
“Now, everyone, stand up and run ten laps around this classroom for warm-up.”
This sudden instruction left every student, including the teachers, completely dumbfounded.
What? Aren’t we supposed to be learning about magic? Why are we suddenly running laps?
But then the students relaxed upon realizing it.
Ten laps around this tiny classroom? That’s barely even a quick breath of effort.
Let’s not forget, these students are at least Gold Level powerhouses.
Ten laps? Easy peasy.
However, it seems they forgot something important.
This is a foldable classroom, and it’s under Euphilia’s control.
Euphilia said nothing, only smiled as she watched them start running.
As the space folded, the thousand or so students split into over ten teams of a hundred, each running without disturbing the others.
Finally, after a minute of mindless running, some students started to sense something was off.
How many laps have we done now? It’s hard to keep track of our positions!
They turned to look at Euphilia, who still appeared to be ten meters away.
Euphilia glanced back and calmly said, “Not even one lap yet, you’ve got a long way to go.”
“…”
Holy cow! Not even one lap yet? How long are we expected to run?!
“Principal, is this warm-up a tad excessive?”
“Well, if we’re warming up, it needs to be the real deal. Keep running.”
With that from the teacher, the students had no choice but to keep plodding along.
Eventually, Euphilia shouted, “First lap.”
The students did a quick mental calculation—this darn ten laps might take forty to fifty minutes!
This is nonsense! By the time we’re done, we’ll all be wrecks!
Some started to slack off, slowing their pace.
But Euphilia wasn’t about to let that slide: “Those running slow, add ten more laps. And focus!”
With a flick of her eyes, the antics of a particular student who was slacking off popped up in front of everyone, every detail crystal clear.
The student looked at it as if staring into a mirror, his face going pale, and he instantly sprinted forward.
Now, everyone understood—Euphilia was dead serious about making them run.
They had no choice but to grit their teeth and push through.
After scanning the room and finding everyone somewhat compliant, Euphilia jumped ahead.
She was running like the wind and added, “Even as mages, you need to demand a sufficiently strong physique. While learning magic, you can’t neglect your martial skills.”
“Being a mage is a profession with high demands. In my view, a qualified mage must be more than just someone who can cast spells. A mage who only knows magic is just window dressing.”
“What if magic is countered? What will you do then?”
“The mages graduating from Saint Felis Academy must be versatile—able to unleash explosive attacks from afar and execute precise kills up close. A wand in hand isn’t merely for casting spells; it’s a prime tool for cracking skulls.”
“So from now on, every week in this magic class starts with a thirty-minute run.”
Euphilia’s words elicited no response.
Unclear if the students were too tired from running or too shocked by the thought of wielding a wand as a weapon.
Finally, after who knows how long had passed.
While Euphilia jogged and elaborated on her expectations for mages, giving examples of how to handle certain unique situations, she called out, “Stop!”
“Running is over.”
The students were already exhausted, having pushed through only due to Euphilia’s intimidating presence.
In contrast, Yuliya had run circles around them—literally—and was still in decent shape, just having a bit of a breathy rhythm.
Just as the students prepared to sit down, or even lie flat, Euphilia chimed in, “Now let’s start feeling the magic power and elements; you should have a different experience.”
Running also burns magic power, and magic power and physical stamina can interchange.
This was Euphilia’s true reason for making them run like mad.
With so many people around, conventional methods of releasing magic wouldn’t work to deplete magic power, so let’s try a different angle.
Hearing this, many students first blinked, then began to follow her lead.
In the end, they discovered, it actually worked!
So, all that mumbo jumbo the teacher went on about while running was just smoke and mirrors? Totally to crank up the pressure on us?
So, we mages don’t really need to engage in close combat?
Well… you take a guess.
