Dragon Necromancer: Starting With First Dragon Bloodline-Chapter 50: Elemental Patterns

The idle chatter in the room died the moment the instructor’s military boots clicked sharply against the wooden floor.

Placing the thick notes on the table, he scanned the crowd.

Michael was a clean-shaven, skinny man who could easily be mistaken for a nerd if he wore glasses.

"Alright," he started. "Who knows why we need to control mana and what happens if we can’t shape it? Basically, I am asking about the theory of the spellwork."

A quick silence filled the room.

Thalia was the first one to raise her hand, confidence evident on her face.

Seeing this, Michael pointed at her. "If it isn’t our first-placer," he said, recognizing her somehow, and gestured for her to begin.

"Mana is the foundation of spellwork. Without control, not only are we putting ourselves in danger, but others around us as well. Shaping is the process of giving mana certain patterns to turn them into functional form. That’s what spells are—the patterns we have to shape mana into to use it."

"Good answer," the man nodded, smiling. "Control brings precision. Precision gives us efficiency, and only together they make us strong."

He paused and observed his students once more. "This class isn’t for mages only. Although you can’t be a mage and a warrior at the same time, it doesn’t mean that warriors shouldn’t know how to shape mana. They, too, have to know how to handle it and use it to strengthen their bodies."

The instructor stopped again.

This time, he didn’t scan the crowd, but paced around the room.

"However, for beast tamers, our creatures don’t fight alongside us. They are amplifying our magical or physical capabilities. A rare, powerful beast gives us better mana control than a weak, common beast, for example."

Everyone, except Thalia and Michael, glanced at Noa.

No matter where he went, everything tried to point out how weak he was and how hopeless his situation would be.

The boys who had previously tried to stir up some trouble with him snickered.

Others, as well, basked in his guaranteed failure.

However, he wasn’t the only one forced to feel this brutal reality. Even the same students who were mocking him had a similar problem.

It’s just in Noa’s case, it was harsher.

The academy might not have a hierarchy system, but everyone looked down on weaker students.

Uncommon-ranked beast bearers mocked common-ranked users, while those with rare beasts looked down on them.

This continued for years now, and even the teachers were no exception.

That’s why most of the friend groups had beasts of the same rank. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Michael, on the other hand, had no intention of stopping, and disregarding how uncomfortable his students looked, he continued,

"The beast’s grade is your most important asset. Every average tamer with a high-rank beast can outperform a talented tamer with a weak one. Beasts are our greatest ally and lifeline, but in many cases, they are the reason for our downfall."

Some students straightened their backs in their usual discomfort.

But Michael ignored them again.

Flipping through his notes, he revealed the glowing lines by tapping on them. Just like the diagrams Zen had shown before, these lines materialized behind him, expanding in various colors based on their element.

"Think of them as blueprints you have to follow. Guide mana smoothly to create a spell, and with enough practice, the process will be instantaneous. Get them wrong and the mana discharges or blows up in your face."

But before the students could show worry or fear, he added,

"As Tier 1s, you can only learn patterns of your rank. Thankfully, even if you make a mistake, they won’t kill you before reaching Tier 4."

Still, some of them chuckled nervously.

No one wanted to mess up and get injured, even if it was a minor one.

Meanwhile, patterns behind him aligned themselves, appearing in different elements that anyone could learn.

Even the shadow was present, putting a smile on Noa’s face.

Michael was teaching the same spell in different elements, since their patterns varied.

In an instant, everyone started memorizing the paths they had to guide mana and shape it into something practical.

Noa, too, memorized a shadow pattern but didn’t show it.

He was silently watching the scene as everyone busied themselves, trying to cast the first spell before anyone else.

If it were any other occasion, the students would have made fun of him for not having elemental affinity.

However, they didn’t have time to care about him.

Beasts hovered around them, some on their shoulders, others waiting beneath their feet, as they channeled mana and steadied their flow.

"Slow down," Michael warned. "This isn’t a race. Don’t forget that steady progress is the key."

Barely anyone listened to his advice.

The nervousness made them act rashly, and one by one, short explosions erupted around the room.

Fortunately, there were no serious injuries—only scorched eyebrows, at worst, which made some girls cry.

Thalia moved gracefully.

She neither forced her hands nor her breath to submit.

In her attempt, the mana lines followed the patterns almost perfectly, showing her experience and the lack of worry.

As a result, a faint swirl of snow shimmered above her palm. The spell was a cleansing magic that could clean hands without affecting the skin and worked with every element.

Noa, meanwhile, had his head down.

With his eyes closed, he traced a shadow in his mind, letting the lines respond sluggishly.

Michael noticed Thalia’s success and nodded.

But in that moment, he also saw Noa idly looking down at his chair, and instead of ignoring him completely, he flicked his finger.

Just then—

A new pattern appeared behind him.

It looked more complex than the ones around it, as it had no elemental affinity.

"You can try as well. It’s a bit harder than the others, but who knows, maybe pure mana is your beast’s strong suit. Though there are no spells for raw mana in Tier 3 or higher, since it’s harder to separate and locate in the first place."

Noa hadn’t expected that.

He was surprised by Michael’s kindness, and without wasting a moment, he shifted his attention to a new pattern.

’Let’s see what we can do,’ he thought and glanced at Ashe.