Villain : Nonchalant Greedy-Chapter 11: Magic Promotion

Magic Promotion—a term Arsene had heard many times before. Failing even one promotion meant being stuck at that level for the rest of your life, with no second chances.

Magic Promotion increases a person's affinity with the mana in the air. For the students in this room—whose affinity scores had shown little promise—this idea alone gave them a glimmer of hope.

Everyone was eagerly waiting for Viviana to explain more. Their focus had shifted from her breathtaking beauty to the words that would soon come from her lips.

"As you know, I prefer to explain things using simple examples. So, to help you understand what Magic Promotion really is..."

She paused, her gaze sweeping across the room.

"Let's use you as an example—you students sitting here. I don't know you personally, but I'd wager at least one of you is a Singular. At Regis Academy, Singulars are treated very differently.

Of course, this special treatment only applies to Singulars of Grade 0."

She raised a hand, cutting off the murmurs starting to rise.

"I don't have time to explain the grading of Singulars or the concept of Singularity itself—those topics fall outside my subject. But let's still use them for comparison.

In the academy, Singulars receive many advantages. Privileges that the rest of you do not—and cannot—have.

Private training sessions. Private apartments. Delicious free meals. Monthly allowances. Awards for top performers on the monthly exams. Discounts in academy-affiliated stores. Even excursions outside the walls for development opportunities.

And those benefits don't stop at graduation. Even five years from now, they continue to enjoy those perks in the outside world.

The same principle applies to Magic Promotion. It grants you privileges that others won't have. The higher your promotion level, the more privileges you unlock.

Access to purer forms of mana. A stronger bond with ambient mana. Enhanced physical and magical power. Authorization to cast high-level spells and use advanced magical techniques.

And other things... things you don't need to know just yet."

Viviana paused for effect, then continued.

"The results of Singulars are always anticipated by the Evaluation Department. If they fall behind or regress in any way, their privileges are revoked immediately.

Magic Promotion works the same way. Fail a single promotion, and you'll lose access to all the benefits tied to the next stages. Or worse—you'll lose the opportunity to reach them at all.

You'll be stuck at your current level. With the same stagnant privileges."

Viviana's voice softened but grew more serious.

"That's the nature of Magic Promotion. And if we want to simplify it even further—it's a series of stages. Each one requires clear understanding to overcome.

Everyone is born with a Magical Core and an Affinity Seal.

Promotion doesn't depend solely on the amount of mana you possess—it depends on your ability to reshape your core and link it to the essence of existence itself.

Each promotion passes through a Break Point—a moment of transformation that alters the user physically and psychologically."

She paused again. The room had grown quiet. But it was clear from the blank expressions that most students didn't fully understand.

Viviana noticed this and smiled gently.

"Understanding will come with time. You don't need to grasp all these concepts right now."

"What you do need to remember," she continued, "are the major stages of promotion. You don't need to know them all just yet, so I'll tell you the first three—the ones you'll work on over the next five years here at the academy."

"The first stage is called Awakened Spark—the beginning of mana awareness. It's the most basic level."

"All of you in this classroom are currently in this stage. You're aware of mana. You can feel it. You can move it. You can inject it into magical tools. There is no failure at this level.

As long as you awaken naturally, you'll progress to this stage without even realizing it. That's why some people call it the 'Ghost Stage.'"

The idea finally began to take root in the minds of the students. Perhaps it wasn't as complicated as they had initially thought.

This was thanks to Viviana's way of teaching—breaking things down so they could slip easily into one's mind and settle there. Not to mention, the students' spirits were at their peak, simply because it was Viviana speaking.

Viviana continued her explanation, "With that, we've covered the first stage. Let's move on to the second stage, which we call Arcane Pulse.

To officially promote from Awakened Spark to Arcane Pulse, you must pass through what we call a Break Point. Every promotion requires a break point—an internal fracture that physically and physiologically alters the essence of the Promoter.

This breaking point may trigger something we call mutations... but that's not today's topic. What matters is this: no one can reach a break point without mastering the second stage in full.

This stage is also known as Mana Flow—when the Promoter learns to circulate mana throughout their entire body and reinforce their physical form with it. It means moving it, directing it freely inside.

The Promoter becomes capable of internal mana manipulation. They enhance their control, sharpen their senses, and most importantly, they begin unlocking the magical pathways within their bodies—the Mana Veins.

Since many of you will be facing this stage in the near future, I should mention that the promotion often comes with a few physical symptoms—fever, tremors, or extreme drowsiness.

But starting from the second stage and onward, something new is added: Sub-layers.

Sub-layers are not like anything traditional or tangible. Instead of being physical steps, they are shifts in consciousness and how you bond with mana itself.

At first, when you begin interacting with mana, you don't truly comprehend it—you just use it, clumsily and instinctively. But Sub-layers emerge when you begin to understand mana in a deeper way. You train your mind to interpret mana differently—not as you've always known it, but as something more.

Sub-layers are not about power; they are about awareness. In the first stage, you're merely a receiver, treating mana as something external. In the second stage, you begin to shape it—not just use it. In other words, you start speaking mana, not just handling it.

By the third Sub-layer, mana becomes a part of your very being. You resonate with it to the point where it's hard to distinguish you from it. Mana isn't something you use anymore—it's something you are. And that gives you influence over the world in ways previously thought impossible.

The goal isn't just to become stronger, but to understand how to connect with existence itself on a deeper level. Sub-layers are not linear steps—they are conscious expansions of everything you thought you knew about magic and reality."

It was possible Viviana had lost herself in the explanation. Most of the class had already forgotten what she initially said—was understanding magical promotion truly this difficult?

But as always, she pulled things back with simplicity. "All you need to remember for now is that there are three Sub-layers:

Stabilization, Integration, Evolution.

You may refer to them more simply as: First layer, Second layer, and Third layer.

Even though the Sub-layers are technically the same in each promotion stage, in every stage you deal with a new type of mana, a different force, and a new level of purity. That means you'll have to grow familiar with it all over again if you want to move forward.

That's what makes this progression feel endless. Even if the stages seem similar—assuming we can even say they are—you'll find each one a world of its own."

With a final smile, Viviana concluded, "But I think you got the idea."

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Author here:

In the near future I will break this power system to an auxiliary Chapter for a simple and unique understanding. The power system may seem a little complicated because of its

Interconnection.

Hope you enjoying your read , And let me know about the pace am going with right now , is it slow or quick?

Foll𝑜w current novels on fɾēewebnσveℓ.com.

If there's any grammar error that needed to be fixed ,let me know!

With that said, you may all have a good day .