As the class turned to look at him, murmurs spread quietly through the room.

Boys and girls whispered within their groups, their voices were low, yet not low enough for Leon to miss everything they were saying.

By now, it was common knowledge what the Rank Two of Class S was truly capable of.

When Leon first took that position, there had been doubts, and questions.

Even some resistance from a few factions within the class. But all of that disappeared after the Tiara incident.

And especially after Princess Eula openly took his side, by opposing the King himself.

That single event had changed Leon's standing completely.

Now, no one questioned him anymore. They understood one thing very clearly. Questioning Leon meant questioning the Princess.

And no one wanted to end up on her bad side.

That was why, despite all the whispers, no one spoke openly.

Knock. Knock.

"Eyes here."

Professor Esther tapped the board lightly, pulling everyone's attention back to the front.

The murmurs died instantly.

Leon noticed something, though. For a brief moment, Esther's gaze shifted toward him.

'Well… she's a researcher too,' Leon thought calmly. 'Can't really blame her.'

He knew it well. Anyone who wants to understand mana theory would want to see a Light affinity user in real life.

Esther turned back to Rinna.

"Nicely explained, Miss Rinna," she said. "You may sit."

Rinna nodded politely and settled back into her seat.

Esther picked up the chalk again and began writing on the board.

[Fire. Water. Wind. Earth. Ice]

She paused, then drew a clear line beneath them, and below it, she wrote two more words.

[Darkness. Light]

"When a person awakens," Esther began her lecture, "they discover which affinities they possess. This can be influenced by genetics, environment, or a mixture of both."

She took a step forward.

"A child born to two Fire affinity users still has a chance of awakening with Water affinity. This is not contradictory."

She looked around the room. "The reason is simple."

She tapped the board lightly.

"Every living body possesses a unique mana frequency." She drew distinct figures of spectral waves.

"For an affinity to fully integrate with the body, that frequency must resonate with it. Only then can mana interact naturally with the element."

She continued. "This resonance process is what we call the Awakened Stage. The formation of a Red Mana Core. The very first stage of a mana core."

Leon listened carefully.

Even though most students in Class S already knew this, Esther's explanations were clear and structured. She was teaching fundamentals, but doing so like a perfectionist.

"But…" Esther continued, "resonance does not automatically limit a person to a single affinity."

She paused for emphasis.

"If your mana frequency is refined, stable, dense, and strong enough, it becomes capable of synchronizing with multiple elemental spectra."

The classroom was silent. Everyone was listening to her at this point, even Alice was attentive.

Princess Rinna raised her hand.

"Professor," she said, "by refinement and stability of mana frequency, do you mean that a more efficient mana core has a higher chance of being noticed by multiple affinities?"

Despite her tired expression, Esther smiled faintly.

"You are correct, Miss Rinna."

She nodded once.

"The mana core is responsible for absorbing, processing, transmitting, and channeling mana throughout the body. Its efficiency plays a crucial role in affinity compatibility."

Rinna quickly noted it down, then raised her hand again.

"Then… let's assume a case," she said carefully, "where a person awakens with two affinities. If, over time, they refine and stabilize their mana core to an extreme level, could they resonate with another affinity later?"

The room stirred.

Even Leon raised an eyebrow.

'That's… a sharp question,' he thought.

Esther blinked once.

"You are asking whether someone can obtain an additional affinity after awakening?" she clarified.

"Yes, Professor," Rinna replied.

Esther shook her head slowly.

"That is not possible," she said. "A person's mana frequency is fixed the moment it is formed. It is unique and unchangeable. The body cannot handle such a shift."

"Oh… I see," Rinna said, nodding. "Understood."

Leon remained silent.

But inside…

'You're wrong, Professor.' Leon thought.

It was possible.

Not through normal refinement, but during a transition from one mana core phase to another..

When a mana core broke through from one stage to another, for example from Red to Orange, there was a brief moment when the body's mana frequency destabilized in living beings.

There was a brief fluctuation.

If someone could stabilize that fluctuation and force resonance during that exact moment, they could synchronize with another affinity.

That phenomenon was known as a Second Awakening.

It was a discovery Esther herself would make in the future.

And it was a rare process. Even in the game, only a handful of players ever managed it.

Leon leaned back slightly.

'And I already know how it works.'

Just like that, Leon had found his research topic.

Second Awakening.

A faint smile formed on his face.

'Rinna… thanks for this,' he thought calmly.

With that single question, she had saved him the trouble of choosing a topic. And more importantly, this was a discovery that was still theoretical at this point in time.

Except for Ethan, no one would be able to perform it practically. And even Ethan would only manage it much later, near the end of the story.

Leon proposing this theory now would not disrupt anything important.

He would simply present it as a structured hypothesis. Supported by observed mana core transitions, documented resonance stability between affinity and mana core, and recorded fluctuations during core breakthroughs.

They were the facts that were easy to obtain.

It was a perfect choice.

And because the research itself was large in scope and high in originality, he would receive more than enough credit points for the year.

Problem solved. Easy peasy.

Esther continued teaching for another forty minutes, covering deeper into affinity resonance and mana control.

When the lecture finally ended, she gathered her books slowly.

Just before leaving, she paused and turned her head toward the back of the classroom.

"Leon Valentine," she said.

Leon straightened slightly.

"You will meet me today after your classes end."

He nodded without hesitation. "Alright, Professor."

He already knew what this was about.

After acknowledging him, Esther yawned openly and walked out of the classroom, her steps were noticeably slower than usual.

The moment she left, Alice leaned closer.

"You still haven't submitted your research topic," she said.

"I know," Leon replied.

"She's going to scold you."

"I know."

Alice squinted at him. "Have you decided what topic you're choosing?"

"I did."

"Oh?" Her interest sparked immediately. "What is it?"

"Not telling."

"…Why?"

Leon shrugged. "Why not?"

Alice stared at him for a moment.

Their exchange was strange.

Ethan, watching from the side, finally stepped in.

"By the way," he said, "did you hear? Class S has been assigned a Stage Six weapon master for today's practical."

Alice's head snapped up.

"Wait, really?"

Ethan nodded. "Yeah. Apparently, that person is very famous."

He frowned, trying to remember. "What was the name again…"

Alice started guessing immediately.

"Sir Alex? Sir Tyler?" Her eyes lit up. "Or maybe Madam Luna!"

She shook her head quickly. "I hope it's Madam Luna or Sir Tyler. Both are three star Stage Six weapon masters."

Ethan chuckled. "Could be either."

Alice and Ethan continued talking casually.

Leon didn't interrupt them.

This was the first time he had seen them chat properly. Remembering Headmaster Raizen's words about Alice rarely interacting with others, the sight felt oddly rare.

Leon sighed quietly.

'Why do I feel proud?' he wondered.

Then his thoughts shifted.

'But… A Stage Six weapon master, huh…'

Leon already knew who it would be.

Sir Tyler and Headmaster Raizen were well acquainted.

That narrowed it down instantly.

'It's him who will come,' Leon thought to himself calmly.

Five minutes later, the classroom door opened again.

A middle-aged butler stepped inside, dressed neatly in academy colors. He bowed lightly before speaking.

"Attention, Class S," he said. "Today's practical will be held outside, in the main arena assigned to Class S."

The room turned to him at once.

He also added. "It will be conducted by a special guest lecturer."

Leon, Ethan, and Alice exchanged glances.

Ethan smirked immediately, leaning back in his seat with satisfaction. His expression clearly said, 'told you so.'

The butler continued. "And all students are instructed to bring their respective weapons of choice. There may be live demonstrations."

That last line caused a ripple of excitement to spread across the class.

The butler bowed once more and left as quietly as he had arrived.

Leon glanced down at his side, towards the Moonblade.

For a brief moment, he considered leaving it behind and using a different weapon.

But he dismissed the thought just as quickly.

At this point, his Light affinity was already public knowledge. Compared to that, wielding a legendary weapon once used by the greatest swordmaster in history would not cause much more of an uproar.

And besides…

'I want Sir Tyler to notice this sword.'

Leon knew that name well.

Sir Tyler was an important figure in the game. The youngest Stage Six weapon master in recorded history.

He had broken through stage six at the age of twenty-seven.

A pure swordsman.

Renowned, and respected. And extremely curious when it came to rare weapons such as Moonblade.

He was even told of studying Lumina's sword style. She managed to learn through text and observing books from the Astral tale library, but it was no way close to what Lumina herself taught Leon.

Leon knew how this would play out.

If Sir Tyler saw the Moonblade, he would ask questions.

And Leon wanted that.

He tightened his grip slightly around the sheath.

'It's about time I get serious about training.'

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.