Chapter 100: Exams 1.

His words sent both Blake and the system into deep thoughts.

'What do you think it?' Blake asked.

He hadn't heard or read about binding an array to another, which means it is a method only known to him, and having little knowledge about forgemastering and arrays the clue professor Mack had told him made no sense at all so he decided to ask the system.

[From the little knowledge I have as the consciousness of the All-Father, I haven't heard of binding arrays, but I can take a guess. I don't know how he plans on doing it, but by binding 2 arrays together they will both function at the same time as long as one is on.

It may work because if it works it should make the process less tasking, meaning your current energy and mana control should be enough to complete the process.]

After hearing the system's deduction, Blake relayed it to the professor who was shocked that he was able to make such a deduction.

'I was damn right about giving him my legacy!' Professor Mack thought.

"Your deduction is close to being right but there is more to the real process." Professor Mack said with a smile as he brought out a normal sword and cast a floating array when he placed the sword on.

"How many swords do you carry around?" Blake couldn't help but ask because it seemed like the professor's dimensional amulet loaded with a lot.

"Hehe…" The professor could only chuckle at the question. "Watch closely." Professor Mack said as he avoided the question.

When the sword had become red-hot, the professor began engraving the mana gathering array on the sword and since his goal wasn't to teach him how to draw the array but to teach him the binding process, it took only a minute for him to get done with the 3 arrays.

"If it was you that engraved the 3rd array on the sword it will explode because you don't have enough mana to empower the array, so I made sure not to empower the 3rd array with enough mana." Professor Mack pointed out as he began the binding process.

"The process of triggering the binding process is the same as when you triggered the fusion process." Professor Mack explained, but this confused Blake.

The fusion process obeyed the law of electrical charges, which was that like charges repelled while unlike charges attract, but the problem was that when one was to forgemaster, they made use of normal mana and since they are of the same charge there is no way to begin the fusion process.

(AN: For those that are confused, mana and nature's energy are the same thing. When the components mana or nature's energy are broken down, it contains energy particles of all the elements. To simply put it, mana is the perfect state where all the elements combined to be one.)

"Are you saying, instead of using mana to empower the inscribed arrays I should use a different element for each array?" Blake blurted out in realization and Professor Mack was nodding with a smile on his face.

"You are a genius!" Both Blake and the system blurted out in unison.

"I know." Professor Mack said with a smirk.

Seeing that Blake had understood the theory behind the binding process, he went ahead to complete the process. Placing both of his hands above the 2nd and 3rd array, professor Mack shot out a ray of light and arcs of lightning on the arrays respectively.

His elements reminded the system about someone, and that was Azkelwart but he shrugged off the thought and focused on the process. 

When the arrays were completely empowered with the energy from the lightning and light element, they both lit up and after a while could sense a force of attraction between the 2 arrays.

"Unlike the fusion process, which took more than a week the binding process for arrays only takes minutes and that is depending on the level of arrays…" While Professor Mack was still talking an explosion came from the sword.

When they both turned to the sword, they saw that new pathways connecting both arrays had been forcefully opened up.

'It is practically the same as the fusion process in the human body and the for the newly formed pathways it should be the same as magnetic flux lines for the elements since they obey the law of electric charges.' Blake thought as he witnessed the entire process.

"Does that mean I can add as many arrays as possible?" Bake asked because if he could, the only thing holding back the strength of his forgemastered items would be the number of arrays he knew.

"Great minds think alike…" Professor Mack chuckled. "That was what I thought when I found about the binding process but unfortunately, reality is a b*tch. As you know the more arrays you inscribe on an item, the more resistance it develops. The reason is that the more arrays added the amount of energy needed to empower all the arrays would make the material used in making the item crumble. 

And from what you have seen, the binding process just reduces the amount of energy needed to empower the array so, eventually, the energy needed will still surpass what you can handle." Professor Mack explained.

[I checked the amount of energy needed to complete the binding process and from my calculations, you should be able to add a fourth array with the binding process.]

'That's great, but that means I will have to go array hunting.' Blake sighed helplessly. The problem was that he couldn't just inscribe any random array on any of his forgemastered items. He had to check the level of the array to make sure that it was one that he could handle and check the ones that were more suitable for his sword.

"Alright, that should be enough for today, time to get back to research…" Professor Mack said with glittering eyes.

'He sure does love his research…' Blake thought as he left through the warp gate professor Mack had prepared for him.

"Before I go hunting for a new array, let's test out the binding process…" Blake said in an excited tone.

[You sure do love forgemastering…] the system chuckled.

…

2 weeks later…

Their lessons had come to an end and all students of the first year were currently in the hall waiting for Principal Lovren to make his announcements.

It was time for the exams of the first semester and knowing how unpredictable the school could be when it came to taking tests, they had prepared for all situations.

Both the elite and normal classes performed different assignments, but when it came to exams they were taken together by both classes and that meant a higher probability that something bad could happen.

"Good day… You all are waiting for the announcement about your exams, but fear not because I bring good news." Principal Lovren smiled when he noticed how tensed the atmosphere was.

"The elite class had a rough exercise in which we lost some students, so the school has decided that your exams would be an easy one." Although his words were meant to comfort the students, it had the opposite effect on them.

"The school has decided that there wouldn't be any field exams. The exams would be a practical type and courses that are theory-based will be theory. As simple as that…" Principal Lovren said.

Hearing how simple it truly was the students finally calmed down, then he continued. "As for what the practical and theory exams will be that is dependent on your professor and not the school.

Now, we move over to grades. As you all know, your final points will be determined by how well you have performed from the start of the semester to the end of the exams. Your exams account for 50% of your final grade while your assignments and class activities account for the other 50%.

Your points from both of them will be added up and your overall positions will be determined by your score. Remember, as long as someone has the highest points they will be in the first position, the class you are in doesn't matter." The principal quickly left after giving his speech.

'So much for all the preparations and expectations.' Blake couldn't help but sigh.

He had been expecting another field exercise so that he could obtain a bountiful harvest of both gold coins and beast cores, but the school had to mess up his plans.

[You should be happy; at least you wouldn't have to stress yourself, besides Having practical and theoretical exams means they wouldn't last long. That means you will still be able to hunt for in short while and then you will have enough time to hunt for an entire day if you wish that is.] The system couldn't help but chuckle at all of Blake's wasted efforts.