Chapter 109: Festival Preparations [4]

Two days had passed and it was currently Thursday.

Everyday was the same.

Lectures in the morning. Committee meeting before Lunch. Class festival preparations in the afternoon. And another committee meeting before they head home.

Brandon's schedule was completely packed.

He had barely gotten any wink of sleep the past few days.

The moment he arrived home, he had to handle several paperwork. Such as sourcing materials, and phone calls with suppliers.

Such were his tasks as the elected class leader.

Massaging his glabella, Brandon leaned on the desk and stared at the podium.

A burly man with dark green hair stood poised. All eyes fell on him as he continued his lecture.

He was a Professor that was recently assigned to Class A to tackle a new subject for the midterms.

Magic Circles.

The Professor carried on.

A Magic Circle was a way to embed magic towards a specific spot. It could be an inanimate or animate object.

What made it different from regular spellcasting was that all it needed was mana to supply it.

Once a specific mana count was appropriately filled, the magic embedded would then materialize. It would be more stable and precise compared to regular spellcasting.

Adding to that, the more mana it's filled with, the stronger its potential output would be.

Mages could even collaborate to hasten the process, even increasing its potential output to the maximum.

Those were more or less, the words of the Professor.

But for some reason, Brandon was hearing the words a bit muffled.

Squinting his eyes, he pinched his glabella.

The lecture was important. He had to listen.

Of course, he could just read a book with that cheat skill of his. But he refrained from doing so.

The topic was interesting. And there were things that were explained much better than the information in books.

Such as the way a magic circle was made and how many uses it had.

There were certain layers to it. A specific design would be needed for each affinity.

It could be written anywhere. But most mages prefer using parchment papers. It could easily be pocketed for emergency use.

The lecture continued and spanned for a total of two hours.

"Don't forget to review the syllabus. We'll be exploring magic circle creation tomorrow."

They were dismissed shortly after those words.

As the Professor's figure gradually blurred, he was immediately halted by a hand that reached out for him.

"Professor, wait. I have a question regarding magic circles."

Turning around, what met his sight was a student with pale-white hair, and ice-blue eyes.

There seemed to be slight dark circles in his eyes, but the professor ignored it and replied.

"Let's talk in my office, Brandon."

*

Entering the Professor's office, Brandon couldn't describe its current state.

There were books strewn on the ground. Magic circles embedded on parchment paper etched itself on the wall.

The room was quite cramp and dusty. This was especially so when Brandon found himself covering his nose.

Looking around for a brief moment, he then looked at the Professor.

His name was Thomas Reed. A scholar that specializes in magic circle research.

A respected figure in the academy with multiple award winning theses under his name.

With his connections to the Student Council President, as well as his status in the Academy, Brandon was given the privilege to use a private room for himself.

The festival would be held in less than thirty days. He hadn't had the time for himself to practice like this.

In the far corner of the dimly lit room, the silhouette of a piano registered in his sight.

It was his piano.

Due to his proposal, one of the festival's events would include a talent show.

It was still in it's preparation phase. But the students warmly accepted the idea as they submitted their applications.

Brandon was one participant of the talent show.

Walking towards the piano, his fingers traced its ivory surface.

Sitting back down, he fixed his blazer for the edge to hang loosely.

Num~

And he tapped the first key.

Just like that, he started playing a musical piece.

He had no audience. Just himself, immersed in his playing.

He had only been playing for a month, but he did not neglect polishing his skills.

Added to the fact that he had a skill to assist him, his piano skills were top notch.

Hum~

He continued immersing himself in his playing.

The only sound that filled the room was the elegant melody of a piano.

As soon as he finished the first movement, he would immediately transition to the next.

This persisted until he finished the piece.

Num~

And he tapped the last key.

Just like that, he had performed the same performance he would do during the festival.

A third party would say his skills were good.

But not for Brandon.

"Again."

He didn't mind making small mistakes.

But when it came to the piano, he was strict with himself.

"There's still room to improve."

Not just the piano, but in his current strength.

His fingers danced mesmerizingly around the keys. And the strings that extended from his finger continued to play the harmonious tune of the grand piano.

Yes, that's right.

The melodic strings of the grand piano were replaced with his cursed threads.

It was not just the piano he was practicing, but in his curse manipulation.

"Again."

And this persisted for the next hour.

Before he even realized it, the system had updated itself.

—---------------------------

Cursed Flames: 16%

—---------------------------

"Again."