Just like the other students, Rezen retrieved his flying stick and placed it between his legs
If this was in the past, it would be as easy as breathing for him to control his flying stick. However, because of the bracelet, things are completely different
Rezen tried to control his mana to fuel the flying stick but his mana was barely moving. He felt like he was trying to move a rock using the body of an infant. It's not like moving the rock was impossible but it takes a lot of time and effort to do so
Despite doing everything he can, Rezen was barely able to float using his flying stick. Sweat rolled down his forehead and he traveled less than a meter before he was forced to land on the ground because of insufficient fuel
His fellow students are also in the same situation. They find it too hard to use their flying sticks but the thing is, most of them are performing better than Rezen
If Rezen was only able to move with his flying stick for less than a meter, most of his classmates moved at the very least an entire meter and that's already on the low side
"The students that performed at the same level as me mostly came from poor families or tribesmen. I might normally be able to be at the same level or even defeat these rich Young Masters and Ladies but this class shows a flaw of mine"
"My current strength mostly relies on raw power thanks to the various resources I consumed. However, I lack the wisdom that all mages should have. I don't have as many Instructors and Magic Books as these rich people and the effects of that are now showing" Rezen judged
When he arrived at the Savage Beast Realm, he became part of a tribe. A tribe that doesn't even have paper much less a magic book
While Rezen was able to make up for what he was lacking with raw power, now that this scenario is mainly testing the wisdom of the students, his flaw was bare for everyone to see
He was one of the worst-performing students. Even the poor with no resources was better than him. At the very least, the poor lived their whole lives inside the City of Hope where there is more advanced knowledge about magic compared to the earth realm or the Waterside Tribe
"This wouldn't do. I can make up for my lack of wisdom later but I must not perform too badly here. If not, I would just have a harder time..." Rezen thought
As of right now, his classmates are mostly focused on themselves as they don't want to be the last ones to reach the next class and be given punishment. However, when they finally have time, they would see how much Rezen was lacking compared to them
The impression he gave on the entrance ceremony would be for nothing
"Wisdom... wisdom... I can't tackle this problem in the conventional way since I don't have the same level of wisdom as my classmates. How do I tackle this problem then?" Rezen thought as he looked down at his flying stick and several theories flashed in his mind
"Should I push myself and make up for what I lack with raw power? No, the bracelet would prevent that. Should I give my mana attributes such as wind? No, just using raw mana alone is already hard, I might tire myself before I can reach the next class if I do that. Should I focus on moving my flying stick as high as possible and while in the air, I would use my physical body to make sure that I'll move farther than normal? No, this is a test for wisdom regarding my knowledge of magic and not how clever I am..."
All the ideas that Rezen thought of were rejected by him as the pressure he is suffering from increased after seeing that his classmates are getting farther and farther away from him
It's not like he cannot move with his flying stick. The problem was that he was one of the slowest and he might really be the last one to reach the next class
"Think! Think! Think!" Rezen pushed his mind to think of a solution. He might not be the smartest but he already proved time and time again that he is quite clever. Aside from the really hopeless situations where his own abilities alone cannot save him, he was able to keep his life from the other dangerous situations
"Mana... wisdom... flying sticks... wait!"
Finally, Rezen thought of a viable solution that would still show his wisdom of magic
He immediately closes his eyes while holding his flying stick. He was sensing the flow of mana on his flying stick and he can sense the magic inscriptions on it
Mages cannot fly with just any ordinary stick. There is a need for an Alchemist, specifically the ones that could create magic inscriptions to transform an ordinary stick into a flying stick
Naturally, even though the magic inscriptions were usually visible, they are still there and present. Mages just have to sense the flow of mana before they can sense the magic inscriptions
The stick itself is just a supporting ingredient that supplements the magic inscriptions. It was these inscriptions that really gave the flying sticks the ability to fly as long as enough mana was supplied to it
Most mages including Rezen would just cover their flying sticks with their mana and make it fly. That wastes more mana but it was easier to do normally
However, now that the amount of mana that Rezen could use is limited because of the bracelet, what he does usually is uneconomical
He doesn't have free access to his mana or free control over them. He can barely push out a bit of mana from his physical body much less cover the entire flying stick
As such, Rezen decided to change his tactic. From covering the entire flying stick with his mana he opted to move his mana into the part of his body that he finds easier to move it into which was naturally his hand
Maybe because humans lived their life relying on doing most things by using their hands, they find the hands the easiest part of their body that could emit their mana
Rezen was no different and soon, his right hand was lightly glowing with a blue color and he injected his mana to where the main magic inscription was
He is directly supplying his mana to the magic inscriptions that made it possible for his flying stick to fly. And as soon as his mana made contact with the inscriptions, the mana would automatically move all over the flying stick even without Rezen's control
Once again, Rezen's flying stick floated and he moved in the air. His flying speed was still not as fast and stable as normal but he was able to move more than five meters at once
The Assistant Instructor watched Rezen with a nod. He had already seen that Rezen is lacking in the wisdom department but using how the flying stick works to his advantage still shows that he has a passable level of wisdom
The inscriptions on the flying sticks are still magic. A mage's wisdom does not only need to be focused on themselves, there are also many times when they will rely on external magic
What Rezen was doing is perfectly fine although the Instructor would still prefer it if he only relies on his own power and wisdom
Rezen is also aware of that but he must make it through the current situation first before he would make up for what he was lacking
After landing on the ground, Rezen controlled his mana again and injected it into the magic inscriptions. Once more, his flying stick floated and he moved several meters from his original location
His current capability cannot let him fly steadily without stopping but it's not like his other classmates could also do the same. His classmates are getting more used to the bracelet's restrictions and their speed also increases and Rezen is doing his best to catch up to them
"No! No! I can't give up now!"
Suddenly, Rezen heard a woman's voice and when he turned to look at the source, he saw a familiar place
It was the student that broke the crystal ball back at the admission test first excluding Rezen! She was the one that turned her mana into a rotating spiral weapon to poke holes in the magic crystal while the other examinees followed suit
Because of the aura and the way she portrayed herself, Rezen thinks that this woman is a tribal person. Hence, he has the desire to recruit her and make her his subordinate
He just didn't have the time and chance to enact his plan but it seems like he finally got the chance that he was waiting fo