Bond Master

Playing The Game (2)

The mages walking beside him didn't notice the strange spatial anomaly at all; they were far too occupied with loudly debating the various tactical strategies they had come up with to bypass his gauntlet defenses during tomorrow's morning practice.

"I’m telling you, if we increase our casting speed and synchronize our movements to fire the spells as double projectiles instead of a single, isolated ball, we can easily get at least one elemental hit through to the iron target," a fire mage argued aggressively, gesturing in the air with his fork to map out the trajectory.

"No, that's far too predictable," Aria countered, shaking her head as she slid into a long wooden booth and gestured for Ren to sit across from her. Her bright blonde hair caught the ambient light of the grand hall as she leaned back against the leather cushion. Her personal specialty was ice magic, and she had endured a thoroughly miserable morning trying to get her crystalline ice shards to land on the targets when Ren's kinetic arcs could so easily shatter solid structures off course.

"It would be much more effective if you launched the spells a few meters apart horizontally. If the projectiles arrive at slightly different speeds, it will completely disrupt his timing, making it almost impossible for him to calculate the exact moment the spells will cross his defensive perimeter."

Ren smiled, thoroughly enjoying the casual, lighthearted engagement as he dug into his own steaming plate of roasted grains and marinated meats. He looked around the vast, high-ceilinged dining hall, taking in the intricate tapestries and the unique, mana-radiating crystals embedded in the stone pillars. "This is an entirely different cafeteria than the one I've been using at the first-year student dormitories," Ren noted, looking toward the specialized kitchens. "Where exactly are we on the campus map?"

"Oh, this is the grand cafeteria located right in the center of the Mage District," Aria explained, propping her chin on her hand. "There is another identical facility located over in the western warrior training sector as well, specifically designed for students who find themselves too far from the main dormitory cafeteria during the brief lunch hour. The menus served at each of these district kitchens are completely different because they are highly specialized to support the specific development tracks of the different elite groups.

The warrior cafeteria focuses almost entirely on heavy, high-protein nutrition options, engineered specifically to build dense muscle fibers, reinforce bone structure, and expand physical skeletal mass. Our kitchen, however, provides meals that are incredibly rich in ambient Mana to help us steadily expand our internal casting pools. The general cafeteria back at the dorms is just a basic, standardized mix of everything, mostly utilized by the logistical and noncombat elites who spend their entire morning studying institutional theory in their rooms."

"That is fantastic to know," Ren replied, nodding appreciatively as he took a long, refreshing draft of a sweet fruit juice that seemed to hum with a faint, cooling energy. "Because of my unique Bond Master class, the proctors are forcing me to train everything across both tracks simultaneously. But today, after deflecting high-speed spells for hours on end, I definitely need all the extra Mana I can possibly get. I'm Ren Barrett, by the way."

"Aria," the tall blonde replied with a friendly nod, introducing herself clearly.

"Formerly known to the entire world as Tabitha Sterling," one of the ice mages at the end of the table teased him with a loud, mischievous laugh, quickly ducking his head as Aria threw a piece of bread straight at his face.

"But my name is officially Aria now. It’s printed right on my academy identification card," she countered, her tone turning momentarily annoyed as she glared down the table before looking back at Ren with a shrug.

"You don't actually have to use your legal birth name on the orientation registries, you see," one of the other first-year student mages informed Ren with a quiet giggle, leaning across the table to explain the custom. "Aria here absolutely hated her original name, so the moment she was sitting on the military transport train, she asked the proctors if she could officially alter her designation. The guard told her that the academy registry would legally recognize whatever name she wrote down on the final enrollment line. It's an old institutional loophole. Academy legend has it that some absolute prankster a few years ago signed his intake sheet as 'Tater Salad' as a dare, and the automated system processed it perfectly. The poor guy was forced to be addressed as Cadet Tater Salad by every single high-ranking professor for an entire calendar year before the central administration would finally allow him to file the paperwork to get his card changed."

Deep within the silent, iron-pillared confines of the Containment Vault, a profound wave of absolute contentment echoed along the thought link in Ren's mind. Grim had just finished tearing through the massive pile of raw monster meat, his ravenous hunger completely satisfied by the heavy cuts and the high-potency blood sauce that Sergeant Corvina had provided for his cultivation. The young Volden Shackle-Hound curled up contentedly beneath the protective shade of the ironwood tea trees, letting out a massive, telepathic burp that vibrated through Ren's consciousness before sinking into a deep, peaceful slumber to process the massive influx of energy.

Ren sat and joked with his new mage companions for nearly an hour, deeply appreciating the rare sense of comradery. For a child who had grown up surrounded by the soot, dirt, and harsh, unyielding hierarchy of the industrial smelting towns, sitting at a table with newly awakened elites who viewed him as a valuable peer was a surreal experience. The pleasant break eventually came to an end as the heavy, familiar tread of military boots clicked sharply against the polished floorboards of the cafeteria, signaling the immediate conclusion of his rest.

Sergeant Rita Corvina stepped up to the edge of the booth, her sharp features set in their usual serious expression, though her eyes held a flicker of satisfaction as she looked at the gathered students.

"We will see you all back at the subterranean firing lines tomorrow morning, seniors," Corvina informed the table, her commanding voice instantly quieting the casual chatter. She offered a crisp, professional nod to the casting block before tapping Ren on the shoulder. "But for the remainder of the afternoon, Ren here has actual physical combat training to complete. He might command a unique, ranged kinetic skill, but the academy administration has officially determined that his baseline classification remains firmly rooted within the warrior class."

The first-year student mages immediately grinned, making mock praying motions with their hands as they jokingly wished Ren the best of luck on surviving a grueling warrior conditioning routine and a multi-caster defensive practice session all within a single day. Renewed by the competitive exercise, they slowly gathered their notebooks and wands, their minds buzzing with new theories on how to manipulate their spell trajectories to evade his gauntlet defenses during tomorrow's morning block.

As Ren and Sergeant Corvina walked out across the wide stone ground toward the western fields, the instructor noticed his quiet, deeply pensive expression and let out a rare, genuine chuckle.

"Relax, Barrett, it won't be nearly as terrible as you imagine," Corvina said, her voice steady as she guided him toward a massive, open-air training square ringed by heavy wooden weapon racks and raised stone sparring rings. "We're heading directly to the first-year unarmed combat classes. This specific block focuses entirely on basic martial arts forms, and most of the new recruits assigned there possess very little actual martial skill. Thanks to the massive physical backflow brought on by your hound’s breakthrough to the Awakened tier, your baseline physique is already miles beyond most of the other newbies in that block. Your muscles have adapted to match his density, so you shouldn't have too many problems adjusting to the combat movements. Plus, I managed to scoop one more unique resource from the Mage District faculty supervisor before I left the central hall."

She reached into the deep pocket of her green military uniform and withdrew a small, beautifully polished crystalline orb that shimmered with a soft, captivating blue light.

"It's a memory drop," Corvina explained, gently placing the cool object into Ren's leather-clad hand. "A highly condensed focusing spell designed to temporarily clear the mind of distractions, making it incredibly easy to memorize complex text, structural data, and detailed layouts. It isn't a powerful combat magic by any means, but it is an incredible tool for accelerated studying. The academy proctors usually distribute them as high-tier rewards whenever a male student scores perfectly in their written exams. Use it well in your room tonight, Barrett; you're going to need it to memorize your beast-care manuals and research guides before our first formal evaluation."