After finishing lunch, we headed to the Special Research Building where the afternoon elective classes were held.
"Oh."
"It's huge...."
Far removed from the academy's main building.
A massive cylindrical structure towered in isolation.
This was Stella's research building, the place where "Signature Magic Development" classes took place.
As soon as we entered, the first thing that caught the eye was the enormous magic crystal core located in the center of the building.
Encased in thick reinforced glass, it emitted a blue glow as it slowly rotated, looking just like a giant heart supplying mana to the entire structure.
"Hey there—."
And atop that magic crystal core sat a woman.
She lounged casually with one knee drawn up and her arm draped over it.
Her vivid crimson hair was tied up haphazardly, and she wore oil-stained goggles.
The form-fitting work clothes clung to her toned figure.
"Come on in, kiddos."
Spotting us, she pushed her goggles up onto her forehead with a swipe and greeted us with a grin.
'Sierra.'
She was the professor in charge of today's class.
With her straightforward and refreshing personality, along with her alluring looks and figure(...), she was a fan-favorite character among [Stella Academia] players.
Meeting her in person, it was immediately clear why players went wild over her—she was just that incredibly... incredible.
We responded with light greetings and joined the other students who had arrived early.
Shortly after class time began, the expressionless assistant standing by the core called roll.
"Up we go!"
Confirming all the cadets were gathered, Sierra hopped down from the core without hesitation.
Despite the considerable height, she landed lightly like a cat.
"Alright! Welcome, rookies! I'm Sierra, in charge of 'Signature Magic Development.'"
After a succinct introduction, Sierra scanned the students and asked point-blank,
"What do you think signature magic is?"
At her question, Artel raised her hand first. Sierra nodded for her to speak.
"It's a unique spell that maximizes one's mana attributes and talents, manifesting in the most efficient and powerful form."
A textbook-perfect answer.
"Heh, well, that's pretty much right."
Sierra chuckled amusedly.
"But listen up. Forget those stiff definitions. Instead, remember this: signature magic is...."
Professor Sierra pointed straight at the air with a snap and shouted,
"'Romance'…!"
The abrupt declaration left the students baffled.
"The proof of your very existence, drawn from the depths of your effort, talent, and soul…!"
"The answer you proudly offer when someone asks, 'What kind of mage are you?'"
"The thing that makes your heart pound and your hands tremble just thinking about it! That's what signature magic is!"
Kahaha!
As if the mere thought excited her, Sierra burst into hearty laughter.
"That's why no one can make signature magic for you. It's entirely up to you."
Then, her laughter cut off abruptly, and her expression turned deadly serious as she continued.
"I'm just here to help make sure that romance of yours doesn't go astray or get hurt."
Her pure passion seemed to touch them, as excitement and anticipation began to fill the students' eyes.
Satisfied, she jerked her thumb backward.
"Follow me, rookies. Time to show you the playground that'll bring your romance to life."
She led us around, introducing the research building's facilities.
"Alright! This is the archive!"
Creak.
The door opened to reveal towering bookshelves intertwined like a maze, reaching to the ceiling.
The scent of old parchment and dust tickled the nose.
"It's packed with rare magic theory books and records of signature magic left by past great geniuses! And—"
She clapped her hands, and glowing magic circles appeared in the air between the shelves, projecting holographic footage of spells.
"It's got illusion magic circles showing the signature magic of the continent's top—and strongest—mages, along with their principles! A place overflowing with romance! If you need inspiration, roll around here and something'll come to you!"
The next stop was a vast space filled with all sorts of experimental equipment.
"This is the magic lab! Don't fear failure! Blow it up, melt it, fry it, boil it! Try anything! I'll clean up any messes!"
And the final destination was the door at the top of the research building.
"This is the much-anticipated special magic training ground!"
She opened the door to reveal a pristine white space.
"The academy has training grounds, of course, but this one's specially designed for romance. It can create all sorts of environments based on the user's needs! Took some serious arm-twisting to get the budget from the headmaster! Kahahat!"
With a satisfied smile, she continued.
"Unfortunately, it's still small-scale, so only one at a time for now. Anyway!"
She scanned the group again.
"Tour's over—let's get started! Rookies whose romance is still sleeping inside, start by finding inspiration! Those overflowing with romance already, show me yours—I'll tweak 'em personally today!"
As Sierra finished, the assistant spoke calmly.
"Cadets with signature magic, raise your hands. You'll demonstrate and get feedback from the professor. Those without, head to the archive after watching the demos."
At that, hands went up here and there.
First up was Kaiser, as expected.
Artel followed calmly, then Taylor Lind, a top scorer from the entrance exam duel with Artel.
I raised my hand leisurely too, and for some reason, Yuria next to me fidgeted restlessly, her hand twitching.
So I whispered to her.
"Yuria, what's wrong?"
"W-Well, I do have something, but I'm not sure if it qualifies as signature magic... It's so plain and insignificant compared to Artel or Jeron's...."
I was a bit surprised.
Yuria already had signature magic.
In the game, she hadn't raised her hand, so I'd thought she didn't have one yet.
Turns out she was just too shy.
'Even growth-type geniuses are still geniuses, huh.'
I let out a wry chuckle.
The 'second lead' character from the magic department wouldn't arrive until next week.
Excluding her, Yuria had the most talent in the department.
And here she was fretting over something like this—it was endearingly trivial.
Her getting stronger was good for me anyway, so maybe I should boost her confidence a bit.
With that thought, I whispered,
"Yuria, have confidence. You're special."
"...!"
She flinched at my words.
"If Jeron says so, I'll believe it."
Gathering her courage, she raised her hand.
And so, five cadets including me had raised their hands.
"Nice, nice! Five already—this generation's overflowing with romance!"
Nodding approvingly, Sierra pointed at Taylor Lind.
"You, cute rookie! You get first shot at unleashing your romance!"
"That means demonstrate your signature magic. Enter the training ground."
"Y-Yes? Oh, yep!"
Taylor Lind entered the training ground, visibly tense.
Vmmm—
As he did, a monitor-like screen appeared by the door, showing what was happening inside.
"See that control panel nearby? Use it to create the perfect environment for your romance! You can summon beasts, combat puppets, change terrain—anything!"
After Sierra's explanation, Taylor pondered briefly before summoning a single stationary combat puppet.
With a deep breath, he cast his signature magic.
"[Tidal Beam]!"
Kwaaaa!!
A powerful jet of water struck the puppet dead-on, smashing it to pieces.
A clean success, all things considered.
"Good, good! Great power! But cute rookie, you could use more confidence! This isn't all your romance has!"
That was Sierra's feedback. Next up was Kaiser.
"I'll show you the power of Fireheart."
He stood in the training ground with an arrogant expression.
I was a little dumbfounded. Lately, he'd been avoiding my eyes and acting humble...
But the moment I wasn't looking, back to smug.
What a consistent guy.
Clank!
This time, a group of stationary combat puppets appeared.
Over ten of them.
"[Crimson Flame Arrows]!"
Kaiser unleashed his spell without hesitation, and its power was, as expected, immense.
Kwabam!
The puppets turned to ash in an instant.
"Wow...."
"Amazing, even seeing it again."
The cadets marveled, and Sierra nodded.
"Whoa, that's real romance! Top-notch destructive power and speed! But you've got some bad habits—a real pro could read you and counter hard!"
"Urk...!"
Kaiser shuddered, perhaps flashing back to our duel PTSD.
"Since the cadet's aware, keep refining it! Next!"
Next was Artel.
"..."
She summoned three combat puppets dressed as assassins. Not regular ones—these were incredibly agile models.
Leap! Leap!
The puppets darted around chaotically, harassing Artel. But in that moment.
"Hah!"
A few ice shards from Artel floated into the air. They blocked the enemies' paths while serving as her footholds.
Now the assassin puppets were the confused ones.
Pababak!
She kicked off her ice platforms, soaring up and neatly piercing the puppets with sharp icicles.
"Whoa...!"
"As expected of Artel!"
The cadets went wild, and Sierra applauded.
"Bravo! Brilliant creativity! Pure romance!"
'Nice application.'
I admired it. Her skill utilization felt a step above what I'd seen in our last duel.
'Almost late first-year level—no, second-year Artel?'
But why? I had no idea.
Probably some butterfly effect from me possessing the protagonist instead...
Whatever the case.
'Artel getting stronger is a good thing.'
Since it wasn't a negative change, I decided to think positively.
Now, only two remained: me and Yuria.
Sierra pointed at me this time.
"Alright! White-haired cadet, your turn! Show us your romance!"
'Here goes.'
As I headed for the training ground—
[Sudden quest occurred!]
[Not Even One Step]
Goal: Stand in place lazily and demonstrate your magic.
The more numerous and stronger the enemies, the greater the reward.
Reward: Scaled by performance
'Oh? Sudden gift from the heavens?'
Perfect timing on this quest.
No way I'm passing it up.
The method was a bit unique, though.
Had to stay put in one spot.
And make the enemies as tough as possible...
Just then, the perfect strategy flashed through my mind.
Plus, a chance to test that side technique too.