The second layer—now glowing green—lit up around the core. It shimmered with intricate lines and angular symbols.

"The Runic Matrix. This is your first wall. The most average people will ever reach. It is the structural layer—the circuit board of your rune. It determines how mana flows, how efficiently you can cast, how stable your element becomes, and how well you resist its backlash."

He raised a brow. "To form this… you must learn the Runic Language."

However, despite hearing his words, not a single student wavered. They had all come to this prestigious academy not to shame their name but to leave it in the annals of history as one of the greatest beings this kingdom had nurtured.

A quiet wave of groans rippled through the room. The very mention of "language" made several students slump in their seats. A few already had their heads in their hands.

Hargan nodded his head, his eyes filling with a satisfied light. "Learning the Runic Language is not only useful for forming your Affinity Runes, but it will stay with you for your whole life. All spells need this Runic Language to be engraved in your Sea of Consciousness."

'Damn right. It's not like shitty math.' Orion finally felt good about failing in maths—since that subject never really came into use in his adult life.

[Hehe, were you looking for an excuse for that all this time? (≖‿≖)✧]

Ignoring Lumi, he continued to inwardly mutter, 'So I need to learn the Runic Language first. And this is also the reason why most commoners can never form their Affinity Runes. They have no proper way of learning the Runic Language and they just keep stacking unstable circuits.'

[Exactly! This is the plight of the poor. But if the kingdom distributed this knowledge freely, there would be a lot more chaos.]

'I guess that's true.'

[And this is also the reason why they teach it in specific places and try to control it as much as possible.]

'Then I'll master that language. Let's see how long it will take me.'

The third and final layer—the outermost ring—lit up with golden light.

"This," Hargan said, his voice calm and slow to let the students better absorb his teachings, "is the Sigil Veil. This fuses your glyph and matrix into a single functional rune. Without this, spell casting is impossible. You cannot channel mana outward. You cannot engrave spells. You cannot evolve further."

He looked around the room. "Most of you will take weeks to a month to even learn the Runic Language. And even longer to form an Affinity Rune. And yet… all of you will try. As you should."

He pointed his staff toward the ceiling, and the rings spun, merging briefly into a dazzling full rune—complete and harmonious.

"This," he said softly, "is your first step toward becoming an Elementalist."

Then, he let the illusion fade, and the classroom plunged into thoughtful silence.

"Tomorrow, you begin your study of the Runic Language. If you wish to carve your rune, learn the language first. That will be all." Saying this, he turned to leave.

All the students heaved a sigh seeing him leave. However, his footsteps paused as he turned around, his face forming a subtle yet clearly amused smile.

"Oh, I forgot to mention. Those who can't form their Affinity Rune within a month will be expelled. This is the first test. You will get the second test when this ends."

The silence that followed Hargan's parting words was the kind that comes only after a thunderclap—raw, stunned, and deafening.

Then came the chaos.

"What the fuck did he just say?!"

"He said expelled—EXPELLED!"

"We have to learn a whole language AND form THE Affinity Rune in just a month?! Is he mad?!"

The entire coliseum-like hall erupted. Students leapt from their seats, panic flashing across many of their faces—especially those seated toward the back rows.

Mostly commoners and lower-ranked nobles. Their expressions ranged from confusion to rising dread.

Orion sat still, chin resting on his palm as he watched the storm unfold with a mild expression.

'Heh. I expected a difficult beginner test… but this is straight-up a death sentence for most students here.'

[Hehe~ That's the fun of elite academies! No safety nets. Just "climb or die trying." (≖ᴗ≖✿)]

Arya stretched leisurely beside him, as if she were watching a play, and looked over with a smirk. "So, Mr. Topper, you think you can do it?"

Orion raised an eyebrow, amused. "What, the whole 'learn the most ancient magical language in the world and forge a soul-bound spell circuit within a month' thing? Yeah, sounds doable."

Arya leaned in, resting her elbow on her desk with a teasing smile. "Oh? Confident, are we? You're not worried at all?"

"I'd be worried if I were relying on someone else to teach me everything," he replied smoothly. "But thankfully, I have a good brain in my head."

[Hehe~ Flattery gets you nowhere, Master. I'm charging you two compliments per translation from now on. ♡(｡- ω -)]

'I meant my massive Sea of Consciousness, not you. How are you even helpful in this?' he snickered inwardly and said.

[(ಥ﹏ಥ)]

Arya giggled. "I'm sure you can do it. Otherwise, all the students here will be doomed."

Emilia, seated on the other side, slightly nodded her head in agreement with Arya. Her calm, icy expression hadn't changed in the entire lecture.

Meanwhile, across the room, the disparity between the elite and the rest was painfully obvious.

Most of the top nobles, especially those from Marquess and Duke Houses, remained utterly calm. Some even looked bored.

Many of them had already formed their runes under private tutors before arriving. This announcement changed nothing for them.

A few leaned back smugly in their chairs, watching the panic with disinterested eyes.

"Figures," a student near the middle rows muttered bitterly. "They're already ahead before the race even began."

"But this isn't fair! How are we supposed to learn an entire language on our own in thirty days?!"

"We don't even know what the letters look like!"

"Is this how Thunderpeak Royal Academy weeds out the 'untouchables' in one go?!"

Orion shook his head slightly. 'No. It's not just weeding them out… it's a forging trial. The academy wants battle-ready mages, not sheltered geniuses.'

[Exactly! Pressure makes diamonds, Master! Though, honestly, some of these kids are going to become gravel. (｡>∀<｡)]

He resisted the urge to laugh.

Arya leaned closer again and whispered playfully, "But seriously, think you'll manage it? Not even a tiny bit of panic?"

Orion shrugged. "I've already messed up one attempt and got nearly fried trying to brute-force an Affinity Rune. This time I know what I'm doing. So no, not panicking."

Arya blinked. "Wait. You already tried?"

"Yup."

"And lived?"

"Barely."

She gave him a deadpan look. "You really are crazy."

[Confirmed! Our dear Master is clinically insane, reckless, overconfident, and completely lovable~ ♡(ˆ⌣ˆc)]

'Don't make me find a seller for you, Lumi.'

[You can't~ I'm permanently yours now. Remember? ٩(＾◡＾)۶]

Despite the chatter and rising tension across the hall, Orion remained calm, already thinking about what to do once he returned to the mansion, as he would need to wait another day to learn the Runic Language.

He glanced to the side. Nyss sat beside him, still perfectly still, her gaze unbothered by the chaos.