Chapter-01 · EP-009

Episode 9: First Skill Practice

First up was Sendo's Presence Detection. The other students watched the interaction between the teacher and Sendo.

Sendo closed his eyes and concentrated on his skill. Occasionally, he raised his palm forward, attempting to detect presences.

"How is it, Sendo?"

"Yes. Somehow, I feel like I can sense the presence of people in front of me."

"Only in front? What about the sides or behind?"

"I tried to sense around me, but compared to the front, I can't really tell."

"I see. Maybe your skill is the type that excels at forward detection. Let's leave it at that for today. Keep practicing your skill steadily to improve your detection accuracy. And be careful not to rely solely on your skill; there are apparently skills like Stealth that can conceal presence."

"Yes."

Sendo replied energetically, and Murasakimura spoke to him.

"You're amazing as always."

"What are you saying, Kyoya? When we form a party, I'll use this skill for your benefit."

"Yeah, thanks."

There they go again with their friendship act. It wasn't amusing at all. But some of the girls in the class seemed to like it.

"Alright, next, Hayasaka, please try using your Healing Magic."

"Yes!"

Called by the teacher, Hayasaka stepped forward.

"That said, what exactly should I do?"

"Well, is there anyone here who's injured? Even a small scratch would do."

"Ah, I have a painful hangnail!"

Amidst the laughter of his classmates, a male student stepped forward in front of Hayasaka.

"Alright, Hayasaka, cast Heal on his hand. Using Healing Magic or offensive magic consecutively can deplete your internal magical energy and cause physical discomfort. Be careful not to use them repeatedly until you get used to magic and understand how many times you can cast it in a row."

"Yes!"

After the teacher's explanation, the male student held out his hand with the hangnail, and Hayasaka placed her hand over it.

She concentrated and chanted the spell.

"Heal!"

Then, something sparkly rained down from Hayasaka's palm onto the male student's hand.

"Ohhh!"

Cheers rose from the classmates watching.

"Being able to do it immediately is impressive. It seems those with skills have an innate sense of how to use them, but it's still rare to succeed on the first try. Keep using your Healing Magic like that."

"Yes!"

Hayasaka replied cheerfully.

"Next is Samejima's turn."

"Yes…"

Because Hayasaka had done it so easily, Shizuka Samejima stepped forward with a nervous look.

"Do your best, Samejima-san!"

Hayasaka cheered her on as they passed, but Samejima glared back at her resentfully.

"Now, is there anyone else who's been injured recently? Level 1 skills can't heal old wounds, you know."

But there was no one with any injuries, and no one volunteered.

Just then, the boy whose hangnail had just been healed raised his hand again.

"Ah, I have a hangnail on my left hand too."

This brought another wave of laughter from the classmates.

"Then, Shiraishi, could you come out again?"

I think his name was Yusuke Shiraishi. There were still many classmates whose names I hadn't memorized.

It was hard to remember names without distinct personalities.

I'd make a mental note: Shiraishi was a funny guy.

"Samejima-san, nice to meet you."

"Uh, yeah…"

Shiraishi held out his left hand, and Samejima placed her hand over it, just as Hayasaka had done.

"H-heal!"

But unlike Hayasaka's attempt, no light emanated from Samejima's hand.

"Don't rush, Samejima. It's not uncommon to struggle until you get the hang of it."

"Yes."

After several more tries, particles of light finally fluttered down from Samejima's palm.

"I did it!"

Samejima's expression showed joy and a sense of accomplishment.

But Shiraishi, who had received the Heal, was looking at his own hand with a puzzled expression.

"What's wrong, Shiraishi?"

"Well, I felt like my right hand, the one Hayasaka-san healed earlier, got smoother."

Hearing this, Samejima looked displeased, perhaps because it implied her Healing Magic was less effective.

The teacher explained at Shiraishi's comment.

"Even the same skill can have different effects depending on the person. One important thing to note is that if you cast Heal on someone who's had cosmetic surgery, it might revert them to their pre-surgery state. This also applies when using potions; they have the property of trying to return a person to their original form, so be careful who you use them on."

This was a famous story. It was said that wealthy people in the celebrity world, even without injuries, received Healing Magic for cosmetic purposes to get flawless skin. There was even a story about a celebrity who had undergone facial reconstruction surgery, and the effect of the Healing Magic was so strong it reverted their face to how it looked before the surgery.

"Alright, next, let's confirm an offensive magic skill. Saegusa."

"Yes."

Saegusa Yukari stepped forward as Samejima stepped back. Saegusa possessed Earth Magic, but she had difficulty using it. After many failures, with guidance from the teacher, she finally managed to float a small clump of stone in the air and shoot it forward.

If that was it, throwing a stone by hand would be better.

"Offensive magic is convenient because you can attack distant monsters while holding your weapon. Keep practicing steadily, Saegusa."

"Finally, it's Momota's turn."

"Huh? Finally? What about Murasakimura?"

I unintentionally spoke out loud.

"Murasakimura's skill is unique, so he confirmed it with the teachers before enrollment. It seems to be a skill that's quite difficult to use effectively. What do you want to do, Murasakimura? Want to show it in front of everyone now?"

"No, that's fine. I probably won't rely on my skill when fighting."

"I see. Well then, Momota is the last."

"Y-yes!"

Now, Maika Momota stepped forward, replacing Saegusa. She was the one who wanted to become an explorer to lose weight.

When Momota stepped forward and drew everyone's attention, she fidgeted shyly.

"Momota, you possess Water Magic, correct? Even though it's Water Magic, it's a legitimate offensive magic. If a mass of water has enough speed, it has sufficient killing power. Until you get used to it, try releasing a small mass and shooting it forward, like Saegusa did."

"Yes."

Momota raised both hands high, visualizing the activation of her magic.

"Water Ball!"

As Momota spoke, all the classmates cried out in surprise.

Floating above Momota's head was not the small water sphere everyone had imagined, but a large, undulating mass of water, the amount that would fill a bathtub.

"Huh?"

It wasn't just the classmates who were surprised; Momota was too.

In that instant, Momota's concentration broke, and the water came crashing down onto her.

With a loud splash, the water hit the ground and splattered everywhere.

Momota screamed and was drenched from head to toe. Not only her, but the classmates watching from the front were also heavily splashed, and cries from the soaked students echoed around.

"Are you messing with us?!"

The angriest was Samejima. I was in the back, so I didn't get wet, but Samejima, who had been watching from the front, was completely soaked.

"I-I'm so sorry!"

Momota, who looked the most apologetic, was also the wettest, water dripping from her hair.

"Everyone, calm down! We'll end today's class here. There's a changing room by the lobby. Use the shower room in the back to wash up. Students who didn't get wet, go and get changes of clothes for those who did."

As the teacher issued instructions, Momota, who had caused this situation, started crying. Hayasaka noticed immediately and went over to speak to her, offering encouragement.