Next time he wanted to summon it again, he would first need to replenish its magic.
If he replenished its magic repeatedly over a short period, the durability of the Magic Spirit Card would drop rapidly.
It was just like using a battery over and over until its charge ran low.
However, Magic Spirit Cards could be repaired.
Some of the materials used to make a Magic Spirit Card could also be used to repair it.
That was why Magicians often kept a set of materials on hand for repairing their main Magic Spirit Cards.
"Petit Dart!"
With a flap of its wings, DemiDevimon fired a syringe shaped like a Shark Head!
Eevee deftly dodged, then used its signature move, "Mimic." A syringe of a slightly different color quickly took shape and shot back at DemiDevimon!
DemiDevimon shrieked and flew high to dodge, while Eevee quickly dissipated after using "Mimic."
Dark watched the little Eevee gradually coalesce on the face of the "Magic Beast: Eevee" card and began trying to replenish its magic.
According to the textbook,
replenishing magic wasn't difficult. He just had to control the speed and amount of magic he fed into the card. When the Magic Spirit Card began to glow, that meant its magic was full and overflowing.
Dark gathered magic at his fingertip, traced a small six-pointed star
replenishment array on the card, then pointed at the center of the array—Eevee's little belly—and fed it magic.
"Eevee-ee—"
The Eevee on the card suddenly squirmed, startling Dark.
Then he immediately realized that perhaps he could enter the realm of the "Mind Magician" by another route!
Two minutes later.
Dark had learned how to move the replenishment array while feeding magic into it.
The array moved with his finger, while the flow of magic remained uninterrupted.
Dark rubbed the little Eevee's belly with his finger. As he listened to its breathy "Eevee, Eevee," his smile gradually turned perverse.
[Bliss +1]
Tuesday.
That week's Dueling Class finally entered a new phase.
At seven in the morning, a notification suddenly appeared on every first-year student's Sorting Card across the four houses.
Dark pulled his vibrating Sorting Card from its Card Case and saw that the message was a notice about a change of classroom.
"I see. Is Dueling Class in the Duel Hall today?"
St. Marian had three Duel Halls: two indoors and one outdoors.
The indoor Duel Halls were usually used for classes and were split into A and B.
The outdoor Open-Air Duel Hall was used for dueling competitions. Aside from Traveler Street, it was one of the few places outsiders were allowed to enter.
From Friday afternoon to Sunday evening each week, countless spectators came from all over the kingdom to watch the dueling matches. They even formed a great many fan clubs!
Of course, the gambling industry had inevitably found its way in, too.
People often said that St. Marian itself was the biggest gambling boss around...
The first-years' Dueling Class would be held in Duel Hall B that day.
Dark arrived a little late. By then, quite a few students were already inside, looking around curiously.
Outside class hours, the indoor and outdoor Duel Halls were usually occupied by upperclassmen. It was the first time the new students had been able to look around the facilities so freely.
The first impression the Duel Hall gave was that it was tall!
The ceiling seemed to reach the clouds.
Only after that did you notice how big it was.
They said the dueling arenas inside were built using Field Cards as templates and could transform into different types of arenas as needed.
As eight o'clock approached, more and more students poured into the hall.
Noble House, Knight Academy, Magister House, Fool House.
The first-years from all four houses arrived one after another.
This was their first time attending the same class.
The first-years of Noble House usually had classes with those of Knight Academy.
The first-years of Magister House, meanwhile, usually had classes with those of Fool House.
So the two groups weren't very familiar with each other.
By the time Professor Power Jones arrived, the students from the four houses had divided into two clearly separate groups, with the two houses in each group standing far apart from each other as well.
"Since everyone seems full of energy, let's start with two laps around the hall."
Professor Jones was dressed like a gym teacher. He wore only a little top, and the hem below his chest was tied into a bow, tightly binding his body and showing off his rock-hard abs!
The Little Magisters were clearly experiencing the so-called "running laps" for the first time. Complaints filled the hall.
The first to take off was Robert, his eyes gleaming with Keen Eye!
Robert glanced at Victor and then suddenly darted out of the crowd.
It was incredibly abrupt, but at least it caught everyone's attention.
"Good! Broheim, five points!"
Robert couldn't help grinning with delight, his strides growing stronger!
The hall was huge, but Robert had undergone proper military training before entering school. He was in great shape and didn't even feel tired after two laps.
Victor, on the other hand, was dog-tired.
On the other side,
Dark finished the run at an unhurried pace. When he looked up, he saw Victor, Emma, Rose, and a whole crowd of Magister House students just starting their second lap.
Chapter 21
Come to think of it, m
Dark's aristocratic elite preschool education had included activities like horseback riding and archery.
As the Son of the Valkyrie, he had also received sword training, but he'd given up halfway through.
Most of the first-years at Noble House were much the same. Even if they slacked off during training and didn't put in much effort, they could still keep their fitness near the average.
But quite a few students at Magister House could sit and read all day without exercising. Their physical fitness was far worse than that of Noble House students.
And compared to Knight Academy, the gap was even greater!
Fool House was more or less in the middle.
It was easy to see who would fall behind and who wouldn't finish.
Emma, a bookworm who had somehow ended up in Knight Academy, was no fitter than Rose, who rarely left her room. She was already gasping for breath after half a lap, and by the end of the first lap, her face had gone pale.
Rose was no better.
Victor was doing relatively well. A month of meals in the Cafeteria had given his body plenty of nutrients, and his health was gradually recovering.
Even though he felt like his bones had come apart after finishing, he had made it through!
Once Robert helped him catch his breath, they both turned to look at Emma.
Victor's expression was hard to read.
Robert was simply gloating!
If he hadn't been worried about losing points, he might already have mocked her and kicked her while she was down!
"Metis, minus five points. Floty, minus five points. Swati, minus five points..."
Professor Jones mercilessly docked points from the new students who hadn't finished the run!
"Looks like none of you followed my advice last week to go for a morning run."
"I've seen plenty of students like you from Magister House! You think being just a little smarter gives you an edge in Magic Guidance duels. But you don't realize that Magic Guidance duels also demand physical fitness from the Magician. Countless duelists throughout history have collapsed on the Duelist Platform from exhaustion! Maybe you'd like to make the front page of the newspaper that way?"
For the first time, Professor Jones showed his stern side, while Emma, Rose, and the others became a miserable backdrop.
"Five minutes to recover!"
As soon as Professor Jones's expression softened, little Diana darted over to Rose. She swept her up in a princess carry, ignoring Rose's struggles, and carried her to a bench beside the hall to rest.
The other students had at least a few friends.
In the end, only little Emma was left sitting alone on the ground, drenched in sweat and pale-faced.
Victor couldn't bear to watch. "Robert, why don't we go help her?"
Robert merely laughed. "Help her? Why should we? Victor, we're not friends with her!"
Victor said, "True."
This was a turning point.
Five minutes later.
The students regrouped.
They formed four blocks, one for each house.
Professor Jones finally introduced the day's topic. "We've covered most of the basic theory of dueling. Today's class will focus on a practical simulation of Magic Guidance duels. First-years usually aren't allowed to join the Duel Club or take part in the dueling competitions organized by the academy. But we have our own competition format: the Elite Mode created by Mind Mage Red. Can anyone explain what the Elite Mode is?"
In the Knight Academy group, Robert immediately perked up and whispered, "Victor, here's your chance to earn points!"
Victor looked crestfallen. "But I don't know."
Emma shakily raised her hand.
Dark had already outgrown such childish pursuits.
Professor Jones's gaze passed over Emma, but he chose a girl from Magister House instead. "Swati, you tell us."
"Yes, Professor."
The girl named Sara Swati had healthy, wheat-colored skin, a high nose, and somewhat full lips.
She was eager to earn back the points she'd just lost, so she said, "The Elite Mode is a dueling format centered entirely around Magic Spirit Cards. Duelists are only allowed to use Magic Spirit Cards and some Support Magic Cards. Most other Magitech Cards are banned. Each duelist can summon only one Magic Spirit per round. Depending on the rules set before the match, the format can be one-on-one, two-on-two, three-on-three, or six-on-six."
"That's enough. Five points for Swati."
Sara wanted to continue at length, but Professor Jones cut her off. "The Elite Mode mainly tests the quality of your Magic Spirit Cards. You can duel with just one Magic Spirit Card. It's a suitable format for first-years like us. Those who have successfully made a Magic Spirit Card, step forward."
One after another, students stepped out of the lines.
Noble House had Dark, Diana, and three others.
Knight Academy had Emma, Victor, and two others.
Magister House had Sara and six others.
Fool House had only one.
Seventeen students stepped forward in all. Aside from Diana and Victor, they were all among the top students in their year.
"Only seventeen?"
Professor Jones looked visibly astonished. "You're the worst class I've ever taught!"
Before you continue