Yure amended, "They are incomplete."
She gestured toward the large enchanted board at the front of the room. With a flick of her wrist, symbols appeared, ancient and complex.
Some students recognized them as pre-arcane inscriptions, but others had never seen them before.
"Most people understand magic as something tied to mana, as something that exists in direct relation to a magician's will." She tapped the board. "But what if I told you that magic exists even without mana?"
The room went silent.
"What do you mean?" Mei asked, brows furrowing.
Professor Yure clasped her hands behind her back. "In recent studies, there have been cases of anomalies—phenomena that should be considered magic but occur without any detectable mana usage.
Spells that activate on their own. Forces that exist outside the known magical framework."
She turned to the class. "Some scholars believe that magic may not be created by mana, but rather, mana is a tool that allows us to access an underlying force that already exists."
That explanation was enough to stir even Arlon's thoughts.
This theory wasn't in A Magician's Secret.
If true, it would mean that magic wasn't simply a skill developed through mana refinement—it was part of something bigger, something that could exist beyond the individual.
Professor Yure smirked, seeing that even the more confident students were now questioning what they thought they knew.
"Now then," she continued, "let's explore this further. Priests use a kind of magic similar to mages', but why don't they use each other's abilities?"
It was a valid question.
When Arlon thought of this in game terms, priests and mages both used the same mana bar, fueled by the same stat to increase it.
Yet, priest abilities were vastly different. Their spells resembled what one might call holy magic—though there were no known gods or divine beings that granted such power.
Of course, there was Karmel—a Trionian who had ascended beyond mortality, now closer to a god-like existence.
Arlon wasn't sure if godly was the right word to describe him, but Karmel was likely the closest thing to a deity in this world.
So if divine power was out of the question… then what was priestly magic?
Unable to hold back his curiosity, Arlon raised his hand.
"Professor, can I ask a question? I believe it may also answer yours."
Professor Yure turned to him, intrigued. "Go ahead."
It was the first time Arlon had spoken during a theory lesson since arriving at the academy. The room went quiet as students turned to look at him, surprised by this sudden shift.
He didn't hesitate.
"What kind of mana do priests use? I don't think it's the same as a mage's. If anything, it seems closer to a necromancer's mana. Meanwhile, archers and summoners use something more similar to mage mana.
So, in short—are there two kinds of mana?"
Professor Yure's lips curled into a slight smile. "Hmm… You are half correct. But let me ask you this—if that were the case, why don't summoners use mage spells?" She chuckled. "Ah, I suppose I shouldn't answer a question with another question."
The room filled with quiet anticipation.
"The correct part," she continued, "is that there is more than one kind of mana. But we are not yet certain whether there are only two—or if there are more."
A few murmurs spread through the classroom. Even those who usually found theory boring were listening closely.
Professor Yure then gestured toward the enchanted board, where two distinct symbols appeared—one representing traditional mage mana and another with a faintly different glow.
"First of all," she said, "archers and summoners do not use their magic vessels to cast their abilities."
Arlon leaned forward slightly.
This was something he already knew. When players first entered the game and chose their classes, mages were given magic vessels—their source of mana control.
However, other mana-based classes, such as archers, necromancers, priests, and summoners, did not receive magic vessels, even though they had mana bars.
On Trion, things worked differently. Everyone had a magic vessel. Unlike the players, Trionians could choose any class and even change it years later.
In theory, almost anyone could become a mage—simply because they were born with a magic vessel.
But if that were the case…
Then what was the real reason some classes didn't rely on their magic vessels?
More importantly, if magic vessels weren't necessary, why couldn't the players use priest abilities as warriors or archer abilities as summoners?
Since those classes didn't require magic vessels, they should have been able to.
Professor Yure allowed a pause, letting the students absorb the implications of what she had just revealed.
Then, she continued.
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"This is why we separate mana classification from mana usage. It is not just about who uses mana, but how they use it."
She gestured toward the board, where the two symbols representing different mana types remained.
"Let's break it down. Mage mana is directly controlled through the magic vessel, shaping spells with precision.
But for priests, summoners, necromancers, and even archers, mana flows through external mediums rather than their own vessels."
Mirek raised a hand. "So priests don't control mana the way mages do?"
"Not in the same way, no," Yure confirmed. "Priests channel mana, rather than directly shaping it. Their spells are influenced by something beyond just their magic vessel."
Arlon crossed his arms, thinking. "Then, does that mean priests and summoners have a more reactive form of magic rather than an active one?"
Professor Yure nodded. "Exactly. And this is where our research remains incomplete."
She turned back to the class.
"Are they drawing from a separate source of magic? Or is it simply a different way of using the same energy? That, my students, is the question scholars continue to debate."
The murmurs in the room grew louder as students exchanged thoughts with one another.
"Then," Mei asked, tapping her chin, "if we could find a way to bridge these forms of mana usage, would it be possible for a priest to cast mage spells?"
Yure smirked. "That is precisely the kind of thinking that pushes magic forward. And yet, no one has been able to do so without changing classes—at least, not yet."
She flicked her hand, making the symbols on the board vanish.
"Now, back to the original question—why don't priests and mages use each other's abilities?" She turned to the class. "Because their connection to mana itself is fundamentally different."
A moment of silence followed as the students processed her words.
Some seemed satisfied with the answer. Others, like Arlon, were left with more questions than before.
With that, the lesson continued.
For the first time since he came to the academy, Arlon felt like he was really challenged.
Of course, he learned a lot of things during the practical lessons. But, even they were easy to overcome.
So, even though the lesson was over now, Arlon was still thinking about it.
He didn't know if he would ever encounter Kalmer again, but if he did, he would ask him about these things.
Also, he wanted to chat with Yure sometimes. He couldn't tell her about Kelmar, but Arlon was sure that she could help him understand some things better.
With that thought, he and the other students headed to another classroom for their second theory lesson. For the players, this was the last theory lesson.