Chapter 49 - Advanced Formations 101

The next day, Daniel entered the lecture room reasonably early, finding that only a few students and an old professor had arrived before him. This was the class of advanced formations, where graduating students and even school assistants struggled to keep up.

Or at least that used to be the case…

Daniel surveyed the space. This won't be an easy change.

The room was fairly large, easily fitting a few hundred students. It smelled faintly of parchment and soot—likely from patterns being carved into paper over years of practice. By the blackboard, several pull-down scrolls hung above it, filled with intricate formations. Above those again, an alphabet list of simple runes.

The professor sitting in the front row stood up and headed for Daniel, looking both polite and skeptical. He had a neat black beard and hair, greying in certain spots, and looked to be in his fifties. His robes were well-maintained but worn at the edges—a man who took pride in his work but didn't waste money on vanity.

"I take it you are Professor Hansen, then?" He held a hand out to greet him.

Daniel grabbed it and shook firmly, feeling the calluses of someone who'd spent decades gripping chalk and carving tools. "I am indeed. You're the usual teacher here?"

“I am, and you can call me Professor Harringer.” His posture straightened slightly as he spoke his name. “Professor Quill said you were an expert from Velomaris, so I’m interested in hearing your lecture. It’s always good to cooperate when it comes to teaching the future generations.”

The professor seemed like a reasonable man. Hopefully, he wouldn’t take the lesson as an insult.

Though that might be asking too much—this is his life’s work, by all accounts.

“Indeed it is. I hope you will keep that in mind as the lecture starts, Professor.”

Students were starting to arrive now, finding their seats after a few glances at the two teachers. Daniel recognized two of them from Quill’s office: Princess Selia and Farley. They took more than a glance at him, both sitting near the front.

Professor Harringer furrowed his brows at Daniel's response. Something in the phrasing had caught his attention. "I will let you get ready, Professor. Do let me know if you need any help."

“Will do.”

More students found their places as the professor sat back down, and soon the room was close to full. Daniel recognized two more faces in the crowd—Lily and Zoltran—though the old elf had buried himself under a large hat and a scarf around his neck.

Does he only know that one form? I guess he can’t come as his real self.

Lily seemed surprised to see him, but also like she had a realization. Perhaps now she finally realized why Quill had considered him an honored guest.

The room soon turned quiet as Daniel looked out at the crowd, all of them sensing his attention.

“Welcome to class, everyone. My name is Daniel Hansen, and I will be taking over this class for the foreseeable future.”

He wrote his name on the blackboard as he spoke, then turned back to face the class. “Unfortunately, everything you’ve learned so far has fallen off the curriculum. There will be no memorization of complex formations going forward. Instead, you will learn how to understand and develop formations on your own.”

The reaction was immediate as gasps rippled through the crowd. A dozen hands shot up in the air like springs, Professor Harringer's among them. Daniel glanced at him, and he took it as permission to speak.

“Apologies, Professor Hansen, but learning how to develop formations has no real use in the real world. Why would we teach them understanding rather than giving them the tools they need?”

The classroom went completely silent. Even the students who'd been whispering stopped, sensing the challenge in the air.

“No real use?” Daniel asked, forcing himself not to scoff at the ridiculous claim. “The study of formations is infinite! Sure, you may teach battle formations to warrior mages, but this is the greatest academy in Javos! We are scholars, not copy stamps! Where else would the forefront of formation mastery be if not here?”

Professor Harringer's face had gone slightly pale. “...I understand your point, but formations are already completed. There’s nothing new to discover, counter to your claims.”

This time, Daniel really couldn’t help it. He scoffed. And instead of replying, he walked to the blackboard and pulled a random scroll down, revealing a detailed 4-tiered formation.

It was well designed, he had to admit. Better than most formations he had seen since waking up. Designed to automatically aim at targets by following the eyes of the caster, it created projectiles of condensed air and mana, shooting them at high speeds toward the targets. The runic structure was elegant in places, clumsy in others.

Daniel looked at it for three seconds before turning back to the class with sharp eyes. “There are at least ten flaws in this formation. The first student who finds one of them and makes an improvement will get the highest grade right away.”

Professor Harringer looked furious now, clenching his jaw as he looked at the formation. But he remained silent. As did the rest of the class.

The silence stretched. And stretched. Daniel let it, crossing his arms and waiting.

"No one?" He let disappointment color his voice. "Have you not learned this formation yet? Farley?"

Farley was startled at first, but then he stood from his seat. “We have, Professor Hansen. That is to say, we know how to create it, but we don’t understand the composition or how it functions.”

Several students nodded in agreement, looking relieved that someone had spoken up.

Daniel felt something sink in his chest. Disappointment mixed with something closer to grief. "Not even… Do you know the basics of formations? Mana pathways, rune combinations, circle compositions?"

"Well, yes." Farley shifted his weight from one foot to the other, clearly uncomfortable being the class's spokesman. "We wouldn't be here otherwise."

“Then perhaps not all hope is lost. Let’s start with just the targeting system.” Daniel raised his hand, and suddenly a replica of the first layer of the formation appeared in the air, made of gold light. It was easily ten feet across, spinning slowly around the center.

The class went wide-eyed at the performance, some even gasping audibly. A few students half-rose from their seats to get a better look. He heard someone whisper, "Is that gold light?"

"It's easier to understand now, right?" Daniel gestured at the floating display. “The quadratic formation should show each function clearly, with the eye-tracking up to the left, the coordinate transfer to the upper right, the target anticipation to the lower left, and the firing mechanism to the lower right. All combined through the central circle.”

The students stared at the formation with varying levels of confusion, but all seemed to be thinking about the individual functions now. Daniel watched their eyes track the different sections, saw some of them making connections. A few students had pulled out paper and were frantically sketching.

But most still looked lost.

"Still too advanced?" Daniel waved his hand, and the formation vanished, dissolving into motes of light before disappearing entirely. "Let's zoom in further."

Another formation appeared, this time of just the target anticipation circle, enlarged so that even the smallest rune was clearly visible. Then he created a large arrow as well, pointing to individual parts as he explained. 

“This is where the coordinates come in from the eye tracking, then this circle simply reads the movement speed and distance of said target and alters the trajectory of the projectile accordingly, making it far easier to hit a moving target.”

The confusion seemed to lessen now, and some even nodded in understanding. But one young princess raised her hand.

“Yes, Selia?”

She stood with the grace of royalty, shoulders back, chin raised just enough to project confidence without arrogance. "I understand the function, but how will we use this understanding? I still don't see your point in relation to Professor Harringer's method of teaching."

Daniel had expected this. The smart ones always asked the practical questions.

“If you’re fighting a wind elemental, and this is your only formation, do you lie down and die? Or if you’re fighting a soldier smart enough to alter his movement before you fire the shots, do you wait for his sword to reach you? If an entire knight formation walks toward you with shields raised, do you abandon your formation and run?”

"This is one of many formations at our disposal, Professor." Her tone was firm, not backing down from the challenge.

"Well, how many formations do you think I have at my disposal?"

Selia paused, her eyes narrowing as she calculated. The room had gone silent again as everyone waited for her answer. "...Fifty?"

"No, quite a bit higher."

Her eyebrows rose. "Two hundred."

"Still higher."

She sighed, seemingly tired of the game, and picked an impossibly high number—at least, it was impossible in her mind. 

"A thousand."

Daniel shook his head. "I have as many formations at my disposal as you have sentences. An infinite number."

Murmurs rippled through the classroom. Several students leaned toward their neighbors, whispering frantically.

"Does that really count?" Selia pressed, though Daniel could hear the uncertainty creeping into her voice. "I understand your point, but—"

"So far, you've all been learning how to recite poems, without knowing how to write. Do you see the issue?"

The princess went still. For a moment, Daniel saw the student beneath—someone genuinely grappling with a new idea. "...Yes. But not everyone can be a poet."

"No one can. Not unless we teach you students how to write."

The princess sat back down, somewhat reluctantly. Her hands smoothed her robes automatically, but her eyes remained fixed on Daniel, now intensely focused.

Daniel looked at the crowd of students, seeing more reluctance and disbelief than he had hoped. Some faces showed interest, but others looked skeptical, arms crossed, mouths set in hard lines. But of course, he already knew that changing their minds would be hard.

If it weren’t, things wouldn’t have stagnated for a thousand years.

"Instead of me just standing here and preaching to you," Daniel said, spreading his arms wide in invitation, "why don't you test me? Give me a scenario, and I'll give you a formation to solve it."

No hands came up at first. The silence stretched uncomfortably, broken only by the creak of chairs and nervous shuffling. But then Lily raised hers slowly.

“Yes, Lily?”

She stood from her seat, squaring her shoulders. Her voice was stronger than before, looking at him with the least unfriendly expression he had seen from her so far. "How would you create a beast trap with the intention to capture beasts unharmed for the sake of study?"

"Ah, a good question."

His mind activated in an instant, gathering functions and ideas from other formations, making sure they fit together, then taking every detail into account before finishing the formation. Five seconds later, a formation was created above his head again.

Several students gasped. Someone whispered, "That fast?"

"Since many beasts are sensitive to mana disturbances," Daniel explained, pointing at different sections of the formation as he spoke, "this formation is covered with a thin layer of mana-sealing barriers. As soon as a beast steps onto it, the formation activates, creating a circular barrier around it and sealing it in place without harm. 

“At the same time, it sends a signal that a registered index can receive, indicating whether the trap succeeded. You will have to provide bait yourself, though."

Lily stared at the formation eagerly. It wasn't just a random question, it seemed—she had a specific need in mind. "Can you make me a copy of that formation?"

“Nope, it’s gone forever.”

Daniel erased the formation with a wave. But at the same time, he sneakily sent a thread of mana toward Lily's desk. The formation imprinted itself perfectly onto her notebook.

I’m making a point here about not copying formations, so please keep quiet about this.

Lily noticed, and smiled at him as she sat back down.

“Anyone else?”

Another student put their arm up, asking for a solution to preventing landslides. Daniel had to think about that one for a while, but gave a solution that would tie nearby rocks together and send alarms whenever something moved.

Then a student asked him to create a simple formation to remove mosquitoes from an area, which Daniel solved by creating a very complex formation that automatically targeted small flying objects and sent a short beam of light to bring them down.

Then four more students asked in quick succession, each receiving satisfactory answers. The crowd started paying close attention to every suggestion, and they marveled each time a new formation appeared.

The skepticism was melting away. Even Professor Harringer had uncrossed his arms. His eyes had traced every formation that appeared, understanding them faster than any student.

“I think that’s enough for now,”Daniel announced, removing the final formation from the air above him. “But I hope I’ve demonstrated my point. And I’m sure Professor Harringer can confirm that each of the formations would work as I said.”

Daniel gestured toward the professor, reaching out a hand to let him join this new direction. An olive branch, of sorts. 

Harringer stood slowly, turning toward the class with deliberate movements. His expression was hard to read—pride warring with something that might have been grief.

"I believe every formation shown would work exactly as he stated," Harringer said. “Though I could only confirm parts of them. There is no doubt in my mind—Professor Hansen is an incredible genius.”

I will admit to that.

"However," the professor continued, and Daniel heard the weight in that single word, "this new direction will undoubtedly end up being a completely different class than the one you signed up for. Some of you might find this exciting and already think of your own innovations, but for the others, I will create a new class where we continue the same course as before. Otherwise, I fear many of you will fail."

The professor was not wrong, Daniel had to admit. He could see it in the faces of some students—the realization that what they thought would be memorization and practice had just become something far more demanding. The advanced formation class was much larger than it used to be in the past, precisely because only the advanced thinkers had made it so far.

Perhaps this is a good idea. Failing them because the class suddenly changes would be unfair, though I probably wouldn’t go that far.

"I think that is a good solution, Professor Harringer." Daniel nodded respectfully, acknowledging the man's professionalism. "I openly admit that this class will focus on cultivating the best students and pushing them to their full potential. If you're not one of those students, you may move over to his class at any time."

The professor seemed satisfied with that, nodding in response.

"But with that, I think we're done for the day." Daniel clapped his hands once. “I hope you all consider what direction you’d like to follow in the future, and that this demonstration has shown you what’s achievable.”

Everyone started moving from their seats, and the room filled with noise. Many students were already arguing about the formations they'd seen as they moved along toward the exit. Most of them seemed excited about this new direction, but some still looked nervous. 

One very young student wearing a big hat and scarf just smiled at him, nodding slowly as their eyes met across the room.

Seems the headmaster approves, at least.

"One more thing before you go." Daniel's voice cut through the chatter, and the room quieted again immediately. He pointed at the scroll still hanging above the blackboard. "I said there were ten flaws in this formation. The offer of top grades if you find one still stands, so I’ll be asking you all for theories next lesson. Just to show me you're thinking."

He smiled at the mixture of determination and panic on their faces. "See you in a few days."

Daniel also prepared to leave, gathering his thoughts and preparing to head out. But then Lily came up to him with an intense look on her face that made him pause.

“Did you pull that formation down on purpose? From the scroll?”

"Oh, no, just a random one." Daniel's stomach dropped even as he spoke. "Why?"

“Professor Harringer made that formation over twenty years ago. It’s his pride and joy.”

Oh. Shit.

Of course. Of course it was. The one formation he'd chosen at random to criticize in front of the entire class, and it had to be the professor's masterwork.

"That is not good…" Daniel ran a hand through his hair. "I'll have to apologize to him later. Ahh, just my luck."

Lily's expression softened lightly. "Sorry, I just wanted to make sure you knew." 

"No, it's good that I do. Thanks, Lily." He managed a rueful smile. "Did you enjoy the lesson?"

"Very much so! And thank you for the formation." The enthusiasm was back in her voice immediately. "I'll stick around for the next ones as well. But I have to go, see you later!"

Daniel waved, watching her as she walked out of the lecture room. And then he was alone, surrounded by scrolls and the faint scent of chalk dust and old parchment.

I have a few hours to kill before the weirdo class… Lunch?

His stomach agreed with a small rumble. He'd been so focused on preparing for the lecture that he'd skipped breakfast. But before he could decide on where to go, before he could even take a step toward the door, everything else in the world disappeared.

A pulse of mana, briefly reverberating through the city. Coming from the bottom of Grifantes Tower. Or more precisely, an old house near its base.

She’s back! Oh my god, she’s back!

Ch.48 --I-- Ch.50