"Unc, how about it? Mad that you just got smoked?" Devonte asked after they arrived before the Crimson Scale Yard's entrance.
"Unc? I'm only 7 years older than you," Zane replied, trying to catch his breath.
"You're pushing 30, so that means Unc status."
Zane waved his hand to shoo him away; he decided to ignore this brat, or he'll have an aneurysm. The two then took the elevator to the third floor before heading to the Elemental Zone and opening room 345. It was already late, so they assumed everybody would be in bed by now, but the sound of gunfire and explosions roared in their ears as soon as the door slid open.
"You guys are finally here. We were beginning to wonder if something had happened to you," Evans stated.
"We just left the training hall," Zane nodded, glancing at him and Tom Nguyen, who was practically trying hard to keep his eyes open.
"Is that Rambo 4?" Devonte asked, eyes glued to the screen. "I love that movie."
"I think so," Evans nodded. "Do you know this holographic television has every Earth movie ever made?"
"All of them?"
"Well, I can't say for sure, but the catalog is extensive. Not to mention, it also has all the songs I could think of," Evans explained.
"What about books?" Zane asked.
"No, just movie, animation, and songs," Evans responded.
"What a shame," Zane shook his head.
"I wonder how they did it? They probably didn't ask or pay for licenses. Do you think someone will try to sue the tower?"
"The tower? No, but the DT Corporation — someone might be bold enough to try," Zane responded.
"This would certainly be interesting," Evans smiled. If someone did sue the tower, whatever the result would have great ramifications. If the DT corporation pays or even follows the rules, its transcendent status will be challenged. If they ignore the lawsuit, then that's another blow to the power and autonomy of nations worldwide.
"It's pointless to think about this now," Zane stated before looking at the sleepy Tom Nguyen. "You guys should rest for the night."
"We were just waiting for you guys," Evans nodded before waking up the sleepy head and helping him into his room. Zane did not lounge around and headed to his room since Devonte insisted on finishing the film. Looking at his open bag and scattered clothes, Zane did not immediately hop into the shower, despite the pungent smell of sweat on his body. Instead, he opened both carry-ons, unpacked his clothes, put them in the closet, changed his bed-sheets, pillows, and covers, hung his towels, and put his hygiene products in the bathroom.
By the time he finished, Zane realized his phone battery was about to die and looked around for a plug. "Nothing? Don't tell me they didn't accommodate Earth's electrical applications." For a moment, Zane did not know what to do. No one had mentioned this during the orientation. After all, most people were too focused on the fantastical element of the school and forgot that, since it's magic, it may not be too friendly to technology.
"Do I really need to build my own charging device?" Zane thought, feeling annoyed as he continued searching the room. Luckily, his worries were in vain as he finally saw an outlet near his bed, in a hidden spot that was too close to the bed to notice.
"I feel someone purposely placed it in such a hard-to-find place," Zane complained. However, despite his mouth running, his actions did not stop; he plugged his charger into the outlet while sighing to himself. "It's already challenging not to have internet. It would be a nightmare not to use the phone at all."
After checking the charging icon, Zane gently threw the phone on the bed. Then, he grimaced. Now that he had nothing to do and his mind was at ease, his body odor once again assaulted him. So, without hesitation, he walked into the bathroom, removed his clothes, and put a shower cap on.
Zane passed by the white toilet bowl with a marvelous bidet system and headed for the shower. However, the bathroom was also large enough to contain a decent-sized white tub. For a brief moment, he considered whether to shower or take a relaxing bath. Zane swiftly shook his head as soon as this thought appeared. A truly relaxing bath requires a certain mood — a mood he was not currently in, so he chose the less time-intensive options.
With one motion, he hung the towel on the side before opening the glass door to the shower. His focus immediately shifted to the smart screen in front of him. Ever since the orientation, he has been waiting to try the two different shower modes. So, he first selected [Instant Clean]. A white light suddenly enveloped the entire shower room for a few seconds before dissipating.
"This is," Zane muttered with raised eyebrows. The smell of sweat was gone from his body; no, not just sweat — all odors on his body were gone. His skin felt as smooth and clean as a full-body Korean body scrub; his hair felt healthy and rejuvenated. Even his teeth felt as if he had just brushed them.
"How is this done?" Zane asked himself. He knew he didn't experience a full-body wash in a matter of seconds, so no time-related shenanigans did not occur. And it wouldn't make sense to use time magic on such a mundane task, so that explanation can be ruled out.
"Did it kill all the bacteria on my body?" Zane thought. "But that would require the spell not to kill beneficial bacteria in the body and to target only those that cause odors and other hygiene-related issues. What a brilliant spell."
In that moment, he had decided that the first thing he would check out in the library tomorrow morning is how this clean-up spell works and whether his guess was correct. Then, Zane focused on the [Shower Mode]. A small cloud formed above his head before it started to rain, and the interesting part was that he could still control the rain's intensity through the smart screen — just like a shower head.
"These mages truly know how to play," Zane sighed to himself before focusing on washing himself. A little over half an hour later, he walked out of the shower and exclaimed, "How refreshing." The Instant Clean method was interesting, but he saw it more as something to do when he is in a hurry and doesn't want to waste time. Otherwise, he preferred the experience of a regular shower.
Walking to the sink with a mirror, Zane brushed his teeth and applied a few products to his hair and skin before walking out and changing into the new pajamas he had bought. After lying on the bed for a few minutes to recollect everything he had experienced today, he read for an hour before falling asleep.
As always, Zane woke up around seven o'clock. After taking care of his hygiene, he headed toward the training ground for the first meditation session and the first spell training of the day. Devonte and Ahmed were the only ones up this early — or at the very least, the only ones who left their rooms — so they walked together.
Zane's training took a little over two hours, but even after he was done, Devonte and Ahmed were still training, so he returned to the dorm without them. After a shower, he rushed to the cafeteria for breakfast before heading to the library.
"So, it's a 0-ring Light Spell called Bathing Purification," Zane realized as he read a book called [Bathing Magical Art]. According to this book, there are a few spells with similar effects, but the most effective and popular are from Light and Life Magic, which are excellent at killing the right bacteria in the body without harming it.
Standing from his seat, Zane put the book down to search for something else. This morning, during his spell-aiming training, he had a thought: could he learn how to cook magic food? Acquiring the material part should be easy as long as he hunts them, and if he could cook it himself, Zane figured he would save a lot of money.
"Well, I was thinking too much," Zane smiled wryly as he closed the thick book on his desk. The flesh of a magic beast is inherently poisonous because a part of their souls, will, and resentment will fuse with their flesh after death. So, the first step of processing the food is to remove these resentments and make the meat edible. However, that step alone is not enough.
Once the magic beast flesh is safe for consumption, it doesn't mean it is considered magic food. On the contrary, after the initial processing, the meat that remained contained a small amount of mana that was slowly dissipating. It is the Magic Chef's job to preserve mana and use other ingredients to cook the food, ensuring it has effects like increasing mana or activating mental energy. Due to the complexity of the process, magic cooks are a highly valued profession, and cooking recipes are as valuable as potion formulas.
Shaking his head in disappointment, Zane checked on something else: the situation with Aunt Rykov. He wanted to know whether magic could cure late-stage cancer, and the answer put a smile on his face. Finally, Zane could focus on reading about mana; there was no shortcut to wealth in the magical world, and even if there were, it would not be his turn. As such, it was in his best interest to anchor himself and start from the basics.
Half an hour into his reading, Zane frowned. He realized the level of concentration he used yesterday was gone; the process of learning and amassing knowledge was no longer effortless and smooth. His brain usually operates at a fast pace, but it was nothing compared to yesterday.
"Is this because there is no magic food today?" Thinking how easy it was for him to sink his mind into a book yesterday and get lost, Zane was full of envy. Luckily, there was still a method to alleviate the situation.
Concentrating his mind, Zane first condensed his mental energy before channeling it into the life energy flowing through his prefrontal cortex, which regulates emotions and helps with focus. As expected, his already powerful mind and focus drastically improved. Although it wasn't as easy and effective as the magic food, it was better than nothing.
The rest of the day was uneventful. Zane spent most of it reading, finishing his dark web project, and training. Everything was mundane, with the only excitement being that Evans offered to buy everybody dinner, which granted Zane another boost of magical blessings.
And just like that, the weekend passed, and Monday arrived, which means it was the first day of class. Zane's morning did not change much: he still went for a morning run, meditated, and trained in the hall. However, afterward, he did not head to the library. Instead, he hurriedly ate breakfast before heading to his first class.