"That was fun," Tom Nguyen smiled as they walked out of the True Math Society.
"Indeed," Zane nodded. Unlike the atmosphere in the Analytic Magic Club, the math society was surprisingly welcoming. First, they held a brief competition to assess all the participants' abilities. Tom Nguyen and four other students answered all the questions correctly and took first place. Zane missed four questions, but he was still ranked 7th. Afterward, there was a detailed introduction to the field of mathematics and its role in the magical world, and they concluded the activity with a short lecture on the transition from Earth Mathematics to Gremorian Mathematics.
"I think I'm going to choose Rune Mathematician as my profession," Tom Nguyen suddenly said.
"That's not a bad choice," Zane nodded. Just like Earth, math served as the backbone of the magic system. From deducing and optimizing spells to the calculation involved in magic engineering or the detailed portion of potion recipes, Rune Mathematicians are highly sought after.
In fact, Zane was slightly jealous. Unlike his future profession — Alchemy — training a Rune Mathematician requires little to no investment in resources. As long as someone is capable and can find a teacher, then they can get started. Of course, because of the low barrier to entry and high ceiling, the field is highly competitive. Low-level and unknown mathematicians will not be trusted. After all, if their calculations are wrong, not only will time and money be wasted, but accidents can also happen — accidents that could lead to a mage's death.
"You don't think I'm making a hasty decision?"
"It fits perfectly with what you were already doing on Earth — something you were good and passionate about — so no, I don't think it's a hasty decision," Zane shook his head.
"Good. I feel much better hearing this from you."
"You shouldn't care that much about what I think. Maybe you should run this idea by your family," Zane said. He knew Tom Nguyen was still rather young, so his family should still have a significant influence on his life.
"I don't have any family. My adopted parents died three years ago in a car accident."
Zane's body stopped for a brief moment before continuing walking. He patted Tom on the shoulder, "My condolences."
"It's fine. I've long since grieved them."
"That's good," Zane nodded before swiftly changing the topic. "I think I might need your help for the math society."
After signing up, he realized there would be a scheduling conflict between the Analytic Club and the True Mathematic Society. The former had activity on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, while the latter was on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Technically speaking, Zane could attend the analytic club and run to catch the last 45 minutes of the math society, but that would be pointless. So, after mulling it over, he decided to attend only on Thursday and have Tom Nguyen record the things he missed.
"What do you need?"
Zane explained his thought, and Tom was more than happy to help. He even asked him to share what he'll learn in the Analytical Magic Club, and Zane agreed. The two kept talking and walking, and without noticing it, they soon reached their next destination: the rune chess club. As soon as they entered, they realized the chess club was different from all the other clubs. There was no one to register or even show them around. The venue was full, but most people were divided into three connected rooms, each intensely focused on their work.
Zane and Tom looked around, wondering what to do; the entire situation felt slightly overwhelming. "Let's look around first," Zane suggested, and they walked to the area nearest to them. Each of the three sections had a main "table" with the largest crowd — all spectators and people waiting their turn — followed by a dozen other smaller tables.
Zane walked to a smaller game for a better view and observed. Two mages stare at a double-sided screen that reveals a set of sub-runes every 15 seconds, and their task is to complete it as swiftly as possible. The person with the fastest correct answer wins one point.
"This game seems to be primarily about memorization," Zane thought. After watching a few games and listening to people around him, Zane learned that this type of chess is called [Remembrance Rules] and that it's the least popular of the three, which explained why there were fewer people in this section.
Zane and Tom walked to the second-most-populated area and chose a game to observe. The setup was the same as in the first area, except that after the hologram showed a set of subrunes, the players did not complete it — no, this game is played with all the runes revealed. The player's task is to design a set of Mana Directives or Rune Framework that best suits the runes in the allocated period.
Zane and Tom Nguyen had an incredulous look on their faces. In some of the games, the players had as much as five minutes to design the Rune Framework, but in the most competitive ones, only 30 seconds. And from the conversation they overheard, this is not even the greatest difficulty. At elite-level competition, the allocated time is even lower.
"Does the magical world have so many geniuses?" Tom Nguyen asked.
"Probably, but I'm more inclined to believe they are using Mental Channeling to augment the computing abilities of their mind."
"That's still impressive."
"True," Zane nodded. Over the past few days, he had come to understand how rare and precious mental channeling was as a skill, even in its basic, rough form, he was currently using. Not to mention, it's impossible to play [Framework Rule Chess] without sufficient magic theory.
The two did not linger long before heading to the [Counter Rule] section to observe. The rules of the game seemed to be a combination of the previous two sections: the players are handed a complete spell, and they immediately draw their own version. However, after watching for a good minute, Zane was still confused about what determined the winner, so he approached a white mage with long brown hair.
"I'm sorry, could you please explain the rules to us?"
"Earthlings, right? I'm Leti."
"Zane."
"Tom."
"Have you heard of Counterspell?"
"It's the magic skill that cancels out a spell's effects, primarily used to destroy wards," Zane nodded.
"That's a simple way to describe it, but yes," Leti nodded. "Counter Rule is played by designing a counterspell diagram, and the fastest person wins."
"Counterspells require their own design?" Tom Nguyen asked.
"Counterspell is one of the biggest subfields of Analytic Magic, maybe even bigger. There are countless works and theories involved."
"Bigger than analytic magic? Are you talking nonsense?" a man in a brown robe next to Leti said.
"Am I wrong? In the magic world, everybody knows that a Counter-Analyst is an Analyst, but an Analyst is not a Counter-Analyst."
The man was immediately speechless. That was true. Without immense knowledge to dissect and analyze a spell, it's impossible to create a counter. So, in the world of magic academia, the counterspell field is considered the most noble. Unfortunately, their numbers are too small, which allows Analytic Mages to run things.
"I thought so," Leti snorted before continuing his discussion. Zane — who was immediately interested in counterspelling — began to ask questions. And the answers he received made him speechless. According to Leti, Counter Magic is the most elitist club. To join, he'll first need to become an [Analyst], learn the basics of counter-magic on his own, and then come to the chess club to display his ability. Finally, someone will contact him if he catches their eye.
"All this effort — is it really worth it?" Tom Nguyen asked.
"It is," Leti replied without hesitation. "Just by joining, it will mean your chances of becoming a Grand Mage will increase to 40%."
"No way, right?" Zane added.
"Yes, all members of their society are called Grand Mage Seed," Leti nodded.
Zane's eyes lit up, but he swiftly controlled his emotions. Even the first step was challenging enough, but what comes after is even more so. He wouldn't mind if he had a clear goal to achieve, but the selection process was too vague: he needed to show his chess skill and then catch someone's eye? What level of skills are required? Does he need to be a champion? And he didn't like how ambiguous and uncertain the part about catching someone's eyes was. So, he decided to manage his expectations. First, he'll focus on becoming an analytical mage.
"Do I have to join the Analytical Magic Association?" Tom Nguyen asked.
"Technically speaking, the only requirement is to show your skills in Counter Chess. So, as long as you can learn everything you need to, there isn't really a need."
"That's good to hear," Tom Nguyen nodded.
Leti opened his mouth to tell him that the chances of being selected were drastically lower without joining the association, but he stopped himself upon seeing Tom's excitement.
…
After watching a few matches, Zane and Tom Nguyen went to sign up. They felt relieved after learning that the club's schedules were on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday and that the times didn't conflict with their other activities. Then, the two separated to check out other places.
Many clubs or activities didn't require commitment; some just provided certain services. For example, Zane found a Tattoo Club. As soon as he saw the booth, the idea of removing the Lion Pride tattoo came to mind. After a quick back-and-forth with the person at the booth, he learned there was a special potion that could remove the tattoo, and it only cost 50 gold coins. Without hesitation, Zane signed up to access the club's website and set up an appointment for when he has the money.