"The Flow State method I developed — it's mine, right? I can do whatever I want with it, right?" Zane asked.
"That's right," Professor Burbank nodded. "Anything you create from what you've learned in school belongs to you — unless the tower or someone else hired you to develop it."
"That's good to hear," Zane nodded, with a smile on the corner of his mouth.
"However, I wouldn't recommend you sell it."
"Why not?"
"First, it's incomplete. And in its current state, you might be able to barely use it, but for others, it might be a death sentence."
Zane nodded. He understood how dangerous mental channeling was, which is why he refused to teach Keesha or any of his roommates.
"Secondly, mental channeling is currently your one advantage over others, and it will take a while before most others catch up; time you can use to perfect the [Flow State]. So, I suggest you wait for a while — maybe even until you've mastered another advanced mental channeling skill before thinking of selling your creation to others."
"I understand where you're coming from, but won't it be too late then? Won't other people already buy the information from the tower?"
"Highly unlikely." The professor shook his head. "Unless their talent is skewed to that area, even S-Class magic talents found it challenging to learn — let alone master — mental channeling. So, for a while, you can expect people to make rapid advancement in their mana control, but it will not be the same for mental channeling.
"By the time enough talented individuals reach the stage of mastering mental networks, you should be leagues above most of them. By then, you can sell your method and conquer the market."
"What about my competitors? There is no way I won't have any."
"You will, mostly shamans. Their magical talent skews toward the soul and mental energy, so many individuals should have the talent to master mental channeling. However, the chances of these individuals having the innovative capability to create their own mental network skills are slim."
Zane thought for a moment. "Sir, wouldn't it be better for me to freely publish my findings and encourage others to innovate based on it? That way, I can learn from them and maybe be inspired, creating a cycle of innovation?"
Professor Burbank paused; a glint flashed in his eyes. "I was under the impression you wanted to fight for the five positions? If you plan to stay and fight for Earth, then I recommend you use your approach."
"…Yes, I am indeed competing for one of the spots," Zane sighed. "Well, thank you for the advice."
The two walked for a few more minutes before Zane walked out. Tom Nguyen was waiting for him alone, which caught his attention.
"Where is Evans?"
"James approached him, and they went to talk. He did come back and told me not to wait for him," Tom Nguyen replied.
Zane nodded; these two have been acting weird lately.
"By the way, what's in the bag?"
"New reading material from the professor," Zane casually replied.
"Oh," Tom Nguyen sighed, not hiding his envy. He had asked Professor Burbank about the sponsor, and the professor told him directly that he wouldn't sponsor anyone else for a while after Zane. As of now, Tom's options were limited to Instructor Seiya, Ms. Luna, and a few lecturers in the True Math Society.
Zane glanced at him, but did not comment. There were things he could freely share with his roommate — such as the analytic club lectures and notes — and there were things he couldn't share, such as the resources acquired from the sponsorship. So, as much as he understood the value of this journal to a Necromancer such as Tom, there was nothing he could do about it.
"I need to go back to the dorm. How about we meet in the library?" Zane said.
"Alright."
Ten minutes later, Zane returned to the library after putting the journal in his room. As usual, he began by summarizing the notes he had taken in today's class. He then asked Tom for his opinion before incorporating it into the notes. Midway through their conversation, Evans returned while carrying a book called [Magic Art: How to Paint Using Mana]. However, what everybody cared about was his pouting.
"What's wrong with you?" Zane asked.
"I have a favor to ask you," Evans replied.
"Alright. What is it?"
"…Can you include James in our group?"
A taut silence descended on the table as soon as he uttered these words. Tom and Zane looked at each other for a moment, but no one said anything.
"I don't think that's a good idea," Zane said, a statement that made Tom secretly exhale in relief.
"Well, alright."
"Hm? That's it?" Zane was already preparing countless excuses and reasons why Evans wouldn't fit with their group.
"His father called mine, asking that I help him. I tried to reason with my parents, but my dad wouldn't listen. And James himself has been bothering me for the past few days," Evans sighed. "Now, I can tell him that I tried, but you said no."
"So, now, I'm the bad guy?"
"Sorry."
"Whatever," Zane sighed. "But would your parents accept such an explanation?"
"What can they do about it? Anyway, I'll lie and say I tried my best, but it didn't work out."
Zane shrugged; he didn't want to pay too much attention to it, so he moved on. Now that Evans was here, he asked him about his input on today's class and added some of his unique points to his notes. Once the discussion ended, everyone began doing their own thing.
"Why are you reading a book about painting?" Tom Nguyen asked.
"I need a break from looking at those architecture blueprints."
"Don't you think it would be best to focus on one subject? Especially since it's something you've just started learning?"
"It's fine. I'm one of the best in the Warding Architect Institute. It won't affect me much if I learn something else."
"If you say so."
Zane did not comment on the topic, but he agreed with Tom. At this stage, focusing on one subject was indeed the best approach, which is why he didn't try to buy new spells and try to master them. It would be fine if the second topic Evans was learning were supplementary to his primary fields — just like math is to analytic — but it wasn't. Magic painting only had a slight connection to warding. However, Evans was a grown man, and since he didn't want to listen to their advice, they couldn't do anything about it. Neither Zane nor Tom wanted to be called nosy.
Night descended, and it was finally time for the Elite Class. Zane approached Keesha, wanting to ask about the tattoo, but when he saw her with an expression that made it seem like she wanted to stab someone, he hesitated.
"What's wrong with her?"
Evelyn sighed. "After days of pestering them, our professor finally said they won't sponsor any mages until they've condensed their first ring. And, well, she's not taking the news too well."
"Oh."
"I'm not mad that she won't sponsor me," Keesha suddenly said. "I'm mad that bitch strung me along for days before telling me I don't meet her requirements."
"To be fair, she did tactfully reject you the first time you asked, but you kept pestering her."
"Whose side are you on?"
"Alright, alright, a sponsor is not the be-all and end-all. You can still succeed without one."
"I know, but I'm just mad I wasted so much time on her."
"Class is about to start. You should try to cool down; the last thing you'd want is for your mood to affect your performance."
"I will." Keesha nodded. "Oh, by the way, I have your tattoo designs."
"Already?" Zane was prepared to wait for a few Earth days.
"My friend has done quite a few tattoos based on African spirituality, so she still has some leftover designs. I'll send them to you after class. See if there is one you like."
"Alright. But are you sure you don't want any payment?"
"I say it's on me."
"You sure?"
"We good."
Zane nodded, no longer insisting. Class continued, and to his surprise, Keesha not only calmed down, but she also performed even better than before, achieving overwhelming victory over the orc. Zane thought Keesha would move up to Stage 3 Orc, but Instructor Seiya instead had her fight against a Stage 2B Orc, which meant a Stage 2 Orc with more experience and more aggression. According to him, Keesha can't move on to Stage 3 until she has mastered Mana Projection like Zane.
"Those are the designs," Keesha said, handing Zane her phone. He flipped through them, nodding once in a while. Most of the designs were to his taste, which was bad news since it meant he wouldn't be able to decide anytime soon.
"Do you mind if I take this back to my dorm for a few minutes? I want to transfer the pictures to my laptop. I'll bring it back immediately."
"How about I go to your dorm with you?"
"Hm?"
"I've never been to the men's dorm, and I'm suddenly interested," Keesha said.
"Now that you mention it, I'm also intrigued," Evelyn added.
"I don't have an issue with it," Zane replied. No rule prevented people from entering the opposite sex's dorm. "What about you guys?"
"No problem."
"It's fine."
"In that case, let's go."