The rest of the period was spent with all of the students meditating.
Near the end, about ten minutes before class ended, Aisha woke the students up gently from their meditation and gave them some tips and tricks to improve in this particular activity.
The students still has to improve a lot if they want to even try absorbing Mana, in this area, Ashton was far ahead of them since he's already level one. But considering his cultivation well...the rest will bound to catch up eventually.
Aisha didn't really discuss a whole lot one the first day, much to the relief of the students. Then again, she also already updated their profiles and would later develop some form of plan for each student she has.
After their brief discussion, Aisha proceeded to talk to each student just like she said earlier. This caused the students to stay beyond the allotted time for the subject but it's fine since this is a one time thing.
Ashton was one of the last students to be interviewed. He won't lie, this will be weird for him. Even though he already accepted the fact that this...woman, is his professor, that doesn't make it less weird.
"Ashton West." Aisha said once he sat down in front of her.
"Yes, Professor. That's me." He replied.
"You're Lv.1 already? Care to tell me how this happened?"
'As expected, she knows.' Ashton mumbled inwardly. He took a deep breath, thankfully he already anticipated this.
"It happened a few days after my awakening. Back then, I had this feeling of fullness when I woke up. I've read in the books that this might be a sign of a breakthrough. I called for an assistant and they guided me with the process."
"He said that during my Awakening Ceremony, my 1st Magical Circle was almost filled completely so it was only natural that even if I didn't do anything, the breakthrough would occur. He said that I was fine since I already made my breakthrough ."
"I see." Aisha nodded. "You did good on that part. Remember that the initial stages of cultivation is dangerous. Unless you are forced to by circumstances, its best to have someone's assistance in this process."
"Given how diligent you are, I'd assume that it wouldn't take long before you can reach a stage where this isn't necessary anymore, but never be hasty. Go at it at your own pace."
"I understand." Ashton nodded. Inwardly, he's relieved that his excuse seems to have worked out for the best.
"Alright moving on." Aisha's face turned dead serious. "This might get a little uncomfortable with you but as your Professor, it is my duty to know. Will you tell me what kind of curse you bear?"
"I know that I'm overstepping my bounds here, but I am your Professor. I am bound by my Oath to never reveal this information to anyone else without your permission even in death. So you can rest assured that your secret will be safe with me."
"Of course, if you're not ready to tell me yet. I can understand that as well. I just hope that before this year ends, you'll find it in you to tell me since that would make it easier for me to search for a way to help you."
'Ah, so that's why she wanted to talk to us in person.' Ashton nodded inwardly.
Ashton also understood why Aisha looked solemn at this point. The topic of curses is sensitive.
He shrugged and said: "Fine with me. I'd like to know more about this anyway, every help would be appreciated."
"My curse is called the Curse of Mediocrity." Ashton revealed, he even showed his Magical Artifact to Aisha - the Book of Infinity.
"It prevents me from learning and caster Intermediate Level and above Offensive Spells."
"Strictly Offensive Spells?"
"Yes." Ashton nodded, "That's what I learned anyway when I got this. I never really had the chance to see any Intermediate Spells yet so I can't say for sure."
"I see..." Aisha nodded while writing something. "That would surely make things inconvenient for you. To be honest, one of the ways to pass the Practicals of the Final Exams is to perform an Intermediate Spell or above. But since I am now aware of this, I can make an exception for you once we confirm things later."
"Thank you, Professor." Ashton was seriously grateful for that.
"If you don't mind, may I take a look at your Magical Artifact closer?" She asked.
"Sure." Ashton nodded.
He willed the artifact to move closer to Aisha and she squinted to inspect it closer.
The book was currently in its 'sealed' state, as Ashton would call it. The Book of Infinity is usually wrapped in thick chains with a circular lock in the middle.
The lock was unique for it doesn't appear to have any keyhole in it.
The book's outer shell is covered in faint intersecting lines which should be 'Inscriptions' if Ashton's guesses was correct. He couldn't make sense of them just yet but now that he's learning in the Academy, it shouldn't take long before he get some clues.
There were a few occasions when the book would break out of its chains. Ashton never knew how to trigger it consciously and he didn't know what that signifies either.
"This Magical Artifact..." Aisha frowned, "The Curse is firmly suppressing it's full potential. I can feel that it's very impressive. You must've receive some benefit along with its awakening, can you tell me what it is?"
Ashton nodded and said: "It's called Aspect of Infinity. It basically allows me to cast spells that are at higher level than me."
"So, that means you can cast a Lv.3 spell even if you're just Lv.2 or Lv.1?"
"Yes, that's how it should work, I think. I haven't had the change to play with spells so I still can't confirm it."
"That's fine. We have time." Aisha nodded, "If our guesses turns out to be true then this is probably the best way to off-set the effects of the curse. You may put it away now."
Ashton nodded and did what she said.
"I'm not going to mince words with you, West. Your curse will be troublesome to get rid of. I can already tell." Aisha revealed after a brief pause. "That Magical Artifact of yours carry a lot of potential. If the curse was weak, then it wouldn't have adhered to your Magical Artifact at all."
"...but it shouldn't be impossible to get rid of it. Is that what you're trying to say, Professor?"
"Indeed." Aisha nodded. "But this is going to be an uphill battle for you."
"You will need to do a lot, to get rid of this thing. A lot of effort, hard work, resources, knowledge...even luck included."
"From my initial impressions of you so far, I can tell that you're eager and a hardworking student as well. I know that you are determined to get rid of this curse. And since your like this, as your Professor, I'll give you a hand. It is my duty after all."
"I know that you've chosen the Regal King as your sponsor. That fella is hella rich from what I could tell so far. So long as you seem interesting, they wouldn't mind bathing you in riches."
"You gotta take advantage of that. I'm saying that you should be a clown or a mascot or something. Just show them your will and efforts and you won't fail."
"Also, the Academy offers a lot of opportunities that you should definitely watch out for. I'd tell you about them in the future and ahead of time so that you can prepare yourself."
"So long as you accumulate this early, in due time you'd be able to break out of this curse and be free unlike majority of us. But remember, this will depend on your own hard work. I'd only give you recommendations and suggestions, the rest is up to you."
"I understand, Professor." Ashton nodded.
"Good. You may leave for your work. The Grand Library is at the Castle Main, head to the 20th floor of this building, 3rd door on the left. You'll find a transportation circle there. I already told them about you so you shouldn't encounter any troubles."
"Thank you. I shall take my leave then." Ashton nodded once more.
Aisha called in the next student as he exited the door. As for Ashton, he went straight to the Elevator and hit the button that would take him to the 20th floor.
It is rater convenient that there's a transportation circle here which would take him directly to where he needed to go.
As he rode the Elevator, he could've sworn that he saw Mary waiting for him outside of the building. But then again, he must've been seeing things again since when he blinked, she wasn't there anymore.
Ashton decided to throw this matter at the back of his head. Once he stepped out of the elevator, he entered the 3rd room on the left so that he could report to work already.
He's late on his 1st day but that should be fine. He had a valid excuse anyway, right?
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