Chapter 221: Too Many
As the rest of the class busied themselves with training, Asher’s thoughts drifted elsewhere. His mind replayed a particular moment that had unfolded only minutes earlier.
Melissa, with calm composure, had reversed the damage she had inflicted upon the lecture hall walls, the stage, and even the podium, restoring them all to their pristine, untouched state.
It was seamless. Perfect. Almost divine.
Asher found himself unsettled by what he had seen. He did not believe that even Perfect Astra Control could bestow such a godlike ability. That bordered far too close to the domain of the divine, something beyond ordinary comprehension.
’Is her ability the manipulation of time itself?’ Asher thought, his sharp gaze narrowing slightly. ’Did she simply reverse time, undoing destruction until everything returned to its original state?’
The possibility gnawed at him. He had long since learned never to dismiss the existence of abilities that others might deem impossible. In this world, no concept was too far-fetched. No power too absurd. No limitation absolute.
After all, he had already encountered more than his fair share of abilities that could be labeled broken, monstrous, or simply unfair.
For example, there was Yveric, the Commander of the Wargrave Knight Order, whose presence alone could bend the tide of battles. Then there were the younger ones, like Tom and Hito, who might grow into terrifying monsters if their abilities matured fully.
Crymora, to Asher, was a realm overflowing with abilities that defied reason. Some appeared outrageously overpowered,but each carried restrictions of some kind. These limitations, subtle or blatant, existed perhaps as a way of preserving balance within the chaos. He had seen it in others before, like William’s peculiar power, magnificent but shackled by its own boundaries.
’Maybe her ability isn’t full time manipulation,’ Asher thought again, his mind dissecting every possibility. ’Maybe it’s restricted, perhaps she can only reverse damage, or simply revert specific things to their previous states. Even that alone is terrifying. An ability like that could shape the world itself.’
His imagination unraveled scenario after scenario.
If Melissa could truly reverse anything and everything, she could theoretically revert a grown man into a helpless infant, stripping him of his strength in an instant. She could take an old man at death’s door and restore him to the vitality of his mid-twenties, effectively granting him a second lifetime, perhaps even immortality itself, in a roundabout way.
The very thought made him heave a mental sigh. ’Too many overpowered abilities. Too many broken concepts in one world.’
He pictured a battle with Melissa, and the image was almost absurd. Imagine raising a blade against her only to discover that, in the blink of an eye, you were reduced to a baby incapable of even walking. How could anyone fight such a thing?
But his musings were cut short by the steady passage of time. The Astra Control class was scheduled to last for two hours, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., and the first hour had already passed in a blur of destruction and instruction.
Within this period, every student was drenched in sweat. Melissa had driven them relentlessly. She made them shape Astra into spheres, then into geometric forms of varying complexity. And then, with cold precision, she commanded them to hurl those spheres toward the lecture hall stage itself.
And yet, none succeeded. Not a single Astra sphere left their hands.
Melissa had told them earlier she would dismantle their crude attempts at control and rebuild their mastery according to their unique talents and levels. Now they realized she had not been boasting. She was doing exactly as promised, with merciless consistency.
’She really does have exceptional Astra Control,’ Asher noted to himself, watching her work. His eyes narrowed slightly as Melissa casually formed an Astra sphere on her palm and flung it at the podium. Another deafening explosion tore through the lecture hall, echoing across the chamber and rattling every student’s bones.
And she wasn’t exaggerating when she said she doesn’t waste time on words, theories, or empty lectures. Her teaching is pure demonstration, pure action. Nothing else.
By now, the students had grown almost numb to the chaos. They no longer flinched when Melissa destroyed the lecture hall again and again, nor when she casually restored it each time as though reality itself bent to her will.
Though whether it truly was time itself yielding to her, none could say for certain.
Gentle but sharp explosions punctuated the air, one after another. Students staggered back, their hair disheveled, faces marked with strain. Each of them pushed forward with stubborn determination, clinging to whatever instruction they could salvage from Melissa’s endless examples. For many of them, this class was life-changing already.
Some among them had gone years without guidance, fumbling through their abilities alone since the moment of awakening. For such students, today was nothing short of revelation. Others, who lacked direct offensive powers, saw for the first time the potential of Astra application as a means to carve out strength for themselves.
This was no ordinary lesson. It was a turning point.
But beyond the sweat and exhaustion, a harsher truth lingered over them all. Their place within the Star Academy depended entirely on the progress they demonstrated. Only progress ensured survival here. Only results carved their futures.
That meant one thing: train until collapse, and then train even more.
Even if they failed to make it past their first year, the knowledge they gained here, compressed, brutal, and invaluable, would change their lives forever once they returned to the outside world. A single year of Star Academy instruction could rewrite one’s destiny.
Some fantasized about rising higher still. If they ever gained the attention of a Sovereign of the Separation Dimension, their lives could ascend to heights beyond imagination. For now, however, such dreams were nothing more than distant stars.
Asher, unlike the others, did not waste time entertaining fantasies. His mind remained locked on more practical matters. He was already dissecting possibilities, sketching mental outlines of Astra applications he could attempt, testing in theory what limits he might encounter and where no limits seemed to exist.
Melissa’s voice cut through his musings at intervals, sharp, harsh, merciless. Her criticisms were as direct as her methods. She was not here to pamper them with encouragement. She was not here to coddle their egos or soothe their insecurities. She was here to forge weapons out of flesh and spirit. Weapons capable of standing at the summit of the world, or at least near enough to matter.
That could not be achieved with hugs, kisses, or sweet words of reassurance. This was not a camp for the faint-hearted. It was not a place for idle games or gentle yoga stretches.
This was Star Academy.
The explosions, the crashes, and the sharp roars of ruptured Astra filled the lecture hall until the first class finally drew to a close.
Melissa paused, her crimson gaze sweeping over the room. Her eyes lingered on each of the students, weighing them silently, as if measuring their worth. At last, she gave a single nod, a gesture that carried the faintest trace of satisfaction. Without another word, she turned and walked away, her strides calm and steady, her back radiating authority.
The students, left behind, could only pant and steady themselves. Their Astra reserves had not been fully depleted, but their minds were another matter. Melissa had stretched them, sharpened them, pressed them past comfort and into discomfort. She had not driven them to their breaking point, but she had pushed hard enough that they now understood what would be expected of them.
And with that, the first class ended.
The second class would soon begin, but for now, they were granted a reprieve, a mere thirty minutes of rest, according to the Academy timetable.
So they sat, and they waited, their bodies trembling, their minds restless, the echoes of explosions still ringing faintly in their ears.
They knew this was only the beginning.