I Killed The Main Characters

「Mana Concealment 101」

The classroom was unusually quiet for once.

The students of Class 1A sat in tense silence.

Their eyes fixed on Noah Ashbourne, who stood at the front of the room.

His black staff, adorned with a blue diamond at its tip, was propped against his shoulder as he leaned casually on the desk.

"Mana concealment..."

Noah began, his voice calm but edged with an undercurrent of condescension.

"...is a fundamental skill

And yet, here we are, with none of you able to perform it adequately.

How embarrassing."

The students bristled but didn't dare retort.

"Let me make one thing clear."

Noah straightened, pacing slowly.

"This is not about casting flashy spells or creating intricate arrays.

Mana concealment is about finesse, precision, and discipline—qualities you all seem to lack.

Which, frankly, surprises me, considering you're supposed to be prodigies.

Perhaps you got too enamored with advanced magic and brushed off the basics?"

His words were met with murmured protests and downcast gazes.

"Regardless, we'll fix that today."

He gestured with his staff, and a soft pulse of mana spread through the room.

"First, let's start with the theory.

Mana is the essence that flows through you, connecting you to magic itself.

When you use it, it radiates out like heat from a fire.

To conceal your mana, you must learn to contain that heat.

Imagine wrapping it tightly, smothering it until not even a flicker escapes."

He paused, letting the analogy sink in.

"Think of it like holding your breath..."

He continued.

"You don't exhale...

...you don't let the air leak.

You compress it inward, keeping it still.

For mana, this means visualizing your energy as a sphere within you, compact and contained.

Control is key—any leak will betray your presence."

One student, a boy with a perpetually confused expression, raised his hand.

"But senior...I mean...Professor, what if—"

Noah shot him a glare.

"No 'what ifs.' You do it, or you fail.

Simple as that."

The class collectively swallowed their complaints and focused as Noah demonstrated.

His presence seemed to vanish.

The oppressive aura they usually felt from him dissolving into nothingness.

For a moment, it was as if he wasn't even in the room.

"This is what concealment looks like."

He said, his voice startlingly normal yet utterly untraceable.

"Try it.

And no, I don't expect you to get it right immediately.

You're not me."

The room was soon filled with quiet groans and muttered curses as the students tried to follow Noah's instructions.

"I can't do it..."

One girl hissed under her breath, clutching her head.

"It's like trying to hold water in my hands!"

"Stop leaking mana all over the place..."

Noah snapped, tapping his staff on the ground.

"Do you want to light up like a beacon?

Contain it.

Wrap it tightly."

Another student let out an audible growl.

"This is impossible! How can anyone do this?"

"Impossible? That's funny, because I can do it.

So can every second-year who will trample you in the exams."

Noah's tone was sharp, cutting through their complaints.

"Figure it out, or be prepared to fail. Again."

He began walking among them, observing their efforts.

"Too loose."

He said, pointing at one boy.

"Your mana's spilling everywhere.

Try again."

"You're compressing it too much..."

He said to another.

"...It's starting to destabilize.

If that explodes, I'll let you deal with the consequences."

After about 30 minutes of struggle and only marginal improvement, Noah decided it was time for a more hands-on approach.

"You're all dreadful."

He announced, pulling a black silk cloth from his pocket.

"So, we're going to make this interesting.

I'll cover my eyes and walk around the room.

If I sense even the slightest trace of mana, I'll whack you with my staff.

Hard.

If you scream or complain, I'll hit you again for making noise."

The students froze, their faces pale.

"You're joking, right?"

One of them ventured cautiously.

Noah gave a wicked smile.

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

He tied the blindfold securely over his eyes and tapped his staff against the floor.

The students hurried to focus, their earlier grumbles replaced by frantic concentration.

The first "whack" came within seconds.

"Ow!"

A boy cried, clutching his back where Noah had struck.

"Too loud."

Noah said, hitting him again.

The room descended into chaos.

Every time a student let their mana slip, Noah zeroed in on them with unnerving precision, delivering a sharp smack to their backs.

"Contain it!"

He barked, striking another student.

"You're leaking mana like a sieve!"

"Stop whining!"

Whack!

"Your focus is pathetic!"

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The students' groans and muttered curses filled the room as they scrambled to correct themselves.

Noah moved with ruthless efficiency, his staff finding every mistake without fail.

"This is torture."

One student whispered.

"Wrong..."

Noah said, his blindfolded gaze somehow turning toward the culprit.

"...This is education."

Whack!

After what felt like an eternity, some students began to improve

Their mana signatures faded, becoming harder for Noah to detect.

"Better."

He said, pausing in front of a girl who had been one of the loudest complainers earlier.

"Barely. But better."

She let out a sigh of relief, only to yelp in pain as Noah struck her again.

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"Don't relax."

He said sharply.

"It's not perfect yet."

Gradually, more students managed to contain their mana, their earlier frustrations giving way to determination.

Even the most vocal complainers fell silent, their focus sharpening under Noah's relentless critique.

By the time Noah removed the blindfold, a significant number of students had achieved a passable level of mana concealment.

Noah surveyed the room, his gaze critical.

"Adequate," he said finally.

"Barely.

But at least some of you managed to grasp the concept.

Those who didn't, I expect you to stay behind and practice until you do.

No excuses."

The students groaned but didn't argue.

"Now..."

Noah continued, his tone softening slightly.

"...this exercise wasn't just for your benefit.

It was also for mine.

I needed to see how far you'd go under pressure, and I'll admit, some of you surprised me.

Don't let it go to your heads, though.

You're still lightyears away from where you need to be."

He leaned on his staff, smirking.

"Dismissed.

And remember, if you don't practice, I'll know.

And I'll make sure next time is even worse."

The students filed out, their bodies aching and their egos bruised.