It was one week before midterms. While helping Julia with her assignment, Drent couldn’t help but notice Epherene’s paper on the desk in the club room. He had offered to help Julia in hopes of finding some inspiration, as he had been struggling with his thesis for a while during his slump. 0

However, Julia’s paper wasn’t particularly useful. When she left for the bathroom, he seized the opportunity to look at Epherene’s work. At that moment, he was struck by how impressive her ideas were. They seemed too brilliant to belong to a mere commoner. Drent ultimately decided to use Epherene’s concepts as his own inspiration. However...0

“Since you appear uncertain, let us proceed to a simpler question. The Protective Fireball you just demonstrated—”0

Deculein replicated the Protective Fireball that Drent had just cast. Even after seeing it only once, his Fireball was denser and more powerful.0

“Can you truly assure that this spell will remain stable underwater, at any altitude, or deep underground?”0

“Yes, yes, sir. I can,” Drent replied, regaining his composure. 0

I didn’t have enough time to fully master the thesis, but I had a sufficient understanding—0

“How can you be so certain? Given the structure of this Protective Fireball spell as it is.”0

The spell structure that Drent had described in his thesis materialized in the air. Deculein pinpointed the core of the magic circle.0

“Which circuit in this spell fulfills the role of protection? Explain in detail, using supporting evidence.”0

“Uh... well...” Drent stammered, unable to find the right words.0

Deculein stared at...0