"I am Wang Hao. I will be your Magic Theory professor for this entire academic year."
The professor, whose geeky appearance belied an aura of immense power, picked up a piece of chalk. With swift, precise strokes, he began drawing on the blackboard. It wasn't random scribbles, but a complex, interlocking pattern of arcs and runes.
It was a magic circle, straight out of the fantasy novels of the Old World. A ripple of confusion and curiosity went through the hall. Why were they looking at this archaic symbol?
"As you all know," Wang Hao began, his voice cutting through the murmurs, "Magic Skills are obtained through system rewards, loot drops, and skill books. Your power is dictated by what the System grants you." He paused, letting the conventional wisdom settle.
"But," he continued, his tone dropping into a conspiratorial, almost revolutionary whisper, "there is something the System does not tell you. Something that has been the Spire Nexus's most closely guarded secret... until now."
He tapped the center of the circle on the board. "Through high-frequency mana imaging, we have confirmed that for a split nanosecond when a magic-type skill is activated, a structure identical to this manifests in reality. This leads us to two world-shattering conclusions."
He held up two fingers.
"One: Mana is not merely a stat in a user interface. It is a tangible, ambient energy that permeates our very world, like oxygen.
"Two:" his eyes gleamed with fervor, "We do not need the System's permission to wield it. We can learn to cast magic ourselves."
...
A stunned silence gripped the Grand Hall for a single, suspended second, before erupting into a torrent of frantic murmurs. This wasn't just a lesson; it was a key to a new era. A discovery of this magnitude had never been recorded anywhere in the world.
U-1, the sector built from the bones of former America and backed by its vast resources, was universally believed to be the unshakable global leader. But now, A-1 held a secret that could redraw the world map. With this knowledge, A-1 wouldn't just compete; it had the potential to ascend to a height no other faction could ever hope to reach.
Professor Wang Hao let the reality sink in before continuing, his voice cutting through the din with practiced authority.
"Now, to the practicalities," he stated, turning back to the board. "We have used high-resolution mana capture to isolate the transient forms of these circles. Our researchers have discovered that each elemental affinity follows a distinct, reproducible pattern. We have named this foundational language of magic [Polyrune]."
As he spoke, his chalk flew across the blackboard with uncanny speed, reconstructing the complex symbols from memory.
"For now, the spells we have successfully deciphered and replicated are limited to four." With each name, he completed a corresponding circle, which glowed faintly upon completion.
"[Fireball],"
"[Ground Wall],"
"[Stone],"
"[Grow]."