The training hall of Elite-2 was sealed the moment the doors closed.
Not physically.
Magically.
A soft, invisible barrier spread across the walls, ceiling, and floor, and the mana pressure inside the room subtly increased. It was not enough to crush anyone, but it was enough to make every student immediately aware that this session was going to be different.
Hiko felt it first in his chest.
It was like the air had become thicker.
Not heavy.
Dense.
Goru rolled his shoulders.
"…Why does it feel harder to breathe?"
Daizen flexed his fingers.
"My arms feel heavier too."
Kaiser tilted his head slightly, eyes half-lidded.
"Interesting. So this is what a controlled mana field feels like."
Holo looked around lazily.
"This room is basically forcing us to feel our own mana."
Yogan's mech stood at the center of the hall, red core glowing brighter than usual.
"Correct," Yogan said. "This field amplifies internal mana awareness."
He raised one mechanical arm.
"Today's objective is simple."
The holographic screen appeared again.
Magic Coating Training.
"By the end of this session," Yogan continued, "you will be able to maintain basic Magic Coating for at least three seconds."
Daizen blinked.
"…That's it?"
Yogan turned his head slightly.
"For most sorcerers, this takes months."
Daizen immediately shut up.
Hiko swallowed.
Three seconds.
That sounded short.
But something about Yogan's tone made it feel impossible.
Yogan continued.
"Magic Coating is not reinforcement. It is not a spell. It is not a technique."
He paused.
"It is a state of being."
The lights in the hall dimmed.
The mana circuits on the floor glowed brighter.
Yogan raised both arms.
"Observe."
The red core on his chest flared.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then the air around Yogan shifted.
Not visibly.
But everyone felt it.
A pressure.
Not oppressive.
But absolute.
Hiko's instincts screamed.
Something changed.
The surface of Yogan's mech began to glow with layered energy.
Not one color.
Multiple.
Red, orange, white, and faint traces of purple, all flowing across the metal like liquid light.
The mech itself expanded slightly.
Plates unfolded.
New armor formed over the old one.
Thicker.
Sharper.
More complex.
Daizen's eyes widened.
"…His mech just evolved."
Goru whispered.
"…That is Magic Coating?"
Yogan's voice echoed, deeper now.
"This is my Magic Coating."
The energy stabilized.
Yogan now looked completely different.
His mech was larger, bulkier, covered in layered glowing armor that looked more like a divine war machine than a construct.
The aura around him was insane.
Not explosive.
Not violent.
Just overwhelming.
Hiko felt his skin tingle.
Even Kaiser was no longer smiling.
Holo's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…That is not just coating. That is full embodiment."
Yogan continued.
"This is Mech Armor."
"My magic coating is applied to my entire construct, my core, my systems, and my mana flow."
He raised one massive armored arm.
"Defense, offense, and regeneration are all multiplied."
Daizen muttered.
"…That is broken."
Yogan turned toward them.
"Now."
He pointed at the class.
"Try to destroy it."
Silence.
Then Daizen laughed nervously.
"…You are joking, right?"
Yogan did not respond.
Jin stepped forward.
"…He is serious."
Kaiser flipped his coin.
Heads.
Golden light wrapped around him.
Holo stood up slowly.
"…Guess we are doing this."
Hiko felt his heart start racing.
The devil inside his mind spoke softly.
This is a bad idea.
Hiko whispered back.
"…Yeah. Probably."
But his cursed flame ignited anyway.
Yogan stood completely still.
"Begin."
Daizen roared first.
He slammed his foot into the ground.
The floor cracked.
A massive wall of compressed earth surged toward Yogan like a tidal wave.
Goru followed instantly.
Dimensional energy flared around his claws.
Space warped.
A triple slash tore through reality itself, cutting straight through the earth wave and aiming directly at Yogan's chest.
Jin moved at the same time.
He vanished from sight and reappeared above Yogan, fist glowing with pure combat mana, smashing downward.
Holo raised one hand.
Reality flickered.
Ten holographic Yogan copies appeared around the real one, each firing simulated energy beams.
Kaiser flipped his coin again.
Heads.
Then again.
Heads.
Then again.
Heads.
His aura exploded.
He appeared behind Yogan and punched with amplified probability.
Hiko took a breath.
Cursed flame surged around his arms.
He lunged forward, delivering a direct punch to Yogan's core.
Everything hit at once.
Earth.
Space.
Probability.
Reality.
Combat.
Cursed flame.
The impact should have destroyed the hall.
Instead…
Nothing happened.
Not even a scratch.
The attacks slammed into Yogan's armor and simply vanished.
Not blocked.
Not deflected.
Erased.
The energy dispersed like mist hitting a mountain.
Daizen stumbled back.
"…What?"
Goru stared.
"…Our attacks just disappeared."
Jin landed and stepped back slowly.
"…They were absorbed."
Hiko looked at his fist.
His cursed flame was still burning.
But it felt like it had punched an ocean.
Yogan finally moved.
He took one step forward.
The floor cracked under his weight.
"Four years," Yogan said calmly. "That is how long I trained this coating."
He raised his armored hand and flicked his fingers.
A shockwave erupted.
Not an attack.
Just pressure.
The entire class was thrown backward like dolls.
Hiko slammed into the wall, coughing.
Daizen crashed into Goru.
Jin slid across the floor.
Kaiser barely managed to stay on his feet.
Holo dissipated into particles and reformed near the back.
Yogan lowered his arm.
"This is the difference between using magic and becoming magic."
Silence filled the hall.
Everyone was on the ground.
Breathing heavily.
Daizen groaned.
"…That was not even fair."
Yogan deactivated his coating.
The armor slowly dissolved back into his normal mech form.
The pressure vanished.
The room felt light again.
"Now," Yogan said, "you understand what Magic Coating truly is."
Hiko slowly stood up.
His hands were shaking.
Not from fear.
From excitement.
"…So this is what we are aiming for."
Yogan turned toward him.
"Yes."
Goru clenched his fists.
"…How do we even start?"
Yogan pointed to the floor.
"Sit."
Everyone obeyed.
They sat in a circle.
Fifteen elite students.
All silent.
Yogan continued.
"Close your eyes."
Hiko did.
"Do not cast magic."
"Do not activate abilities."
"Do not reinforce."
"Just circulate mana inside your body."
Hiko focused.
At first, nothing happened.
Then he felt it again.
That current.
That warmth.
Not cursed flame.
Not the devil.
Just him.
His own mana.
Flowing.
Breathing.
Existing.
Yogan's voice became quieter.
"Now imagine that mana touching your skin from the inside."
Hiko felt it.
A faint sensation.
Like heat under his flesh.
Daizen suddenly yelped.
"Ah! It burns!"
Yogan replied calmly.
"You are forcing it. Relax."
Goru gritted his teeth.
"…I feel pressure on my bones."
"That is correct."
Holo opened one eye.
"…My body feels fake."
"That is also correct."
Kaiser whispered.
"…This feels unstable."
"It should."
Hiko's breathing slowed.
The cursed flame tried to interfere.
The devil stirred.
But Hiko ignored it.
He focused only on himself.
His mana.
His body.
For one brief moment…
He felt it.
A thin layer.
Not flame.
Not aura.
Something subtle.
Wrapping around his skin.
Then it collapsed.
Hiko gasped and opened his eyes.
Sweat covered his face.
His heart was pounding.
Yogan looked at him.
"…You almost succeeded."
Hiko blinked.
"…Almost?"
"Yes. You reached the boundary."
Daizen groaned.
"…I did not feel anything except pain."
Goru exhaled.
"…I think I touched it for half a second."
Holo stared at his own hands.
"…So this is what embodiment feels like."
Kaiser smiled faintly.
"…Now I get it."
Yogan nodded.
"Good."
He looked around the circle.
"None of you achieved full Magic Coating today."
No one complained.
Not a single person.
Because they all understood.
What they had just experienced was not a technique.
It was a transformation.
And for the first time since entering the elite classes…
They realized.
They were not even close to the real starting line.