Glan Natural Science Academy

Chapter 38

Even during hibernation, an elemental bubble, as it breathes and expands and contracts, will instinctively secrete some Air Bubbles that will surround and protect the bubble.

Once foreign creatures get near, these bubbles will greet these creatures on its own and explode.

“Ow!”

Under Enid’s instruction, Ryger extended his hand to test it. A bubble exploded at him, causing him to yelp in pain.

His skin was a bit swollen and bruised, as if hit by a tree branch.

“Hehehe, it’s fun, no? Our objective for the next few days will be to study the process of its operating mechanisms for secreting bubbles. From that, we’ll complete the formation of your first evolutionary secrets academic skill, Air Bubble!”

After she had enough of playing with the elemental bubble, she put it onto the testbed while giggling.

“Fuh!”

Ryger blew his painful, swollen finger while standing behind Enid.

“Junior brother, for scholars of evolutionary secrets, the vast, complex biome of this world stemming from billions of years of evolution is the greatest gift to us from the world! Dissecting specimens, analysing their physiological secrets from their anatomical structures, then replicating it with energy field and obtaining the unique strength from dissecting specimens, these are the purpose of us evolutionary secrets scholars!”

Ryger said in amazement, “then, are we able to master the power of those proteuses?”

Enid shook her head. “All academic skills are the same. The greater the evolution level of the being dissected, the more complex the organism’s structures. Our energy field also needs to be at the corresponding level to be able to complete the corresponding emulation.”

“Take for example the elemental bubble we’re studying now. As a level 0 elemental, its body function is very simple and its Air Bubble is a level 0 academic skill.”

Enid used a special adhesive to stick the unconscious elemental bubble to the testbed.

“But using their energy field to imitate the power of a specimen is nothing more than the desires of normal scholars. As an excellent scholar, we don’t just imitate the specimen’s power, but also use our wisdom to alter it so that it surpasses the original!”

Ryger heard till his eyes sparkled.

So scholars studying evolutionary secrets have this sort of philosophy of learning!

As Enid spoke, she carried over a strange looking experimental-use observation device.

Needless to say, this device was naturally a high class tool that only Mentor Kubo had.

“What is this?”

Ryger examined the device.

Enid handled the device proficiently while explaining, “This is a microscope that advanced scholars use frequently when they’re observing the complex structures of high-level creature’s specimens. You can think of it as the enhanced version of the magnifying glass. Microscopes that have greater magnification are more expensive. By using it to assist our observations, we can understand the structures of specimens more meticulously. As long as we understand the principle of the specimen’s power and structure, emulating it with energy field will naturally be much easier!”

Ryger put away the magnifying glass in his hand and, under Enid’s instructions, looked through the microscope.

“Wow!”

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Exclaimed Ryger.

Unlike the cellular units of fleshy beings, the units that elementals are formed from are strands of energy threads. It was as though countless threads weaved together to form a flat 2-dimensional surface, which then bended, criss-crossed and overlapped with other countless 2-dimensional surfaces to form a 3-dimensional solid.

What Ryger needed to observe among this complex energy construct, was part of the energy construct that formed the elemental bubble’s ability to secrete Air Bubbles.

“So this is the microscopic world that senior brother Satro mentioned!”

The view he saw through the microscope caused him to exclaim uncontrollably.

Enid, pleased with herself, smiled.

“This elemental bubble is only a level 0 creature so its physiological structure is very simple. With this microscope’s help, as long as you’re careful, you’ll be able to succeed soon!”

……

A week after.

The process of mastering the first level 0 basic academic skill went more smoothly than imagined.

Ryger sensed the minor change of his energy field. It had been molded and solidified into some of the elemental bubble’s structural parts. As he opened his palm, part of his energy field that the elemental bubble’s structural parts had imprinted onto began to operate and a bubble the size of an infant’s fist suddenly appeared.

“Wow! You did it!”

Enid seemed to be even happier than Ryger. The moment the bubble appeared in his palm, she cheered and jumped jubilantly.

“Junior brother, go to the education office tomorrow and submit the elemental bubble and Air Bubble thesis for honour roll points grading. Get your name on this season’s honour roll first!”

When he heard ‘honour roll points’, Ryger got excited.

“Senior sister, how many points would I get by contributing this elemental bubble and the Air Bubble thesis!”

Enid tilted her head and thought.

“If it were a second or third year student submitting it, Air Bubble would probably be rated as a trash thesis. As for the elemental bubble, hmm, maybe it can get 2 or 3 points. But since you just started school, they’ll give you some extra points as encouragement even for these sorts of thesis. Relax!”

“That little?”

Ryger couldn’t help but think of Morgana and Hel who both had more than a hundred points. He almost couldn’t believe it.

As if knowing what Ryger was thinking, Enid said, “The school regulations do allow buying specimens then exchanging it for honour roll points. In other words, using money to buy the Academy’s services. If you think positively, it’s one way for the Academy to increase its sources for experimentations and research.”

Although Enid said so – Ryger also hoped that Hel and Morgana’s points were obtained by them using gold coins to buy specimens. This way, his heart would be more at peace – but when Ryger thought of how his mentor praised the two, he knew that that wasn’t the case.

Feeling dejected, Ryger once again casted Air Bubble.

Cayleigh, who had been sleeping on the windowsill, woke up because of the noise. He glanced at Ryger and muttered, “Your energy field is still weak. Be careful of energy backlashes.”

“Ah!” Enid suddenly remembered and said, “Junior brother, you must pay attention to the state of your energy field! According to the laws of equivalent exchange1, a price must be paid for doing everything! As scholars, our power isn’t like fighters who constantly train to develop it. For scholars, perhaps we’ll get a spark of inspiration, resulting in us completing certain academics and skyrocketing in power. But we’ll also pay a price for this. Energy backlash is one of them. The more outstanding a scholar, the stronger they are, and the easier it is to experience an energy backlash!”

Ryger had already known the fearsomeness of energy backlashes. Merlin’s first husband died precisely because of energy backlash.

The human body’s energy field, for some reason, was rejected by this world. As a result, once their energy backfired, the who were fortunate enough would temporarily lose the ability to sense energy while the less fortunate would be crushed by the world’s rejection and be grinded down to bits and pieces!

As for the reason why the human body’s energy field is rejected by this world?

“If the images of the StarCore necklace were real,” Ryger postulated, “then it’s very possible that because of a certain special law of this world, humans are treated as ‘foreign world invaders’, and are thus rejected by this world. As a result, they require a medium partner to neutralise the world’s rejection.”

As for the phenomena of the more outstanding a scholar is, the easier it is to encounter energy backlashes, it, too, is easily understood. Because the more outstanding scholars tend to create powerful academic skills that require large consumption of energy field. Thus, compared to ordinary scholars, they were more likely to experience energy backlashes.

“Then how should we avoid it?”

Seeing Ryger’s cautious look, Enid smiled. “The old man said the best way to avoid it is to not fight. We’re scholars. We need to fight using our brain and not like those fighters who break through their limits or something. Even if we’re forced to fight, we must always not reveal everything. It’s never ever wrong to wear some energy storage rings.”

Ryger hurriedly recorded everything down.

“Speaking of which, the most glamorous process for scholars studying the Truth Law is a burst of inspiration,” said Enid with eyes full of longing. “Once it happens, their power will increase tremendously in a short amount of time, and they will be able to surpass, dominate even, those of the same level. This explosive way of increasing in strength is something that all scholars always desire.”