The Rebirth of Evelyn Knox

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The most 'unexpected' gain this time was definitely the 'Advanced Spatial Manipulation', which would allow her to completely hide herself. This was the higher tier ability of the one that gave her the inventory, one which required her to have over a hundred spirit power at the start!

With this, no matter how strong the opponent was, or what attacks they used all over the place, they would never be able to smoke her out even if they knew she was 'somewhere around there'.

It was not without its flaws, however.

First of all, her spirit power would be consumed to cloak her while she hid, so she couldn't just hide indefinitely.

Secondly, the cloak could not extend too far from her body, which meant that only small things could be hidden alongside her. The likes of Ruru were fine, but hiding another person was impossible.

Lastly, the area she cloaked herself in would become her 'anchor', and she could only 'uncloak' herself to that place. She couldn't 'move' inside the concealment and 'uncloak' elsewhere.

There was also the fact that the technique was quite complex, and she estimated that weaving her spirit power to actually execute it would take her at least a full minute even if she fully concentrated on it. This meant she couldn't use it during combat.

That is not to say it didn't have any use in combat, however.

"If I knew for sure someone was going to be at a specific place later, I could just cloak there, and provided I do it at the right time, there could be no better ability to ambush."

Moreover, this also gave her an extra layer of assurance while taking Bree with her to the 'Wonderland of Doom', since with Bree's tiny puppy form and Ruru being even smaller, it should be no trouble at all to hold them in her arms while using the 'Advanced Spatial Manipulation' to hide together.

Of course, she couldn't put off testing such a thing for when a moment of desperation arrived, and Evelyn decided to confirm it on the spot. "Bree, change to your puppy form. And Ruru, um, use your Green Maiden Transformation, alright?"

Ruru was a little confused, since Evelyn had told her to never show it to anyone just before, and now she was telling her to transform in front of Bree, but followed her will anyway and used the 'Green Maiden Transformation', turning into a little girl the size of a thumb.

Unfortunately, she was squished under the paw of a very curious puppy shortly after. Ruru didn't know how strong Bree was now, and still thought of her as the extremely fragile puppy who could die with a flick, so she didn't even dare to push her paw away.

Thankfully, Evelyn patted Bree's head soon and motioned her to lift her paw, picking up the distressed-looking thumb-sized girl into her palm before picking Bree up in another. "Don't squish her like that in the future, alright?"

The small puppy nodded, while Ruru could only huff indignantly.

As Evelyn had expected, her cloaking skill worked perfectly. 

However, not everything was how she thought it would be. From the 'inside', it was like there was a thin film of plastic surrounding them, separating them from their surroundings. Moreover, this plastic, once formed, was completely rigid.

It was certainly far more uncomfortable than she thought it would be, but it was a small price for the functionality that the skill offered.

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Meanwhile, the other students had just finished their first elemental mastery class and arrived at the one for physical combat.

The way that the ancient academy handled 'classes' was a little different from how it was done everywhere else.

For the first few days, the new students would be separated from the others, and would go through 'introductory' classes, where the very basics of each subject would be explained, and if required, the starting skill would also be imparted.

For example, the introductory class for 'spiritual combat' had been the one in which they ended up getting the arrays discs for their respective cultivation techniques, and in the one for physical combat, they would be determining their starting weapons.

This was why most considered these first few days to be the 'most critical', and missing them was completely out of the question.

After these 'introductory' classes, the professors would simply give lectures on their own subjects independently, and any student, regardless of their age, would be attending the same class for that course.

This meant that many older students would have to sit through lectures that they considered 'too simple', and many times younger students would feel like their brains might explode from having a concept that was too advanced shoved at them out of nowhere.

All of this was intentional, and the professors considered this to be a good thing. The younger students could have their horizons broadened, while the older students could look back on the simple things and gain a deeper insight. It was all for their own good. And as a bonus, it was a very comfortable setup for the professors.

Of course, it was not unprecedented for a student to miss the introductory classes. Someone could get sick, and there could be other unavoidable circumstances or accidents that caused them to be unable to attend. In all such cases, however, it would be entirely up to the professor to decide whether they would help the student out separately or not.

In case they decided not to do so, such a student would then have to figure out these things through either their peers' help or on their own, which would place them at a significant disadvantage. Moreover, if they missed something really crucial, they would pretty much have no choice but to beg the professors for another chance.

That's why when the girl who had created a huge commotion on the first day in the 'Beast Taming' class didn't show up for the introductory classes for both elemental mastery and physical combat, the students were shocked.

"Do you think she really got expelled, in the end?"

"B-But didn't she have that other teacher backing her up?"

"Why didn't she come, then?"

Of course, eventually, the students still focused more on picking their own weapons, and forgot all about the missing pink-haired girl soon enough.

Many students who had been disappointed at their lack of affinity with their favorite elements in the previous class found themselves reinvigorated with enthusiasm as they tried out the various weapons displayed on the shelves as the tall and handsome professor introduced them one by one.

"A longsword is a straightforward and simple weapon, though not the most lethal or practical, it is suited for those who are gallant and wish to do things with style…"

"A broadsword is mighty and impactful, and a great fit for those with exceptional strength and simple heart…"

"A glaive is—"

Unlike the 'elemental mastery' course, the students didn't have much of an idea of what they would actually be good at when it came to weapons, despite the professor's guidance.

Most decided to just pick the ones that they thought would look good on themselves, and many of them went for a medium-length straight sword.

The professor wasn't surprised, but just as he was about to continue his instructions, however, he noticed that a pink-haired girl had just entered the hall.

"You're late?"

Of course, since Evelyn had finished her 'urgent tasks', she decided she might as well catch up with what was left of her classes. They might not be a high priority, but they might still help her improve a little.

She nodded and took out a ribbon that Aurora had given her earlier, and told her to wave in front of any professor who gave her trouble. She wondered how effective it would be.

The professor's face turned stiff as his lips twitched. "W-Well, you're excused. Pick your weapon, everyone else is already almost done."

Evelyn nodded as she walked along the walls of the hall and observed the various equipment on the shelves. There were many that she recognized, and many she didn't.

Of course, none of these equipment were even graded, let alone being anything rare or worth paying attention to. They were just simple metal and wood constructs meant for practice.

The pink-haired girl had only ever used a bow and arrow, thanks to her father's skill, and hadn't had any experience with other weapons. Evelyn decided that since she was here to learn, she might as well pick up something else.

Deciding that she might as well make it interesting for herself, Evelyn picked up a weapon that none of the other children had dared to.

Even the professor was a little surprised, though he didn't bother questioning her decision. After all, children were often unreasonable, and didn't even know why they went with something over the other themselves, let alone being able to explain it to someone else.

The other children had of course been paying very close attention to this 'mysterious' girl who seemed to be able to come and go as she pleased, and one of the girls couldn't help but ask the professor what Evelyn's weapon was supposed to be.

The professor scoffed. "I'll let it pass since this is the first class, but in the future you must listen to my words carefully. I already explained this weapon, and it's called the 'Spirit Sphere'. A difficult to master weapon that requires efficient usage of spirit power, with rather lackluster performance for the effort required."

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~ To be continued ~

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DustyDream:

Thank you for all your support!