Chapter 275: Heat Sight

Professor Faye’s sharp intake of breath drew every eye in the room.

The glow of her diagnostic spell had already faded from Noah’s chest, but her hand hovered in the air as if uncertain whether to continue.

“Your mana…” she began slowly, her brows knitting together. “It’s… moving irregularly.”

A ripple of murmurs spread through the class.

Noah stood still, deciding not to speak. If there was anything wrong, she’d tell him herself.

Faye withdrew her hand, then frowned and summoned the light again.

The golden glow sprang to life between her fingers, and this time, she supplemented it with a more complicated spell formation, casting the added spell.

The spell wrapped around Noah like a fine mist.

He felt it prick at his skin, cool and searching.

Faye’s eyes flicked from one invisible pattern to another, the reflection of the spell’s light dancing across her glasses.

“Strange,” she murmured. “Your circulation paths are clear, no blockages… your mana capacity is… inconclusive. The spell can’t seem to gather information on it.”

“But the flow of mana… it isn’t consistent. It flows in multiple directions, like you’re channeling more than one stream of mana at once.”

Noah stayed silent, careful to keep his expression neutral. He had no idea what it was, but he was sure it had something to do with him being a Dark Dragon.

Faye’s frown deepened. “There are a few things here that aren’t exactly wrong,” she continued, “but they shouldn’t be this pronounced.”

“The resonance between your affinities is… atypical. Almost unstable.”

She stopped casting and looked at him directly. “What rank are you now, Webb?”

Noah hesitated only a moment, before answering smoothly. “I advanced to FF-rank last semester.”

So, this was it.

In truth, he was now a B-rank mage. But she’d been expecting to see something typical of a much weaker mage.

Now, the question was, did she know that he was much stronger?

Faye nodded, her expression unreadable. “That explains part of it,” she said, though her tone suggested it didn’t explain much at all.

She dismissed the remnants of her spell, the light fading from the air.

“Still, I recommend you visit the infirmary later today for a full checkup. Tell them I sent you. It’s probably nothing serious, but better to be sure.”

“I’ll consider it,” Noah said evenly.

Before she could reply, he turned and returned to his seat.

A few students whispered behind him, but Faye silenced them with a single look.

“Next,” she called briskly, regaining her composure.

One by one, the remaining students approached her desk, and the golden light of her spell flickered again and again, but none shone as strangely as it had for Noah.

And when the last student had been examined, Faye clapped her hands once.

“Good. That will be all for diagnostics today,” she said. “Now, we’ll move on to your first assignment.”

The students straightened in their seats.

Faye reached into her spatial ring and drew out a neat stack of spell parchments.

“You will all begin by learning the FF-rank diagnostic spell, Heat Sight,” she announced. “It’s simple enough for your current levels but practical for field use.”

She began distributing the parchments down each row.

“This class,” she continued, “was formed because each of you has a Fire affinity.”

“Fire magic, when refined properly, can serve as a tool for preservation as much as destruction.”

“The diagnostic spell I’m giving you today uses the person’s body’s natural heat to read their internal rhythm and condition.”

“It’s limited, as it will only provide surface-level data such as body temperature, mana turbulence, the health of your major organs, and fatigue, but it’s an essential foundation for further healing studies.”

Noah glanced around as the spell parchments reached him.

He noticed that the class was unusually mixed.

Students from different tiers, Stone, Bronze, Silver, even a few Gold, sat together for once.

Healing, it seemed, ignored status.

He looked down at the parchment in front of him.

The formation drawn on it was neat but simple.

To most in the room, it probably looked complex, but to him, it was child’s play.

He’d long since mastered even S-rank spell formations, and compared to this one, it was on another level.

Faye’s gaze swept across the room.

“Begin when ready,” she said.

Noah could feel her eyes on him even before he started. He hid a small smile and decided to play along.

For the first minute, he furrowed his brow, faked hesitation, and traced the wrong lines once or twice.

Then, when Faye leaned slightly forward, watching, he corrected himself and let the formation ignite.

The spell formation clicked into completion above his hand. Perfect.

Faye’s lips curved in approval. “Excellent work, Mr. Webb,” she said. “Observe his technique, everyone, slow and steady wins the race.”

Encouraged, the others redoubled their focus, and complete spell formations began appearing around the room.

Finally, when all students had formed the spell formation, she clasped her hands together.

“Well done,” she said, her tone carrying rare warmth. “For first attempts, that was better than I expected.”

“Now, let’s test your results. Cast the spell and hold it steady for a few seconds. Feel what it’s meant to show you.”

Noah ignited the spell formation.

A rush of heat shot through his arm and settled behind his eyes.

For a moment, his vision blurred, then it changed.

The world shifted into tones of warmth.

Every student around him shimmered with hues of red, orange, and yellow, each color pulsing in time with their heartbeat.

He could see faint streaks of heat curling along their veins, the steady rhythm of life itself.

It was strange and mesmerizing.

The spell lived up to its name, Heat Sight.

Across the room, a few students gasped as their spells activated.

Some were laughing, pointing out how bright or dim their classmates appeared.

Others blinked rapidly, disoriented by the sudden flood of heat patterns.

Before Faye could comment further, the clear toll of the academy bells echoed through the hallways.

The sound filled the air, replacing chatter with confusion.

Professor Faye’s brows drew together. “That’s not the usual time for the bell,” she murmured.

Moments later, the door swung open, and a young messenger in the academy’s staff uniform hurried in, slightly breathless.

The class fell silent, every eye turning toward the door.

“Professor Faye,” he said quickly, bowing. “By order of the principal, all students are to gather at the main hall immediately.”

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