The first week of the first-years quickly came to an end without any issues. As of now, all the first years have become acquainted with their facilities, curriculum and the rules and regulations. Most of the students had also begun cultivating earnestly to increase their level.
There was no need to also wait for the instructors to teach them how to cultivate as the process comes to hunters almost instinctively.
Combat lessons can also be learned using the VR pods. While not all students had private VR pods, those who did took full advantage of them to learn ahead. To those who didn't, the combat systems had VR pods they could use during the day.
...….
It was the start of a new week, and all students were already in class, waiting for their instructors to appear to begin lessons. Alex and his friends occupied their previous front-roll seats. Almost like an understanding, everyone sat where they did the week before.
Of course, Alex still received attention from time to time, but with no activities from him and his secluded nature, interest in him was quickly dying down. But even then, there was a slight tension in the classroom, and everyone could tell where it was coming from.
Of all the students in the class, the only one who occasionally glanced in the direction of Alex was Zen Henjok. His facial expression made them understand that he was still holding a grudge against Alex. Was it unreasonable of him? Yes, but that was his business and Alex's.
"Good morning." Their instructor walked into the class and all the students got up and responded to his greetings before sitting back down.
"Take your attendance and we will begin shortly."
Following the same procedure they did the last time; they linked their watches to their desk once it came online. Confirming the presence of everyone in the classroom, instructor Doe nodded before facing the entire class.
"I believe everyone has had the opportunity to go through the curriculum and rules. Questions that were inputted into the class's private network have all been answered."
The students nodded in acknowledgement.
"Good. From what you read from the curriculum, I'd be handling your combat lessons and the biology of hunters. And I know you have a preliminary understanding of human biology, and although, hunters are also humans, they have a few modifications to their cells that make them different and grant them the abilities they have."
The instructor made a gesture, making the display appear to everyone with a diagram showing parts of the human body.
"Before I go into explaining, can anyone tell me what changed in humans after the universal calamity hit our universe?"
Once the question was raised, multiple hands were already up, Alex and friends included. As basic knowledge was taught in middle school, the students had no problem recalling.
"Yes, you there," he pointed to a girl sitting at his far left, in the middle section of the desk columns.
"The long exposure to the magical energy over time introduced new organelles and tissue structures within the human body. These changes took a long time before they became stable enough to cause the first humans to awaken their skills." She responded.
"Excellent. As she said, the changes introduced by this new energy, called mana, caused mutations in the cells of humans. New energy pathways were created, circulatory pathways and tissues.
"These changes were only a physical manifestation of the changes that happened at the gene level."
He made another gesture that made the large display zoom into a cell of the diagram, showing its important organelles. Everyone was focused on what was being taught and shown, and there was no need to make notes as their assistive A.I. made all the notes they needed.
Alex in particular was keenly focused on what was being taught as his biology was slightly different from what other people had, especially in the category of the mana circulatory channels.
"While I say gene-level changes, and in fact is, the actual reason for this change in humans to be able to utilize mana and skills was the birth of a 24th pair of chromosomes."
Once again, the image changed to show the new chromosome added to the already existing ones.
"To better accommodate the presence of this new chromosome, the other chromosomes had to make room for it. The new organelles introduced, cells and tissues required existing ones to make changes in their sequences."
The discovery of these changes at the time was a marvel and it took humanity at the time less than a decade to decode it. The conclusion drawn was that to allow a person to wield the power they had, their cells had to mature to a certain stage, or they risk crippling themselves.
"Now, let's look at the actual organelle that in addition to the mitochondria acted as the main storage organelle for mana.
"The manitorium."
As the lesson progressed, the students appreciated all the changes that nature imparted unto them, giving humans the strength to fight the void creatures that threatened their existence in their universe.
Two hours later, the instructor was bringing the first lesson to a close.
"Any questions?" He asked, looking around. A hand came from the front roll, and it was none other than Alex.
"Go ahead."
"The manitoria function as storage organs and we draw mana directly from them, directing them through our mana channels…" He said, and the instructor nodded for him to continue. His preamble had also gotten the rest of the class curious as to what he wanted to ask.
"… Is it possible for the stored mana to only be used for infusing cells and not flow into the mana channels at all?"
His question caused almost everyone to look at him strangely. If mana wasn't going into the channels, what else was it supposed to do and how would a person manifest their ability if mana is not directed into the channels to be used?
However, the instructor did not think his question was weird. To him, he was the weird one and if he was asking such a question, then it must be something he has noticed about himself.
After thinking about his question from all possible angles, he came up with the best response he could.
"Well, mana also functions to strengthen our body cells; that is why we are physically stronger and faster. But for a hunter to manifest their ability, mana has to flow through the mana channels. And this goes both ways as we would look at in the coming weeks…
"…. But, if mana doesn't flow through the channels, cultivating would also be impossible."
Although the instructor answered the question, that was the answer for everyone else. He could still use his abilities, but mana wasn't being channelled from the manitoria.
Yes, when cultivating, mana travels through them into the manitoria, but not when he uses his ability. It was like, it came from an unknown source.