Last Gun Alchemist

After the long break finally ended, the students gradually returned to their different classrooms for their optional courses.

The noise that had filled the academy during lunch slowly faded as students separated and went their own ways, returning to classrooms scattered across the academy grounds.

Ezra entered his Cognis Physics classroom with Cyrus and the two took their usual seats.

Not long after everyone had settled down, Professor Paulina Greenwood stood at the front of the classroom.

The same Study topic that had been displayed during the end of their first lesson of the course was still visible on the holographic screen behind her, but this time, the words shown across it were different.

Proper Use of Cognis.

Paulina pointed toward the bold words on the screen.

"So, what do I mean by proper use of Cognis?"

Her warm expression remained as she slowly walked away from the teaching stand and moved a little closer to the students.

"Do you all believe that, at your current Alchemist rank, the way you utilize your Cognis is considered proper?"

She paused for a moment, allowing the question to settle among the students.

"Or do you immediately enhance your entire body with Cognis the moment you enter a combat situation?"

Several students remained quiet.

Some looked toward the holographic screen.

Others simply continued listening.

Paulina slowly walked back toward her podium.

"Double-tasking, triple-tasking, and even greater levels of Cognis utilization during a fight all lead toward one thing."

She raised one finger.

"A reduction of the Cognis inside your Star."

The holographic screen changed with a swipe of her hand.

A large image of an Alchemist Star appeared before the class, with the Cognis inside the Star clearly shown as a moving energy source.

"Now, we all understand that whenever we use an Alchemy Circle, or enhance a part of our body, it leads to a drop in Cognis."

Paulina pointed toward the image.

"We also have to be careful with how we drain our Cognis, because allowing it to fall too low will place heavy strain on an Alchemist’s body which could lead to death."

She allowed the students a moment to look at the image before continuing.

"So, that is why I said today’s class will focus on the proper use of Cognis."

She smiled.

Ezra remained seated quietly, listening to every word.

Most of the students were doing the same.

Although...

Not everyone was taking the lesson seriously.

There were already several students who believed the course would be easy because they were Alchemists themselves. After all, they had been using Cognis since they first began training, so to them, learning about something they had already practiced for years seemed almost unnecessary.

Paulina could probably tell they weren’t paying attention, but she didn’t seem bothered by it.

"The main key is that there is a particular method of Cognis utilization that can increase your combat ability to the point where an ordinary Alchemist of the same rank can fight another Alchemist of the same rank and still appear to be the stronger Alchemist. You don’t have to be a genius Alchemist."

She stepped away from the podium.

"An example would be double-tasking by enhancing your Speed and Strength at the same time."

As she spoke, Cognis suddenly began flowing through her body.

The students immediately sensed the change.

Her Cognis moved through her muscles, strengthening the tissues beneath her skin while another portion flowed toward her legs.

The air around her feet shifted slightly from the pressure of the enhancement.

Several students who had been sitting lazily a moment ago straightened in their seats.

The fluctuation of Cognis had caught their attention.

Paulina looked across the classroom.

"Now, imagine that you are in a fight where your opponent is far away, and both of you are running toward each other to attack."

She continued moving her Cognis through her body while speaking.

"Normally, what many Alchemists, both young and old, do is release their Cognis without properly gauging how much Cognis they actually need."

She raised her hand slightly.

"So, at the end of the day, both sides simply release Cognis to enhance their Strength and Speed evenly."

She looked toward the students.

"Now, is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

Paulina remained completely calm while the Cognis continued moving through the paths she had chosen.

Several students looked at one another.

Kane Casper eventually raised his hand.

"Isn’t it good?"

Paulina looked toward him.

Kane continued before she could answer.

"I mean, if you utilize your Cognis to evenly boost your Strength and Speed, wouldn’t you be able to fight with the same speed and strength more accurately?"

He explained his reasoning confidently.

Several students nodded.

They clearly agreed with him.

Paulina smiled.

"Well, it’s not a bad thing to do, Mr. Kane."

Kane nodded.

"But..."

Paulina’s smile remained.

"That doesn’t mean it’s the best thing to do either. Especially when you consider the constant drain of Cognis you would use to maintain the even enhancement."

She turned slightly toward the holographic screen.

"And I will explain why once I show you my example."

Paulina looked back at the class.

"Right now, the Cognis I released to enhance my body Strength and Speed is fifty-fifty out of eleven values from my Cognis Pool."

She raised two fingers.

"Fifty percent toward Strength, and fifty percent toward Speed. With constant refilling."

She paused.

"Of course, I can use a lower amount, but for this example, I will use the general enhancement cost of Cognis for an ordinary Novice Alchemist."

The students continued watching her.

"Now that my Cognis distribution is even..."

Paulina smiled.

"Do you Novice Alchemists in this class think you can easily sense my Speed if I run toward you?"

Several students hesitated.

They looked at one another.

Kane’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Before anyone could answer, another student spoke.

"But what about your natural Speed?"

Elena Galehart raised her hand.

Paulina turned toward her.

"I am also controlling my natural Speed to remain within the Novice Alchemist rank."

Elena’s eyes widened slightly.

"So..."

Paulina’s voice echoed calmly through the classroom.

But she was no longer standing at the front.

She was now standing behind the entire class, with a faint smile resting on her face.

For a moment, nobody spoke.

Then...

"That was fast."

One of the male students said it in disbelief.

"She said she was only using Novice Alchemist rank Speed."

"While enhancing her Strength too."

Several voices overlapped.

The students turned around in their seats, trying to understand how Professor Paulina had crossed the entire classroom without most of them even noticing her movement.

Even Kane looked impressed.

Although...

Not everyone was surprised.

Ezra had followed her movement.

So had Cyrus.

Both boys had noticed the moment Paulina changed the distribution of her Cognis.

She hadn’t simply increased everything.

She had changed the flow.

Her Cognis that had initially been distributed evenly between Strength and Speed had shifted, giving Speed a greater amount while reducing the amount being used for Strength.

And that small change had been enough.

Paulina had used the additional Speed to cross the classroom before most of the students could properly react.

Ezra looked at her calmly.

"You changed your Cognis flow."

Paulina’s eyes moved toward him.

"Speed at seven Cognis Value, while Strength was at four Cognis Value."

A pleased smile appeared on Paulina’s face.

"Exactly, Mr. Ezra."

She brought her hands together in a light clap.

"That is exactly what I wanted someone to notice."

Several students looked toward Ezra.

Some looked back toward Professor Paulina.

The difference suddenly became clearer.

Paulina hadn’t become stronger simply because she had used more Cognis.

She had become more effective because she had placed the Cognis where it was most useful at that particular moment.

Paulina turned back toward the class.

"My main point for today’s study is that you Alchemists shouldn’t simply aimlessly use your Cognis to enhance your body."

She slowly walked back toward the teaching stand.

"Just a small amount of Cognis can already provide the enhancement you are trying to use, especially since your body is already powerful according to your Alchemist rank."

She stopped beside the podium.

"Utilize your Cognis."

Her gaze moved across the students.

"Send the values needed to boost a particular enhancement when you need it."

She raised her hand and began explaining the example again.

"For instance, when you want to close the distance between yourself and an opponent, you should use more Cognis on your Speed."

She moved her hand forward.

"Once you have closed the distance..."

Her hand suddenly shifted.

"Switch that Cognis toward Strength."

She looked at the students.

"You don’t need to maintain the same distribution throughout an entire battle."

Paulina’s tone remained calm, but the lesson behind her words had become much clearer.

"You just need to understand what your body requires at each moment of the fight. And the funniest thing about this key point is that... when you do this..."

She paused.

"Your Cognis drained to refill your enhancement will be slower than when you are trying to even the flow of your Cognis during double enhancement. That’s why some ordinary Alchemists with low Cognis pool tend to fight with only one enchantment sometimes."

She pointed toward the holographic image of the Alchemist Star.

"Cognis is limited, even when your Cognis Pool is large. So don’t waste it simply because you have it."

The students gradually became quieter.

Those who had originally considered the course easy were now paying much closer attention.

Paulina smiled.

"That is what proper use of Cognis means."

She tapped the holographic screen once more.

"Don’t simply use more. Use what you need... And use it where you need it."

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