Rex Draco's eyes opened slowly, revealing a pure white ceiling. It seemed that he was laying down on his back, which confused him. As a Dragon it was much more comfortable to lay on one's belly since the wings and structure of his spine made it really uncomfortable.
And yet such feeling never came.
Unconsciously, he raised his hand.
Wait. Hand?
A human hand was now in front of him. It was really pale, and its nails were slightly long and sharp.
Remembering how to control a humanoid body, Rex Draco stood up, looking around.
The room was not small, but it couldn't be said to be massive. It was enough to have the bed he was laying on, a table and the closet beside it.
"She got me a new body already? Just how much time did I spent relieving those memories?"
Yes. Those memories.
Rex Draco grasped his chest, uncaring of the damage his elongated nails could have on his skin.
He recalled the feelings he had experienced on that world. The feeling of loving someone fully and being loved back with the same intensity.
It was addicting.
So much that he found himself thinking that he was much more worthy to send his mind and soul back there to continue to live such a life. To live with her.
Rex Draco shook his head. The new feelings and experiences that he now had, were mind changing.
He now knew. That he could be a better person. At least she made him believe that.
It was time to prove it.
And for that, I will help the hero that will save this world.
"It seems that you are awake."
A voice came from behind him, in the direction of the door. Rex Draco recognized the voice, so he didn't turn around to look at her.
"Yes, I have."
"What do you think of your new memories?"
"They are... intringing."
Trying not to show the true impact of the other life his soul had lived, Rex Draco decided to change the subject.
"How much time as passed?"
"Barely a month, I would say."
"You work quite fast."
"Thank you. How do you feel?"
That was a good question. Rex Draco did not feel any discomfort moving his new body. It was much weaker than his old one.
"Good enough, I guess."
"What about your strength?"
Rex Draco sat crossed legged in the bed and peered inside his own body.
His magic veins and Dragon heart were gone. In its place, mana channels and a magic core were present. Deep in the magic core, he could feel the fusion of natural energy and spiritual power coming together to form mana. It was untainted and pure, unlike his old malevolent mana.
"In terms of density, my mana seems to be unchanged, however the quantity of it is minimal."
Astra looked at him sharply, seemingly studying his answer.
"Your mana levels are around 1.8 times the average on modern days. If compared to before you were sealed, I would say completely average."
"The average levels of mana have decreased?"
"Yes. Due to the rise in popularity of magic tech in the last couple of decades, the populace believes that there is no meaning to keep training magic."
"Fools."
"Indeed."
As a Dragon and a Witch that saw more than a few centuries pass throughout their life, this blind belief in progress while completely discarding the old methods.
"There is a movement that is trying to stop the progress of magic tech."
"Fools."
"Indeed."
Tradition without progress was a carriage that would never move. While, progress without tradition was a carriage fated to crash.
"Anyway, the point is that your mana levels are above average. Taking into account that your mana has kept its density, then it's safe to assume that you are on the upper half of the rankings of a first year in the academy."
Rex Draco groaned. The feeling of having to be content with not being in the lower half of power bothered him. As a Dragon, he had his pride.
"What about your aura?"
"Hard to say. It might take a bit of time figuring out the correct way to generate aura, considering the different body."
"It will be very different from your usual aura, unlike mana, which will only face quantitive problems."
"Right."
Rex Draco stood up and started flexing his muscles, trying to familiarize himself with the new body.
Astra did not stop looking at him, clearly not bothered, or rather enjoying, by the vision of his naked torso.
"How am I supposed to enter the academy?"
"It's a simple process, really. You just deliver your identification on the day of the entrance exam and state your purpose."
"Identification?"
"Yes, I have already one prepared for you. You will go by the name of Ray."
The name made something deep within him to click, he ignored it.
"What about the entrance exam?"
"It shouldn't be hard for you, the exam is extended on three tests. Theory, Practical and Combat."
"What's the difference between Practical and Combat."
"The Practical Test encompasses things like camping, hunting, magical application and strategic thinking. While the Combat Test, was, well, Combat."
"Hmm."
"Depending on the Course you apply, the Ratio of the evaluations changes, so you don't have to worry about The Theory Test."
"Which Course am I applying into?"
"The Hero Course."
"??"
"The ratio of evaluations is simple. 20% for Theory, 35% Practical, 40% Combat and 5% Behavior/Discipline. To pass, you need 15 points out of twenty. Considering that Theory is going to hinder your grades, you need to ace the practical and combat tests."
"I really hope you're expecting my failure in that regard due to the difference in era, and not because you believe I fall short in intellect."
"..."
*Sigh*
"So, what kind of test should I expect?"
"For Practical, they should drop you in an unexpected situation with a random objective and see how you adapt to it. In the past the tests were conducted in a hunting area so they were easy to predict. But nowadays, with the use of simulations born from magic tech, they can give you a truly unexpected environment."
"I should be able to manage, there shouldn't be a mind so creative that would surprise a dragon as old as I am."
"I wouldn't underestimate them, in this day and age, powerful minds area as valued as powerful bodies."
"If you say so."
Despite his apparent agreement, Rex Draco still believed that he wouldn't be surprise so easily.
"Anyway, regardless, you will need this."
She extended her hand, which was holding a strange device. It was around the size of a hand, as thin as a piece of paper folded in half. It was silver and had a blue magic circle transcribed in the back of it.
"What is this?"
Rex Draco picked it up by a corner and shook it, eyes narrowed.
"This is a phone. Magic tech. It allows you to communicate with other people, search for information, identification as well as other things."
His eyes widened.
"Seems pretty useful."
"It is. Once you enter the academy they will give you one specific for academic use, but for now you need this to at least identify yourself."
Rex Draco messed with the device for a while, getting a feel of how it worked and how to operate it.
"Anything else I should know?"
"I could instruct on how mana and aura are used in the modern days, don't you think so?"
"What's the difference?"
"Mostly they're imagination."
"?"
Mana was operated with the mind. Which meant that magic spells if not cast by a ritual or magic circle were completely shaped on two factors. The Imagination and The affinity.
Affinity was pretty self-explanatory. Some people had a greater affinity with flames, others had affinity with water. Some cases were more unique, much like Rex Draco, who affinity over flames, gravity and dominion.
Imagination was the one most responsible for the details of a spell. If it's flames, should it be an arrow or a sword? If it's water, should I shape it like a whip or a serpent? Great mages used their imagination to shape the elements they had the most affinity to their liking.
Lacking imagination, meant a lack of versatility.
"What do you mean?"
Rex Draco needed a clarification.
"Nowadays, with the use of projection magic, new business branches started to form. Some of them were directed to entertainment."
"Entertainment?"
"Yes. This resulted in a widening gap between mages. Some got inspired and created new spells, taking ideas from it and mixing it with their ideas. Others were also inspired but were so fixated with them, that they always used them as they were instead of what was the most suitable."
"Basically, they are copying fake spells instead of using it to inspire them to create their own."
"Exactly."
"Huh. How disappointing this generation is."
"Stop it. You sound like an old man."
"I am!"