First Class (1): Sherry's Illustration
Sherry von Patrick had secured second place at the academy.
She was the young lady known as a genius within the Patrick family. Under normal circumstances, any parent would have praised her without hesitation. Yet the Patrick family was infamous for a level of perfectionism that surpassed all others.
It ran so deep that even Sherry—a prodigy in her own right—had yet to earn a single word of approval from her father, the current family head.
That was why she had poured every ounce of her being into earning his recognition. No matter how fiercely she trained or how brilliantly she performed, he never acknowledged her.
And so she had entered the Edin Academy entrance ceremony still carrying that unfulfilled longing. She had been certain she would claim first place. After all, she possessed both genius and relentless effort.
But against all expectations, she had taken second.
When she investigated who had claimed the top spot, the answer left her stunned. It was Luden von Roden, the young lady of the Roden family. As far as Sherry remembered, the entire Roden house had been wiped out by the demon race several years ago.
She had never imagined that someone from a fallen family would seize first place. She had even set her sights on surpassing her.
What is this…?
An even greater shock followed.
Amid the chaos of a sudden lycanthrope’s appearance, when everyone else panicked, the only person who recognized it as an illusion was the blind man. What stunned her even more was that he had shattered the illusion magic entirely.
Grit.
The moment she realized how far behind she truly was, Sherry headed straight for the training hall the instant class ended.
Perhaps because it was the first day, the training grounds were deserted. Only a lonely wind whistled through the empty space.
She pushed down the burning frustration in her chest and focused on her magic.
Whoosh.
Flames roared as Sherry manifested an orb of power. Just as she concentrated on maintaining it—
Hm?
She felt a gaze on her back. Assuming it was another annoying admirer, she turned her head.
Eh?
Her eyes widened before she could stop herself. The person watching her was none other than Baran, the very man who had been lingering in her thoughts since the entrance ceremony.
Why is he looking at me?
While she stood there puzzled, Baran casually entered one of the private training rooms.
Normally she would have felt irritated. Yet for some strange reason, his gaze didn’t bother her at all.
It must be because he can’t see.
He had said it himself earlier that day—he saw mana, not people’s appearances. That was probably why it didn’t feel unpleasant. Unlike other men, he wasn’t staring at her figure.
“Haa, I can’t waste time on this.”
Sherry shook her head vigorously. With renewed fire in her eyes, she threw herself back into training, completely unaware that her gaze kept drifting toward Baran’s training room.
After stepping into the private training room, I touched the crystal orb in the corner. A mana screen immediately flickered to life above it.
Given my current level…
Starting from the lowest difficulty seemed wise. Even though I had shown off during the class placement test, it had all been thanks to my traits. If I had faced that lycanthrope head-on, I would have been sent flying in a single blow.
The moment I selected the lowest difficulty—
Vrrrr.
A strand of mana surged from the opposite side of the orb. At the same time, a goblin appeared with a gauge labeled 100 above its head.
Kyarrk!
I had never fought a goblin in direct combat before. As a long-range dealer, there had never been any reason to. But the world was unpredictable. It was worth experiencing a frontal clash at least once.
Kyaaak!
The goblin charged at me with murderous intent. I poured mana into my circuits and reshaped them into a bow.
“Tsk.”
Before I knew it, the creature had closed the distance. It swung its club down at me. Even though it was only an illusion, getting hit would still hurt. I stepped back and dodged.
Mind’s Eye really is overpowered.
Despite my low stats, the goblin’s attack looked painfully slow. No wonder it was a 5-star trait.
Vrrrr.
The instant a gap appeared, I nocked an arrow and released the string without hesitation.
Thud!
The mana arrow buried itself in the goblin’s forehead. Its gauge instantly dropped to zero.
The lowest difficulty really is a joke.
I had wondered, but it turned out to be easier than drinking lukewarm soup. Time to raise the difficulty by one level.
I approached the crystal orb again and changed the setting to low difficulty.
Krrriiiik.
A spine-chilling screech echoed in my ears. I slowly turned my head. A skeleton holding a shield and sword entered my vision.
I didn’t expect a Skeleton Knight.
The monsters in this training room were supposed to be random. Of all things, it had to be a Skeleton Knight—one of the strongest in close-quarters combat.
Whoosh!
I barely dodged its attack. Even though Mind’s Eye let me see its movements clearly, my pathetic stats made it difficult to evade.
Still—
I can at least counterattack.
With that thought, I retreated and prepared to loose an arrow. But—
“?!”
As if it had predicted the move, the skeleton closed the distance in an instant. The unexpected maneuver startled me.
Yet thanks to my Composure trait, I stayed calm.
Whoosh!
I fired an arrow at the approaching knight. The mana arrow sliced through the air, aiming to pierce its skull just like the goblin’s.
But—
Clang!
Contrary to my expectations, it casually deflected the arrow with its shield and closed in with its sword.
Shaaak!
The strike was obviously slow. Compared to Luden, its movements were full of wasted motion. So why couldn’t I dodge it?
Splat!
White-hot agony exploded across my body. I wanted to roll around on the floor, but my Composure trait prevented any such shameful display. Instead, my mind immediately began calculating how to respond.
At that moment—
Fwoosh!
The Skeleton Knight before me vanished. Wondering what had happened, I turned around. My own gauge now read zero.
This is annoying.
If a different low-tier monster had appeared, I was confident I could have won. My level might be pathetically low, but with Mind’s Eye I should have been able to handle most things. Unfortunately, I had encountered a foe that excelled in personal combat. In a way, it was simply a bad matchup.
Still, losing on low difficulty lit a fire under my competitive spirit. Just as I was about to select low difficulty again—
Vrrrr.
The communication crystal orb issued by the academy began to vibrate.
Class placement test results have been finalized. Student Baran has demonstrated exceptional performance and has been assigned to Class A.
I frowned deeply.
“Haa, I figured. After showing that much, ending up in C-class would have been ridiculous.”
I had secretly hoped for a middle-ranked class, but of course I had been placed in the highest one. Still, I had expected it, so the disappointment wasn’t too severe.
Ugh. This means I’ll definitely get dragged into the main story.
While I was clutching my head in frustration—
Ding!
Another alert rang out. This time it was a system message.
Congratulations!
You have cleared a hidden quest!
🎁 Reward: High-Speed Movement trait acquired
What? They’re giving me this?
Surprised by the unexpected reward, my eyes widened. Worried the system might be pranking me, I immediately opened my status window.
A new trait had been added to the window. Seeing it, my motivation surged once more.
Alright. With this, I can crush that Skeleton Knight.
With that determination, I remained locked inside the training room all weekend until I finally defeated the Skeleton Knight. Occasionally I felt burdensome stares from outside the room, but they weren’t important enough to worry about.
Monday arrived after the weekend. I headed to the academy with my usual bandages wrapped around my eyes. The students around me kept stealing glances in my direction.
“Isn’t he the only one who cleared the class placement test?”
“That’s what they say. Apparently that blind guy did something no one else has ever managed.”
“At this point, isn’t he just pretending to be blind?”
“That doesn’t make sense. Even if he’s faking it, how could he see with his eyes completely wrapped in bandages?”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
It seemed the rumors had spread. A few students looked at me with clear jealousy, but what could I do? The moment they tried anything, they’d regret it.
Though honestly, my real ability is still far weaker than the protagonist’s.
For now, the best course was to stay quiet so my true power wouldn’t be exposed. The rumors would die down soon enough anyway.
Yes, it’s not too late yet.
With a solemn expression, I continued walking. A short while later, a familiar voice rang out.
“Today’s first class will be one-on-one sparring with me.”
Land a Valid Hit on Dale
📍 Objective: During today’s practical sparring class, successfully land a valid hit on Professor Dale.
🎁 Success Reward: Unknown
⚠ Failure Penalty: Unknown
Looks like living as an extra is off the table.
