First Class
I had a bad dream.
The kind where I was rummaging through trash cans, so starved I stole a loaf of bread.
A faint dizziness washed over me as I pushed myself upright. When my eyes finally opened, my entire body was drenched in cold sweat.
Beorn’s memories, then.
It wasn’t the first time someone else’s recollections had borrowed the shape of a dream. Stealing an ability was no different from taking their memories wholesale. But never before had such a dark memory surfaced with this much raw, realistic force.
For some reason, I felt I finally understood why he had been so obsessed with money.
If this counted as a nightmare, then yes—it was one.
Thanks to it, my condition was rock bottom. Perfect shape for heading to the Academy, really.
I decided to wash the sticky, sweat-soaked grime from my body.
Introduction to Mana.
A subject dedicated to learning how to use the mana that composed the human body with maximum efficiency. It was a mandatory first-year course regardless of department, and because so many students enrolled, classes were usually held in the large lecture halls.
Every human was born with mana in their body. The innate amount varied from person to person, but the fact that everyone possessed it made the subject critically important. How efficiently one handled the mana they were given often determined the level of their combat power.
“I am Albert, the professor in charge of Introduction to Mana.”
Standing before the packed lecture hall was a young man with neatly settled blue hair and glasses. The heavy dark circles under his eyes gave him a sharp, almost weary edge—perhaps from too much work.
After the brief self-introduction, he adjusted his glasses and continued.
“I will be teaching all of you for the next year. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Introduction to Mana was a required course for the entire first year—that was how vital it was. Whether they liked it or not, they would be seeing each other for a full year. Albert saw no reason to dive straight into a proper lesson on day one.
“Today is the first class. Before we begin the real curriculum, I intend to take some time to explain the subject itself.”
He spoke slowly and clearly. Mana was the most fundamental substance in practical combat. Depending on the user’s skill, its applications were vast; in some cases it even manifested as entirely unique personal abilities. In this course they would first learn how to control that mana.
Most first-years could not properly use the power they already possessed. They lacked real combat experience and had never been taught. As a result, they wasted enormous amounts of mana. Simply correcting that waste and learning control would dramatically increase their capabilities.
And to do that, it was essential to know and understand one’s own capacity with precision.
Albert pointed to the purple crystal orb resting on the lectern.
“This is a mana measuring device. Today we will end class by measuring the total amount of mana each of you possesses. Allow me to demonstrate first.”
He placed his hand on the orb and poured mana into it. Light bloomed from the crystal, projecting a calculated figure into the air.
Confirming the number, he lifted his hand away.
“Simply place your hand on it and channel the mana within your body. The average total mana of a commoner is around four hundred twenty. As first-years who have not yet begun proper training, most of you will not differ greatly from that.”
Those with talent or prior experience might break a thousand, of course.
“Mana is a power that grows the more you use it. There is a limit to how much it can increase, naturally. Just as intelligence varies from person to person, so does the upper limit of one’s mana. Depending on talent, some will see their capacity rise far faster than others.”
Albert removed his glasses and wiped them once with a handkerchief before speaking again in the same even tone.
“So please do not be disappointed by the number that appears today. You simply have not handled mana yet—that does not mean you lack talent. Even I cannot say whose limit will prove the highest.”
In his years as a professor he had seen every kind of case: students who barely scraped by suddenly exploding in growth to take the top rank, and others who started high only to stagnate and fall behind. A single first measurement was never absolute. Every student in this room was an unopened lottery ticket.
“I will call you one by one in order. Come forward and take the measurement.”
Albert began reading attendance numbers. Students stepped up one after another. As expected of first-years, most recorded similar figures, though Battle Magic students generally scored higher than those from the Swordsmanship Department. Battle Magic admitted many who had already awakened magical talent before enrollment.
Even among them, a few exceptional results made Albert raise an eyebrow. Notably, Rena of Class A registered 2700, while Wendy of Class B hit 3200, drawing every eye in the hall. Each held the highest mark in their respective class, and among the prideful Battle Magic students a small argument immediately flared.
“So Class B is better than Class A? No matter how much you fly and crawl, you’ll never beat our Wendy.”
“Yeah, Wendy’s ranked fourth in the entire year.”
A Class B student lit the fuse.
“Don’t talk nonsense. The overall top scorer on the entrance exam came from our Class A, you know? She just hasn’t measured yet. She’ll blow past 3200 like it’s nothing.”
“Oh? So Wendy was first on the entrance exam, then?”
A Class A student laughed scornfully and fired back. There was still one student left unmeasured, and the Class A students clearly believed someone among them was worth watching.
“Look—she’s walking up.”
The Class A student pointed. The Class B students held their breath as well. They had all heard the rumors: the one who had crushed the entrance exam with overwhelming scores. Not only Battle Magic students but even Swordsmanship students had been unable to match her. At first it had sounded impossible, yet it was fact. She currently held the title of first-year top rank. The story of her shattering the measurement dummy with her bare fists was already famous among some of the students.
Iria of Class A. At last it was her turn. Her pure white hair fluttered with each step.
“That’s her?”
“Damn, she’s ridiculously pretty.”
Her long hair flowed with the soft luster of silk, and those signature crimson eyes looked like perfectly cut jewels. Whenever people discussed the most beautiful person in the Academy, her name always came up at least once. Today, as always, she walked onto the platform completely unaware of the countless hearts she was casually wrecking.
She slowly placed her hand on the crystal orb.
Every gaze in the hall fixed on her, heavy with expectation.
And then—
The result was a little different from what they had expected.
They had been certain she would display the overwhelming dignity of first place by a crushing margin.
“······.”
“······.”
Still, if you measured from the back, she was technically first.
Silence stretched for a long moment before someone finally spoke.
“What a fucking loser.”
It was spring.
It was break time after morning classes.
Iria sat on a bench outside the classroom, letting the breeze wash over her, when Rena came and settled beside her.
“It’s okay. There must have been some kind of error. You don’t have to feel so down.”
“······.”
For some reason Rena began comforting her. Was she pitying her over the mana measurement result? Iria herself barely cared. She had never been a body capable of using mana in the first place—she was not human. The fact that she could use even a trace amount was already fortunate. That tiny capacity had only appeared after she ate a mage who possessed mana regeneration last time. Using mana at all was probably a first among monsters. So she was perfectly satisfied with today’s result.
“I’m fine.”
She truly was. According to Albert’s lecture, the number would keep growing from here, and eventually she might even cast magic like an ordinary human. For someone who disliked relying on Magi, that was hopeful news.
“Don’t lie! Your face looks this depressed!”
Rena refused to believe her. She pinched both of Iria’s cheeks hard, then pulled. There was no real reason—she just wanted to tug on something so soft and squishy.
“My faish ish always like thish······.”
“You must be so upset your face looks like this······.”
“Whash wrong with my faish. Let go.”
Iria was trying to say, “My face is always like this, what’s wrong with it, let go.” She looked thoroughly displeased.
Rena kept kneading the springy cheeks for a while, only releasing them once she was satisfied.
Then—
“Hehe, just kidding. Let’s go to the next class.”
She grabbed Iria’s hand and dragged her off somewhere.
“······.”
There were people who had watched the entire scene from start to finish: Lucia, a recommended student of the Imperial Academy, and her underlings.
“So that’s the famous first-year top rank?”
“It would appear so.”
They had taken interest at first because of the title, but the interest had cooled almost immediately. In every way she fell short of expectations. There was no overwhelming presence befitting a top rank, and her mana amount was nothing special either.
Given that she was in Battle Magic, was she supposed to be a mage-type? A mage with less mana than a commoner—at first they wondered if it was some kind of joke. But it was real. The Imperial Academy was unlikely to have made a mistake in scoring. That left only one conclusion.
Iria had not been strong. The competition had simply been weak.
Lucia, who had been eyeing the top rank for herself, smiled faintly.
“Looks like it’ll be easier to take than I thought.”
Recommended students did not take the entrance exam, so they were excluded from the initial rankings. If she had sat for the exam, the top seat would have been hers without question—Lucia genuinely believed that.
A Ranking Match would probably open soon.