Chapter 5: First Step Passed Safely?

As soon as I returned to my room, I cracked open a book. I had already scoped out the exterior of the academy. Now, it was time to dig into the interior. I needed to understand the rules of this world.

My knowledge of the Salenium Saga was absolute. I could say that without hesitation. But things were different here. The "stats" that characters acknowledged in the game had vanished. Who knew what other differences lurked in the shadows? On top of that, expulsion loomed over me like a massive roadblock. I had to sort that out first. If I got booted out, it wouldn't just ruin my support base. It would be a fatal blow. A third academic warning meant game over. Straight to the bad ending. Welcome back ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to nothingness.

······But then, I saw the practice paper on my desk.

"······Hmm."

I stared at the paper. I was frozen stiff. My hand gripped the fountain pen tightly. I scanned the problems again. I couldn't believe my eyes. I picked up the paper and read it over and over. I checked it multiple times.

"No way······."

I was beyond shocked. This was too easy. It was way too easy. It was so straightforward that it left me flustered. Was this supposed to be hard? If this was the standard, my veteran title was a joke. I could do this in my sleep.

"Haha······."

A smile crept across my face. It was almost enjoyable. I dove straight into writing the answers. My pen flew across the page.

First, the tiers. Low-tier spells required no casting time in the game. Mid-tier and up demanded a chant. High-tier took a full minute on average. It varied by character, of course. Some specialists could even slam out spells chantless. I wrote that down clearly.

"Question 2. That's Fire Arrow. Mid-tier fire elemental spell."

Guessing a spell from a formula? For someone who had clocked thousands of hours, it was child's play. It was like recognizing a face in a crowd.

Then, mana consumption. I could recite the details blindfolded. Water, fire, earth, lightning, wind, ice, light. There were seven attributes. Every character had an affinity. If a fire-affinity character used fire, the mana cost dropped. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠The power amped up. Most people had one affinity. Some had two. Some had "anti-affinities" and couldn't use certain elements at all. For someone without an affinity, they just paid the full price. It was basic math to me.

"Nice."

I finished the sheet. It was an outstanding answer. I would get full marks. The written exam was no longer a threat.

"Goal for this semester: master every low-tier spell."

I needed to nail down all learnable magic by the end of the term. If I could pick up other skills, even better. I would push mid-tier as far as possible.

"······Route List."

I stretched lightly. I summoned the window in front of me.

No change yet. 'Progress probably ticks up once the main story kicks off.' That was a relief. I had already confirmed Erhan was bonding with Kalen. The knight department freshmen were moving as they should.

I replayed the scene in my head. 'Lumen was there.' Lumen Ribens. Every vet knew him. He was the "Knight of Light." A third-year powerhouse. He was a staple party member for any serious player.

I remembered the classic crew. Lumen for Light. Sufle for Ice. Relbrian for Wind. Griner for the neutral assassin role. Meril for Fire. They were the peak efficiency team. The game even forced you to balance your slots like that.

'How he builds his party is Erhan's problem.'

I would just peek at his progress occasionally. My focus was elsewhere. I needed to leverage my lore knowledge to secure my own base. Erhan could do the heavy lifting. I would survive and reap the rewards.

'Time is on my side.'

The story spanned 10 chapters. 30 acts. It felt long, but it flew by. After graduation, there was an epilogue. Erhan would travel to topple the Demon King. That monster was sealed right under this academy. By then, Ebnis would be marquess if I didn't move. I had to check her before it was too late.

I finished my summary. I glared at my notes. I checked the clock.

"Time for dinner."

Everything I did was for this. To eat well. To live well. Priorities were important.

I finished a hearty meal. I headed to the garden. It was behind the Merin Hall main building. The dorms radiated out from there. First-year through fourth-year. The noble halls had sprawling grounds. They had state-of-the-art facilities. But I had no regrets. Being kicked ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠out of Adel was a blessing. All the named characters were there. One wrong word could derail the entire story. That would be a nightmare.

Thwack!

"─287!"

I peeked behind the second-year dorm. I saw Kalen. He was drenched in sweat. He was swinging a wooden sword at a dummy. I didn't interrupt. I kept quiet. He was relentlessly diligent. I slipped away and headed to the first-year dorm.

The main building was buzzing with the party. The dorms were ghost towns. 'Here.' Two weeks from now, Act 1, Scene 1 would start. The "Dorm Monster Summoning Fiasco." It ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠would happen right here.

A first-year would experiment with magic. A monster would pop out. But it was a setup. It was a plot by a fourth-year magic student. He was filled with despair. He would move while the upperclassmen were away on lectures.

Erhan would pass by. He would have Lumen as a mentor. He would crush the monster. The tutorial would wrap up. Academy life and combat 101. That was the script.

I stared at the dorm from the shadows. Then I turned away. I had mixed feelings. In my playthroughs, I was Erhan. I was the hero. But that was ancient history. There was no point in wallowing. I went back to my room.

"Where did you go?"

"I took a walk."

I was back in the room. Kalen was drying his hair with a towel. Perfect timing. He was in a T-shirt and shorts. He plopped onto the floor. He pulled out a cloth and began to wipe his sword.

"A sword, huh."

"This? My family gave it to me. Before I left."

The Snowwhite family were northern barons. They were nobles, but they were ruined. That was why he was in Merin Hall. I told him not to mind me. He agreed. I grabbed my toiletries. I hit the bathroom.

I washed up. I changed into casual clothes. I emerged toweling my hair.

"······."

"What is it?"

Kalen was mid-polish. He looked up at me. He looked dazed. I caught my reflection in the mirror. My hair was damp and mussed. I looked like a handsome, debauched guy. The mirror didn't lie. This body was hot.

"······."

I dried my hair. I hit the sack. We had agreed on the bunks. I took the bottom one. When I was a kid, I loved the top. As a grown-up? I hated the back pain. I hated hitting my head on the ceiling.

"Bedtime already? It's only eleven."

"Early to bed. Early to rise."

"I suppose that's true······."

Kalen killed the lights. He climbed to his bunk. It was pitch black to me. But he seemed to see fine. He was a knight, after all.

"Goodnight."

"Yeah. Goodnight."

The room went silent. What would tomorrow bring? I closed my eyes. I drifted off into a deep sleep.