《Path of the Jade (Discontinued)》 Chapter 1 - Magic Aptitude Test Chapter 1 - Magic Aptitude Test 1st day of twelfth moon. It was the much anticipated day for young people since they can participate in magic aptitude test. Looking left and right, the only thing can be seen are excited youths. My little sister, Lynn, and I are no exception. We arrived infront of a white building. Compared to other buildings in the surrounding, it is many times bigger and grander. It seems the building is called Magic Aptitude Test Hall. I hold my little sister¡¯s hand as we enter the building. We were given number cards by receptionist by the entrance. I got Hall B No. 467 while Lynn got Hall B No. 468. Just by looking at the number, one can see how big of an occassion this is. And there are still a lot of people on the outside. We went to our designated hall quickly. I pushed the door and enter the room. ¡°Number 401¡± ¡°Number 402¡± There is a stage on the other end of the hall. On top of the stage are two men seems to be in their 30s and two crystal on top of a table. There are two boys walking on stairs up the stage. Looks like they are No 401 and No 402. ¡°Brother, I¡¯m tired¡± I glanced at my Lynn. Her legs are trembling. She said she¡¯s tired, but I know that she¡¯s scared when being in a crowd. I look around the hall and found a quiet place in the hall. I gave my little sister a bottle of water and let her rest. ¡°Number 467¡± ¡°Number 468¡± I hold her hand as we walk together up the stage. As we arrive infront of the table with crystal on it, the man in-charge of me spoke impatiently, ¡°Touch the crystal¡± Looks like he has started to get bored of his work. I raised my right hand and touch the crystal. Few seconds after that, writings appeared inside the crystal.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Body Enchantment Affinity High After seeing the results, I lower my right hand. I took a glance at the man. Although he tried to hide it, I can still see the obvious look of disdain on his face. ¡°Go down and wait for the results¡± he said It looks like Lynn are also done. Once again, I hold her hand as we went to the place we rested earlier. Who knows how long after our turn, the crystal test has finally finished. The two men stood on the stage. The one who was with me earlier spoke, ¡°Those with their number called, come up and receive one of these cards¡± On the man¡¯s hand are twelve cards with different colors. Each are white, red, orange, yellow, cyan, blue, violet, green, grey, black, silver and gold respectively. ¡°Number 251¡± ¡°Number 252¡± ¡­ .. ¡°Number 467¡± ¡°Number 468¡± I was given white card. Looks like the card has my name imprinted to prevent stealing. After around 20 minutes, everyone else in the room has received their card. ¡°I¡¯ll explain now.¡± The other man started to speak. ¡°All of you have receive your own colored card. As you all know, there are 24 schools in Felgrand City. The color of your card show you which school you can enroll in. For example, white card is the lowest ranking of the cards, thus whoever have it can only choose one of the two last-ranked school. The ones with red can choose the one of the four last ranked schools. It¡¯s the same with higher ranked colors. If you have no more questions, go to the room next door. There, you will find 24 men. They are representative of each school in the city. Give your card to the woman next to the door and she¡¯ll show you which school you can go.¡± As soon as he finish explaining, everyone in the room went out to the next room. We waited for the others to go first. Those who received low ranked cards are all depressed whereas the ones who received high ranked cards are all excited or show their arrogant face. After most of them have move out, we also went to the next room. It seems the people from Room A has finished registering since we saw quite a few of them going out of the building. ¡°Come here and show me your card.¡± Just like the man said earlier, in the room, there can be seen 24 men seated on their own chair. Right after entering the room, a woman called out to us. My little sister and I show her our cards. ¡°You, boy, can only go to one of those two school.¡± She said as she pointed to two men on the far left. ¡°And you, girl, go through the door behind me.¡± She said to Lynn as she open the door behind her. ¡°Uh..¡± ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you¡± ¡°..Ok¡± She hesitated a bit before walking through the door. Looks like she is still scared of being alone without having someone she knew with her. Oh well, I¡¯ll wait for her before choosing a school. ... ¡®No matter how you think about it, one hour and half is a little too long isn¡¯t it?¡¯ I thought. After waiting for a long time, suddenly, an old man came out of the door which Lynn went in. ¡®Wait, is he walking towards me?¡¯ ¡°Leo, I presume?¡± he asked as soon as he arrived infront of me. ¡°Eh..ah. Yes, I am Leo.¡± ¡°Come with me¡± The old man turned around and went through the door. I hesitated a bit before following behind him. After a few minutes of walking, the old man stopped infront of the door. Knock Knock ¡°I¡¯ve brought the brother.¡± ¡°Come in¡± Right after that, the old man and I went inside the room. ¡°Brother!¡± I look around and saw Lynn sitting infront of a bald man. The man has a big scar on his head and looks pretty frightening. ¡°We¡¯ll talk after you sit down.¡± The bald man said. I went and took a chair next to Lynn. ¡°My name is Logan Redwood, headmaster of the Arshan Academy. As you probably know, Arshan Academy is one of the top four academy in the whole Felgrand City.¡± The man, Headmaster Logan said. ¡°Starting next month, we will be having Lynn, you and the other boy named Aaron to come to our school." ¡°Eh?¡±
In this world, the calendar is the same as ours, just the differences are months are changed into moon. For example, 1st day of first moon is 1st day of January. Chapter 2 - Smile World Chapter 2 - Smile World ¡°Truthfully, I only want to have Lynn to come to our school. Just like what her card, silver card, represents, she has talent in water magic. Who wouldn¡¯t want to have a talented person to come to their school?¡± Headmaster Logan said. ¡°I tried to get her to enroll, but she keep saying that she won¡¯t come unless we have you and the other boy to follow her¡± ¡°Thus I made a decision to have you and the other boy to enroll in Arshan Academy. But with few conditions.¡± And so, in a month time, Our friend and I will be joining Lynn in Arshan Academy. Why do I feel like there will definitely be trouble once I enter the academy? Oh well, no use trying to think about something that haven¡¯t happen yet. After we¡¯re done talking with Headmaster Logan, Lynn and I went off our way to our home. Because Felgrand City is one of the biggest city in Arkbrave continent, we took a whole forty minutes before arriving infront of a small building. A sign board written Smile World is right next to the entrance. This building is an orphanage far off near edge of the city wall. An 8-years old boy was walking around building before stopping with excited face after he saw us. ¡°Ah, Bro Leo is back!¡± ¡°Guys, Sis Lynn and Bro Leo are back!¡± ¡°They¡¯re back? Attack!!¡± After the boy shouted, Smile World went crazy with kids¡¯ shouts. Footsteps can be heard as 12 children varying of age from 5 - 9 years old ran towards us. ¡°Bro Leo, which school did you go?¡± ¡°Was there really a lot of people at the place?¡± ¡°What magic are you good at, Sis Lynn?¡± Just like kids they are, we were overwhelmed by the questions they keep throwing at us. ¡°Hey, you guys! Bro Leo and Lynn just returned from the test. Let them rest!¡±The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Aah~ Scary Skeleton is here! Run!¡± ¡°What did you say!?¡± An 11-years old black-haired boy came out from the door. He is the other person who will enter Arshan Academy, Aaron. Though he doesn¡¯t know yet. He is sort of the leader to the children despite always getting annoyed by them. Other than me, Lynn and the nanny, Aaron is the only one the children listen to. He didn¡¯t follow me and Lynn to Magic Aptitude Test Hall because he said someone need to look after the children after the nanny went to a local doctor house after injuring herself. ¡°Those kids..Wait until you get older. I¡¯ll give you guys beatings to my heart content.¡± Aaron said. Veins can clearly be seen on his face. ¡°Haha, looks like you¡¯re going to be teased by them until then.¡± I said. ¡°Ugh..¡± Aaron turned gloomy. ¡°Lets get inside. I¡¯ll get you both some wa- wait where¡¯s Lynn?¡± ¡°Ah, she went with the kids. You wouldn¡¯t think that she just walked continuously for forty minutes by looking at how energetic she is.¡± ¡°She really has open up to the kids, huh?¡± ¡°Looks like it.¡± We walk into the building and went to living room. Aaron went inside the kitchen and make some tea. He became skilled at doing housework after helping nanny everyday. I rest myself on a chair, relaxing after walking for half an hour. After few minutes, Aaron joined me in the living room. ¡°Here''s some dessert, bet you¡¯re hungry after going and returning from the test, huh.¡± Aaron put a jug full of tea and a plate of doughnuts on the table. ¡°Thanks.¡± I drank some tea before eating the doughnuts. ¡°How was the test? Did you and Sis Lynn do well?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do that good it seems. I specialize in body enchantment magic. It seems the magic isn¡¯t really liked because it only strengthens the body.However, Lynn on the other hand got good results. It seems she has high talent in water magic. To the point that the headmaster of Arshan Academy had to approve her request just to have her come to his school.¡± ¡°Arshan Academy? Isn¡¯t that the one of the top four academy?!¡± Aaron stared in astonishment. ¡°Wait, did you say the headmaster approve of her request? What did Sis Lynn asked?¡± ¡°That we join her in Arshan Academy.¡± I bite down another piece of doughnut as I drop the bomb. ¡°Eh?¡± And so I started to tell him the whole story. At first, he didn¡¯t show any emotion other than curiousity. When I got to the main part, he began to feel surprised. After I finished, I drank another cup of tea since my throat is a little sore. As soon as I put down the cup on the table, I turn towards¡­ Aaron..? Wasn¡¯t he just here a moment ago? A few seconds haven¡¯t passed before I started to hear Aaron¡¯s excited shouts at the backyard. ¡°He went to brag infront of the kids, huh? It will be a mistake in one..two.. thr-¡° ¡°COME HERE YOU UGLY PIG! I¡¯M GOING TO BEAT YOU UP¡± ¡°Right on time.¡± I smiled. ¡°I should start my training now¡± I said as I look at the clock I gulped down one last cup of tea and start to walk to orphanage¡¯s basement. The basement isn¡¯t that spacious. As long as I don¡¯t jump too high, my head wouldn¡¯t hit the ceiling. ¡°Oi, stop sleeping and come out.¡± ¡°Damn brat. Although I¡¯m no longer alive, I still want to sleep.¡± As I say that, a man in his 30s appeared out of nowhere. His name is Reid, and just like what he said, he is not alive. In other words, a spirit. A few days before Lynn, Aaron and I came to Smile World, we lived in a village a few hundred kilometers from Felgrand City. One day, the village was destroyed by a group a bandit who called themselves Red Tears. My parents fend off those bandits just to give us three some time to escape. While running, we saw a forest nearby and decided to hide in there. We later found a small cave to rest in. I searched around the cave to look if there was sign of living beasts and stumble upon a jet black sword. I don¡¯t remember what happened after that but what I know was that an old man replaced the sword. The old man, Reid, told me that his spirit and the jet black sword went inside me. Alright, lets stop talking about the past now. I¡¯ve gotta train my martial arts now. Chapter 3 - Arshan Academy Chapter 3 - Arshan Academy Infront of me is a 16-years old boy. His eyes is brown just like his hair and skin. With a smile on his face, he started to comb his hair. ¡°No matter how I look, I really am handsome.¡± ¡°Stop praising yourself and finish up already.¡± I turned myself towards the voice. It was black haired boy with white skin. Although he is not that good looking, he is still pleasant to look at. He is my friend, Aaron. ¡°Since no one¡¯s praising me, I¡¯ll just praise myself. Look at you, you¡¯re already smiling like there¡¯s no tomorrow.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t help it, you know. After all, we¡¯re going to go to one of the best school in Felgrand City. I can already imagine how jealous other people are with us.¡± ¡°Haha. Alright, I¡¯ve finished. Those kids are probably crying with Lynn already. Lets not keep them waiting.¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Aaron and I went out the room and made our way to the front door. Even without opening the door, we can hear the kids crying. With a smile, I open the door. I look straight ahead and saw all the nanny, the kids and Lynn crying by the entrance. Aaron and I walk towards them. ¡°Bro Leo, are you really going with Sis Lynn and Scary Skeleton?¡± A boy came to me and asked. His face is already full of tears. ¡°Yeah.¡± I answered. ¡°No, don¡¯t go! It would be lonely without you guys!¡± A small girl said. I kneel infront of the girl and look at her eyes. I said, ¡°We¡¯ve got to experience the outside world. If we only stay in the orphanage, we will never grow up.¡± ¡°But-¡° ¡°How about this. When the time comes for you to take the exam, become stronger, and find us.¡± ¡°..En. I will find you three.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve got a promise!¡± ¡°If you dare *sniff* break the promise, we will not forgive you!¡± The other kids heard what I said and started to stop crying. I stood up and look at Aaron and Lynn. ¡°I¡¯m going to miss you all!¡± Lynn is still crying on the side. ¡°Remember this, this Scary Skeleton will beat you guys up in a few years! If you¡¯re don¡¯t want that, get stronger and defeat me!¡± Aaron said in a playful voice to brighten up the kids. ¡®Guess, I will give them one more minute¡¯ ¡°Alright guys. We need to move now. You wouldn¡¯t want to be late on the first day, would you?¡± I said after a minute had passed.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. We said our last good byes to the nanny and the kids before leaving for Arshan Academy. I walk in the middle while Aaron and Lynn are by my side. ¡°Hey, Aaron.¡± I said. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Here, wear this. You don¡¯t need to hold back now.¡± I took out a straw hat from my bag and gave it to Aaron. ¡°..Thanks.¡± Aaron put on the straw hat and pulled it down to cover his face. Sounds of restrainted cries can be heard on both of my side. Damn..the road ahead got a bit blurry. Arshan Academy is located near the center of Felgrand City, which is a little farther than Magic Aptitude Test Hall. For one hour and half, it was a very quiet and long walk. ¡°So huge!¡± ¡°I never thought Arshan Academy would be this big!¡± ¡°Looks like its not one of the best school for nothing.¡± As soon as we arrive at Arshan Academy, we were stunned by the beautiful sight infront of us. There are a lot of elegant flowers and trees surrounding the outside of the academy. From the outside, you can already see how big the academy is by looking at the buildings inside. Suddenly, a gentle voice was heard next to me. ¡°Um..why are there only a few people outside?¡± Lynn asked ¡°Eh?¡± I suddenly realized that the people outside of Arshan Academy are less than 10 including us. ¡°Oh god, we¡¯re late!!¡± After Aaron¡¯s shout, we noticed that the sun is already on top of our heads. We quickly enter the academy through the entrance. We asked a man who guards the entrance for direction to Headmaster¡¯s Room. Before we leave the Magic Aptitude Test Hall last time, Headmaster Logan told us to go to his room once we arrive at the academy. So, as soon as we received the directions, we went straight to the Headmaster¡¯s Room. ¡°Are we there yet?¡± Both Lynn and Aaron asked behind me. ¡°Almost there, its on the far end of this hallway.¡± I replied. ¡°Just the Block A is already like a maze. I wonder what about the other blocks.¡± Aaron said. ¡°Lets find a map after this. Being lost in our own academy is not funny.¡± Lynn said. ¡°Alright, we¡¯re here.¡± We arrived infront of a door. Right above it is a sign with ¡®Headmaster¡¯s Room¡¯ written on it. I knocked on the door three times. ¡°Come in.¡± A voice was heard from the inside. Receiving approval, I push the door open and enter the room. Inside the room, Headmaster Logan is sitting on his seat. He seems pleased seeing us. ¡°Good! Now that you¡¯re here, lets chat a bit. I¡¯m getting bored of doing paperwork now. Where¡¯s my beer?¡± And just like that, my impression of him as serious and strict headmaster has been destroyed. What kind of headmaster leave his work to drink beer with his students? Does he only acts serious when there is another teacher around? ¡°Hm? Why do you look at me like that? Something on my face?¡± ¡°Ah, no no. Just, don¡¯t you need to punish us for being late?¡± Lynn asked. ¡°Hahaha, why would I need to punish you? We let the first three days free so that the students can roam and familiarize themselves with the academy. Even I took a week before I was able to remember the map. Come, sit down and drink with me.¡± Headmaster Logan explained before sitting on a sofa. ¡°We¡¯re underage, sir.¡± I said. ¡°Oh right! Oh well, let me just drink by myself. Since you''re late, I assume you all missed the opening ceremony?¡± We three nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll explain the things you need to know. Lets talk about classes first. As you know, there are a lot of classes. For example, there are elemental magic classes which are divided by each elementals such as fire, water and earth, mana understanding classes that teaches how to manage mana, martial art classes that teaches students close combat fighting. These three usually has the most students to participate. Other than these, there are also other classes such as geography, history and arithmetic classes. However, as you probably can guessed, these classes are not popular with the students. There are also special classes but I don''t think you need to know about itso I¡¯ll skip that.¡± Logan explained. ¡°As there are large amount of classes in Arshan Academy, we let the students to pick which class to take part in. For example, you, missy, are suitable for elemental water magic and mana understanding classes. I suggest you take part in these two classes.¡± He said as he points at Lynn. ¡°Next, in Arshan Academy, there exists a system called Ranking System. I don¡¯t think I need to explain much about this since you can pretty much guess what it does. To raise your rank, you need to either do missions that can be found on mission board in Block C. Or, you can raise your rank by challenging someone with higher rank than you into a duel in Block D. However, new students cannot challenge others for ranking for the first four months to let them learn basic combat first. Hmm.. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything else to explain. So, do you guys understand?¡± Headmaster Logan drank another cup of beer after finish explaining. ¡°I understand.¡± I replied ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Is it over?¡± Looks like Aaron couldn''tabsorb too much information while Lynn dozed off in the middle of explanation. ¡°..Argh, you will know little by little each day anyway. Now shoo, I have finished what I have to do. I want to finish drinking these before that old fart comes back.¡± Headmaster Logan said as he shoo us away. ¡°We will leave first then.¡± I said as I get both Aaron and Lynn to leave the room. "Ah, don''t forget the conditions that we agreed on." Headmaster Logan added before I close the door. ¡°So, where are we going now?¡± Lynn asked. ¡°Lets go and walk around the academy.¡± Aaron suggests. ¡°Sure.¡± Chapter 4 - Martial Arts Class Chapter 4 - Martial Arts Class Three days passed in a flash. During these three days, Lynn, Aaron and I has been walking around within the academy to familiarize ourselves with it. We found out that there are 4 blocks, 2 fields and 2 dorms in Arshan Academy. Block A is the smallest of the six. There are only Headmaster¡¯s Room, Staff Room and Assembly Hall. Usually, only when there are important matters or needing help from teachers would one go to Block A. Next, Block B is the biggest building in Arshan Academy since all classes are held there. Other than classes, Block B also has regular library and magic library. Block C is where students can receive missions to raise their rank. Thus also known as Mission Block. Block D is a building with a stage specially built for fighting inside. This building is used whenever the academy host tournaments or two students agreed on a duel.Field A and B are open fields where elemental magic classes and martial arts class are usually held. Students can enter the field to train by themselves if there are no classes are using it. Field A is for magic training field while B is for martial arts training field. ¡°Bro Leo, have you decided which class to take?¡± Aaron and I are currently inside my room in male¡¯s dorm. His room is right next to mine. Aaron told me that each room is shared with two people, though, I have never seen my roommate during these three days. I might see him later since class starts today. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m taking Martial Arts Class, Magic Understanding Class and History Class. What about you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m taking the Earth Elemental Magic Class, Magic Understanding Class and Martial Arts Class. I guess we¡¯ll be stuck together for two classes.¡± Two days ago, we asked the headmaster to help Aaron discover his magic affinity. He gave the headmaster a surprise by possessing extremely high affinity with earth element. His talent is just a little lower than Lynn¡¯s exceptional water talent. ¡°Looks like it. By the way, Lynn said she¡¯s going to take the Water Elemental Magic Class and Magic Understanding Class, didn¡¯t she?¡± I asked ¡°Yep. She looks a little sad when she realize that we will have less time to be together though.¡± Aaron replied ¡°Can¡¯t be helped. We need to learn as much as we can and get stronger when given the chance.¡± I said. ¡®So that we can avenge our village.¡¯ ¡°Alright, Martial Arts Class is going to start in 20 minutes. Lets go now.¡± Aaron said ashe glanced at the clock on wall. ¡°You remember where Block B is?¡± ¡°Of course I do. What do you take me for!?¡± ¡°Lead the way then.¡± I grins. I found a good place to sit on at the back of the classroom. Right next to me is Aaron who is currently bashing his head on the desk lightly. He looks like a hobo who has given up on living. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I still got lost..¡± Aaron chanted as he keep bashing his head. Well, can¡¯t blame him. After what he said, we took a whole 10 minutes being lost before he gave up. In the end, we arrive in the classroom 5 minutes before the class begin with me leading.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. I ignore Aaron and observe the class from the behind. Looks like the headmaster didn''t lie when he said martial arts class is full of students. ¡®Hm? Why are they staring at me like that?¡¯ I was looking around the classroom before stopping on a group of five, four boys and one girl, looking at me with contempt. ¡®I am pretty sure I haven¡¯t met them before.¡¯ Swish While I was in the middle of my thoughts, the door bangs loudly and freaked us students out. A man with robust body walked inand stood behind the teacher¡¯s desk. He scanned the classroom and nodded once all the students are seated. ¡°My name is Maverick Weiser. I am the one and only Arshan Academy¡¯s Martial Arts teacher. You veggies will refer me as Mr Maverick. Understand?¡± The man, Mr Maverick, said. ¡°Yes.¡± The students replied. ¡°Understand or not!?¡± ¡°YES!¡± ¡°Good. We will start our first lesson now.¡± As he said that, he took out an hourglass from under the desk and put it on top of the desk. ¡°This hourglass is set to run out in 5 minutes. You all must be at Field B before the time runs out. Whoever fail to meet my order will be punished.¡± Mr Maverick said. A boy who sits on the front row raised his hand. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°The distance from Block B and Field B takes at least 10 minutes. Its impossible to be there in 5 minutes.¡± The boy asked. ¡°You must be new. You can sit now. Alright, I¡¯m sure some students are also wondering about it too.¡± He said as he look at all the students. He then grin and said ¡°Well, let me ask you this. Do I look like I care?¡± He slammed his hand on the desk and continues, ¡°I don¡¯t care how you do it, be it fly or teleport or running like hell, but if you fail to meet my orders, you¡¯ll be having some good punishment. Now go!¡± As soon as he finished, he flipped the hourglass. ¡°Move it!¡± ¡°Ouch! Hey, don¡¯t push!¡± Everyone in the went out of the classroom and starts to rush towards Field B. ¡°Bro Leo, why are you still sitting? Don¡¯t you know, the seniors said that Mr Maverick is known for making students run insane amount of laps around the field as punishment! We need to go now.¡± Aaron said anxiously. ¡°No need to hurry. Look, you can¡¯t even get out with the others stuck at the doors.¡± I pointed at the front and back doors. ¡°Think smart. Follow me.¡± I smiled as I walk towards the windows and open it. We went through windows and alleys between blocks to avoid wasting the already short time. ¡°Wow, Bro Leo! How do you know about all these paths?¡± Aaron who is following behind me asked. ¡°I just remember the map.¡± I replied Aaron went silent after I answered his question. We were able to reach Field B in 4 minutes. What surprised me was that Mr Maverick is already infront of Field B. I was sure that when we start moving, he was still in the classroom. ¡°Oh? I didn¡¯t expect to see someone here so fast.¡± ¡°You¡¯re much faster than we are, Mr Maverick.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a given. I have trained my body to the very limit. If I can¡¯t even do at least that much, I should just stop being teacher.¡± Out of 300 students, excluding Aaron and I, only 14 manage to reach Field B within the time limit. We waited for another 5 minutes before most of the students appear. Just as promised, Mr Maverick punished them with 12 laps around the field after the lesson end. Though he said he was being merciful as it was the first day. ¡°Sit down and listen carefully. I¡¯m not going to repeat whatever comes out of my mouth and if there¡¯s any questions, ask after I finish explaining. Also, you can only talk when I give you permission.¡± After all the students sit on the ground, Mr Maverick started to speak, ¡°Since you veggies was able to enter this school, I¡¯m sure that you all know the most basic of martial arts. You, stand up and tell me what they are.¡± Mr Maverick pointed his index finger towards a student. ¡°Y-yes. The most basic of martial arts is body enchantment magic.¡± ¡°Good. You can sit down now.¡± Just like the student said, body enchantment magic is a must in martial arts. Unlike elemental magic, anyone can learn body enchantment magic even if they don¡¯t have affinity for it. This is the reason the man from Magic Affinity Test Hall and probably most people look down on someone with only Body Enchantment Magic talent. ¡°Like the shrimp said, body enchantment magic is the basic of martial arts. Without it, you won¡¯t last a minute against someone with it in close combat. For example, look at this.¡± Mr Maverick turned around and punched the air once. ¡°Nothing incredible, right? See what happens when I use magic. Enchant:Force Limbs.¡± As he said that, all of his limbs gave off a faint light and returned to normal. ¡°Look closely.¡± He said. He punched the air again. What happened next made all students behind him shocked. His punch let out a shockwave and a small booming sound. It clearly had many times more power than the first one. ¡°What, shocked already? This is only a low-ranked magic though you need to master it to achieve what I did. I''m too lazy to teach so you can just go to magic library and learn it yourself." He said. ¡°Enough about the magic. Today, I¡¯m going to have you all to form a pair of two and fight eachother.¡± Chapter 5 - Problem on the First Day Chapter 5 - Problem on the First Day ¡°We need to fight in pairs huh. Hey, Aaron. Wan-¡° ¡°No, thanks.¡± Aaron cut me off. ¡°Well, alright. Why are you sweating though?¡± I asked. ¡°I-its probably the heat.¡± Aaron smiled awkwardly. ¡°Hmm, since you don¡¯t want to spar with me, who should we pair up with then?¡± Most students had already started to fight after finding their own space. Looking someone without a partner will probably take some time. ¡°Woah!¡± As we were looking around, I fell onto the ground after felt like being pushed by someone from behind. ¡°Watch where you¡¯re standing!¡± It was one of boys I saw staring at me in the classroom earlier. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry. We¡¯ll get moving.¡± I said as Aaron help pulling me up. We were about to leave before, ¡°Tch, I wonder how can a trash enter this academy.¡± The boy sneered. Uh oh. Is Aaro- Yup, this wouldn¡¯t end well. ¡°Wait right there! What did you mean by that?¡± Aaron frowned. The boy stopped in his tracks and said, ¡°Ha? Isn¡¯t it obvious? How can someone who¡¯s result is white card enter this academy? Everyone here is at least have silver card. Even the weaker ones has black card.¡± He look at me as if he¡¯s looking at trash, he continued, ¡°He is the only trash in this school.¡± ¡°You!¡± Hearing the last sentence, Aaron moved to attack the boy. ¡°Wait, Aaron!¡± I reached my hand out. Unfortunately, I wasn¡¯t able to react in time to stop Aaron. ¡°Heh, stupid.¡± Sinister smile appeared on the boy¡¯s face.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. As Aaron threw his fists, the boy easily dodge them by side stepping around the fists. The boy then lashes out a powerful body kick. Aaron never had any physical nor martial training before, so he helplessly received the kick head-on. The kick was strong enough to send Aaron flying. ¡°Aaron!¡± I quickly went to Aaron to check his condition. Phew, looks like he fainted from the pain. ¡°I take back what I said.¡± ''What now?''I frowned. ¡°There are two trashes in this school.¡± He smirked Now that¡¯s a little tad bit too far. As if something triggered inside me, I ran towards him. In a few seconds, I deepened the gap between me and him. Without wasting any time, I threw out a punch. ¡®He¡¯s fast!¡¯ The boy thought. Taken by surprise, he was unable to react in time to dodge the punch, ¡®But, not fast enough!¡¯ Instead, he threw out a punch to counter my punch. Right before our fists were about to clash, ¡°Alright, stop right there.¡± A deep voice sounded out. Unknowingly, Mr Maverick already stood between me and the boy. Both mine and the boy¡¯s fist were caught by Mr Maverick¡¯s palms. ¡°Sigh, Even if I did told you to spar, I would be in trouble if you were to cripple each other, y¡¯know.¡± Mr Maverick sighed as he released us. He glances towards the boy, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t start trouble, Paul. Even if you¡¯re the baron son¡¯s friend, you can¡¯t escape punishment.¡± ¡°I will be careful next time.¡± The boy, Paul, nodded smilingly. ¡°And you, what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Leo, sir.¡± I replied. ¡°Leo, huh. You¡¯d probably want to get your friend there to infirmary.¡± Mr Maverick said as he pointed towards Aaron. I nods my head as I walk towards Aaron. I carefully carry him on my arms to avoid his condition from worsening. Before leaving for the infirmary, I glared towards Paul, ¡°We¡¯ll pay for this.¡± In response, he sneered. ¡°Wait right there.¡± Suddenly Mr Maverick stopped me from leaving. ¡°In four months, the school will host a tournament. Do me a favor and stop trying to cripple each other instead, settle your scores right there.¡± ¡­ ¡°And that¡¯s all happened after you fainted. Mr Maverick forbid Paul from coming near us so that we avoid fighting each other.¡± I explained to Aaron who just woke up in the infirmary. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°..Hey, why are you being quiet now? Something wrong?¡± I asked Aaron who has been silent the whole time he woke up. ¡°Hey, bro Leo. If you were to fight that guy, do you think you will win?¡± He asked. ¡°What¡¯s with that qu-¡° I stopped after seeing the looks in Aaron¡¯s eyes. ¡°..I can win easily.¡± I answered. ¡°I lost easily to someone who you can defeat easily..I¡¯m too weak.¡± Aaron clenched his fists. ¡°Oh come on, you never learn how to fight before. Its not weird for you to lose.¡± ¡°That¡¯s no reason to lose. What if..what happened to our village happens again? I don¡¯t want to lose both of you too.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Memories of that day flashed in my mind. The day when our village was destroyed. ¡°I must get stronger. Stronger enough to protect both you and Lynn¡­Ouch!¡± ¡°Idiot. Where should I hide my face if you were to protect me?¡± I flicked Aaron¡¯s head. BANG The infirmary door slides open loudly. Both me and Aaron freaked out. The one at the door was Lynn. She was gasping for air and her body is covered by sweat. You can easily tell that she ran here right after her class ended. She walks in and sit on a chair next to me. ¡°Geez! Did you know how worried I was when I heard you were sent to the infirmary!¡± She starts hitting on Aaron¡¯s body. ¡°Ouch! Hey stop that, my body¡¯s still hurts!¡± Aaron screams in pain. ¡°Haha.¡± I laughed. ¡­ Somewhere in Arshan Academy. ¡°So, did you teach him a lesson?¡± A blue-eyed boy asked. ¡°Only the other guy. Mr Maverick stopped me when I was about to beat him up.¡± Paul spoke. ¡°Hm..Oh well, we can always do it at the next class.¡± ¡°About that, Mr Maverick forbid not only me, but anyone related to you from going near them. It seems he found out about what we do before coming here.¡± ¡°Tch, good thing you¡¯re my good friend. If not, I would¡¯ve beat you to pulp.¡± ¡°Whatever, David. Ah, I almost forgot. Mr Maverick said that we can only fight in the tournament.¡± ¡°The tournament? That¡¯s four months later, wasn¡¯t it?¡± The blue-eyed boy said. ¡°Very well, I¡¯ll let you off for now.¡± Chapter 6 - Shy Girl Chapter 6 - Shy Girl Man, the history class sure was interesting. Jade Emperor. I wonder what hurdles he had to go through to conquer Arkbrave Continent. Mr Harry is the teacher who teaches history class and magic understanding class. After the history class ended, I visit the infirmary to check on Aaron and Lynn before going to the magic library. ¡°If I¡¯m right, magic library should be around here.¡± I look around as I walk on the corridor. I stopped infront of a big wooden door. From what I remember, this should be the magic library. ¡°Right here, wasn¡¯t it?¡± I said as I push the door open. Inside was a huge spacious room filled with tens of dozens of bookshelves and tables spread all over the room. The walls and floors were made of wood of high quality. On the center of the room hangs a massive chandelier giving off a much more majestic feel to the library. ¡®Isn¡¯t this the magic library? Why are there only so few students?¡¯ I gave the library a quick glance. I find it weird that there¡¯s only around twenty-something students in the supposedly-important library. Even if they don¡¯t like reading, wouldn¡¯t they at least read a few books to strengthen themselves? ¡®Well, lets look around.¡¯If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Arshan Academy isn¡¯t the fourth best academy in name only. Even the library is filled with probably thousands of books ranging from..well I haven¡¯t take a look yet. ¡®Finding a type of book will probably take time without any help. There might be some students near the front.¡¯ I found my way to the front to ask someone for directions. There was only three students, two girls and a boy, who are reading books on their own places. I decided to ask the girl nearest to me. ¡°Excuse me, may I ask something?¡± No response. She kept on reading as if I wasn¡¯t there. Alright, lets try raising my voice a little. ¡°Excuse m-¡° ¡°Ah!¡± She jumped in fright while covering her face with her book. After a few seconds, she soon realized that someone was infront of her. She took a deep breath before releasing it. With a slight smile, she ask, ¡°What can I do for you?¡± ¡°Uh..I want to ask where I can find body enchantment magic books.¡± ¡°About that, you wouldn¡¯t find any here.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Are you a newcomer by any chance?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°No wonder. I¡¯ll tell you then. This is the library where all books unrelated to magic such as literature and history are kept. The magic library you¡¯re looking for would be the opposite of this room.¡± ¡°Eh..I thought this was the place. Oh well, may I seat here?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± She returns back to reading her book. I sat down and stare at the ceiling. ¡®The opposite huh..Lets take a quick rest first.¡¯ ¡°Eh?¡± Without realizing, my eyes were already fixated on her. And again, doesn¡¯t look like she notice me looking at her. Now that I take a good look at her, she¡¯s quite beautiful. Her skin is white just like Aaron¡¯s who¡¯s body a little too skinny for his own good. Her clear blue eyes that are very charming. She also got a long blond hair with slight green color to it. On her hands is a book titled ¡°Path of the Jade¡±. ¡°Are you reading about the Jade Emperor?¡± I asked. Unexpectedly, she heard me this time. Her eyes got bright as she close the book and place it on the table, ¡°You know about him?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know him. But I got interested after learning about him and his 12 beasts in history class earlier.¡± ¡°Then let me tell you about Jade Emperor.¡± She started to talk endlessly. I¡¯ve got to admit. Her sudden change from shy and timid to talkative caught me off-guard. She kept on talking about Jade Emperor¡¯s deeds and achievements. I kept on listening before I realize something. ¡°Hey.¡± I cut her off. ¡°An- Yes?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know each other¡¯s name yet, do we?¡± ¡°Ah, right! My name is Diana Orwell. Seventeen. Third year in academy¡± With a smile, I replied, ¡°The name¡¯s Leo. Sixteen. So, what happened after he surrounded the Blue Jewel Palace? ¡± ¡°Ah! After that..¡± Chapter 7 - Magic and Roommate Chapter 7 - Magic and Roommate ¡®I shouldn¡¯t be wrong this time¡¯. I asked Diana where the magic library was again for confirmation before leaving the library. I walk around the block and arrived infront of big wooden door which is exactly like the library earlier. I pull the door open and enter the room. The insides of magic library is pretty similar to the library. A few differences would be that there are much more bookshelves, probably twice as much, and there are lower and upper floor. Unlike the library, magic library is so full of students that almost all the free spots are taken. On the right side of the library, a boy is sitting behind a counter while reading a book. I went towards the counter to ask for information. ¡°Excuse me, may I ask something?¡± I ask. ¡°What is it?¡± The boy glance at me before continue reading his book. ¡°Where can I find body enchantment magic books?¡± ¡°Lower or upper floor?¡± ¡°What is the difference?¡± ¡°The lower floor only have low-ranked and middle-ranked books while upper floor has higher-ranked books. If your ranking is 1000th and below, you can enter the upper floor.¡± He explained. ¡°I see. Lower floor then.¡± I nodded ¡°Fifty-seventh to sixty-fifth bookshelves. There are numbers on the bookshelf so you won¡¯t get lost.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± After receiving the directions, I find my way to the fifty-seventh bookshelf. It took me around 5 minutes to find the bookshelf I am looking for. ¡®Alright, this is it.¡¯ I look around the before taking a few books which caught my interest. I carried all the books I picked and find a free spot nearby. ¡®Lets see..¡¯ Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. The first book I picked is a low-ranked book named Hawk Eyes. Just like the name says, it raises the user¡¯s eyesight and make the user to be able to see far away. It would be useful if I were to leave the academy but unfortunately I am probably staying here for a few years. I can learn this magic sooner or later. I close the book and open the next one. Second book is another low-ranked book named Light Feet. It is a magic that enchances the user to move faster. It is useful to have both when going for a long distance or in a fight as I can avoid taking enemy¡¯s hits. The last one is a low-ranked magic which enchances the user¡¯s weapon. It makes the weapon sharper and much more durable which is a good thing in a fight. The name of the book is Armament. I return Hawk Eyes magic book to the bookshelf after deciding to learn Light Feet and Armament. I first start with the easier to learn Light Feet before going with Armament. A few hours has passed. I made my way to the martial arts field to test out my newly-learned magic. ¡°Enchant:Light Feet¡± Right after I activate Light Feet, I feel as if I was lighter than before. ¡®Lets test it out by running two hundred meters.¡¯ I get in position and then started to run straight ahead. I was stunned by the difference of with and without the body enchantment magic. Two hundred meters which had taken me 26 seconds to complete now took me only 22 seconds. A whole 4 seconds differences when I haven¡¯t even mastered the magic. ¡®Next would be Armament.¡¯ I deactivate Light Feet and grab a wooden sword that I borrowed from the training store infront of the martial arts field. I close my eyes and chants, ¡°Enchant:Sword Armament¡± When I open my eyes, I was confused. The wooden sword didn¡¯t show any sort of change after I use Armament. I couldn¡¯t say that it didn¡¯t work since I could feel my mana decreased after using Armament. ¡®Could it be?¡¯ As if a thunder struck me, I raises the wooden sword and slash it to the ground. Slash The wooden sword easily cut through the ground. As I suspected, the magic did work, though, you can¡¯t see any noticeable differences. After a few more testing, I decided that it was time to go back to dorm. I return the wooden sword back to the store before going back to infirmary to grab Aaron and Lynn. We split off with Lynn on the way to the dorm because girls¡¯ dorm are on the other side of the academy. After reaching the males¡¯ dorm, I enter Aaron¡¯s room and left him on his bed. I exited the room and open the door to my room. ¡°Ah, its you?¡± A male¡¯s voice was heard from inside the room. I turned to where the voice came from. On the bed was a boy with disheveled black hair probably either 17 or 18 years old. It felt a little creepy at how he keep smiling while staring at me with those eyes of his. I feel as if he¡¯s watching every single movement I¡¯m making. ¡°A-are you my roommate?¡± I stuttered a bit. ¡°Yeah. My name is..what was it..Sam. Yea, that¡¯s it. Sam.¡± He introduces himself. He¡¯s weird. I mean, how can you even forget your own name? I was about to introduce myself before he started to speak. ¡°By the way, your name is Leo, right?¡± I nodded. ¡°Ah~, I knew it. I saw you at the martial arts class earlier. Haha, I wonder what would happen to Paul¡¯s hand if Mr Maverick didn¡¯t stop you two.¡± He laughed. ¡®What?! How did he knew that?¡¯ ¡°You must be thinking how I know that.¡± I kept silent. ¡°Well, its pretty obvious. You can figure it out by looking at the speed and force you put into your fist when you punch. I bet that Mr Maverick stopped you because he noticed that too.¡± The boy, Sam, said as he lazes on his bed. ¡°You are quite something, aren¡¯t you? To be able to figure that out just by watching isn¡¯t something anyone can do.¡± I smiled. ¡°Yeah yeah. I¡¯m off to sleep now. Go away.¡± He hug his pillow as he wave his hand as if to shoo me away. After talking with Sam for a few minutes, my impression of him is a very laid-back yet sharp and a little bit creepy. ¡®I should start my training now then.¡¯ I lay down on my bed and starts to close my eyes. A minute passed and suddenly something bright enters my vision. I open my eyes and infront of me stood a transparent middle-aged man in his 30s. His left hand is holding a cigarette. ¡°Its time to change the routine, brat.¡± Reid smirked. Chapter 8 - Hologram Training Chapter 8 - Hologram Training ¡°New training? Why so sudden?¡± I asked Reid who is smoking his cigarette. ¡°Well, since I¡¯ve taught you the basics of swordsmanship and some hand-to-hand combats for the last few months and you¡¯ve also learnt magic, I thought that its time to raise the difficulty a bit.¡± He blows(?) the smoke from his mouth. ¡°I see. So, what will the new training be?¡± ¡°I am going to make you apply all the things you¡¯ve learnt since the first time I trained you.¡± Reid snaps his fingers. A transparent figure appears next to Reid. It was a boy the same height as me. On his right hand is a transparent sword. The weird thing about the boy is that he has no face. ¡°Isn¡¯t that..me?¡± I was stunned by the appearance of transparent me. ¡°Yep. Just like this world I made inside your consciousness, I made a copy of you using my mana.¡± He explains. ¡°This ¡°you¡± I made is as strong as you in swordsmanship and also has something similar to your magics. This training is similar to the hologram training I had back then.¡± I nodded, ¡°Fighting someone of similar level both in physical and magic power..This will be hard.¡± ¡°What? Chicken out already?¡± Reid smirked. ¡°Heh. Bring it on.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Reid snaps his finger once again. Reid disappears from sight to give space for us. The jet-black sword I found back in the cave few months ago appears infront of me. With an excited smile, I grab the sword and both ¡°me¡± rush towards each other. ¡®First one to hit will have advantage!¡¯ I swiftly stabs towards left shoulder. ¡®What?!¡¯ Unexpectedly, ¡°he¡± was able to evade my attack. ¡°He¡± instantly aimed for a counter attack. ¡°Shit!¡± I managed to roll before the sword was able touch me. ¡®Same level my ass! This ¡°me¡± is obviously a level stronger than I am.¡¯ Without giving me any time to stand up, ¡°he¡± starts to attack me mercilessly. I can barely defend against the fierce attacks he¡¯s giving. I block another attack of his and jump backwards. ¡®This ¡°me¡± has more power than I do. Not only that, his precision, timing and speed is also better than I am. How the hell do I defeat him?¡¯ I got into defensive stance as ¡°he¡± starts to leaps towards me. ¡°He¡± unleash yet another wave of flurry attacks. Up, down, left, right. There was no place ¡°he¡± didn¡¯t attack yet. After blocking, rolling and dodging many waves of attacks, I finally fell down on my knees. My body wasn¡¯t able to keep up with the fast attacks. As a snap sound was heard, ¡°he¡± started to disperse and instead, Reid appears in ¡°his¡± place. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you use magic?¡± ¡°Tch, without magic and that guy already kept me in check. What would happen if he got faster or his weapon got sharper? My body is already riddled with scratches here and there.¡± ¡°Bahaha, good thinking! If you were to use magic, being left with few broken bones would be good already.¡± Reid laughed out loud ¡°Damn old man, what are you trying to do making me fight that thing?¡± ¡°Just be glad that you were weak. Back then at soldiers¡¯ camp, three out of ten would suffer serious injury during this training. You¡¯re lucky to only have scratches.¡± ¡°Tch.¡± I was dissatisfied with Reid¡¯s training. ¡°There¡¯s a few more hours before morning. Do you want to continue or sleep?¡± ¡°I''m going to sleep. I need to check up on Aaron tomorrow.¡± "Alright. Remember to not call me unless its emergency or for training. Using mana also tires me." "Yeah, yeah. I''m off." With that, I close my eyes. I feel my consciousness leaving the world Reid created inside me. When I came back to, I was back on my bed. As I feel fatigue to catch up, just like how one would have after dreaming about doing physical stuff, I quickly go to sleep.