《Eye of the Chrysalis》


 Chapter 1 - Leonardo Montrell

    Chapter 1: Leonardo Montrell


    ¡®Oh, what an exciting day it is!¡¯


    The sun¡¯s up high. The sky is clear with the clouds nowhere to be seen and I can feel the wind kissing my cheeks. A perfect day for the masses and a magnificent torture to me.


    ¡°Argghhh¡­.. The sun, it burns! Damn it!!¡± I express my heartfelt emotions with my middle finger proudly raised at the heavens. And like the gigantic motherfucker it is, the sun continues to sanctimoniously glare at my face. I lie down dejectedly on the lush green grass and proceed to close my weary eyes.


    ¡°Klopp klopp klopp! Neigh!!¡± but before I even get my well-deserved shuteye, the sound of screaming horses wakes me up from my sleepy daze.


    I slowly cast my eyes to where the disturbance is all about and see a horde of luxurious carriages stopping in front of the Academy Gates. The carriages open and down comes these extravagantly dressed ladies and lads. With their heads held high, they form groups and start to chatter with each other while walking through the Academy Gates.


    ¡®Great, first day of school and the Noble brats are as still as proud as ever. Nothing new here, I better go back to sleep.¡¯


    And as I continue basking under the warm rays of the sun I hear a deep unfamiliar voice.


    ¡°Hey you over there! Cutting class eh? Get your ugly mug back in class this instant!"


    Lifting up my heavy eyelids. I stare back at the nuisance invading my peace.


    ¡®Good god, it''s a damn Fire Instructor.¡¯ I stare wide-eyed at the chubby old guy wearing the intimidating red robes of the Fire Division. His name? What was it? I don¡¯t really remem¡ª


    ¡°Get your ass in here or I¡¯ll give you some good spanking!¡± puffed the fatty while casting a raging blue inferno of a Fireball.


    How is that a spanking?! Geez is it really time for class already?! Damn, was I asleep for that long? What is this guy even doing here?! I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m the only one who comes here. Damn, I better make the act look good. And like the good student I am, I immediately get up, fix my clothes, put on my most innocent smile, and make a convincing bow.


    "Ah! I am terribly sorry sir! I was meditating, sensing and trying to become one with nature but accidentally lost track of time." I smile timidly while keeping my head low.


    ¡°Excuses! Don¡¯t give me that shit! Who the hell meditates while lying face down on the ground!¡± retorted old fatty while preparing to throw the Fireball at me.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry! This one made a mistake. I promise to never skip class again!¡± I franticly bow once more while secretly keeping an eye on the blazing ball of suffering, ready to run the fuck outta here just in case all hell breaks loose.


    ¡°Hmph! Get your ass in class. I swear if I catch you one more time you won¡¯t like the consequences!¡± puffed the old fatty while extinguishing the Fireball.


    ¡®Phew, for a moment there I thought if the sun wasn¡¯t going to roast me, this walking obesity might.¡¯ I quickly sprint out of the garden passing by the teacher with great strides. ¡®Tse, you fat dog. I may not have the power to oppose you but I sure can outrun a fat pig like you! Just you wait until we finish my research and I¡¯ll be the one doing the roasting!¡¯


    Finally reaching the spacious hallway, I proceed to walking while I silently contemplate things ¡®Hmm.. I don¡¯t really remember that instructor teaching here. A new addition maybe? Probably huh? He didn¡¯t even recognize me... AAhhh!! I really just want to skip this class, why do I even have to take this class when I can¡¯t even control nor absorb Mana?¡¯


    Mana is the energy most living things use to control the elements and invoke magic. To conjure a simple Fireball, one needs to recite the proper chant while supplying the required amount of Mana to the desired location. To summon a high level Firestorm, one needs a Master Level Mage to control the Magic and a shit load of Mana. Also if a Master Mage casts a Fireball it will of course be stronger than the Novice mage¡¯s.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡®And I¡¯m the talentless cripple who can¡¯t even use magic yet is still required to attend because of, well, rules... This class is surely just a waste of my time that I could be using for my precious research. I hadn¡¯t even have enough rest from our last session before I got rudely interrupted from my sleep. Sighs¡¯


    While I silently consider my horrid luck, I finally reach the door to the Basic Magic Class. In here, different instructors teaches us the Magic Theory of their corresponding element. Each class on this level consists of about thirty to forty members with a total of about thirty classrooms. The class is mandatory until one can properly control Mana and absorb enough of it to reach the Novice level in magic.


    ¡®Which explains why I pretty much always skip this class. Ten years hearing the same shit over and over again might make the normal person ¡®snap¡¯ already. It got so worse that I already memorized all the things they teach about Basic Magic in all the Basic Elements just by hearing it repeatedly over and over through the years...¡¯


    As I open the classroom door, all of the Noble brat¡¯s gazes turns upon me. ¡®Yes yes, I know this failure of a human being who has no ounce of talent has invaded upon your Holy Sanctuary of a Classroom. Now please don''t mind me and continue on with what you were doing before I rudely interrupted your sacred ritual.¡¯


    As I continue to silently curse my existence, I feel a sudden horrid pain on the back of my head¡ª


    ¡°SMACK!¡± the crisp sound of wood making contact with flesh echoes around the hallway.


    "OWWW!" I pitifully cover the back of my head while crouching down to avoid another round of smacking.


    "I said back in class you lout or are you planning to skip class again?" I once again hear that deep annoying voice, but this time it has a hidden sign of contempt and disdain which I did not fail to notice. I look behind me and see the fat fire instructor holding a stick, waving it in front of my face.


    ¡®Damn it! How did I not notice this fat guy following me?! Good lord why does he have a stick? What is he going to do with the stick? Oh God no. What¡¯s with that face? Don¡¯t tell me.. This fat fuck is a sadist!? QUICK! Somebody call child protection¡ª ¡®


    ¡°Go to your seat Leonardo. You have shamed the royal family enough already by cutting class, and at the first day of school no less. You¡¯re days of slacking off are over. Now be a good student and go back to your seat. Though I doubt you could ever be a ¡°good student¡± and graduate from this class you cripple.¡± He smirks, looking down at me, mocking me with his ugly grin.


    ¡®Tsk! Looks like he actually knows me and just wanted to confirm my identity.¡¯ as I continue rubbing the back of my head, I can feel the stares of scorn and disgust from the students around me.


    ¡°Hehhh... So that¡¯s the Black Sheep of the Montrell Clan huh?¡±


    ¡°AHahahah! He¡¯s already so old yet he is still in the Basic Magic Class!!¡±


    ¡°Pfftt!! Haven¡¯t you heard!? He¡¯s a cripple! He can¡¯t even use Magic. So how do you think will he be able to advance from the Basic Magic Class?! AHAhaha!¡±


    ¡°A pity, why did the Montrell Clan even adopt such thrash? They¡¯re just wasting their resources on him.¡±


    ¡°WAHAHAHAHAHAAH¡± the throes of laughter echoes around the room.


    I block off their voices inside my head and proceed to stand up, walk to my chair and take my seat. It makes my blood boil listening to these damn Nobles. ¡®Laugh all you want. I¡¯ll send you all to eternal damnation someday.¡¯ I mumble curses at them while I silently organize my books.


    Preparing for another merry jolly good day here in class, I pull my head down and ignore everything else.


    ¡®Ah! Truly a wonderful day it is!!¡®

 Chapter 2 - Disaster Class One

    Chapter 2: Disaster Class One


    ¡°Kriiinng! Kring! KRIIINNNGGGG!!!¡± The boisterous ringing of bells wakes me up from my state of deathly sleep and as I open my eyes I see that everyone has already left the room. Hearing the lively sounds of chatter from outside, I take a peek outside the windows and see the Great Forests surrounding the Academy bathed by the orange rays of the sun, signifying the end of the morning sun.


    ¡°Yawnn~ Ahh!~ What a great day to be alive!¡± I throw my hands up into the air and do some sensual stretchings while admiring the beauty of the orange landscape. ¡®It¡¯s a good thing no one really dares to bother me from my sleep huh? This way I could still catch up with my missed slumber in class.¡¯


    Even though they say that I¡¯m pretty useless, no one would seriously dare to mess with a member of the Montrell Clan. It¡¯s more of a complicated feeling for them actually, the weak usually gets bullied but what if ¡°the weak¡± is part of ¡°the strongest¡±?


    ¡®Leonardo Montrell¡¯ that¡¯s actually my true name. My father was after all, part of the Clan. But unfortunate mishaps led him to quit the clan, bringing me and mother with him.


    After my parents passed away when I was eight years old, I was left all alone. If it wasn¡¯t for my kind uncle adopting me back to the clan, I would have already died on the streets.


    But adopting the useless me came with its own set of problems. Being the Ruling Clan of Mages, having a cripple to be part of the Main Family is a complete and utter disgrace. That being the reason my father left the Clan in the first place, because they wanted to get rid of me.


    So technically, the Clan just merely wants to conceal the fact that I¡¯m essentially related to all of them by blood, just to hide the shame that they actually have such a talentless member like me hence the rumors about me being ¡°adopted¡±.


    ¡®Still, even if that was the case, those nobles are still too scared to even touch me.¡¯ I grin. ¡®Being a part of the Ruling Clan of the Continent still has its perks!¡¯


    Though that suspicious new fat instructor was the first one to actually hit me. That guy is strong. I seriously doubt his identity would be average.  Being able to summon Blue Flames without any incantations is at least the sign of a Master Level Mage. Being just an instructor in this third class school is too underwhelming for a Master.


    ¡®But worst of all he has his sights on me.¡¯ I suddenly feel a chilling shiver up my spine ¡®Grrhh!..I better lay low for a while..¡¯


    I then proceed to get my books and immediately run the hell out of there. Ignoring the weird gazes thrown at me, I continue to sprint away, parkouring through the sea of students and finally stopping in front of Artifice Class One.


    As I reach for the door, what greets me is the muffled sounds of explosion ¡°BLOOMFF!!¡±


    I immediately dash back and while in a crouching position, I stare cautiously at the door.


    ¡°What. The. Actual. Fuck?¡± worried about what the explosion is about this time... I close my eyes and take a moment to silently prepare myself for what¡¯s to come.


    At the moment I open my eyes I¡¯m already charging at the room in full speed using the momentum to deliver a devastating flying kick at the door. ¡®Not being able to use the conveniences of magic actually forced me to physically train my body which wasn¡¯t really a fun thing to do. But I would have to admit that I¡¯m now the strongest 19 year old here, physically at least¡¯


    Kicking the door open, I do a Three Point Landing (The Superhero Landing Pose). And then point my index finger on the ceiling while shouting-- ¡°FEAR NOT!! YOUR SAVIOUR IS HERE!!¡±


    Three students wearing burned lab coats covered in ash proceeds to tumble in front of me doing the ninja landing with their left hands on their chest while the right ones are pointed at the ceiling and they shout--


    ¡° ¡° ¡°AH! FOR YOUR MAJESTY IS HERE WE ARE SAVED!!¡± ¡° ¡°


    All of us then simultaneously bow with our right hands on our chest. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡°PRAISE THE LORD!!¡± ¡° ¡° ¡°


    We all stood up at the same time and all they could give me is a sheepish grin behind their charred faces.


    ¡°Sigh, I see that all of you seems to be fine but what happened this time? I was out for like only half a day and this happens?¡± I ask worriedly at them since you¡¯ll never know what could happen when these guys are left alone.


    ¡°Ahahaha! Yo Leo! Looks like we have to redo the Runes for the substitute Mana Channels for the head. It just suddenly went up and gone BOOM!!¡± A handsome guy with brown hair and a lean figure exclaims enthusiastically with his hands raised up high.


    ¡°What do you mean it suddenly went up and BOOM?! It was your fault inserting too much Mana that the Runes overloaded in our face! BAaaAA! Now we have to rewrite it all over again!¡± A cute girl wearing a ponytail with her matching aqua blue eyes and hair snaps at the guy while rubbing off the ash covering her face.


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    ¡°Now now, calm down you two love birds. We already made a template for all the Runes beforehand so we just have to make a new copy. It will be easier this time since we already tested all the possible combinations.¡± With her melodious soft voice, she tries to stop the two from bickering. The third member is, how should I say it? A very elegant and gorgeous young woman.


    ¡°Geez, you guys. I¡¯m truly thankful for all your help but you guys don¡¯t need to work so hard.¡± I just smile amusingly at them.


    These guys are the closest friends I have, David, Sofia, Sheila, we¡¯ve all been together for like nine years already. In fact, they¡¯re the ones I have always been in the company of almost every day.


    David Ricardo, the brown haired dude, used to be a commoner but because of his talents he managed to elevate his status to the ranks of a lower noble. He¡¯s the Genius who reached the level of Expert Class Mage whilst relying only on himself. But not only that, he also practices two elements. Both of his Water and Earth spells simultaneously reached the Expert Stage when he was just 16. After that, no one had the power or the guts to bully him anymore. A lighthearted guy and at the same time a diligent friend.


    Oh, and just in case you¡¯re wondering about the rankings, it goes like this: ¡°Novice->Adept->Expert->Master->Grandmaster.¡± Each level adds a certain number of years to your total lifespan, increasing it. And if you manage to pass the Grandmaster Level, you will become truly immortal. Above Grand Masters we have ¡°Saints¡± and above Saints we have the strongest existences in the Five Continents, the ¡°Emperors¡±.


    Back when David and I first came to school we were both bullied because I was ¡°trash¡± and the other one was ¡°commoner trash¡±. Being kids in the same boat, we got acquainted pretty easily. And since I couldn¡¯t do shit in Magic Class, I took the Artifice Class. A class specialized for creating and inventing Magic Tools. Of course, being the good friend I was, I coerced David into joining with me.


    At least here in Artifice Class I could make use of the Runes taught to me by my deceased parents. Since most magic tools doesn¡¯t really need the user¡¯s Mana to activate. They have their own Mana Crystals that you could trigger to use the Magic Tool. Which is perfect for someone who doesn¡¯t have Mana like me. At that time I wanted to be able to create a Magic Tool that would remove my ¡°trash¡± title and give me the power to bring due ¡°justice¡± to my parent¡¯s deaths.


    ¡®Well that felt heavy.¡¯ I try not to think too much of my bad memories but it¡¯s a good reminder to keep me motivated.


    Now next up is Sofia Lascelles, the petite blue haired girl, an Adept Water Mage and the Genius of the Artifice Class. She has a passion of creating and inventing any type of magic tools from Enchanted Swords to Magic Scrolls to Deadly Poisons. A dangerous enemy and a caring friend.


    And safe to say, she is David¡¯s lover. Don¡¯t ask me how, things like love is not my concern. Although both Sheila and I were quite surprised to know that the hot-headed Sofia would fall for the carefree David but you¡¯ll never really know huh?


    ¡®Love is such a mystery¡­¡¯


    Last but not the least, the third member of the team is the lovely Ms. Sheila Arundell. Coming from a mysterious noble house, she¡¯s a powerful Expert in Fire Magic and an Adept Rune Master. With her blood red hair and mesmerizing obsidian black eyes, she can set your soul ablaze with naught but a single glance.


    ¡°Ara? Sir Leo, I seem to catch you staring at me for a while now. Have you been finally captivated by my beauty?¡± Sheila coyly grins at me while pointing her finger to her lips trying to make a seductive pose. Huh? Lady please don¡¯t forget that you¡¯re still covered in ash and burnt clothing, trying to seduce me like that won¡¯t work¡­..probably?..


    ¡°Ehehehe¡­ My fair lady, I would say that you¡¯re literally Smoking Hot!¡± I remark exaggeratedly while moving closer to her, staring straight at her gorgeous eyes.


    ¡°We-well i-it¡¯s good you know of my b-beauty.¡­¡­y-you¡¯re t-too close¡­¡± Sheila mumbles as she frustratingly looks away from me.


    ¡°Well I got to say, when will you two finally stop playing hide n¡¯ seek and start playing house?¡± David comments from the side while washing away the soot from Sofia¡¯s hair using Water Magic.


    ¡°BOouU! Even though both of you claim you¡¯re just friends, you two flirt more than us. Why don¡¯t you two drop the act and cook the rice already? Watching you dumb couple is making me frustrated already.¡± Sofia pouts while pointing at us accusingly.


    ¡°W-We DON¡¯T! T-Things like l-love needs serious consideration and¡­..¡± And there she goes blabbering on about how love is a process and it must be bla bla bla bla bla¡­.


    ¡®What a strange bunch they are. Ahhh~ There is truly no place like home.¡¯