《The Aberrant Magician》 Prologue: The Aberrant goes to school ¡°INGALLS!!!!¡± A roar echoed through the corridors of a colossal castle. Decorated with the finest statues, pillars that were pointlessly tall and a full granite floor. Such an opulent castle in which only nobles and royalty can afford to reside in, is the East headquarters (HQ) of the Hunters. The Hunters is an organisation which deals with the public and strategic safety of the residents of The Treaeul Empire. Governing bodies across the empire will request the Hunters to do jobs such as demon extermination or defending raids of mythical beasts. Hunters are respected as the nation''s defenders, protectors of the realm and some may even call them heroes. However¡­ ¡°INGALLS!!!! YOU DESTROYED ANOTHER TOWN ON YOUR MISSION?!?!?¡± A rough, scar-faced man bellowed. His hair was a shocking golden color with multiple scars on his face. The most prominent one was the scar that extended from the bottom of his left eye to his chest. ¡°Boss, it was hopeless, the demon gorilla kidnapped a lady and climbed the town¡¯s chapel.¡± A gentle black haired youth replied. He looked no older than 15 years of age and was dressed in furs of mythical beasts. Although there was no menacing look from him, the aura of his clothes could make a normal person palpitate with fear. ¡°Joachim! What were you doing? Couldn¡¯t you hold him back or something?!¡± The one called ¡®boss¡¯ exclaimed at the other man in the room. The man in question is a tall red haired noble named Joachim Merlock. Joachim has a beautiful face and perfect features that could make anyone question his gender. Even though he has reached his mid twenties, he looks barely eighteen. ¡°Even if you tell me to hold him back... Before we even reached the village he saw an A-ranked Manticore and rushed in saying he needed its fur for his collection. Furthermore, seeing the demon climb a chapel with a lady in hand was quite novel. I mean she was wearing a skirt hehe.¡± ¡°Oh god why did I put you two together?¡± ¡°See? It can¡¯t be helped right?¡± ¡°CAN¡¯T YOU AT LEAST KEEP THE DAMAGE MINIMAL?DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I HAVE TO PAY BECAUSE OF YOU?!?!?!¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°It¡¯s just a few houses¡­ No one died too, I think?¡± Ingalls retorted. Although his magic had devastating capabilities, he made sure he did not kill any innocent bystanders. As for things such as buildings and roads. Who gave a fuck? ¡°Is it because the lack of education? Yeah he learnt the law of the jungle from young and did not learn the value of civilisation and how hard it is to build buildings.¡± The ¡®boss¡¯ mumbled to himself. ¡°Anyway look! I finished my collection! A Manticore¡¯s mane for the top, a Divine Bear¡¯s fur for the outer decoration and a Wyvren¡¯s scales for the inner protection! HAHAHAHA my coat is the strongest!¡± ¡°THAT¡¯S IT YOU¡¯RE GOING TO SCHOOL!¡± ¡°Eh?!?!?!?!¡± ¡°Which 15 year old kills A-ranked beasts for their pelts?! I think you should at least get some same aged friends to play with to fix your stupid mentality.¡± ¡°But I have Yseult!¡± ¡°Both of you are abnormals beyond belief. Lucky for you high school semester starts this spring. Just one month for you to prepare. Finish all your on-hand missions and pack up before the month is over.¡± ¡°No!!! I don¡¯t want to go to school! I heard lessons start at first light! Who the fuck wakes up at first light?!?!?!?¡± ¡°YOU WILL! IF YOU DON¡¯T GO I WILL CONFISCATE ALL YOUR CLOTHES AND BURN THEM RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU¡± ¡°Hey! That¡¯s abuse in the workplace! I want to talk to my lawyer! And Joachim why aren¡¯t you saying anything.¡± ¡°Hehehe¡­ If you go to school I will have a legitimate reason to stalk high school girls and take.. I mean I think school would be good for you too.¡± ¡°This damned pervert. Loukian! I won¡¯t go to school! If you force me I will burn down another chapel! You hear me?!¡± ¡°You dare call your saviour and boss by his name during working hours huh. I guess I need to ask them to add in manners education. By the way manners educations usually begins before first light.¡± ¡°NOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!¡± Chapter 1: Erymneus Institution As the sun reached its peak on midday, an object¡¯s shine began to beckon to all who saw it. That object was flying over 1000 metres above ground and was moving at a rapid pace. Many on the ground were attracted to it but lost interest after the commonplace event flew past them. The object is an airship that had a capacity of over 50 people and could bear the weight of 100 tonnes. The hunters of the association call it the fast ship as it was the fastest man-made means of travel. In the ship, a youth awoke as the bells of the midday meal started to ring. ¡°*Yawn...* What is it time for lunch?¡± The youth got out of bed and started to glance around the room. His roommates had already left to sightsee around the deck. He had to share his space with Hunter personnel that were travelling to the same destination as he was making the trip rather uncomfortable. ¡°That damned Loukian. First making me go to school and now putting me up with some old smelly men. Shouldn¡¯t he at least ensure that there were some big breasted ¡®oneesans¡¯ amongst those going to Yerewvan?¡± The youth¡¯s destination was the largest city in the East of Treaeul, Yerewvan. He was going there under the orders to enter the Erymneus Institution. A frontrunner in the magician¡¯s school rankings and the best magic school in the East. Although it was against his wishes, he had no choice but to adhere to his superior¡¯s orders. ¡°Ingalls? Are you still going to sleep?¡± A burly man in his late thirties entered the room and questioned the youth. ¡°Can¡¯t you see I¡¯m awake Andre? What¡¯s for lunch?¡± ¡°Your favorite brown rice with celery.¡± ¡°The fuck?! That¡¯s why i hate fast ships! They never have anything decent!¡± ¡°Deal with it. At least it¡¯s better than taking weeks to travel. We just left HQ two days ago and Yerewvan is in sight. Anyway it will be our last meal on the ship. We are reaching in an hour.¡± ¡°God damn it...¡± Ingalls followed Andre resignedly to the mess hall where all the personnel gather for their daily meals. As they entered the hall, everyone stopped what they were doing to stare at Ingalls. Some had a look of disgust, others were in a bit of awe. However most of them contained stares of fear. ¡°Again and again. Don¡¯t they get sick of doing this every time i come to eat.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t blame em. It¡¯s not like they get to see the A-ranked ¡®Calamity Boy¡¯ everyday.¡± ¡°Well it¡¯s been nearly three days and yet they still have those looks. Even i can get hurt you know.¡± ¡°Says the kid who five years back killed one of HQ¡¯s Guardian Lycans.¡± ¡°But its fur was so pretty¡­ You understand right! The best clothes need to have the best materials! Additionally that monster started it first.¡± ¡°No i don¡¯t¡­ And you calling something a monster is a pot calling the kettle black.¡± Ingalls didn¡¯t reply but gave a pout. Back then he was ignorant that there were mythical beasts that aided humans so he assumed that it had bared his way due to malicious purposes. Never would he have thought that him killing a mythical beast then would have gave him a bad reputation that would last till this day. Ingalls and Andre took their food and walked to an empty table. As usual, Ingalls could not stomach the bland taste and stopped eating after a few bites. ¡°Ugghhh¡­ How can it be worse than before. Andre, i¡¯m going back to sleep. Wake me up when we reach the Skyport.¡± ¡°Fine by me. However remember you still owe me a meal when we reach Yerewvan!¡± ¡°This damned geezer. How is it that your memory¡¯s so good when it comes to bets with me.¡± ¡°Having a win over the ¡®Calamity Boy¡¯ is one thing to remember alright! Hahahaha!¡± Ingalls sighed and left the mess hall. Even though he is called the ¡®Calamity Boy¡¯ the person himself did not feel anything about causing destruction. It¡¯s just that his methods happened to ¡®occasionally¡¯ destroy something. It¡¯s not like he really wanted to see the world burn. ~~~~ At the same time Ingalls went to back to sleep, an old matured man wearing all white with golden outlines and a beautiful secretary-like silver haired woman were having a conversation at the Yerewvan Skyport. The Skyport is located at the top of the highest mountain in Yerewvan and greatly resembled a military facility. Airships has always been for military purposes only and even those who had a private airship were greatly facilitated. The old man looked at the lady and said, ¡°This time the Hunters association gave us a perplexing challenge...¡± ¡°Headmaster, must we really accept him?¡± ¡°There is no choice. Even though his ability is far above anything Erymnues can teach him, he is after all a teenager. Additionally, they accepted the condition we presented them for bringing him in.¡± ¡°I also believe that the condition is favorable for Erymnues but i doubt any of us can control him. His r¨¦sum¨¦ is quite the achievement.¡± The silver haired woman gave a wry smile as she said that. Ingalls is after all famous not only in the East but the entire Empire. Not only for his astounding abilities, but his uncontrollable personality and abnormal behaviour. ¡°That¡¯s where you come in, ¡®Demon Teacher¡¯. I have faith in you.¡± ¡°Your faith is unfounded.¡± The woman looked respectful to the old man however in her mind she was cursing him as loud as possible ¡°Pushing me to take care of that freak whilst shirking your own responsibilities! I¡¯ll see how you survive when i order the kitchen to add laxatives to your food!¡± ¡°But i¡¯m afraid of how he will fit in. The elites of our school are a boisterous bunch. Even the weakest ones have pride. Having someone transfer in will definitely cause a lot of talk. And we also can¡¯t reveal the fact that he¡¯s the ¡®Calamity Boy¡¯ for fear of causing mayhem. How troubling...¡± The headmaster remarked while staring into the distance. The silver haired beauty remained silent but agreed in her heart. Erymnues is an escalator school starting for those with high magical talent at the age of 12. If one is promoted every year, students will graduate at 21 and join the field that they were trained in. Being the most prestigious academy in the East, Erymnues prided itself in the highest grade of magical talent be they nobles or commoners. Therefore, there has been no cases of a student not promoting making every class of students the same throughout the years. There has also never been a precedent of a transferee. With everyone in their own social groups, Ingalls will have no space to make friends which was the ultimate goal of Loukian sending him there. ¡°Well let''s take things one step at a time. Firstly we have to ensure that he does not cause any trouble. Especially if he has any ideas about destroying the institute. There¡¯s no way i¡¯m letting the heritage of my ancestor turn into rubble.¡± The headmaster held a stern look with a tinge of bloodlust that made the silver haired beauty tremble. While the pair were enveloped in an awkward silence, a fast ship started closing in from the distance. ~~~~ POV: Ingalls ¡°Entering Yerewvan Skyport. Entering Yerewvan Skyport. All passengers please be seated as we dock. All passengers please be seated as we dock.¡± The announcement that the dreaded arrival has come. Goddammit! It¡¯s not like there will be anything i can learn from a school at this point. Even the women are underage girls i can¡¯t touch! What the hell is Loukian thinking?! As the ship started to dock, my roommates, Andre and two other guys entered and sat down in the safety chairs. Don¡¯t they know that it''s a gimmick? You won¡¯t actually get injured or die if you¡¯re not seated. Well let¡¯s ignore them and continue lying on the bed. The two other guys were technicians like Andre who were sent to Yerewvan to help the building of the new Hunter¡¯s branch. It seems that more Hunters will be sent to Yerewvan to monitor me while i stay in school. Won¡¯t it be cheaper if they just let me wreck things rather than have someone monitor me all the time? Unlike Andre, the two guys looked at me with trepidation. Well, it¡¯s not like i don¡¯t understand. Thankfully i have Andre who knew me since i was brought to HQ if not i might have been forced to sleep outside. ¡°Thud!¡± Ahhh, the sound of shackles being locked. The ship has docked. And knowing Loukian, he must have already dispatched an A-class to fetch me. Any chance of escaping is basically nil. With a heavy heart, i sat upright and walked out of the room. While walking in the corridors of the ship, i start to miss the two days spent here. Even though the food is shit and the company is always scared of me, at least i could spend my time sleeping here. The moment i walked out, i would be forced to wake up early in the morning for lessons. Thinking about it brings tears to my eyes. Goodbye sleep¡­ I sobbed as i walked out of the ship. What greeted me were the others standing in attention with their luggage flat on the floor while in salute. Which bigshot came? As i direct my attention to the entrance, an old man and a beautiful young lady were standing there. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. As a developing youth, i immediately checked out the lady. Her features were stunning. Her cute eyes, sharp nose and perfect mouth all jammed into a petite face. Her long silver hair that flowed to her waist highlighted her hourglass figure and the dress she was wearing hid those delicious legs of hers. However, there was a problem. A huge problem. ¡°Flat...¡± I said out loud. The moment she heard me she opened her mouth in shock. It was amusing though. I think i could fit something similar to a cucumber in there. However, her chest was seriously lacking. Though she was pretty, if the chest was lacking she could not pique my interest. The old man had a slight grin on his face when he heard me but he still continued with official business. ¡°Welcome Ingalls! My name is Janus Erymneus. Headmaster of Erymneus Institute, the one beside me is Shia Argent, your homeroom teacher.¡± Erymnues is his noble name? Guess he¡¯s one of the descendants of the founder. Even the teacher is a noble? Only nobles have last names. But what really piqued my interest was his dresswear. His robe and badge could only mean one thing. ¡°Headmaster is a S-ranked Hunter?¡± Exactly. Only S-ranked Hunters have the right to wear that uniform. Although it is not uncommon for head of institutions to be stronger than most magicians, none of them should have reached S-ranked. S-ranked Hunters were the trump cards of humanity with less than 20 in existence. For one of them to be loitering around a student¡¯s playground seems to be a waste of power. ¡°Hoho¡­ That¡¯s a thing of the past. I have retired from hunting to pursue my family succession. However i do miss the thrills of going on missions.¡± I have met a few S-ranked so i¡¯m not surprised. Most of them love the thrill of the hunt. That¡¯s why they made it to the top. Even that damned Loukian might be a bitch but he has reached S-ranked. Well, escaping would be impossible now. ¡°So why do i have the pleasure of having the S-ranked headmaster come to personally pick me up?¡± I throw in minor provocations to see his response. However contrary to my expectations, he took it in with stride and replied calmly. ¡°Well me and Loukian go way back so he requested that i personally come. And also, i wanted to see the famous ¡®Calamity Boy¡¯ firsthand.¡± That nickname is really catching on huh¡­ ¡°So are you ready to leave?¡± ¡°Yeah...¡± ¡°Where¡¯s your luggage?¡± ¡°Ermmm¡­ I keep my belongings in my dimension pocket.¡± ¡°7th tier space magic? You have reached that level already?!¡± The headmaster looked shocked for the first time since i met him. Even the silver haired woman had a stunned expression. ¡°Is it weird? I thought the majority uses dimension pocket.¡± Well nearly all the Hunters i worked with had that ability but i didn¡¯t know about the others. I mean being A-ranked i only paired with other A-ranked. ¡°*Cough Cough* No it¡¯s not. Just a little uncommon that¡¯s all. Come let¡¯s leave.¡± I glanced at Andre and he gave me the ¡®remember our bet¡¯ look. A huge smile came on my face as i pointed my middle finger high up in the sky. ~~~~ The headmaster led Ingalls and the flat-chested silver haired beauty to a luxurious carriage. What shocked Ingalls was that the carriage was not pulled by horses but a pegasus. Pegasus were wild and pride mythical creatures that did not listen to humans at any cost. In rare cases, a Pegasus might decide to follow a human and when that happened, it would bring the envy of royalty and nobles alike. ¡°Headmaster tamed a Pegasus?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I met him 20 years ago when i was on a demon extermination hunt. He was injured by the demon when i got there and i saved him. By luck he decided to follow me and therefore is now serving as my mount.¡± ¡°Lucky...¡± ¡°So the exalted A-ranked hunter has never seen a Pegasus?¡± The silver haired beauty interrupted with sharpness in her voice. ¡°Shut up flat board. I just never seen a Pegasus willingly become a mount.¡± ¡°Flat!... You dare call me that again i¡¯ll cut your throat. And from today onwards i am your homeroom teacher! I expect the utmost respect.¡± ¡°Flat board doesn¡¯t have the ability to earn that respect.¡± ¡°You!¡± The silver haired beauty¡¯s hand began to shine as a magic circle appeared. Following that, a silver liquid started flowing from the ground as it started to surround Ingalls and tried to bind him. It was the tier 6 spell ¡°Imperium¡± which summons mercury and disables the opponent. Although it was only a tier 6 spell, no student in the academy had the ability to evade or escape it. But the beauty forgot that she was not facing a student. ¡°Dispel!¡± The liquid mercury which was trying to trap Ingalls instantly dispersed into nothingness. As if the spell never happened. ¡°Wha¡­!¡± ¡°To insta-cast a tier 6 spell. Your ability should be upper B-rank. So teachers of the academy are only B-ranked¡­ I¡¯m kind of disappointed.¡± This was not Ignalls provoking the silver haired beauty but his true feelings of disappointment. He expected that the teachers of Erymneus Institution to be at least A-ranked. The silver-haired beauty didn¡¯t take it that way though. She felt insulted and was prepared to chant her strongest spell when, ¡°ENOUGH!¡± The headmaster¡¯s voice boomed into the depths of both Ingalls and the silver haired beauty¡¯s souls. ¡°Soul intent!¡± Ingalls exclaimed in his heart. Soul intent was not a spell but a mastery of magic and the soul. If the user truly desired, he could use his soul intent to injure his opponent¡¯s soul and make them a vegetable. ¡°As expected of a S-ranked!¡± Although the headmaster was going easy, the silver haired beauty was visibly shaken and remained in a trance. Ingalls on the other hand behaved as if there was no effect. ¡°This kid...¡± The main reason why the headmaster used soul intent instead of physically stopping them was to test Ingalls ability to resist his magic. Never did he think that the 15 year old would be unaffected. After a minute, the silver haired beauty began to regain her senses. ¡°Hey flat board. If you remain standing there the Pegasus will fly off.¡± ¡°Stop calling me that. You should be addressing me as Shia sensei!¡± ¡°Then Shia flat board.¡± Shia gave up on convincing the youth and eventually got up into the carriage. Even though she felt miffed, there was nothing she could do right now. All she could do is hope to get her vengeance in class. ~~~~ As the flying carriage passed through the bustling town, Ingalls could see the every nook and cranny. He saw humans of all kinds of races mingling, selling magic items and kids playing on the streets. It has been a while since he visited such a populated and peaceful area. Every where he was sent he had faced great enemies in forlorn places. Suffering seemed to not exist in this place. He thought back to the time he was grouped with one of the veterans of the Hunter¡¯s association. ¡°We do this so that the greater population will never know the terror that peace prevents.¡± Looking down at the peaceful country, Ingalls realised that Yerewvan was the perfect example for the senior¡¯s preaching. Unfortunately, he was unable to find a red light district as the flying carriage left the town thus he could only resent his future time in this place. Around 25 minutes since they left the Skyport, a vast field of verdant trees were seen. If one looked to the right, there was a canyon that was perfect for practising destructive magic. It was even plagued with signs that magic was used on the rocks before. Beyond the field was a pristine lake that seemed to be the birthplace of romantic stories. And at the edge of the lake, there is an aged building. It did not look like the architecture of this era however, it gave a very noble sense to anyone who saw it. At this moment Ingalls had only one thought ¡°If i destroy this how much will they have to pay for restoration?!¡± Chapter 2: First day of school Ingalls lay on his bed of his new room that he would be staying in for the next few years. Ingalls is currently 15 years old therefore, he would be placed in the Year Four¡¯s class. Logically, he would graduate in Year Ten, when he was 21 years of age. However, Ingalls struck a deal with Loukian. If Ingalls manages to get ten best friends by the time he reached 18, Loukian will reinstate Ingalls as an official hunter. Ingalls must also show restraint and prove that he is able to complete missions without collateral damage. Back when Loukian gave these terms, he had a condescending look. ¡°You? Ten best friends? The sky will fall before that happens!¡± As he is now, Ingalls is a part-time hunter which can only take on missions when the Hunter¡¯s association orders him to. Otherwise, he is nothing but a mere student. ¡°Arghhh!!!! So vexing¡­ Can¡¯t even go out and shop except weekends and school holidays! So this is boarding school life.¡± Ingalls recalled the conversation he had with the headmaster a while back. ~~~~ ¡°Welcome to Erymneus!¡± Ingalls gave a tired face. Although he accepted his new life, he by no means have adapted to it. Being led to one of the boy¡¯s dorms, Shia started explaining the rules of the dorms. ¡°The dorms have quite direct rules. Firstly, never enter the dorms of the opposite gender be there permission or not. Secondly, there will be sound of bells to signal the time to wake up, time for breakfast, the first class, time for lunch, end of class, time for dinner and bedtime. Lastly, never destroy anything from the dorms. Failure to follow the rules may result in severe punishment.¡± Shia wanted to feel superior by threatening punishment to Ingalls but he didn¡¯t even flinch. ¡°Well, this is your room. Unpack everything and report to class tomorrow at first light.¡± When Shia finished explaining everything, the headmaster gave her a meaningful look and she bowed and left the room. ¡°Now Ingalls, i believe Loukian laid down some ground rules for you already.¡± ¡°Yeap...¡± Ingalls was not one bit respectful to the S-ranked hunter in which many held in awe. This however did not bother the headmaster. ¡°Now Ingalls, this is serious. I shall repeat the rules that Loukian and I agreed on.
  1. Never severely harm any of the students in the Academy
  2. Never destroy any of the buildings or historical artifacts of the Academy
  3. Never reveal the fact that you are the ¡®Calamity Boy¡¯
  4. The orders from the Hunter¡¯s HQ take precedent to any school related work
  5. As long as the above four are adhered to, the Academy reserves the right to request you to do missions related to the school.¡±
¡°Hmmm¡­ What if i don¡¯t follow those rules?¡± Ingalls gave a playful smile releasing his sleeping magical powers to form an invisible pressure that started to shake the room. The headmaster replied in kind. A deadly bloodthirst started to emit from his body. Ingalls started to respect the headmaster more and more. This guy is no pushover! The two stared at each other while emitting huge amounts of pressure that made the ground shiver with fear. A tremor akin to a minor earthquake started to shake the dorm and those who had no idea what was happening started to panic. Before the big fight erupted, the headmaster said ¡°Then Loukian will burn your ¡®hostages¡¯.¡± ¡°THAT MOTHERFU¡­...¡± The headmaster naturally knew that Ingalls was playing around hence he followed his lead. Loukian has personally assured him that Ingalls had signed a contract in which he could not violate any of the aforementioned rules. ¡°Well sleep early. Tomorrow is your big day. Try to reach your targeted 10 friends.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± The headmaster left the room leaving a disgruntled Ingalls behind him. When the headmaster reached the outside of the dorm, he glanced back and sighed. ¡°What a talented youth. His mana does not suit his age. If he continues to grow who knows what heights he can reach?¡± ¡°Erymneus might be the school that gives birth to a legendary Magic God...¡± ~~~~ Ingalls lay on the bed as he started to play with his terminal looking up on any information about the headmaster. ¡°Janus Erymneus¡­ Janus Erymneus¡­ Ahh found it.¡± Janus Erymneus. 23rd Generation Erymneus house head. Former S-ranked Hunter. Magic rank: Wiseman. What Ingalls used to search about the headmaster is a database terminal that is given to every elite hunter that allows the user to search information about mythical beasts, demons, locations, people and even mythical items. This enables the Hunters to complete their missions by planning ahead. Even though Ingalls is no longer a full-fledged Hunter right now, Loukian did not confiscate his terminal. ¡°Guess he forgot. But Wiseman huh.¡± The Magic rank of the person is a measure of power. It starts from: Initiate ¡ú Apprentice ¡ú Practitioner ¡ú Sorcerer ¡ú Wizard/Witch¡ú Magi ¡ú Meister ¡ú Grand Meister ¡ú Wiseman ¡ú Magic Saint ¡ú Magic God. An average person with low magic talent will never get past the Apprentice stage. An elite school like Erymneus however, will not allow their students to graduate if they have not reached the Wizard stage. If a student from any academy, by chance, manage to break through into the Magi stage, they will be the top of their cohort and will receive offers from all around the Treaeul Empire. The rankings from the Hunter¡¯s associations is purely dependent of your battle ability and if you are able to clear the missions of the same rank. However, there is a prerequisite before achieving S-ranked. All S-ranked Hunters must have a magic rank of Wiseman. Amongst the S-ranked, there are only 3 Magic Saints. Those three, to many, were unreachable existences. But when Ingalls recalled the one he met, he started to laugh bitterly. As for a Magic God, there has never been one since the ancient ages. Legend has it that a Magic God is above the cycle of life and death. He could destroy continents on a whim and raise people from the dead. As far-fetched as the tale goes, many, including Ingalls already treated the Magic God realm as a fairy tale. Ignoring all that, when Ingalls first joined the Hunter¡¯s association, he was determined to be at the Magi level. Right now, he has reached the Meister level and was challenging the next level. Judging from his magic rank he should have long graduated from Erymneus but his purpose of coming to school has never been to improve his magic rank. ¡°I¡¯m already at the Meister level. Soon i will break through to become a Grand Meister. Wiseman huh¡­ Give me five years!¡± If the headmaster heard this declaration he would laugh it off. It took him 200 years to reach the Wiseman level while Ingalls wanted to become one at the age of 20. A full ten times faster than the headmaster. Before Ingalls can become a wiseman, an even more daunting task awaited him. ¡°Ahhhhh!!!! I have to wake up at first light? Damn what is first light? Is it edible?¡± Remembering the unfathomable task he had ahead of him, Ingalls started to fear. Even facing ten A-ranked beasts is better than waking up early. ~~~~ POV: Shia Argent I met that idiotic brat yesterday. The first thing he said when he saw the headmaster and me was ¡°Flat!¡± How rude! I know i¡¯m a bit lacking and i¡¯m already 26 but¡­ NO NO! I can¡¯t let him get to my head. Hmph! I was kept up all night thinking of how to punish him and now i have the perfect plan. First i¡¯m going to embarrass him during his introduction to the class. I¡¯m going to say he got lost when he was supposed to enrol 3 years ago. He ended up in a magical forest which he then stayed until help arrived 3 years later. Though unbelievable, the class will start to think that he is weird! Hahaha i¡¯m a genius! I walked down the hallways leading to the homeroom class i teach. Erymneus has five classes per year each with 20 students. Erymneus only has an intake of 100 students per year. Contrary to popular belief, the classes in the Academy are not separated into the abilities of the students. Every year, students are rotated from class to class so that each student will have as many connections as possible. The valedictorian may become best friends with the cohort¡¯s dunce. However, it was alright since this is Erymneus. Only the best of the East can attend here and even the weakest student can become an honour student in any of the weaker academies. For me, being a teacher of such an academy is my proudest achievement. I became a Witch at 19 years old and at 23 became a Magi and secured a position as a teacher. I became known for my strict teaching methods and the class which i taught always had the highest improvements since i started. It''s a new school year so i¡¯m excited to see familiar faces again. The end of school year holidays were the longest, reaching two months. I wonder how much have my students changed over the two long months. How they have matured. Ahhhh¡­ Thinking about them is so refreshing. That abnormal can just go sit in a corner! As i was enjoying myself with delusions, i reached the door where i will spend my next year walking through. I calmed myself and gently slid the door open. As that happened, all the students stood upright in attention waiting for me to bow. I felt pride. All 20 of them were so disciplined. ¡°Good morning. Please be seated.¡± I asked them to sit so that we can start class for the first time this year. The 20 of them sat with one fluid motion. One would question if they were machines. The 20 of them stared at me. I recognise 13 of them. The other 7 i have not taught yet in their first three years. However, something felt wrong. The 20 of them took out their notebooks and pens so as to record notes from my lecture. They shouldn¡¯t be so serious. It¡¯s the first lesson and it would be mostly orientation on how the year will go. Well, something seems missing but i can¡¯t put my finger on it. The 20 of them¡­ 20 of them¡­ 20¡­ ¡°ARGH! Where¡¯s that brat?!¡± I exclaimed to the class. The abnormal in which i was supposed to introduce was not around. ¡°Brat?¡± The class looked at me puzzled. Of course they would. Who would think there was a transfer student today. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Ermm¡­ The first period will be self-study! Please review last year''s materials and i will ask you some questions when i get back. Class monitor take over!¡± ¡°But teacher, we have not appointed a new class monitor...¡± Arghhh big mistake. Now i look like a fool. ¡°Cyrena! Monitor the class for me! I will be back real quick.¡± I shouted out to the blue haired girl seated in the front. She was the class monitor of the previous class i taught so it should be alright. I left the class and started to run to the dorm. Damn that kid. Making me lose face on the first day. Even yesterday he called me flat! It¡¯s not like i¡¯m holding a grudge over a kid but he really pisses me off. I enchanted speed spells on my body and ran all the way to the boy¡¯s dorm where he stayed. I stormed up the stairs to his room and barged open the door. He didn¡¯t even lock it. How careless can he be. And i saw him snoring like a swine with his head comfortably rested on a pillow while the rest of his body remained warm under the blanket. ¡°HEY! Do you have any idea what time it is?¡± I shouted at him but to no avail. He was rested too comfortably. Damn this kid! I tugged away his pillow and all he did was adjust his head posture. Damn it to hell!!!!!! I pulled his blanket and then¡­ I saw it. ¡°ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!¡± He was stark naked beneath the covers. The part of the male which i never seen before was currently staring me right in the face. ¡°Huh what¡¯s going on? *Yawn*¡± That brat was awoken by my scream. ¡°You¡­ you¡­ Why are you naked?! Pervert!¡± ¡°Who the fuck sleeps clothed? And shouldn¡¯t you be the pervert? Entering my room and uncovering me.¡± ¡°Do you know what time it is?! You are supposed to report to class 15 minutes ago!¡± ¡°Well you see i have my reasons.¡± ¡°What reason would a pervert have?¡± ¡°See i have only been in this place for less than a day. I won¡¯t even know my directions to class. If i had to find it i will have to wake up long before first light! Who wakes up that early? So i had this epiphany. If i woke up late, there will be no choice but for someone to come pick me up. Therefore, i won¡¯t have to wake up myself as someone, in this case you, will do the job for me! Additionally i won¡¯t have to worry about getting lost!¡± ¡°Liar you just want to sleep in!¡± ¡°I guess you have more brains than i thought you had.¡± ¡°¡±@!$#$%^!@¡± ¡°Woah, even a noble lady knows such colourful language!¡± ¡°GET DRESSED!!!!!¡± I shrieked. I swear one day i¡¯m going to kill this brat. ~~~~ ¡°Let me introduce you to the transfer student. His name is Ingalls. He is on a commoner scholarship and due to unforeseen reasons, he had no choice but to transfer in this late. Please make him feel comfortable.¡± Shia introduced Ingalls to the class. Although she had planned to sabotage his introduction, in the end the play that happened just now tired her out. ¡°Hi my name is Ingalls. As you can see i¡¯m a commoner and i already got bullied by the noble teacher first thing in the morning. I don¡¯t think i can handle any more bullying from the nobles so please be lenient on me. I don¡¯t intend to cause trouble~¡± Ingalls ended his introduction with a hidden provocation. He knew that the moment he transferred there will be some nobles who would want to pick on him. That¡¯s why he insisted that the term ¡°Do not harm students¡± add a vital term ¡°severely.¡± Might as well fish some out right now to prevent more problems down the road. Shia face turned red with anger. Not knowing Ingalls intention, she assumed that he wished to give her a bad name in front of her beloved students. As expected, some of the noble students started to think that he is easy prey and grinned. They had a new play toy! However, majority sympathised with Ingalls knowing how harsh Shia can be at times. ¡°Take your seat at the empty table there.¡± Shia pointed to an empty table at the back of the room. It was a recent addition as every single classroom was tailored for exactly 20 students. There were 10 tables each with 2 chairs. Making the pairing of students rather evident. Many exercises required a partner and Erymneus has always focused on teaching camaraderie between students. Hence, an odd number of students basically never happened in Erymneus. The headmaster however felt that it was alright. Who could ever pair up with the ¡®Calamity Boy¡¯ in magic exercise? ¡°Alright class time to test if you have remembered last year¡¯s curriculum. Those who fail to answer one question right will have to stay back after the last class from remedials.¡± All the students except Ingalls stiffened into attention. No one wanted to have remedials on the first day of school. ¡°First question, Petra!¡± ¡°Yes Sensei!¡± The person Shia called to is a short brown-haired girl. Her petite figure made her look like she was not a 15 year old but rather a 13 year old who has not reached puberty. Perhaps she was a late bloomer but her figure made her less in front of the other kids in the class. ¡°Since all of you are Practitioners, name the different kinds of spells you can use at your level. If you miss a single one you are out!¡± Petra answered without hesitation. ¡°All magic spells Tier 3 and below. The kinds of spells available are the major elements: Fire, Earth, Wind and Water. Another type would be the basics of mechanical magic which include metal magic. Lastly, we can use taming magic for beasts below D-rank!¡± ¡°Very good. However you don¡¯t have to be modest. You have recently been able to reach some Tier 4 magic didn¡¯t you?¡± Petra was gobsmacked that her secret was so easily uncovered by Shia. Majority of the class also contained stunned looks. Only a few and Ingalls remained calm. ¡°Haha, I¡¯ll let it pass since it¡¯s the first day but please don¡¯t forget to tell me your progress. There are times where keeping it to yourself may hinder your future development.¡± ¡°Thank you sensei...¡± ¡°Next question¡­ Ellard Ludwig!¡± ¡°Yes Sensei!¡± ¡°Name all the different branches of magic study that will be applicable to you when you reach Year 7. Please elaborate on each one.¡± ¡°Errr....¡± The blonde haired pretty boy that was called had trouble remembering the sudden question off the bat. ¡°Ermm.. Yes! Elemental specialisation, Magical Engineering, Magic Knights, Priesthood, Magic Crafting and Magic Study! That¡¯s all!¡± ¡°Well you got all the Majors right what about the minors?¡± ¡°Ermmm¡­.¡± ¡°Hehehe. I¡¯m joking. It wasn¡¯t covered last year. Class, your homework for today is to find out all the minors and give me a list of your preferred subjects next week. Remember to think hard about your future and work towards it. If you do not enjoy the subject, there is no point forcing yourself.¡± ¡°Lastly, let me ask someone who i never taught before. Rheinhart Styne!¡± ¡°Yes Sensei!¡± ¡°What effects do the DD melons provide?¡± ¡°....¡± Rheinhart Styne, a bronze-haired youngster kept silent. His insolent look when he looked at Ingalls before turned to a humbled one. ¡°You don¡¯t remember?¡± The poor kid could only nod. ¡°Hmmm¡­ What about you Ingalls?¡± Shia wanted to use this chance to embarrass this brat. From the looks of it, he had no knowledge of theory and solely focused on practical skills. It looked like she won this round. However, Ingalls gave a succinct response after a second of thought. ¡°A severe erection.¡± ¡°Pffttt!!!!¡± Half the class tried to hold their laughter whilst the others were shocked by such an answer. Shia''s face turned red. No one knew if it was from embarrassment or anger. ¡°Both of you stay back after the last class! Remedial till bedtime!¡± ¡°¡±EHHHH?!?!?!?!?¡±¡± Ingalls and Rheinhart had the same response. _____________________________________________________________________ Author''s note: I apologise for the long and content heavy chapter. I''m worried that as the story develops readers will start to get confused over the terminology. If you can''t keep up with the bombardment of information just keep this chapter as a reference for future chapters. The next few chapters won''t have too much terminology overflow like this one has. As usual thank you for reading! Chapter 3: The honor student ¡°Damn that woman!!!!¡± Ingalls lay on his bed as he cursed Shia out loud. The sky has long turned dark and crickets were chirping loudly. The moon illuminated the surroundings with the help of the endless amount of stars. ¡°Who cares about how magical items help us and weaknesses of mythical beasts?!¡± For Ingalls, living life meant taking it day by day. If there was an unknown enemy, he would charge in head first and test them. Should he lose, he would learn from it and come back again. There was no real need for any prior knowledge of mythical beasts or its weaknesses. He would find the best way to eliminate them himself. Additionally, he never required external boosts from items such as potions or charms. Everything would be solved with his own power. Therefore, his theory component is probably even worse than a Year 1 student. Luckily for him, theory is just a fifth of the total examination. 80% of your grade solely depends on how well you apply magic. ¡°Meh, I¡¯ll just sleep through all the theory classes. There was no clause in the agreement stating i could not do so.¡± The dorm Ingalls was staying in is called the Demseiq. A dorm which holds half of the males in Year 4. Surprisingly, the number of girls surpasses the number of boys 6:4 thus only 20 males stayed here. Demseiq is also one of the oldest dorms in Erymneus. In order to spur the student¡¯s drive, names of famous alumni were engraved in the central pillar of the dorm. When the students the names of legendary figures such as Wiseman Eberitais, Ludwig the Moonlight Knight and Prince of Thorns, they would ultimately feel the need to live up to the dorm¡¯s reputation. Ingalls however did not even recognise all those figures. He only wished that an emergency mission would help save him from the wretched hell he was living in. ¡°Haish¡­ School is probably the most troublesome thing that mankind has invented. I mean even that stupid noble had some ideas. Let¡¯s give him till the weekend. I¡¯m sure he will cause some trouble then.¡± Ingalls recalled the noble that he was punished with. Rheinhart Styne. A pedigree noble. All nobles were descendants of historical figures who have outstanding amount of mana and magical talent. Hence, majority of the nobles born today will be blessed by the blood of their ancestors and naturally inherit their talent. Due to that fact, higher institutions will be dominated by nobles. Although it was not rare for commoners to reach a noble¡¯s talent, commoners were obviously less privileged. Only freaks like Ingalls can stand toe to toe and even above nobles with such pedigree. Rheinhart was unsatisfied that he had to be punished alongside Ingalls and had a dirty look the entire remedial session. He had even released a tiny amount of bloodlust. Regular humans might not feel a thing but for Ingalls who lived in the wilderness the majority of his life and being sent on dangerous missions, Ingalls was extremely sensitive to even the slightest amount. ¡°No use caring about that now¡­ Time to sleep!¡± ~~~~ Morning came and Ingalls did not wake up again. Causing the cycle that happened the previous day to repeat itself. The only thing different was that Shia came prepared. ¡°Let¡¯s see how your rooster takes my invincible mallet of discipline!¡± Shia believed that the swine would be late again hence she concocted a plan that would make Ingalls regret disobeying her. Shia brought her notorious wooden mallet. Whenever students saw her with the mallet, none of them would dare be rowdy. One of the reasons why Shia got her nickname ¡®Demon Teacher¡¯ was due to the fact that she love physically torturing her students. And her wooden mallet is the icon of the ¡®Demon Teacher.¡¯ She crept up into the room just to see a perfectly still and snoring Ingalls. ¡°Seems like he¡¯s in deep sleep.¡± Shia then stood next to the bed. ¡°I have a legitimate reason for hitting you. Don¡¯t blame me~!¡± As her sweet thoughts raged through her head, she swung the wooden mallet down at his crotch. Sensing danger, Ingalls'' eyes sprang wide open. What he saw scared him to death. ¡°Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! No time to dodge!¡± Being a veteran in dangerous situations, Ingalls calculated all the possibilities to leave his predicament in a microsecond. Instantaneously, Ingalls cast a spell. ¡°Tier 5 spell: Priwen!¡± Tier 5 spell: Priwen was a spell that strengthens the body over ten times. Additionally, it would give the effect that the body will be as hard as steel. Applied on his crotch and Ingalls gained an unbreakable sword. Wooden mallet against a sword strengthened by a Tier 5 spell. There was no competition. ¡°*Pierce!*¡± Ingalls sword cut through the mallet like butter and the mallet stopped when the sword penetrated halfway through. ¡°Ahhhh¡­..¡± Ingalls moaned. Surprisingly, he felt a tinge of pleasure. ¡°Hey! What the fuck are you doing? If my sword wasn¡¯t strong enough it would have been broken!¡± ¡°I¡­ You.. You¡­ PERVERT!¡± ¡°As i said yesterday, you¡¯re the pervert!¡± Shia¡¯s brilliant plan backfired as she underestimated the strength of Ingalls¡¯ sword. ~~~~ POV: Ingalls That wretched teacher. She actually tried to pop my crotch. This is why i hate school! I walked around the plains that surround the school whilst thinking back to this morning. This academy has some resplendent scenery. Imagine a Y-junction. At the top, there is a pristine lake imbued with large amounts of mana. I suspect there is a mythical object deep underwater that keeps it that way. To the right is a rock canyon that looks like a staple in the natural world of beauty. And lastly, the place where i am at, the verdant plains that stretch for miles across. In the centre of that Y-junction is a collection of buildings that fits in with the surroundings so perfectly one would think it was made from nature itself. I can understand why the headmaster was so adamant that i don¡¯t destroy this place. Not like i had any intention of doing so. Classes usually start at first light and ends during the midday lunch. After midday lunch, students will either join their clubs or use that time to study. Since i can do neither of them, i started wandering around the campus, looking for something interesting. Walking around the campus, i could see the myriad of activities available for the students. Some were training their concentration while sitting under the man-made waterfall, others were in the canyon training their magic precision and there were those who were relaxing in the fields chatting away with their friends. I managed to see some facilities that mirrored those in the HQ but none of them were truly used for the purposes that i used them for. ¡°How soft..¡± None of the students here will survive in the Hunter¡¯s association. Such a peaceful place. As i was lost in my thoughts, a little girl that look no older than 10 years old walked towards me. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Onii-chan, you shouldn¡¯t be standing there.¡± Ho¡­ A kid is giving me advice huh. ¡°Why not? Little kid?¡± ¡°Cause it¡¯s a magic minefield?¡± ¡°HUH?!¡± I lifted my feet off the ground and mana started bubbling from the ground. ¡°BOOM!¡± An explosion tore through the earth and the grass a metre around the mine started to burn. However, by that time i already sped past the blast radius and stood next to the little girl. Although such a weak blast could not harm me, my clothes would not leave unscathed. ¡°Phew, that was dangerous. Why would there be a minefield in a school?!¡± ¡°Onii-chan didn¡¯t know? It is one of the training places to help high schoolers improve their danger detection. See there¡¯s a red tape and a sign telling people to keep out.¡± I looked at the minefield and indeed saw such items. While walking absentmindedly i actually strolled into a minefield. How ludicrous. ¡°Could Onii-chan perhaps be...¡± The little girl looked at me with shock. Did she recognise me? Even though my name is famous doesn¡¯t mean my face is¡­ ¡°... an idiot?¡± ¡°*Cough* *Cough*¡± This kid¡­ ¡°How did your parents teach you? Calling a senior an idiot the first time you see him!¡± ¡°My mother always said to be honest about your thoughts!¡± ¡°Even so you shouldn¡¯t call someone an idiot!¡± ¡°Then what do you call a person who walks into a minefield?¡± ¡°...¡± Wow¡­ She¡¯s good. ¡°A brave warrior who knows no fear!¡± ¡°So a stupid warrior?¡± ¡°Whaa¡­.! How did you come to that conclusion?!¡± ¡°Mommy always said a person with no fear is stupid!¡± ¡°You!.... Fine, i give up. I¡¯m a stupid warrior alright?¡± ¡°Yay! Onii-chan is an idiot! Lily wins!¡± Wow, this kid is unexpectedly really competitive. ¡°Lily huh. What are you doing here? Are your parents one of the teachers?¡± ¡°No? Lily just enrolled into Year 1!¡± ¡°Haaa?! You liar you definitely less than 10 years old¡± ¡°Onii-chan! Lily is already 12!¡± ¡°No way...¡± ¡°Lily is really 12!¡± Since there were no uniforms it was hard to differentiate whether a kid was a student or not. ¡°See this is my Student ID!¡± Well, that¡¯s the only way to find out¡­ But if she¡¯s 12 but so petite, that means! ¡°You¡­ Could you be an eternal loli?¡± ¡°Onii-chan? What¡¯s a loli¡± ¡°A loli is the justice of this world.¡± ¡°Lily is the eternal justice?¡± ¡°Yeap!¡± ¡°Yay!¡± Hmmm¡­ I guess i made my first friend. Calling a loli my first friend sounds sad but i have no other choice. I need to fill the 10 places quickly and given her innocence, she should be easy to convince. ¡°Lily, are you familiar with this place?¡± ¡°Yeap¡­ I went through the orientation! Didn¡¯t Onii-chan go through it too?¡± Damn it! There was an orientation?! Well since i am a last minute transfer i can¡¯t expect much. ¡°No, I only came here a few days ago. I didn¡¯t receive any sort of orientation.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Since Lily is free now i guess i can show you around.¡± ¡°Oh! That will help!¡± Following that conversation, Lily led me to various places in the campus. The garden where magical herbs are being grown. The factory where you could purchase student-made items. And many other places. As we walked deeper and deeper in the campus, we finally reached an inner sanctum where there stood a willow tree. The tree was over 30 metres tall and had numerous branches. Too many to even count. ¡°Wow, such a beautiful tree...¡± I have been to many places but i have never seen such a divine tree. Somehow, i felt a strong magical presence in the tree. To think i would experience such a sight here. I guess we should never underestimate magical institutions. Thousands of years of heritage might be buried here and non-students might never get a chance to see it. ¡°This is the Tree of Erymneus. It is said that the first generation of the Erymneus house and the founder of the school is buried under here. The founder loved willow trees and ordered his sons to grow one atop of his grave so that he could be the fertiliser for it. Over hundreds of years, the tree still stands. Legend has it that the ghost of the founder will come out from the willow tree and protect the school whenever there is danger.¡± Lily explained to me while i looked baffled on how such knowledge can be cramped into a loli mind. ¡°So Lily is so smart huh¡­ Are you an honour student?¡± ¡°Nope, Onii-chan is just an idiot.¡± ¡°...¡± This kid is really rude¡­ However, this marks the end of my tour. ¡°Lily, thank you for today.¡± ¡°Your welcome!¡± Lily seems elated to be thanked. Kids her age are really innocent huh. ¡°Lily, you see. Onii-chan has a task. I must find 10 best friends in three years. If not Onii-chan will forever be trapped in a hell where one has to wake up at first light and a crazy mallet holding lady threatening my dignity. Can you imagine the terror Onii-chan has to live through? Only by finding more and more friends will Onii-chan be saved. So Lily, could you be my first friend?¡± ¡°...¡± Lily remained quiet. Why? What¡¯s there to hesitate? ¡°I¡¯m sorry Onii-chan. Mommy says if i make friends with idiots i will die early so i can¡¯t be your friend!¡± ¡°!@$%$^*(^(()3@$¡±