《Magus Academy: Rune Instructor Reincarnation》 Prologue: Welcome To The Magus Academy ¡°Welcome, dear Apprentices of this esteemed Magus Academy.¡± As a feminine voice echoed from the woman who stood on an elevated stage, the students who stood in rows before her found themselves trembling. None could resist the sound of her voice. They were currently in what could simply described as a massive white and gold auditorium. The hall was large enough to hold the three hundred students of the academy¡ªall of whom were arranged in ten rows. They all had serious expressions on their faces, though the students in the far left row appeared more nervous than all the others. After all, they were the newcomers. ¡°As you well know, this is the most prestigious Magus Academy in the entire Southern Empire. You all here have done well¡ªboth the newcomers and those who have managed to remain here through it all.¡± The woman who spoke, elevated far above the staff who stood at strategic positions in the auditorium, was none other than the Archmage who governed the Imperial Magus Academy. Her long Mage Robe was pure white, though a mix of black and red shone from her inner attire. She had a dark brown hat on her head, with a choker firmly wrapped around her neck. Her pure skin radiated nothing short of ethereal beauty, and her brilliant blue eyes captured the gaze of everyone who watched her. This was Archmage Juliana Randalorion¡ªone of the only seven Archmages in the entire Empire. Of all of them, she was also the youngest. ¡°It brings me pleasure to see you are all doing well, ready to start a new semester in your journey to understand the mystic arts.¡± For the newcomers, this would be their very first semester in this Academy. However, the veterans already knew what to expect. ¡°And now¡­ for the moment of introduction¡­¡± This General Assembly that occurred only once every Semester had many purposes; however, one was regarded as the most pertinent. The Introduction of the new Apprentices. ¡ªAll fifty of them. ******** One after the other, as Archmage Juliana Randalorion mentioned their names, the newbies would come forth. They were called according to their passing grades; from top to bottom. In a competitive society such as this, hierarchy was not uncommon. In fact, it was enforced. The new students¡ªcalled Apprentices in the Magus Academy¡ªlined up before their seniors as they were either acknowledged with praise or scorn. The first few to be mentioned got the usual proud and awe-filled reception, but as soon as the later students were being called, the displayed reactions began to sour. These were the ones who didn¡¯t do very well in their Entrance Exams¡ªsome even scoring pathetic grades that made one wonder how they managed to get in. It was possible that some students used connections, while for others, it was merely luck. None of those factors would help them remain in the Academy, though, so the sneering seniors could already see them dropping out soon enough.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. One after the other, Apprentices climbed the stage, and the far left row was emptied of the people there. Until, finally, it got to the turn of the last name. The seniors looked at one another, and then stole a glance at the boy that was waiting for his name to be called. He looked young¡ªmost likely sixteen years old¡ªwith a pretty stoic and plain-looking face. His dark brown hair swayed slightly as he remained in good posture, with his eyes fixated on the stage. As his seniors looked at him, some couldn¡¯t help the words that came out of their mouths. ¡°I heard he woefully failed the Spell exams.¡± ¡°Heard? Dude, you didn¡¯t see the results? It was terrible!¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ my guy could not cast a single Spell.¡± ¡°What¡¯s he doing in a Magus Academy if he can¡¯t do something as simple as that?¡± ¡°Beats me. He even flopped his written exams. I think he barely passed that one.¡± ¡°Yeah. 51 out of 100. He barely passed the cut-off grade.¡± While a lot of these condescending words could be seen as malicious, quite a few stemmed from genuine concern. This wasn¡¯t the best Magus Academy for nothing. Only the best could remain and excel, while the dregs would get left behind. Anyone who showed very little promise at the mere start was most likely going to fail in the near future. That was why they all gazed upon him with such prejudice. ¡°¡­ Please come to the stage, Dan Nilrem.¡± The boy moved as soon his name was called. All eyes were fixed on him as he climbed the stage. The murmurs did not cease though. ¡°I heard the only reason he made the cut was due to his Rune Exams.¡± ¡°Rune Exams?¡± ¡°Yeah. Apparently, he got a perfect score!¡± ¡°For real? When did someone get that high? No¡­ has that even happened here before?¡± ¡°Does that matter? It¡¯s not like it¡¯s going to do much good anyway.¡± ¡°A-ah¡­ true, true.¡± As the young man took his place among the rest of his classmates and stood before those who watched him from their rows, he could hear everything they said. He could see the scorn on their faces, and he could detect their concerns. These students¡ªranging from Year 1 to 10¡ªand their harsh words nearly made him break his current stoic demeanor. But he maintained his calm facade. After all¡­ ¡®¡­ This reminds me of the old days.¡¯ Dan Nilrem smiled internally as he cast his gaze upon the young adults and those who were already in their twenties. Faces from the past overlapped with the current ones he was looking at. ¡®They¡¯re so cheeky. Reminds me of my students.¡¯ He could feel a slight pull on his lips. While appearing like nothing more than a 16-year-old boy, Dan had a secret no one knew about. One that even he hadn¡¯t completely wrapped his head around. He was a much older man who suddenly found himself in the body of this boy. Not only that, but he appeared to be over a hundred years into the future. ¡®Imagine my surprise gaining consciousness during the Entrance Exams a week ago. I barely knew what was going on, and I still had to go through all three stages.¡¯ The Written Exam The Spell Exam The Rune Exam He managed to go through all of them while still confused about what was happening. ¡®It¡¯s unfortunate that I scored so low, but it couldn¡¯t be helped.¡¯ As someone of the past, he didn¡¯t know anything about his current era, so the Written Exams were a bust. The Magia in his body was also pretty low, and he wasn¡¯t well synced to it, so the Spell Exams didn¡¯t go too well either. The only reason he passed was because of his specialty in Runes. ¡®I¡¯m happy I got in, though.¡¯ Dan Nilrem smiled in his thoughts. He could feel excitement welling up within his chest. There was a reason why, despite finding himself in a mysterious situation so randomly, he had decided to carry on with the Entrance Exams. It was the same reason why he felt a sense of fulfillment now that he stood beside his new colleagues and before his seniors. It wasn¡¯t merely for his sake. ¡®The owner of this body studied and practiced absurdly hard to get into this school.¡¯ He knew that due to his observation of the boy¡¯s body, and also reading his journals. Despite being a mere commoner, he had made it as far as the Entrance Exams. There was no way he¡ªan older man¡ªcould ignore such a blatant dedication. ¡®I don¡¯t know where you went, Dan. But don¡¯t worry¡­¡¯ At this point, he could no longer control his smile. A sparkle of pure resolve shone from his eyes as his lips curled upward to form a big grin. ¡®¡­ I¡¯ll make sure you excel in this Magus Academy!¡¯ Chapter 1: Orientation Mages exist as a result of a supernatural force known as Magia. With the discovery of Magia came the birth of mystic arts which could be categorized into two: Spellcasting and Runecrafting. Those who used Spells well known as Spellcasters, and the ones who chose the latter path were called Runecrafters. These two bodies of discipline converge at a single point¡ªthat is, their usage of Magia to perform supernatural feats. In the past, there existed a man who followed the path of any aspiring Mage. His name¡­ Arthur of Dan Village. He went to a local Magus Academy, and he learned the fundamentals of the two Pillars of Magia. However, after spending years engaged in both the literature and practice of the very mystic arts he sought after since he was a child, Arthur came to a discovery. ¡°Runes are better than Spells!¡± Against the norms, he stuck to this belief and decided to specialize in Runecrafting despite the counsel of many not to. ¡°It¡¯s too archaic!¡± Some said. ¡°Your prospects will be limited!¡± Others retorted. ¡°The practical applications are abysmal. Please reconsider!¡± More advised. But this particular Mage¡ªApprentice at the time¡ªstuck to his guns in pursuit of the greatness of Runecrafting. He sought to prove them wrong and show them why his position was correct. He failed. In the end, every word they uttered turned out to be correct; all of them playing out in his reality. After spending ten years in the Magus Academy, he finally graduated and headed out into the real world for his mandatory three-year service. That was when he realized the ugly truth. Runecrafting¡­ was long dead. Rather than taking one¡¯s time to inscribe the appropriate formula to utilize Magia, practically every Mage would prefer to use the spoken words to achieve the same results. Hence, the reason why Spellcasting was preferred. After concluding his mandatory service, he was now nearing thirty years of age. Arthur had no woman to call his own, no major accomplishments worthy of note. He knew he couldn¡¯t just return to his family after thirteen years dedicated to the dream he sold to them, having nothing to bring back. So, he had to make a choice¡ªthe only one he could make at that point. ¡°I need to get a job!¡± As an adult, he had to fend for himself, and also provide for the same family that supported his education throughout his stay in the Magus Academy. Unfortunately, even that proved to be a challenge. Employment opportunities for Runecrafters were very scarce, and the market was already saturated with those who were already experienced in their field and had long been entrenched in the business There was no room for a newcomer like him. Arthur searched and searched, but the results proved useless. He thought he would never catch a break¡­ until luck finally shone upon him. He met an old colleague¡ªsomeone he managed to befriend in his mandatory three-year service. Denzel Sirius; the third son of a pretty powerful merchant in the area. Apparently, he was already a Junior Professor in the Imperial Magus Academy, and he was able to hook Arthur with an opportunity. ¡°The Academy¡¯s Runecrafting Lecturers are too few, and most of them are about to retire, so we¡¯re looking for new hands. Interested?¡± That was his big break! Arthur went for the interview and landed a job as a Junior Lecturer. He was 33 years old when this happened. He worked his butt off for years, finally making reasonable money for himself and giving back to the family that supported him all his life. Even as a Junior Professor, the money he earned far outweighed the amount he would have gotten from being a local Runecrafter. This truly was his big break. Thanks to the rewards he got for his hard work and dedication to his job, received countless promotions and shot up the ranks. In just ten years¡­ he was able to achieve the status of Senior Professor and was on a clear path to finally becoming Head of his Runecrafting Department. At this point, Arthur was 43 years old. He had no lover, and he had very few friends. He was only ever dedicated to his craft and his job, receiving a lot more money than he ever thought he could make. Runecrafting had paid off in the end! But, despite the wave of good things that visit a man¡¯s life¡­ tragedy is always waiting at the corner. When he was 47 years old, Arthur¡¯s parents died thanks to a plague that visited the nearby villages. He lived in the Academic City, so nothing of the sort reached him. The plague was quelled before it could spread to the very populated areas, but at that point it was too late. The family he worked so hard to satisfy¡­ it was gone. Arthur tried to blame himself. ¡°If only I made them move to the city¡­¡± But he knew he already tried. His parents loved rural life and didn¡¯t want to leave the small town they had known all their life. Besides, he was too busy with work to properly spend time with them, so if they honored his wishes, they would have wallowed in loneliness. ¡°I should have been there for them more. Spent more time with them¡­¡± Arthur knew that arrangement wouldn¡¯t have worked either. He had to be busy to make the kind of money that he did. If he stopped working for even a day, that would be a loss on his part. Besides, he was working to get the position of Head of Runecrafting. There was no way he could have slacked off. All of Arthur¡¯s reasons to blame himself proved useless. He had done his best as a man and as a son. It just¡­ wasn¡¯t enough. After a few months, he got the position he worked so hard for and became Head of Runecrafting in the Imperial Magus Academy. Alongside the prestige and money that came with this position, there was also more time. He didn¡¯t have to go for lectures¡ªexcept the really important ones. Most of his time was spent researching Runecrafting or reviewing the works of his colleagues and juniors. As Head, he also organized lectures and seminars for the lecturers under him, as well as lecturers from other Academies. However, these grand symposiums only happened once or twice a year, so the total number of lectures he took per month was only one¡ªtwo at most. In this free time, Arthur found himself restless. He was making a lot more money than he could possibly spend. He had a lot more time than he knew what to use it for, If only his family was still alive, he would have spent more time with them. But none of them were present. He also had no desire for women, and the nature of his profession caused him to hardly socialize with people. Even Denzel Sirius¡ªhis old friend that got him this job¡ªhad long left the Academy for the Royal Capital.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. He was all alone. ¡°What now¡­?¡± He asked himself several times. Perhaps this was the time to settle down and start his own family, but Arthur found no lady he fancied enough to seriously consider doing such with. He simply wallowed in his job and kept it up¡­ until he turned 55 years old. That was when something struck him¡ªlike a divine inspiration. Arthur was reviewing a paper written by a newly appointed Mage in the Runecrafting Community¡ªin essence, just another task However, what struck him as particularly special was the innovative mindset that this individual had concerning Runes. Apparently, after conducting a very detailed and thorough experiment that involved an equally skilled Runecrafter and Spellcaster, he found out the effects of the Rune were slightly better than the Spellcaster. A similar experiment had been done in the past, so that didn¡¯t strike Arthur as odd. What was strange was his surprising take on the subject matter. ~¡­ It should be noted, however, that this is not due to the Spell being inferior to the Rune, but the users. An average Runecrafter will be more in tune with Magia and its use compared to a Spellcaster of equal rank, thanks to the immense investment Runecasters have to undergo to learn and use Runes.~ When Arthur saw this, it felt like something inside his head clicked. This was just a normal paper, which had this contrary take as the conclusion of a previously performed research, yet¡­ ¡­ Something resonated within him. ¡°He¡¯s right.¡± Arthur didn¡¯t know when he muttered those words. ¡°HE¡¯S ABSOLUTELY RIGHT!!!¡± At this point, a sudden surge of energy spread throughout the body of the aging man and a fresh wave of inspiration washed upon him. Suddenly, a renewed passion for his craft came upon him. He now wanted more from Runecrafting. After that day, Arthur quit his position in the Imperial Academy despite only needing to wait five more years for his retirement. If he had waited, he would be set for life with an income that many could not even fathom. He could even be taken to the Royal Capital as a consultant of sorts. But he threw all of that away, Just like in his youth, he ignored the counsel of everyone around him. ¡°This is madness!¡± ¡°A respectable man such as yourself¡­ adventuring?¡± ¡°Please reconsider!¡± But he did not heed their words. He decided to leave the conventional world of academia and began his journey towards enlightenment. He was already 55 years old, but he suddenly felt young again. He traveled the world, visited strange lands, uncovered mysteries, and advanced even further in his understanding. Finally, after fifteen years of his search, he found the enlightenment that he sought. The secrets of Runecrafting! ¡°Hahaha! I finally did it! I got it!¡± He cackled in whatever dirty cave he used as shelter that night. The once-renowned Rune Instructor¡ªturned Head of Runecrafting in the most prestigious Magus Academy¡ªwas now nothing but a dirty old man. He had rags for clothes, long white beards that reached the sole of his feet, and saggy skin that looked like they would drop off at any point. Anyone would look at him and think he was a creepy madman who closely courted insanity. But Arthur had never been more sane. Treasures, scrolls, and a lot of artifacts lay at his feet, but he cared for none of them. ¡°It¡¯s complete. The gap in my knowledge. All those theories¡­¡± Scribbled on the walls were various symbols and writings in ancient runic languages. He could finally see how they connected, and he proceeded to finish everything. ¡°Haha¡­ haha¡­ haaa¡­¡± Finally, once he was done, Arthur collapsed to the ground and fell asleep. Forever. ********* [The Present] ¡°Alright, everyone¡­ let¡¯s settle down!¡± A very pretty lady stood in front of the obviously excited students who sat behind their respective desks in the considerably large classroom. The room was big enough to occupy all fifty of them, and it had steps per row, so those who sat at the back had elevated platforms to properly see the podium where their instructor was standing. Everything about the place¡ªfrom the quality of the furniture, to the grand design of the walls, ceilings, and even the stage that the woman in her late twenties stood upon¡ªradiated luxury only befitting the greatest Magus Academy in the Southern Empire. Every single student present was excited to be there, which made them a little bit noisy. However, once the call for decorum came, everyone fell into silence. They all paid attention to the woman before them from that moment on. ¡°My name is Ketiya Lampshade, and I will be the Supervising Officer of your class¡ªthat is, all of you Year 1 Students.¡± Her blond hair swayed as she spoke with great flair and confidence. ¡°Welcome once again to the Imperial Magus Academy, and this is your General Orientation.¡¯ Her bright amber eyes radiated youthfulness, and she seemed pretty excited herself as she addressed the fifty young ones before her. She wore a long white lab coat, with a short black gown that had gold threads embroidered on the gleamy surface, giving an air of prestige. On her coat was the badge of the Academy, gleaming with its gold, blue and red luster. Ketiya, as she was called, also had a wizard hat that sat awkwardly on her head, though it strangely fit well with the rest of her outfit. The students, who were expecting a much older person to be their S.O. were pleasantly surprised to see such a charming young woman instead. Well, this was the case for almost all of them. ¡®Hm? Isn¡¯t she a little too young to be a Supervising Officer?¡¯ Dan Nilrem, formerly known as Arthur in his past life, thought to himself as he narrowed his gaze on the woman before him. ¡®A Supervising Officer is responsible for the students under their watch. They must ensure the academics of their wards are in optimal condition, and they are primarily responsible for making decisions regarding the activities that the students will be engaged in¡­¡¯ Needless to say, such a person had to have a lot of experience in their particular field. They also needed to be somewhat experienced in the realm of education. It was possible for second or third-rate Academies to skirt around these requirements, but a place like the Imperial Magus Academy couldn¡¯t bypass such standards. ¡­ Or could they? ¡®This lady seems to be no older than 27 years old, which means she is just fresh out of the Academy.¡¯ Dan raised his eyebrow as he tried to understand what was happening. ¡®It usually usually takes ten years for students to go through education here, and there¡¯s a mandatory three-year long service as a Mage before you can even decide on a career full-time.¡¯ That meant the minimum age that a potential Educator could be was 28 years old, since the Academy started to accept students when they became adults¡ªin essence, at 15 years of age. ¡®The previous owner of this body tried to get in last year, but he failed. After that, he worked his butt off to try again this year¡­ and just managed to pass with my help.¡¯ Dan sighed. It wasn¡¯t easy to become a Mage. But, it was even more difficult to be an Educator of future Mages, especially in a prestigious Academy like this. ¡®Something must have changed in the hundred years that I¡¯ve been dead.¡¯ That was Dan¡¯s only explanation regarding the anomaly he was experiencing. He still didn¡¯t know very much about the modern world he now found himself in, which meant there would be a lot of things that were bound to catch him by surprise. It was no wonder he failed the Written Exams. ¡®It¡¯s unfortunate that I didn¡¯t get the memories of the previous owner of this body. If he didn¡¯t keep such a detailed journal about his life, I would have been completely lost.¡¯ Dan sighed yet again. It had been a week since he took the Exams, and ever since then he had remained in the Imperial Academy City. After a full day of getting accustomed to his new identity, he managed to navigate his way to the house of a friend of his father, who had offered to host him for the full week he would be staying in the City while waiting for his results. Dan shuddered as he remembered their awkward interactions throughout the time they spent together. ¡®I hope he didn¡¯t figure out anything out of the ordinary.¡¯ The bottom line was that he managed to pass, and from this point on he would be spending his time inside the Academy. Each student was mandated to live in the Dorms, and if anyone wanted to leave the Academy Grounds, they would have to get a special pass from the school. Obtaining said pass was a bothersome process, so most students never resorted to it. Dan also didn¡¯t plan to. ¡®The owner of his body already made sure to say farewell to everyone he cares about with the resolve of passing. I also wrote a letter back to his family telling them that I successfully passed the Exams before coming here, so there is nothing left to worry about.¡¯ At the current moment, Dan¡¯s main priority was to get accustomed to his new life as a student, as well as change his sensibilities so he could properly fit into the modern framework that now surrounded him. He had to figure out how much had changed and how much remained the same. ¡®Because if memory serves me well, this Orientation is going to serve as the most important aspect of starting out in the Academy.¡¯ He kept his eyes focused on Ketiya, who was still smiling at all of the students present. ¡°Each and every one of you will have to select the courses you want to study¡ªboth Major and Minors. Each Course has units allocated to them, and you need to fulfill the quota of 10 units minimum, and 15 units maximum to fully register.¡± Every student¡¯s face suddenly became serious, and they slowly nodded. They all understood the implications. ¡°Majors such as Runecrafting and Spellcasting cost five units each, while Minors usually range from one to three points. You need to have at least one Major and two Minors to be a functioning student at the Academy. Also, once you pick a Major, you can never change it until you complete the year.¡± Ketiya explained even further. Dan smiled as soon as he heard those last words. ¡®She says this, but anyone who picks a certain Major will find it almost impossible to change it even after they complete the year, since they would have missed an entire year¡¯s worth of knowledge and practice in the other Major.¡¯ As such, even though the rules were still somewhat flexible, the reality was otherwise. ¡°I will now pass your Course Registration Papers, so make sure you fill out which courses you¡¯d like to take right here and now. Don¡¯t worry, the basic information of each course is outlined under them, so you won¡¯t mistake them for one another.¡± Ketiya announced. ¡°Still, make sure you read through each one carefully¡­ just in case.¡± Selecting the wrong Minor¡ªwhile not as damning as choosing the wrong Major¡ªwas still an incredibly big deal. Minors usually changed per Year, so students only had an opportunity to learn certain Courses in a particular year. Once they missed their chance, they couldn¡¯t go back. Also, there were Courses in further years¡ªsuch as Year 3 and above¡ªthat needed the previous study of the fundamental ones in Year 1 and 2, so missing out on them now would be terrible, to say the least. Despite how important these choices were, the Academy didn¡¯t seem to care about explaining the details of each Course, or provide a trial period so the students knew what they were getting into before making a final decision. This was because they assumed that the students within their walls must have already gotten some form of basic education before arriving at the Academy, hence they already knew what to expect. Most¡ªif not all¡ªof the students already had areas of specialization that they wanted to pursue, so it would be a waste of time not to use such a direct approach. Dan understood all of this too, so he wasn¡¯t surprised when he heard all of this¡ªeven though the previous owner of his body was among the unlucky few who never really got any fundamental education in Magia. As such, he didn¡¯t currently have any area of specialization. ¡®That doesn¡¯t matter, though.¡¯ Dan smiled as one of the Course Registration sheets was passed to him. ¡®I already know the Courses I¡¯m going to register for.¡¯ As his eyes traced the list of courses, as well as the Units they had, his grin grew even wider. ¡®Everything hinges from the choice I make at this moment.¡¯ Chapter 2: Course Selection There were a total of three Majors in the Imperial Magus Academy: Runecrafting Spellcasting Magia Engineering These three were completely different fields and had distinct elements about them. As a result, students usually picked one of them, and focused on selecting a more diverse list of Minors. This was mainly because, no matter how skilled or powerful a Mage was, they could only have one area of specialization. Runecrafters and Spellcasters were the most common examples of this, but the Magia Engineers also had equal prestige¡ªespecially in the modern era. With the improvement of technology over time, Enchanted Items also had a rise in sophistication, causing an increase in demand, which resulted in more attention being given to the field of Engineering. This was the popular trend in the world at the moment, so there was a common assumption that the best way to become rich and successful as quickly as possible was to go through the route of Magia Engineering. ¡®I¡¯m ruling this one out¡­¡¯ Dan thought to himself as he shifted his eyes away from the most prospective course for the students of his generation. Considering how lucrative the industry was, most students would have jumped at the opportunity to give a shot at the very least. It was also a contemporary Course, which meant it was relatively newer compared to the other Majors. Due to this, the Magia Engineering community was yet to be saturated. In fact, due to the growing demand for the Enchanted Items, Potions, and other highly pertinent materials that was the specialization of Magia Engineering, there were not enough Engineers at the moment. It was the perfect industry to get into, especially for someone of commoner status. But¡ª ¡®I don¡¯t know enough about the modern world to get into something like this.¡¯ Dan told himself with a sigh. ¡®No¡­ even if I did, I don¡¯t think I would still choose it.¡¯ Of course, he had valid reasons for this. ¡®For one, I have no interest in that field at all. Magia Engineering isn¡¯t my passion, and I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be good at it, so there really isn¡¯t a point in going for something like that.¡¯ From the little he understood about the course, it involved the merging of various subsets of Mage Arts that couldn¡¯t strictly fall under Spellcasting and Runecrafting. Fields such as Alchemy, Forgecraft, and a few other Non-Combat sub-classes were combined to form Magia Engineering. ¡®I took a few classes on those fields back then, but they were never my forte.¡¯ Dan thought to himself. ¡®With the advent of modernity, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ve gotten exponentially more complex than I remember. It¡¯s better not to push my luck.¡¯ Besides, despite having the status of a lowly commoner, Dan wasn¡¯t particularly moved by the allure of money. Having lived a life before this one, in which he was wealthier than most men in the world at the time, he had a calm approach to the subject. Money was not something he greedily craved, though he still understood it to be a useful resource. ¡®When it comes to passion, though, making money shouldn¡¯t be the prime priority¡­¡¯ He closed his eyes for a moment, remembering how empty his life was, even when he had all the money he could ever need. In the end, he left all his wealth and prospects behind to chase after his ambitions. Sure, he died at the end of that road, but he had no regrets. ¡®And I don¡¯t plan to have any regrets in this life either.¡¯ The only thing remotely close to regret that he suffered from was the fact that he didn¡¯t start his passion-fueled journey sooner. Now that he was in the body of a young boy, that problem was solved. ¡®I can only imagine how much I¡¯ll be able to learn¡­ how much I can accomplish with this new life that I¡¯ve been given.¡¯ He smiled, returning his gaze to the form before him. With Magia Engineering now ruled out, there remained just two Majors left to choose from: Spellcasting and Runecrafting. Each of these fields had their positives and negatives, so there wasn¡¯t particularly a superior one to choose. Besides, with each having its place in the world, neither was useless to study. ¡®As long as I perform sufficiently well in either of them, I should be able to get a decent job somewhere¡­¡¯ This was yet another reason why Dan wasn¡¯t too concerned about money. He already knew his future¡ªat least, regarding money¡ªwas guaranteed if he excelled in his Academics. ¡®The reason things didn¡¯t go so smoothly for me last time was because I switched from my Spellcasting Major to Runecrafting, which really affected my grades. It was a miracle I didn¡¯t fail, but¡­ well¡­ I didn¡¯t particularly graduate with distinctions.¡¯ Anyone who knew him in the Academy back then knew how talented and brilliant he was, so they knew his grades didn¡¯t reflect his actual abilities. Still, such was the reality of life. Sometimes, pursuing passion ends in disaster. ¡®Which is why I have to be careful with my decisions this time around.¡¯ Dan told himself as he carefully read through every detail about the courses¡ªboth Majors and Minors. Most of the students around him were already done filling their forms, and they were already submitting them, but he hadn¡¯t even started with his. A few of his classmates shot him a curious glance, but he ignored them. ¡®I may appear indecisive to them, but right now I¡¯m carefully weighing my options.¡¯ Runecrafting had been his main field of expertise in his past life, but that didn¡¯t mean he couldn¡¯t opt for something else this time. Due to the limited lifespan of mere mortals, one which Mages weren¡¯t exempt from, no single person could ever fully master Runecraft and Spellcasting to its utmost. However, Dan had been presented with a rare opportunity. ¡®I have all the knowledge of my past life, which means if I choose Spellcasting, it¡¯s actually possible for me to be a master in the two fields.¡¯The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Despite how alluring this prospect sounded, he still recognized it to be childishly optimistic. There were a lot of problems that could arise from his choosing a different field in this new life, one of which was the constraints of his body. ¡®This body barely has any Magia. That means his talent for Mage Arts is very low, and that¡¯s an especially bad thing when it comes to Spellcasting.¡¯ Even if he tried his hardest, Dan realized he would never be able to reach the pinnacle of Spellcasting if he chose that field. This realization was further supplemented by the fact that he wouldn¡¯t be able to apply the bulk of his past life¡¯s knowledge, which meant he¡¯d have no advantage whatsoever. ¡®Unless I am ready to accept the possibility of remaining a mediocre Mage for the rest of my life, Spellcasting alone isn¡¯t an optimal choice for me.¡¯ Even if he wanted to use his Runes, he would need some degree of education to prove his competence. Without education, so many places would not be available to him, so he needed formal study on Runes regardless. ¡®Plus, who knows how much Runecraft has changed over the years. All my knowledge could be archaic, for all I know.¡¯ He rubbed his chin. ¡®For that reason alone, isn¡¯t it best to play it safe and just go for Runecrafting?¡¯ By adding new knowledge to his already existing one, he could become a much better Runecrafter. Plus, even with a very small Magia capacity, he could still become a highly distinguished Mage. ¡®It just feels like such a waste, though.¡¯ Dan was biting his nails already, watching as most of the students were done submitting their forms. ¡®If only I could learn Spellcasting too, I would have been¡­ h-hold on¡­¡¯ He placed both hands down, his eyes widening in realization, as he remembered the words of their Instructor. ¡®Fifteen Units is the maximum¡­ right? Back in my day, there was no such system in place, so I subconsciously continued thinking like that. But, since this is how things are¡­¡¯ A bead of sweat appeared on Dan¡¯s face as he looked at the paper before him. ¡®... Can¡¯t I just choose both of them as Majors?¡¯ He spent a few seconds thinking about what it would mean for him to do such an absurd thing, but the more he got engrossed in the details, the more he realized it wasn¡¯t so absurd. ¡®I-I can do it!¡¯ Sure, it was going to be extremely stressful, and he was probably going to overwork himself in the process, but it wasn¡¯t an impossible task. ¡®How hard could it be? My Internship was hellish, and let¡¯s not get started on my first few years as a Junior Lecturer in this Academy¡­¡¯ Back then, they were highly understaffed, so Dan¡ªArthur as he was called back then¡ªhad to take multiple classes and coordinate too many students. He was also highly underpaid for the amount of work he put in, but back then it didn¡¯t matter. He was simply grateful to have a job. ¡®I also had to make time to work on my personal research so I could advance in the community and get more recognition.¡¯ Dan smiled as he indulged in a bit of nostalgia. ¡®More recognition from the Magus Community meant a promotion and a well-deserved raise¡ªall of which I eventually got after working myself to the bone.¡¯ Compared to such hardships, the life of a student wasn¡¯t very difficult. ¡®I¡¯m sure most of my peers would play it safe, especially in their First Year, and go for the bare minimum¡ªone Major and maybe two Minors. They¡¯d probably look at me like I¡¯m a madman, since I¡¯ll have to choose two Majors and at least two Minors.¡¯ Did Dan care about all of that, though? Not at all! ¡®People will always look at those who dare to be different as though they¡¯re insane. However, once the time for results arrives, they won¡¯t help but be amazed¡ªmaybe a little envious.¡¯ He had seen this play out many times, and in many ways. A prime example was when he overworked himself as a Junior Professor while his colleagues took every opportunity to slack off and did the bare minimum. After only a few years, he was leagues ahead of them¡ªboth in reputation and status. ¡®Plus, I was able to advance a lot in my journey as a Mage, so their experience and overall abilities couldn¡¯t be compared to mine.¡¯ He nodded, smiling to himself as he finished reminiscing about his past. All notable examples of success can only be achieved by applying oneself. ¡®Pure hard work! There¡¯s no other way to advance as a Mage!¡¯ With that thought echoing in his mind, he went ahead to choose his Majors. Fshh¡­ His index finger glowed with a dim white light¡ªthe color of base Magia¡ªand he pressed it on the boxes that stood beside each Course. ¡®It looks like the means of Course Registration hasn¡¯t changed much.¡¯ He noted to himself as he made his final choice. ¡®That¡¯s a relief.¡¯ The paper that was passed to them was made by Magia Engineering¡ªa very basic one. It involved draining the Magia from the paper, leaving it as a blank canvas that was sensitive to any imprint of the energy. As such, if anyone imprinted their Magia on the paper¡¯s surface, it would stick to it and be visually evident. ¡®Magia exists everywhere and in pretty much everything, so by making the paper devoid of that energy, you make it special.¡¯ Dan smiled. ¡®The process is so simple.¡¯ The technology for making Magia Sensitive Paper¡ªas well as other Items of similar nature¡ªwas pretty common. Of course, the speed and sophistication could always be improved on through special means, but it was pretty common knowledge. ¡®And it¡¯s useful too¡­¡¯ This method was preferred over ink because the visual imprint couldn¡¯t be erased or eroded through any other means but through Mage Arts, hence many Institutions used this method as a way to preserve sensitive or important information. If, in any circumstance, a Mage erased the Magia Imprint on one of the papers, they would be leaving their own Magia Imprint on it, which meant the culprit could be apprehended. Hence, forgery couldn¡¯t be done on such paper. The only way to get rid of such papers without being caught was by destroying it completely. Of course, some papers could be made indestructible through some other means, but those were rare and expensive¡ªcertainly not the kind to be used for Course Registrations. Dan smiled at the simplicity, yet versatility involved in a single innovation of Magia. Mage Arts were generally this as well, which made the whole thing incredibly fascinating to him. ¡®Even if I die and get reborn a million times over, I will always be a Mage!¡¯ ¡°One more minute, so please hurry with your Course Registration!¡± The voice of the Supervising Officer rang loudly in the classroom, waking Dan up from his deep thoughts. ¡°A-ah!¡± He appeared a little frantic, just so he wouldn¡¯t appear unaffected by his senior¡¯s words. ¡®It looks like I¡¯m the only one who is yet to submit.¡¯ He thought to himself as he looked around. At this point, almost everyone was looking at him. ¡®I better hurry.¡¯ Dan wasn¡¯t pressured by the stares to submit, but he understood the implications they held. In the Magus Community, it was impossible to go very far without making friends¡ªor at least acquaintances. Allies were very important, especially when it came to difficult research and very tasking projects. Even in the Academy, they were bound to have group assignments and practical activities that required some sort of team. Dan couldn¡¯t afford to have everyone disliking him now. There were bound to be enemies, no matter what a person did, but he had to at least salvage his reputation so that he could get along with most people. Plus¡­ time was running out, so he had to hurry either way. ¡®For Minors, the ideal option would be to choose one Three Units Course and one Two Units Course.¡¯ He thought to himself. ¡®But¡­ I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be going down that route.¡¯ He had read through the list of Minors, so he already had a few prospective candidates. ¡®Out of all of them, though¡­ I think the best options remain Basic Spell Combat and Basic Rune Grafting.¡¯ These were 2 Units each. ¡®I could stop there, but¡­ I think I have to reach the Maximum Unit requirement.¡¯ And this was due to a particular Course he had his eyes on. ¡®It¡¯s still surprising that this is just one Unit, but I¡¯m glad that is the case.¡¯ After all, this was the one Course that Dan wished he had learned early on in the Academy in his past life. It was something that most Mages would grow to learn the importance of, but since he had learned from his past mistakes, he could make the right choice this time. ¡®Basic Martial Arts Training¡­ I¡¯ll choose you as my third Minor.¡¯ With that choice made, Dan was done with his Course Registration, and he couldn¡¯t be more satisfied with his choice. ¡®Runecrafting, Spellcasting, Basic Spell Combat, Basic Rune Grafting, and Basic Martial Arts Training¡­¡¯ He smiled, rising from his seat as he went to submit the form. ¡®... I already look forward to learning here.¡¯ Chapter 3: A Little Friction ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Ketiya Lampshade felt a mix of feelings as she stared at the student who had now approached her. On the one hand, she felt a mild sting of annoyance. The mere fact that this student chose to submit his Course Registration Paper last, even though the others submitted theirs minutes earlier bothered her to no end. She could also tell that he was only pretending to be bothered by her scrutinizing gaze and the numerous stares he received. In truth, he probably couldn¡¯t be bothered by any of these factors, and if she hadn¡¯t lied about the time limit, he would have probably taken even more time deciding on what courses to take. ¡®Looks like we have a deviant here.¡¯ She clicked her tongue silently. ¡®I don¡¯t like this.¡¯ This was Ketiya¡¯s first time as a Supervising Officer, and she had already been briefed on everything she needed to know about the job. Before now, she had also taught private classes to a few people, but never before was she responsible for a full class like this. Still, she was confident that she could handle all of them. But¡­ the problem came when a deviant¡ªlike the boy she was staring at¡ªentered the picture. ¡®He scored the lowest in the exams, and I can tell that he has very little talent in Magia. He didn¡¯t receive any prior education in Mage Arts too, so I suppose there¡¯s really no need to worry too much.¡¯ She told herself. Such a person was bound to fail the upcoming exercises and flunk out of school within a year. ¡®The reason he took so much time was probably because he was trying to play it safe and find the easiest Courses to take.¡¯ A wry smile formed on her face. ¡®With that kind of attitude at the start, it¡¯s best he just drops out now.¡¯ As someone who graduated from the Imperial Magus Academy herself, Ketiya Lampshade knew there was no such thing as an ¡°Easy Course¡± here. All the Major and Minor Courses, even the ones with only one Unit, had their fair share of hardships to provide. Plus, the further one advanced in the Years, the more difficult these Courses became. ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Ketiya shuddered a little as she remembered the hellish days she spent in the Academy. ¡®I spent practically all my time studying to the point where I couldn¡¯t make a single friend or lover.¡¯ She was suffering from the consequences of those choices now. ¡®I¡¯m 27 years old, and I¡¯m not even married yet.¡¯ A bead of sweat nearly fell from her eye, but she managed to suck it back in. Such was the life of a Mage, after all¡­ ¡®Hopefully, I can find some hot Instructor that comes from a good family in this Academy.¡¯ She thought to herself. That was honestly the only reason she decided to become a permanent staff member here. ¡°Um¡­ where do I submit?¡± Ketiya was awoken from her thoughts by the student before her. Her gleaming amber eyes flashed as she looked at him. He looked unassuming and innocent enough as he stared at her with his darkened irises, his Course Registration form in hand. A lectern stood between the two of them, and there were two piles of Course Registration Forms on it. The question he asked was most likely because of his ignorance on where to put his Course Registration Form. Or, at least, that was what it seemed like. ¡®Look at this kid¡­¡¯ Ketiya slightly glared at him, trying her best to control her expression. ¡®Does he take me for a fool or something?¡¯ She already knew he was observing everyone and everything that went on in the classroom¡ªalmost like he was an Instructor himself. Even as the students began submitting their Course Registration Forms, he had to have observed that those who chose Runecrafting or Magia Engineering as Majors submitted their forms to the left, while those who picked Spellcasting had theirs to the right. At the moment, both piles appeared somewhat equal in size, though the Spellcasting pile seemed a little bigger. That could have just been due to her bias as a Spellcaster, though. ¡®In any case, why is he asking me such a question when he already knows where he¡¯s supposed to submit his form? Is he trying to achieve something here by playing dumb, or did I just imagine his observation back then?¡¯ Ketiya couldn¡¯t help but sigh at this point. As a member of the Imperial Magus Academy, she had to be professional and uphold all the qualities of a proper Instructor¡ªespecially since she was a Supervising Officer. That meant, even if a student annoyed her down to her bones, she had to exercise patience. ¡°Spellcasting Majors go to the left, and Runecrafting or Magia Engineering goes to the right.¡± ¡°Really? I thought Spellcasting went to the right and the other two were left.¡± The student replied, causing even more veins to appear on Ketiya¡¯s forehead as she controlled her intense frustration. ¡®So you knew!¡¯ Her amber eyes were ablaze in anger. ¡®Why would you ask me such a foolish question, then?¡¯ As though he read her mind, the student put forward his Course Registration form and gave an awkward smile as he spoke. ¡°I¡­ actually registered for both Spellcasting and Runecrafting as my Majors.¡± ¡°....¡± For a moment, Ketiya didn¡¯t say anything. She just stared at the student with utter dumbfoundedness. Slowly taking the Form from his grasp, feeling their fingers slightly graze each other as she did so, Ketiya intensely read the document. ¡®What the hell?¡¯ The boy wasn¡¯t joking at all. ¡®He actually did it¡­ this stupid idiot!¡¯ Here she was, already thinking about how this very student barely passed the exams and was most likely trying to play it safe. Yet, not only did he choose two Majors¡ªone of which being Spellcasting, which he scored woefully low in¡ªbut he also went ahead to pick three Minors as well. ¡®He¡¯s setting himself up to fail!¡¯ Ketiya didn¡¯t know why she was so upset about this, considering the fact that she already assumed he would flunk out of school anyway. Considering his personality and mediocre talent, it was only to be expected. Plus, he probably didn¡¯t receive much education about Magia from the start. The end results were pretty obvious. She already knew the fate of such a student, yet why was she feeling so uneasy about his choice? ¡®It must bother me that this boy is throwing away this privilege without even trying to be smart about his decisions¡­¡¯ She told herself, fuming silently as she looked at the stoic expression he had on his juvenile face. She felt like hitting him, but that would be going too far. ¡®Well, whatever¡­ I shouldn¡¯t be too bothered about this.¡¯ The young lady sighed internally. ¡®The poor performance of students reflects negatively on the Supervising Officer, but since I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be gone very soon, there¡¯s no need to overreact.¡¯Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Ketiya could already guess why this student was being so reckless with his choice. ¡®He probably already knows that he doesn¡¯t stand a chance here, so he¡¯s trying to study as many things as possible so that once he leaves the Academy he can start a life with the knowledge he obtained.¡¯ If that was indeed the case, shouldn¡¯t he have gone for something like Magia Engineering, though? Ketiya couldn¡¯t help but constantly sigh to herself. ¡®Kids who think they¡¯re smart when they¡¯re actually idiots making stupid decisions are the worst.¡¯ Shrugging silently, she waved at the boy to go back to his seat while she held on to his Course Registration Form. He bowed slightly and obediently followed her slight gesture. ¡®Dan Nilrem, huh?¡¯ Frowning slightly, she watched the boy return to his seat. From the way he addressed her, to how he composed himself, and even how he walked away, it was clear he had very little regard for her or his fellow students¡ªsome of whom had already caught wind of his decision and were whispering amongst themselves. ¡®Let¡¯s see how long you last here.¡¯ ******** ¡®It seems our dear Supervising Officer doesn¡¯t approve of me.¡¯ This was Dan¡¯s thought as he settled back to his seat, though even this realization did nothing to his emotional state. ¡®Well, the feeling is mutual.¡¯ He stared hard at her and couldn¡¯t help but disapprove of such a person being an Instructor in the Imperial Magus Academy, not to mention holding the rank of a Supervising Officer. ¡®I know the world must have changed since my death, but this is a terrible one.¡¯ Supervising Officers had to have a certain level of maturity and experience, which would allow them to deal with the students under their care. From what he could observe from the woman before him, she lacked either of those factors. ¡®She must be quite talented, which explains why she landed a spot here, and she probably used some form of connection to get this particular job.¡¯ Dan thought to himself. ¡®From my experience with these kinds of people, chances are that she came here for some sort of selfish or personal reason.¡¯ A very likely one was that she was searching for a spouse as a result of her declining age. ¡®Apprentices face a lot of pressure and spend a lot of their time involved in Mage Arts, which leaves very little time for romance. It¡¯s why many girls are discouraged not to attend any Magus Academy¡ªat least, not until they already get married.¡¯ Dan shrugged. ¡®I¡¯ve seen my fair share of women who got into Education for the particular reason of getting married.¡¯ He also knew how such a search usually ended up. ¡®Men in Academia are usually known to have upstanding characters and come from good families. This attracts ladies to the field, without them taking into account the actual toll it takes on those in it.¡¯ Education wasn¡¯t an easy field for either the Student or the Instructor. ¡®I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll soon come to that realization as we properly get into the Semester, Ketiya Lampshade.¡¯ Dan chuckled to himself, already picturing the distraught expression she would have once she discovered the arduous life of an Instructor. ¡®Let¡¯s see how long you last here.¡¯ ********** After everyone filled their Course Registration Forms, Supervising Officer Ketiya went ahead with the Orientation and explained a few things to the students. ¡°For as long as you remain in this Academy, all of you are Apprentices. The point of this ten-year long program is to turn you into fully-fledged Mages.¡± She began. ¡°Of course, that only marks the start of your journey, so be prepared for even more challenges down the road.¡± Despite how young she was, Ketiya Lampshade spoke with such confidence that nearly everyone in the hall was convinced that she had sufficient experience to be a functional Supervising Officer. She went ahead to tell them about their life in the Dorms, and the class schedules that they would have to follow. The summary of everything was simple: Runecrafting took place in the morning hours, Spellcasting took place in the afternoon, and Magia Engineering took place at night. Minor Courses were somewhere in-between, but no Course clashed with one another, so even if students chose Minors related to courses that weren¡¯t their Majors, they still wouldn¡¯t be affected by the schedule. ¡°The reason the Time Table is spread in such a way is to give the students a lot of time to themselves. Each Major Class is only for two hours, and a Minor Class is for one hour.¡± Ketiya added. ¡°This means most students will only have four to five hours of lectures per day at the maximum.¡± She shot Dan a slight smirk as she made this point, but¡ªmuch to her mild annoyance¡ªhe remained expressionless and pretended as though he saw nothing. Not letting his cheekiness interrupt her flow, though, she continued with her explanation. ¡°Don¡¯t mistake all of this free time for an opportunity to slack off, though. You¡¯re supposed to spend any extra time you have on studying and personal research.¡± The faces of a lot of students paled when they heard this, though many others steeled themselves with resolve. They must have understood the reason they came to the Academy. ¡°Other than time spent eating and sleeping, every other free moment you have should go into your studies and practice.¡± The gloomy words of their Instructor hung over the heads of every student who listened. ¡°The standard we use to judge students and their performance is extremely high, so you¡¯d do well not to fall short.¡± The class slowly nodded as they took all of this in. But Dan didn¡¯t nod. In fact, he subtly shook his head as he rejected the validity of Ketiya¡¯s words to his classmates. ¡®She¡¯s correct in the fact that we shouldn¡¯t recklessly give in to the liberty and free time that the Academy generously gives its students. Individual study and practice are important aspects of being a student here.¡¯ Many students fell under the trap of time in the Academy and wasted most of it having fun or doing useless activities, which ended up coming back to bite them in classes, or more importantly, exercises. ¡®However¡­¡¯ Dan narrowed his eyes. ¡®... Studying isn¡¯t everything.¡¯ If that was all the Academy was for, rather than bringing everyone to one general institution, students would be advised to take these Courses in their respective homes and territories. ¡®There are some among us who are from rich noble families, and a few in the Academy must also belong to royalty. What reason would such people have to come all the way to an Academy when they could enjoy bountiful resources where they¡¯re coming from?¡¯ Surely, if studying and practice was all they needed, many students would be better off studying in a more comfortable environment¡ªespecially with all the necessary resources at their disposal. ¡®But, just as important as studying and practicing, networking remains one of the key reasons the Academy remains a pertinent structure to raise Mages.¡¯ Dan concluded, letting out a tiny sigh. It didn¡¯t matter what kind of privilege a person had, or how talented they were. No competent Mage could be groomed in a vacuum. Competition and Camaraderie had to exist in a perfect balance so as to foster the growth of a decent Mage. ¡®Mage Arts are too complex to be studied individually. Everybody has blind spots, and it takes a collective effort to solve the problems that exist, whether in Spellcasting, Runecrafting or Magia Engineering.¡¯ Even back in his past life, when he was the Head of Department in Runecraft, and was considered the leading expert in the Empire, he still needed a Paper written by his junior in the same field to re-ignite his passion. If it hadn¡¯t been for that paper he reviewed, he wouldn¡¯t have re-discovered himself, and he certainly wouldn¡¯t have reached the height he eventually attained in his past life before dying. ¡®That¡¯s why the Magus Community welcomes new members and exists as a cooperative society where knowledge is shared, and people interact all the time to get breakthroughs in certain aspects of the Arts.¡¯ This culture had to begin when potential Mages were still Apprentices, which was the whole rationale behind Magus Academies¡ªthe Imperial Magus Academy being the leading figure and a shining example of this in the Empire. ¡®We all need each other, which means we have to spend enough time interacting with one another at the beginning stages.¡¯ Dan said to himself, wishing he could tell this to the woman addressing the class. This was one of the reasons he didn¡¯t approve of her as a Supervising Officer. ¡®She¡¯s too green. Someone as young as her doesn¡¯t fully understand the value of collectivism in the Community.¡¯ He was tempted to shake his head, but remained calm regardless. Dan could already guess that Ketiya Lampshade was a lone wolf back when she was an Apprentice in the Academy. Due to her talent, she must have struggled against the tide by herself and even managed to succeed. ¡®But most people aren¡¯t as talented, which means they¡¯ll find it nearly impossible to replicate the same feat.¡¯ Dan added. ¡®She seems to be under the assumption that if you have sufficient talent, work hard enough and do the right thing by yourself, you¡¯ll succeed in this place.¡¯ This conclusion of hers was due to her own experience as a student, hence it was incredibly flawed. Dan could tell right away, as someone who had taught countless students and had lived a full life as one also. ¡®There are many here who have the potential to be Mages, but require the assistance of their fellows as well as competition to stir them to be better. The Academy somewhat helps out in the competition department, but students are given the initiative to interact freely with one another¡­ or not at all.¡¯ If everyone here followed their Supervising Officer¡¯s advice, they would choose the latter. ¡®And it will lead to more people failing than necessary.¡¯ Despite having all of these concerns, Dan remained silent and didn¡¯t even bat an eye as he kept listening to the counsel of the woman before him. ¡®Nothing good will come out of challenging whatever she¡¯s saying, so I¡¯ll just observe for now.¡¯ He recognized that he had no power at the moment, and he was also the lowest scorer in the entire class, which meant his reputation was not the best. Any further attempt to stand out would only end in tragedy. ¡®Right now, I¡¯ll have to be a little selfish and focus on what I can do for myself.¡¯ However, that didn¡¯t mean he would be giving up on the matter. ¡®I just have to bide my time and grow for now¡­¡¯ He smiled to himself, making sure to listen attentively throughout the rest of the Orientation. The whole thing lasted for about an hour, until Ketiya finally dismissed the class after answering a few common questions. ¡°Lectures officially begin tomorrow, so return to your Dorms and prepare for your upcoming class.¡± Ketiya announced, causing all the students to rise and hurriedly leave the classroom, taking her instructions to heart. Talented or not, they were all Apprentices that were new to the environment. It was clear where most of them would be headed to after such a rousing speech from their Supervising Officer. ¡®The Library, huh? I¡¯ll check it out later.¡¯ Dan thought to himself with disinterest as he found himself walking back to his dorms. ¡®For now, let¡¯s get started on some actual preparations.¡¯ Chapter 4: What It Means To Be A Mage ¡°Huu¡­¡± Dan sighed softly as he stepped into his room within the Male Dormitory of the Imperial Magus Academy. The dorm was a multi-story building made of stone and adorned with intricate carvings that further added a sense of grandeur to the place. Lanterns made from luminous stones hung along the walls, casting a soft glow that never dims, even at night. Large windows with arched frames dotted the whole structure, allowing glimpses of the world-class gardens that surrounded the compound. Once inside the dormitory, the first thing in sight was a spacious common hall with high ceilings supported by sturdy pillars. A chandelier, imbued with luminescent crystals¡ªmore expensive than the common luminous stones¡ªhovered mid-air, its glow adjusting with the time of day. A grand staircase spiraled upward to the upper floors, where the students'' rooms were located. The dorm¡¯s furniture, from chairs to couches, were crafted with reinforced wood, offering comfort that adapts to the person sitting. Most importantly, they offered incredible durability, so despite existing for hundreds of years, most of the structures within the dorm only required mild refurbishing rather than replacement. ¡®Glad to see not much has changed¡­¡¯ Were Dan¡¯s thoughts when he first entered the dorm, quickly making his way to the room assigned to him. He didn¡¯t encounter anyone on his way upstairs, though that wasn¡¯t a surprise to him. ¡®Everyone in the upper classes are still having lecturers right now, and if they¡¯re not in class, they¡¯re in the Library.¡¯ Of course, there were bound to be a few exceptions, especially on the first day, but those ones would rather be holed up in their room rather than loiter about in the common hall. ¡®There should be a staff present¡ªlike the Dorm Master and security officials¡ªbut they¡¯re most likely having their Staff Orientation in the Staff Building right next door, so I guess it all adds up.¡¯ Dan thought to himself. He preferred things this way, since he finally had a moment of silence and solitude after so long. ¡°At long last¡­¡± Words escaped his lips as he entered his room. Each room in the Academy dormitory was practically identical, though there were certain students that were privy to exceptions. The door was made from reinforced wood, inscribed with personal runes for both security and easy identification of the inhabitant. ¡®Everyone has their unique Magia Signature, the same way each individual has a unique fingerprint. My door only reacts to my signature, and probably that of the Dorm Master¡­ for security purposes.¡¯ Upon stepping inside, Dan took in a deep breath and absorbed the ambiance of his new abode. The interior felt larger than its exterior suggested, though he knew this was simply his imagination. There was no mainstream Spell or Rune sophisticated enough to expand the limited space of a particular building. If such a thing existed, it would definitely be hoarded and used for higher purposes, rather than in student dormitories. ¡®That doesn¡¯t mean they spared any expense in the rooms here, though¡­¡¯ Dan¡¯s thoughts trailed as he looked around himself. ¡®This place is even better than I remember.¡¯ The walls were made of polished stone, glowing softly with a dull hue that made it clear that the whole place was reinforced with Magia. The same way the furniture was tampered with to preserve its integrity, so also was the whole building. ¡®I can tell that this place has been through some remodeling, but it¡¯s still the same structure I used when I was an Apprentice here.¡¯ Dan walked to the large window in his room that offered a view of the Academy grounds and looked outside for a moment. He nodded slowly before returning his attention to everything else occupying his residence. In the center, there was a simple bed, with a hard mattress that promised a not-so-pleasant sleeping experience. ¡®Haha! Looks like the tradition continues.¡¯ Dan nearly laughed aloud. ¡®Students are encouraged to get very minimal sleep, so the beds are intentionally made like this so we don¡¯t oversleep.¡¯ Besides, once the Semester really started getting into full throttle, most students wouldn¡¯t be spending a lot of their nights in their rooms. Even if they did, it wouldn¡¯t be on their beds. ¡®It¡¯ll be there¡­¡¯ Dan looked to the far side of his room where a study desk, along with the chair stood. Unlike the bed, more care seemed to be given to the desk and chair. It was made of rich, dark wood. As one would expect, they were also enchanted, but not only to help their durability and appearance. ¡®A anti-sleep Rune has been inscribed into the wood, so even if you¡¯re exhausted you won¡¯t be able to sleep while studying.¡¯ He smiled, rubbing his hand on the desk surface. ¡®The library is also chock-full of this effect as well. How very considerate¡­¡¯ There was also a reading lamp on the desk, using small luminescent crystals as its light source. To the left of the desk was a small bookshelf. Other than a few scrolls, as well as a book, it was practically empty. ¡®One of the scrolls has the full timetable of the Academy, while the others contain stuff like a general map of the campus grounds, the rules of the dorm, general rules of the Academy, as well as a list of the students in the dormitory.¡¯ Dan already knew these things, but he checked each scroll to make sure he was correct. He was. ¡®As for the book, it¡¯s basically like an Encyclopedia of the Academy. It has information on places here¡ªthough everything provided here is only restricted to general information that students may have access to.¡¯ Things like the landmarks within the Academy, their location and necessary information, were outlined there. It had a list of the staff¡ªfrom the Academy Head to the Senior Lecturers, down to the Junior Lecturers. Everything that a student needed to know about the Academy was listed in the considerably large book. ¡®I¡¯ll have to go through it very soon¡­ just to refresh my memory of this place and also to see any new changes that have been made.¡¯ Dan had spent most of his past life in this place, so he knew the Imperial Academy like the back of his hand. Of course, now that he had to account for all the new variables that could have popped up after a hundred years, he wasn¡¯t so confident in his knowledge. Still¡­ it all felt so familiar. ¡®These documents have Runes inscribed on them for tracking and also preservation, so they can¡¯t be stolen or destroyed through normal means.¡¯ He left the bookshelf and looked ahead. ¡®There¡¯s also a wardrobe on the opposite side, just as I remember.¡¯ The Academy already provided clothes¡ªboth the uniforms and casual wear¡ªfor the students, so there was no need for shopping. There was also no need for a fireplace, since the whole room offered constant warmth thanks to the Rune inscribed on its very structure. ¡®During the hot season, it also cools down considerably¡­ so the Rune is quite sophisticated.¡¯ There were a few other things in the room¡ªlike a mirror that hung on one of the walls. It had its natural use, but there was also another unique function it had. ¡®You can use this mirror to communicate with a fellow member of the dormitory. Since all the mirrors are linked, as long as I have someone infuse his Magia Signature into the Mirror, I can sync with their Mirror and call them.¡¯ Of course, he would also have to infuse his Magia into the person¡¯s Mirror, allowing a two-way line between both parties. ¡®I remember when I first learned of the function of the mirror from the Academy Encyclopedia and I thought I could use it to talk to girls late at night.¡¯ A small smile formed on his face. ¡®I can still picture the disappointment when I discovered it only worked for people in the same dormitory.¡¯ Back then, he was merely in his First Year, so he hadn¡¯t realized how his wishes were too optimistic. Once the Imperial Academy dealt with him enough, he forgot all about those perverted thoughts and faced his academics. ¡®Many students will probably have nefarious intentions with this mirror communication, since it shares both visual and auditory information. However, once they realize it can only be used with fellow boys, I¡¯m sure their morale will plummet.¡¯ Dan recognized there would still be a few that found the mirror useful regardless¡ªeven for their perverted intents¡ªbut the allure of such would wear off pretty quickly. After all, the Academy was no place to goof around. ¡®At first, many will use the mirror to communicate with friends and waste a lot of time on idle chatter. However, given enough time, such mundane activities will lessen drastically.¡¯ Dan nodded slowly. A lot of students wouldn¡¯t have time for such things after a few months of staying here. This would prevent them from learning of the true reason why such a tool existed, causing most students not to ever use the Mirror to its full potential. ¡®The true purpose of the Mirror is for students to study together. Sure, it''s limited only to a two-way line, and communication doesn¡¯t extend beyond the dormitory, but even that is plenty enough.¡¯ Having a study partner could really make or break a student¡¯s academics, and this tool was here to assist in the former. ¡®That¡¯s pretty much it.¡¯ Dan was practically done with his mini-tour. There was also a bathroom, which he had already checked out, and everything seemed decent. Needless to say, he was satisfied with his quarters. Compared to the residence of his father¡¯s friend, this place was at least ten times cleaner and overall better.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. It was also conducive for the life of a student. ¡°Most importantly, it¡¯s perfect for the next phase of my plans¡­¡± Dan smiled as he spoke, walking to his hard and sturdy bed. Once he sat on it, quickly taking a meditative pose, he went into deep introspection. ¡®I couldn¡¯t do anything about my knowledge on Runes and their application since I arrived in this world due to constant interference.¡¯ The first time he gained consciousness in Dan¡¯s body, he had to take the Imperial Academy Entrance Exams. After that, he had to figure out what kind of place he was in and pretty much understand what was happening. Then, he stayed with his father¡¯s friend¡ªan overly friendly man who didn¡¯t seem to understand the concept of privacy. Then, after everything, he had to return to the Imperial Academy as a student, attending the Assembly and Orientation. If he was to continue his day as most students would, he would have gone to the library rather than his dormitory. But, Dan had postponed all of that since he couldn¡¯t keep delaying his prospects any longer. ¡®I now have a good place, private and secure, to properly begin implementing what I learned in my past life.¡¯ He inhaled sharply and smiled. ¡®This is what I¡¯ve been waiting for!¡¯ Right now, as Dan Nilrem, he had very little Magia in his body, and his talent for the Mage Arts was pretty low. However, talent wasn¡¯t everything when it came to the actual study and practice of Mage Arts¡ªespecially in Runecraft. ¡®Knowledge and experience are far more important, and I have an ample sum of that.¡¯ He was an Instructor for several years and also the Department Head of Runecrafting, so his knowledge in the field was extensive. However, none of those compared to what he learned in the fifteen years he spent as an Adventurer. ¡®After those fifteen years doing nothing but expanding my horizons and seeking out the true depths of Runecraft, I reached enlightenment.¡¯ Specifically, he learned three major things, all of which were breakthroughs at the time. ¡®And¡­ it¡¯s time to start putting them to use.¡¯ Mage Arts are fundamentally divided into two: Spellcasting and Runecrafting. These two fields are very different in applications and principles, and they are both incredibly complex, which is the prime reason no Mage could achieve complete mastery over them in a lifetime. ¡®The main difference between the two is that Spells are used by evoking spoken words, while Runes are manifested by utilizing written words¡ªwell, more like symbols.¡¯ In essence, Spellcasting involved utilizing spoken words to make incantations and control the flow of the Magia expended for the generation of an effect. Runecraft, on the other hand, had to do with inscribing on viable surfaces to control the flow of the same energy in order also to achieve the same effect. This was a fundamental knowledge of Mage Arts, and pretty much everyone who aspired to be a Mage already knew this fact. ¡®There are certain caveats and rules, but this is the basic rundown.¡¯ Dan thought to himself, glad to see that all the knowledge of his past life flowed seamlessly into the underdeveloped mind of his new body. He also had a fair amount of knowledge on Spellcasting, since studying a bit of the other spectrum a little for reference would be useful for growth in Runecrafting. Of course, he had no in-depth knowledge in the field¡ªespecially when it came to practice¡ªbut Dan was confident in the basics, at the very least. ¡®I did choose Spellcasting as my Major during my first year, after all. I also had a lot of colleagues who were Spellcasters in my past life.¡¯ He smiled. ¡®I probably knew more about Spellcasting than the average Runecrafter.¡¯ That aside, his current priority lay in Runecrafting, so he set the former aside. ¡°The three things I learned at the final moments of my past life¡­ they¡¯re sure to come in handy in this new one.¡± Raising his hand in the air, his finger glowed with white light¡ªthe color of base Magia. Swiftly moving his hands, he made fast strokes in mid-air¡­ almost as if he were writing something. A second later, this proved to be true. Dan had inscribed a basic array of symbols in the air, all of which were glowing with dim white light. These symbols were Runes, and each one meant something. Two rune symbols that were placed beside each other meant something completely different, and three meant an entirely different thing as well. This made the study of Runes to be extremely complex, difficult, and most importantly¡­ slow. No one would expect a student like Dan to be able to easily understand the Rune he just inscribed in the air, not to even mention perform the Inscription itself. ¡°Looks like it works.¡± Dan smiled to himself as he looked at the three runic symbols. ¡®Good.¡¯ This was one of the first things he learned as an enlightened Runecrafter¡ªthe ability to Inscribe Runes on any surface. ¡®I think I¡¯ll call it Universal Rune Inscription.¡¯ He nearly chuckled as he thought of the name, rubbing his chin slowly. Just as the name implied, Dan could Inscribe any Rune on any surface of his choice. This wasn¡¯t the case with other Runecrafters. ¡®Runes can only be inscribed on viable surfaces. Viable surfaces can simply be defined as inanimate and tangible materials.¡¯ For a surface to be considered usable for Runes, it had to be without life, as well as solid enough to be Inscribed on. The ground, for example, or even the surface of water, could be used for Rune Inscriptions¡ªthough the latter was exponentially more difficult due to how unstable the surface was. Hence, for Runecrafters, the stability of the surface was their utmost priority. This was why most of them used scrolls or items such as weapons or accessories as their surfaces. In practical combat, they also had to get their hands dirty and use the ground beneath them. ¡®Despite the many ways it can be applied, Runecrafting is still limited in this way¡­ but not for me.¡¯ Dan¡¯s grin grew wider as he looked at the glowing symbols right in front of him. ¡®With Universal Rune Inscription, I can use anything as a viable surface¡ªanimate and intangible alike.¡¯ Plants and Animals were animate, so Runes couldn¡¯t be used on them. Rather than using it on trees, they could only inscribe it on the wood obtained from trees. Most importantly, they couldn¡¯t be inscribed on humans. ¡®The reason this can¡¯t be done is because of the erratic Magia flow that exists in living things.¡¯ Every living entity had its unique Magia Signature, and so that Magia often clashed with Runes applied on their surfaces, usually overwriting and distorting the symbols written on them by Mages. Even if a Mage attempted to use a Rune on himself, his unique Magia Signature would reject the Rune and overwrite it, since the symbols would try to adjust and change the Magia flow into something else. In an attempt to correct this imbalance, the Rune would be affected considerably. ¡®Adverse or unwanted effects could occur if a Mage goes ahead to Inscribe Runes on themselves.¡¯ Experiments had been done in the past regarding this issue, and those who stubbornly chose to find a way were either killed, disabled, or injured greatly as a direct consequence. The same thing could be said for using it on animals and plants. Pretty much all experiments involving them led to death or other unpredictable erratic effects on the test subjects. ¡®Stabilizing Magia on the body of a living creature is considered impossible, the same way it¡¯s considered impossible to Inscribe on an intangible surface.¡¯ However, Dan¡¯s Universal Rune Inscription was proof that it wasn¡¯t impossible. ¡®Well, it still sort of is.¡¯ He smiled to himself. ¡®I merely circumvented the rules a little.¡¯ What he did to solve the Intangibility problem was to use the same principle involved in making Magia Sensitive Papers. By draining the surface area of any Magia flow, one could actually cause a viable surface to form. ¡®Magia flows everywhere and in everything, which makes it a never-ending flux of Magia. The reason Rune Inscriptions don¡¯t work on intangible surfaces is that there is no solid foundation that will hold the Magia. For example, in the air¡­ there is no stable foundation to keep the Runes intact, so they automatically fall apart.¡¯ With Magia in a never-ending flux, that much was to be expected. ¡®Even if you manage to stabilize the surrounding Magia, without a solid surface, you run into the trouble of diffusion¡ªthat is, the Magia in the Rune bleeding into the surrounding Magia and vice versa.¡¯ It would ultimately cause everything to get muddled up. However, by using his method of draining the immediate environment of its surrounding Magia, he made the air sensitive to any Magia Imprint, which would remain imprinted on its surface due to how sensitive it now was. Hence, he would be able to inscribe Magia even in mid-air. ¡®Experiments on this have been done so many times in the past, but no one could ever arrive at this solution.¡¯ Dan knew there was a possibility that this could have changed in this modern era, but he had yet to see a sign of such. ¡®Runecrafting would improve by leaps and bounds if that were to happen.¡¯ There was a high likelihood that such a breakthrough was yet to be made, though, and that was because of the unique reason why Dan was able to reach such a height. ¡®It has to do with another thing I learned in those fifteen years¡­¡¯ His thoughts flowed as he looked at the first symbol among the series of three runic symbols in the air. That symbol in particular glowed brighter than the other two, and Dan knew why instantly. ¡®Runic Shorthand.¡¯ After his many years dedicated to nothing but the study and practice of Runecraft, he had learned to abridge Runes into single symbols. And so, what would normally take a few complex symbols to accomplish could be reached by a single one. ¡®This makes Runecrafting exponentially faster. In fact, at my current speed, I can rival a Spellcaster on the same level as me.¡¯ Such a thing didn¡¯t seem very amazing until one realized that the main drawback of Runecraft was its inferior speed compared to Spellcasting. It was the main reason many people considered it impractical and instead resorted to Spellcasting. ¡®In fact, Spellcasting was invented because Runes were so slow and considered archaic.¡¯ And, to be honest, it made perfect sense. While Runes had their uses, no one could deny that chanting a Spell was much faster than Inscribing a Rune just the same way speaking was much faster than writing. ¡®But¡­ with Runic Shorthand, I have bridged that gap in speed.¡¯ The reason that tied into his Universal Rune Inscription lay in the fact that he had to use a Rune to drain the Magia in the surrounding surface that he was inscribing on, so by using Shorthand as his first symbol, he could swiftly achieve this. ¡®Most Runes would disappear before being activated if they are inscribed in the air, and that¡¯s because of speed. Without a solid foundation, the whole thing would break apart very quickly, so no one can successfully inscribe one¡ªnot even the most basic kind¡ªin mid-air.¡¯ But, Runic Shorthand solved that problem. ¡®With the short time it takes to inscribe and activate it, I can actually drain a small portion of Magia in the air and use the resulting viable surface to inscribe any other Rune that I want to.¡¯ He smiled as he proudly looked at what he had achieved. Naturally, this tied into the last thing he learned as a Runecrafter at the pinnacle of his field. ¡®Rune Linguistics!¡¯ Dan now had the ability to decipher the meaning of most Runes at a single glance, almost like it was a second language. To most Runecrafters, such a thing would be considered absurd. Runes were symbols that didn¡¯t mean anything in linguistic terms. They were simply random permutations and combinations that achieved varying results depending on how they were inscribed, channeled, or based on their synergy with other symbols. A Runecrafter¡¯s job was to learn the function of each Rune Symbol and how it related to other Symbols in the Runic Catalog. It was impossible to learn it like a language. ¡®There have been exceptional Runecrafters who have managed to discover new Rune Symbols and have also been able to Graft many Runes together to create effects that were yet to be seen before¡­ but even they admit that it¡¯s more due to calculations and luck rather than an understanding of Runes as a language.¡¯ But, Dan was once again the exception to this. By studying nothing but Runes and practically digesting every single combination that could be possible under the Runic Catalog, he was able to internalize it and create his own rune-based language. ¡®Analysis, Translation, and complete comprehension of Runes¡­ I have reached that threshold.¡¯ He even went beyond the Runes in the Catalog and created more combinations¡ªevery possible kind¡ªon his own, so he had a much wider understanding than anyone else in his time. ¡®It¡¯s possible that Runecraft has stagnated in this era, so not too many Runes have been discovered. But, even if there are new ones that I do not know about, it won¡¯t be difficult to add it to my vocabulary and infuse it into the Rune Linguistics.¡¯ He smiled, confident in his ability to achieve that at the very least. ¡®I really hope there¡¯s worthwhile knowledge to consume here regarding Runes.¡¯ At this point, he was licking his lips greedily. Most people would be satisfied upon reaching the stage he had gotten to, but Dan wasn¡¯t in the slightest. As long as there was something he didn¡¯t know, he was desperate to learn it as quickly as possible. That was what it meant to be a Mage¡ªat least to him. Chapter 5: What A Predicament ¡°Universal Rune Inscription, Runic Shorthand, and Rune Linguistics: with these three at my disposal, a lot of things will become easy for me.¡± For one, his journey as a Runecrafter was pretty much smooth sailing. ¡®The reason I still chose Runecrafting as a Major and Basic Rune Grafting as a Minor was just in case there were new things I could learn in this era.¡¯ He thought to himself. ¡®But even if there isn¡¯t, they¡¯ll serve as a way to keep my grades afloat since they¡¯re practically cheat Courses for me.¡¯ The main problems would arise in Spellcasting, Basic Spell Combat, and perhaps Basic Martial Arts Training. ¡®I have experience in all of these, but it¡¯s not sufficient to help me very much in this case.¡¯ Dan had a small quantity of Magia in him, so Spellcasting wouldn¡¯t be easy. The flow of his Magia was also pretty slow, which meant his overall talent was low. Then, he had a pretty weak body, so Martial Arts Training would be quite difficult. Since he was confronted with so many challenges from the get-go, it was wise to have a few cheat courses that would help boost his overall performance in the Academy. ¡®The Units of a Course is what determines its importance when it comes to overall grading.¡¯ Five Unit Courses had the most weight, followed by the Three and Two Unit Courses, then finally¡­ the one Unit Course. ¡®Having Runecrafting as a Major already balances whatever flops I might make in Spellcasting¡ªespecially in the initial stages.¡¯ Dan broke into a sigh. ¡®The same applies to my Two Unit Minors.¡¯ The issue was in Basic Martial Arts Training. ¡®I guess I¡¯ll just have to be average, at the very least. One Unit Courses don¡¯t carry much weight, but I can¡¯t be too careless.¡¯ Not only did Dan not know if the marking scheme and grading system was still the same as he remembered it, he also recognized that he couldn¡¯t afford to take chances in such a highly competitive environment. ¡®Overconfidence could lead to failure¡­ and I can¡¯t afford that right now.¡¯ Dan had to put in more effort than all his peers, so not slacking off meant double for him. He recognized that all his efforts would pay off in the long run, but for the time being, he would have to suffer considerably. ¡°No pain, no gain¡­ right?¡± As he said this, he looked at the Rune in front of him and decided it was time to activate it. There were three Runic Symbols inscribed in mid-air. One was to drain the surrounding Magia, the second was the actual effect he was going for, and the last was to hold the Rune in place so it wouldn¡¯t activate until he was ready. ¡®Now that I¡¯m done with my analysis¡­¡¯ He erased the last symbol, which instantly caused a small eruption of Magia in the surface area. The Rune activated at that moment. VWUSH! A burst of flames, clustered together to form a ball of fire as big as Dan¡¯s head, floated in the air. This was an example of Basic Mage Arts. ¡°I believe this is Spell #3 in the Centennial Records¡­ [Ignite].¡± He murmured, his dark eyes reflecting the flashes of fire that danced in front of him. Before long, the fire began to shrink in size. After a few seconds, it died out completely, leaving traces of smoke that also vanished after another few seconds. ¡®It lasted a total of five seconds before dying out. Looks like there is no change.¡¯ An expression of relief formed on his face. He had feared that, perhaps due to his body or any other unforeseen factors, his Rune would be inferior to other Runes in the same category or Spells. However, this just proved that they were on the same level. Of course, just to be certain, he would have to conduct more experiments. ¡®There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll be satisfied with just one result.¡¯ He smiled. ¡®To be a Mage¡­ especially a Runecrafter¡­ is to be meticulous.¡¯ He had to be careful and watch out for every variable while keeping account of the constants. This was fun in itself, so Dan merely considered it an interesting exercise. ¡®Unfortunately, there¡¯s a limit to what I can do with this boy¡¯s body.¡¯ A sigh escaped his lips. Not only had his Magia Pool reduced by half at this point, but he was already feeling mild exhaustion from the activation of a single Rune. ¡°What a predicament¡­¡± Runic Shorthand burned less Magia, due to the speed and efficiency involved in its inscription, but since Dan had used three Runes at once¡ªone for draining the environment¡¯s Magia, one for the flames, and one for delayed activation¡ªhe ended up spending more energy than he normally would. ¡®Based on my estimates, this body can only use five¡ªsix at most¡ªRunes in the Common Tier. As for Spells, I¡¯d say his maximum is three.¡¯ Everyone knew Spells required more Magia to utilize than Runes. That was why he already knew his life as a Spellcaster would be hellish due to his body¡¯s constraints. Still, Dan wasn¡¯t going to give up due to these simple challenges. ¡°Despite having such a body, you made it this far, didn¡¯t you?¡± Clenching his fist in resolve, he addressed the previous owner of his current body. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll make sure to keep marching ahead.¡± He didn¡¯t know how and why it happened, but reincarnation was already a blessing. It didn¡¯t matter what kind of body he had. ¡®I can make anything work!¡¯ He looked at his slightly underweight body and smiled. ¡®Nothing that constant exercise and a good diet won¡¯t fix.¡¯ As for his Magia deficiency and output situation, he also had a solution for that. ¡®I just need to create a battery of some sort.¡¯ He smiled. ¡®But, students aren¡¯t allowed to utilize Enchanted Items outside classes, I can¡¯t make use of an external power source.¡¯ That meant he had nothing to rely on but himself. ¡®It¡¯s a little early, but I¡¯ll have to start inscribing Runes on my own body.¡¯ Dan clapped loudly upon arriving at a decision. In particular, he needed ¡®THAT¡¯ Rune. There wasn¡¯t much time until the Graded Tests, so he had to start improving as quickly as possible. Still, thanks to what he had in mind, he had a chance of survival. ¡®With it, I¡¯ll be able to correct my deficiencies and hopefully get a lot better overall.¡¯ ************** [Later That Night] The meeting room was an imposing and incredibly large space. The walls are carved from hard stone, and practically everything was Enchanted or Inscribed with runes. The walls seemed to pulsate and change in hue, but that was only because of the luminescent crystals that made up the chandelier that floated in the air. A long, rectangular obsidian table, polished to a mirror sheen, dominated the center. High-backed chairs, tailored for each occupant, stood behind each side¡ªfive to the right, and five to the left¡ªwhile a grander one stood at the head of the table. The crystalline chandelier hovering above wasn''t only useful for illumination, but it could also project visual information that was useful for presentations and general conveyance of information. Along the walls, ancient magical artifacts were displayed, reminders of the academy''s storied history. From medals, to awards, to pictures and paintings¡ªthe place had a rich history. The floor was lined with a deep blue carpet, interwoven with silver threads forming certain patterns that pulsed subtly, stabilizing the powerful energies present. A towering arched window at one end offered a majestic view of the academy grounds and distant mountains, the glass enchanted to always remain clear. Of course, no one could see the window or whatever was happening in the building from outside, so it was an exclusive space only accessible by the qualified staff. Not even regular Instructors could come here. Overall, the room exuded a sense of timeless magic and authority, and everyone present knew why. It was because of the Archmage herself¡ªJuliana Randalorion. ¡°It looks like we are all here.¡± The voice of Archmage Juliana Randalorion echoed in the well-lit, luxurious room which she entered. As the Head of the Imperial Magus Academy, and one of the few Archmages of the Empire, she had an air about her that couldn¡¯t be rivaled by anyone else in the room. The ten individuals all rose to their feet in silence, bowing in respect as she made for her seat. Standing behind her was her assistant, who simply remained quiet and inconspicuous¡ªalmost as if he was a ghost.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°You may all have your seats.¡± Archmage Juliana said in a calm tone, her azure eyes watching the ten that stood before her. These were the Supervising Officers of each Student Year in the Academy, and the purpose of the meeting was pretty obvious to all of them. It was the start of a new Semester and Academic Year. There was a lot to discuss. "Let''s start with the basics." She broke the silence in the room with calm words, her facade completely filled with grace. "How are our students this year?" At the Imperial Magus Academy, the wellbeing of the Apprentices studying within their walls was the most important concern. Their performance, safety, and overall integration into the school was of utmost priority. Everything else was secondary. "Let''s start with you, Supervising Officer of Year 1." She cast her gaze on the youngest-looking Mage in the entire room¡ªeven younger than the Archmage herself. "You were able to finish the General Orientation today, right? What is your general assessment of the students under you?" Ketiya Lampshade felt a little shiver once she felt the attention of the Archmage fall on her. The pressure was slightly more than she bargained for, so she took a few seconds to respond to the simple question. "N-no problems here. Everything is perfectly fine." Despite giving such a basic and satisfactory answer, Archmage Juliana frowned upon receiving the news. "No problems whatsoever? No deviants? No worries?" "None at all!" "Hmm¡­ Ketiya, since you are new here I''d like to give you a bit of advice." As the Archmage said these words, everything in the room began to vibrate. "As an Educator here, you''d do well not to lie about the wellbeing of your students and class overall¡ªespecially in a meeting as important as this one." Without realizing it, Ketiya gulped loudly, unable to look away despite her best attempts. "The reason behind these questions is to see solutions that can be made when a problem is identified. However, if you do not shed light on a problem, how can there be a solution put in place?" The incredibly nervous Ketiya could do nothing but nod in agreement. "And so, I''d like to ask you one more time¡­ what is the general assessment of the students in Year 1?" At this point, all eyes were on Ketiya¡ªnot just that of the Archmage, but the rest of her colleagues who were far superior to her in rank, age, and experience. Beads of sweat formed on her face as she spoke, but tried her best to respond honestly this time. "For the most part, the students seem decent. We have sixty-two percent of students who chose Spellcasting as their Major, with thirty-six percent choosing Magia Engineering. The remaining four percent chose Runecrafting. As for¡ª" "Forgive me for interrupting, but it seems your calculations are a bit off." One of the much older Supervising Officers quickly pointed out. "The numbers don''t fully add up." "I was actually getting to that," Ketiya said with a strained smile. "Go ahead." "One of the students chose two Majors: Spellcasting and Runecrafting." As Ketiya said this, some of the Supervising Officers gasped. They all looked at the Archmage of the Academy to see her response. After all, the last person who went down that route and successfully graduated from the Imperial Academy was none other than Juliana Randalorion herself. "Interesting." She leaked out a slight smile. "There''s always one or two of them who pop up in every generation. Who is this student?" Archmage Juliana wanted to know if the student was one of the few who caught her eye during the Assembly earlier that day. ''There are a few exceptional ones this Year, judging strictly by the results of their Entrance Exams.'' Her thoughts trailed. Three in particular had incredible scores, but that was only to be expected since they were from incredibly distinguished families in the Magus Community. Their families must have taught them well, providing all the resources necessary for their basic education. As a result, their foundation was incredibly sturdy. The Entrance Exams were proof of that, as these three managed to get over seventy percent in each category of the exams. Perhaps one of them decided to kick things up a notch and expand their ambitions a little. ''If I have to guess, I''d say¡­ Sylvia Kornelius? Her family is pretty reputable in the Runecrafting Community, but based on her nearly perfect score in the Spellcasting Exam, it''s clear which field she''s more suited for.'' Based on this line of thought, Archmage Juliana judged it to be plausible that the Sylvia girl wanted to do both Courses¡ªfor the sake of her family and also herself. ''Of all the newcomers, it seems she''s the most plausible suspect, so¡ª'' "His name is Dan Nilrem." Ketiya interrupted Juliana''s thoughts with the true answer, causing all of the latter''s analysis to go up in flames. "Hm? Really?" Juliana was shocked by the news, but she maintained a calm facade. Many of the Supervising Officers in the room couldn''t, however, so they either gasped or resorted to murmurs of their own. "I-indeed¡­" It was clear that Ketiya was very bothered by the student that she spoke of. "He scored the lowest in the Entrance Exams and barely passed, so I can recognize everyone''s surprise." "How strange¡­" Juliana muttered as she absorbed the information. "So which course did Sylvia pick?" "O-oh! She went for Spellcasting." "Ah, really? Good¡­ that''s a good choice." It seemed the Archmage was far more interested in the wellbeing of a student with promise than the strange boy that was just mentioned. Everyone else in the room seemed to also share her priority. "It seems, as usual, most of the students went for the Spellcasting Major." One of the Supervising officers said with a chuckle. "Yeah! Though I''m glad to see Magia Engineering becoming more popular among students." Another retorted. "Pfft! Please¡­ we all know why they''re going there." One more added with a slight scoff. "Give them a year, and they''ll see that it''s not as easy as they thought it would be." Many Apprentices didn''t know this, but the whole buzz about Magia Engineering was nothing short of misinformation borne out of sensationalism. "Sure, it''s a lucrative industry¡­ but there''s a reason not many people occupy the field. You''d think our esteemed students would use their brains a little, but no! They''re blinded by the money that seems to be overflowing in the industry." "Indeed, indeed! That isn''t an attitude befitting a proper Mage." "Let''s cut them some slack. They''re still kids, so it''s only natural that they make some mistakes now. Give them time to grow¡­" Many more of such comments flew around, causing the meeting room to turn rowdy. Until¡ª "Ahem¡­ that''s enough." The moment Archmage Juliana cleared her throat, everyone fell silent. They all ceased their respective conversations or individual murmurs and returned their full focus to their superior. "Back to the topic at hand, I assume this student¡ªDan Nilrem¡ªis the one you''re worried about in your class?" "Indeed, Academy Head." Ketiya swiftly nodded. "Not only do his skills and overall talent seem average, but his attitude also worries me." "Hm? How so?" "He acted impudently in class, wasting a lot of everyone''s time with his Course Registration. He also acted disrespectfully towards me, though he tried to hide it under the guise of innocence. Finally, while everyone went to the library after the Orientation, he returned to his dormitory." "Oh wow¡­ he actually did all of that? On his first day?" "Yes! I worry for him as a Supervising Officer, since he won''t last very long in the Academy if he continues with this poor attitude." "Hm. I see¡­" Ketiya nodded solemnly, hiding the relieved smile that was hidden beneath her facade. ''With this, I''ve exposed that boy for what he is. Even if he performs poorly in his classes or gets into any kind of trouble, I''ll be absolved of much blame, since all the higher-ups know how unreasonable and reckless he is now.'' She thought to herself. ''I''m glad I spoke up about him.'' "Well, it''s too early to judge a student based on their potential. Dan Nilrem, huh? Does anyone know which family he comes from?" There was no positive response to the Archmage''s question. At that moment, the shadowy figure behind her leaned closer and whispered a few words into her ears. No one in the room could decipher what he said, and after a few seconds, he was done. "I see¡­" Archmage Juliana muttered. ''So he belongs to a former Noble household, which explains the family name attached to his name. Still, I''ve never heard of the Nilrem Noble household.'' "Would you like for me to investigate?" The silent whisper of the man in the shadows echoed in her ears, causing her to break into a smile. ''There''s no need for that.'' She responded through her thoughts. "Understood." No one else in the room could listen in to the brief communication that the two shared, so the Archmage wasn''t particularly concerned about the stares she received. Instead, she went on to address Ketiya. "Just make sure to treat him impartially¡ªthe same way you would any other student." It''s possible that he is a fool who has no idea what he''s doing, but there''s also a chance that he could be a special case." "Special case? Him? No offense to the Academy Head, but need I remind you that he scored the lowest in the entire class?" Ketiya protested. She clearly didn''t think very highly of him, and she wasn''t expecting someone as esteemed as Archmage Juliana to. "He also scored a perfect score in the Rune Exams." The latter retorted. "No one has done that since, well¡­" Archmage Juliana glanced at the person behind her for a moment and smiled. "In any case, it''s too early to tell. Just perform your role responsibly and ensure the students under your watch thrive the best that they can." "Understood!" "With that settled, we best move on to the other classes. I certainly hope we have interesting cases like what is happening in Year 1." The whole room burst into chuckles and smiles. The only person who wasn''t smiling was Ketiya Lampshade, and that was because of the additional responsibility that now burdened her. ''The Archmage herself told me to look after him. Even though she says I should treat him the same as everyone else, it''s clear that his below-average performance requires more effort than the other students.'' She had thought telling everyone about Dan Nilrem would reduce her liability regarding him, but that only made it worse. ''I''m stuck with the kid, and he''s stuck with me¡­'' She gritted her teeth, completely zoned out from the report of the other Supervising Officers. ''What a mess!'' Chapter 6: Behind The Scenes A few hours later, after the meeting concluded, Juliana Randalorion was the only person seated in the large room. Everyone else had departed, leaving her and the shadowy figure that remained still throughout the meeting and even after it concluded. ¡°Haa¡­ that was exhausting.¡± She muttered to herself, resting her back on the comfortable chair. Sitting upright for so long was enough to make anyone¡¯s butt sore, and their back ache a little. However, that wasn¡¯t what made her sigh so loudly. The prime reason she found the meeting to be tiresome was due to the fact that she had to speak so many times and interact with a lot of people. ¡°This whole day has been tiring¡­¡± From addressing the students, to exploring the Academy Grounds and speaking to all the staff, and now communicating with the Supervising Officers¡­ such interactions took a heavy toll on her, which made another sigh leak out of her lips. For someone like Juliana, all of these burdens were too much. ¡®I really should get back to practicing my Mage Arts¡­¡± She whispered to herself, nearly getting up. ¡°Not so fast, Academy Head.¡± Before she could rise, a heap of documents landed on the table before her. It caused her to squeak a little. ¡°You still have a lot of work to do.¡± The shadowy figure behind her said, now moving to the front so she could see their figure clearly. The masculine voice that echoed in the room made it obvious that this was a man, and his stature¡ªthough hidden underneath a big, black hooded cloak¡ªbelonged to someone in his twenties, at the very least. ¡°Academy Head? Really? You can cut it out with the formality, Leon.¡± Juliana smirked, looking at the man before her with a different kind of aura than what she displayed with the rest of her subordinates. She was casual, friendly even. ¡°Even if you say that, I won¡¯t let you off.¡± The figure said, chuckling under his hood. That only served to increase the frown on Juliana¡¯s face, though that didn¡¯t stop the man from speaking even further. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be here with you, so it won¡¯t be lonely.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± She replied with a groan. ¡°And how long do you plan to keep wearing that? Should I assume you¡¯ll remain like that throughout?¡± ¡°What? No way!¡± At that moment, the dark cloak vanished¡ªalmost like darkness that was being dispelled by light. Underneath the darkness was a man who was dressed in casual wear. He had a black shirt, with dark blue trousers. His hair was black as night, and he had an eyepatch on one side of his face that gleamed with the same darkness. His purple eyes gleamed bright as he offered the unfazed Archmage a slight smirk. ¡°Isn¡¯t it better that you watch my handsome face as you work? I¡¯m doing all this for you, you know?¡± ¡°Urgh! Please stop! There¡¯s no way in hell I¡¯d ever find you attractive.¡± ¡°Really, now?¡± He rolled up both his sleeves and placed his hand on the desk, nearing Juliana in one swift move. ¡°Are you sure about that¡­ milady?¡± ¡°....¡± ¡°....¡± He flashed a charming smile, one that was enough to woo any lady, even going further as to wink at her. However, even after everything, Juliana remained perfectly still. ¡°Are you finished?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Good. Now go play around or something.¡± She waved her hand away, causing him to take a few steps back. ¡°I want to do my job without distractions.¡± ¡°But how sure am I that you won¡¯t slack off?¡± He protested quickly, acting like he was concerned. Juliana had a response for that too. ¡°I¡¯m not like you, so there¡¯s no need for concern.¡± ¡°Ahh¡­ fair enough.¡± The man walked away from the presence of the Academy Head at that moment, on waving farewell as he neared the exit. ¡°Hold on.¡± As soon as Juliana said this, he stopped moving. ¡°What do you think about that boy from Year 1¡­ Dan Nilrem?¡± She asked, shifting her gaze to where he stood. ¡°Hmm. What do I think about him, huh?¡± A large smile formed on his face as he turned to Juliana, a twinkle flashing in his purple eye. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°He¡¯s a crazy kid.¡± ¡°Reminds me of a certain someone¡­¡± ¡°Haha! Well, I won¡¯t object.¡± His grin became wider. ¡°I like him already.¡± ¡°So, does that mean you¡¯ve taken an interest?¡± ¡°Nah! It¡¯s too early for that.¡± ¡°I figured.¡± ¡°Merit is all that matters here. As long as he proves himself, he¡¯ll not only get my attention, but the attention of everyone else in this Academy.¡± ¡°You really think he can do that?¡± Juliana raised her brows as she looked at the man before her. ¡°Who knows?¡± He shrugged. ¡°I only know that he was able to obtain a perfect score in the Runecrafting Exams, even as someone of commoner status.¡± ¡°....¡± ¡°There has only been one person in the history of the Academy that has managed such a feat.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m looking right at him.¡± ¡°Haha!¡± The man laughed, resuming his walk while waving once again. ¡°This First Semester should prove to be quite interesting.¡± Juliana didn¡¯t need to be told that before recognizing the same. ¡®What are the chances that three students from Noble Households are in Year 1, at the very same session? And then we have the issue of their Supervising Officer.¡¯ Ketiya Lampshade was not someone she would have chosen as a Supervising Officer, but it couldn¡¯t be helped due to the circumstances. ¡®This is the best way I know how to protect you, little one¡­¡¯ She smiled sadly to herself. ¡®I hope you actually find this job fulfilling.¡¯ It was rather unfortunate for Ketiya that she had to be the Supervising Officer for such a problematic set. With three of the six Noble Families already having a presence in her class, as well as a deviant whose future remained unknown, her first experience as a Supervising Officer¡ªno, as an Educator¡ªwas going to be quite eventful. ¡®There¡¯s also quite a bit of drama going on in the other classes, but so far¡­ things are under control.¡¯ As the Head of the Academy, it was her duty to make sure things remained that way. ¡®And, unfortunately¡­¡¯ She gulped, looking down at the several documents she had to sort through. ¡®... that also involves these.¡¯ A bead of sweat formed on her face, and she instantly regretted sending her only reliable aide away. Since her pride wouldn¡¯t let her call him back, however, she had to brave the storm on her own. ¡°I can do this¡­ I have to do this.¡± ************** ¡°I did it!¡± Dan beamed as he collapsed on his bed in complete exhaustion. Visible breaths escaped his lips as he powerlessly lay upon the hard mattress, his chest rising and falling at erratic intervals. Despite the constant pain coursing through his body, and the uncomfortable pouding in his head, he maintained his bright smile. After all, he had been able to achieve the initial goal that he set out for himself. ¡®It only took all day, but I pulled it off.¡¯ He groaned slightly, feeling a slight surge of pain pierce his entire body as he tried to rise. ¡®Looks like I¡¯ll have to remain like this for a while.¡¯ Considering what he had just pulled off, this was to be expected. In fact, he was lucky that he wasn¡¯t experiencing anything worse than this. If he had been slightly off, the kind of pain he would be going through at the moment was going to be incomparable to that of his present experience. ¡®I suppose that goes to show how skilled I am in Runecrafting.¡¯ He chuckled to himself. ¡®Still got it!¡¯ Despite being naked in the rather cool room, he was perspiring. His lean body was still, everything exposed as he set his eyes on the ceiling above him. He would have loved to check himself out in the mirror, but he couldn¡¯t move. That didn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t have an idea of his current appearance. All over his body were Runic Inscriptions. Like tattoos, they were neatly imprinted on his flesh¡ªfrom his arms, to his shoulders, to his chest, and his stomach, down to his legs, and up to his feet. There were also inscriptions on his back, but those were covered by the mattress. ¡®It looks like I¡¯ll have to be wearing long-sleeved clothes for a while. Thankfully, the uniforms are designed that way, and I have a few casual outfits like that.¡¯ He thought to himself. ¡®There¡¯s no use bothering with concealment Runes, since I don¡¯t have nearly enough Magia to use any sophisticated one and an expert will easily see through any basic kind I try to employ.¡¯ Fortunately, there was no need to resort to active concealment. ¡®Even if my body is exposed, most people will only think these symbols are tattoos. They¡¯re all written in Runic Shorthand, so they won¡¯t be recognized by even the most experienced Runecrafter.¡¯ Of course, this was only contingent on the fact that Runic Shorthand didn¡¯t yet exist. ¡®Based on what I¡¯ve observed, the chances of it existing are very low¡­ almost nonexistent.¡¯ He told himself. ¡®If it really existed, there would be clear signs.¡¯ For example, more students would have signed up for Runecrafting. But, based on his observations¡­ most students didn¡¯t have a favorable impression of Runecrafting, and it seemed a majority of students chose Magia Engineering and Spellcasting. It wouldn¡¯t even be surprising if he found himself to be the only student in his class who had Runecrafting as his Major. ¡®I suppose this all works out well for me, since I¡¯m trying to keep a low profile.¡¯ There was always the chance that someone somewhere had discovered Runic Shorthand and was hoarding the information, though, so Dan still planned to keep his inscriptions as hidden as possible from any prying eye. ¡®I¡¯ll think of a better solution once I¡¯m able to do so, but this is all I can prepare for at the moment.¡¯ He sighed to himself. ¡®Hopefully, it¡¯s sufficient.¡¯ There was still so much he didn¡¯t know about this new world¡ªand that included who he could trust and couldn¡¯t. This tied into why he still intended on keeping his abilities and knowledge secret. ¡®Until I¡¯m able to learn more about this world, as well as the current Magus Community, it¡¯s safest to hide everything I know and am capable of.¡¯ Dan told himself. His hope was that he wouldn¡¯t have to keep it a secret for too long. After all, an improvement in Runecraft would really go a long way in the advancement of civilization as everyone knew it. It wouldn¡¯t just be the Magus Community that would benefit, but even the common person. ¡®Transportation, Medicine, Education, etc. A lot can be improved based on the knowledge I possess. But if I am too impatient, there¡¯s a chance that things could turn out for the worst.¡¯ Power could be used to heal, but also to kill. As long as he wasn¡¯t aware of all the variables, he couldn¡¯t expose such important secrets to the world. At the very least, he had to be sure about the current state of society, as well as have an influential position in it, before he showed the world what he had learned in his past life. ¡®In the spirit of keeping secrets, I should definitely also hide the fact that I reincarnated.¡¯ A slight smile formed on his face. ¡®At least¡­ until I learn more about how it could have happened.¡¯ Everything he did from this point on had to hold some significance. He wasn¡¯t some ignorant brat, but a grown man who had a good idea of how the world could be. ¡®Which is why I also need to get stronger as quickly as I can¡­not just for this Academy, but for what comes after.¡¯ And, using the Runes that were inscribed on his body, Dan had already taken his first step. ¡®Right now, my biggest issue is the quantity of Magia this body has and its incredibly slow flow. But¡­ I¡¯ve solved all of that with this.¡¯ Thanks to that, Dan was confident that he could grow much stronger. Chapter 7: Rewards For Learning ¡®I have several Runes that are inscribed on my body.¡¯ Some were Runes he couldn¡¯t activate at the moment, while others were ones he didn¡¯t really need yet. However, there were two in particular that were of utmost pertinence, and they were the first ones he inscribed. They existed among the others all over his body, but seemed to be more pronounced on his chest and his stomach. ¡®Magia is usually concentrated at the abdomen area in the body¡ªthough it is like an invisible organ that exists in a separate dimension as the physical organs.¡¯ Dan allowed his thoughts to flow as he closed his eyes in the room. ¡®The quantity and quality of a person¡¯s Magia represents the level they have reached as a Mage.¡¯ For Apprentices like Dan, who were just starting out, their Magia had the base white color and varied in size. ¡®Mine in particular is pretty small, since the volume of Magia I have is incredibly lacking.¡¯ A lot of other Apprentices his age had much larger clusters of Magia¡ªmost of them doubling his own. That was how unimpressive and weak he was. ¡®Then, there¡¯s also the issue of Magia Flow.¡¯ Since Magia was normally clustered at the stomach region, it had to flow to respective parts of the body that it was being used in. For Runecrafters, the pathway usually led to their hands and legs, while for Spellcasters, their pathways led to their vocal organs¡ªlungs, trachea, and up to the larynx and finally the tongue itself. Whether it was Spellcasting or Runecrafting, the pathways were still complex networks which Magia flowed through, and the Casting or Inscribing speed of a person was very contingent on how fast the flow was. ¡®Casting is still much faster, though, since it¡¯s easier to do.¡¯ As such, the type of Magia cluster a person had, as well as the speed flow involved, was what determined how powerful a Mage was¡ªor, more accurately, could be. ¡®These aren¡¯t strict determiners, since experience and knowledge are equally as important¡ªif not more important¡ªfor a Mage, but without the right ability to complement those skills, one can¡¯t go very far in Mage Arts.¡¯ That was why the Academy existed: to nurture potential Mages to achieve their full potential. ¡®Those with talent have a large cluster of Magia and faster flow, while untalented ones like me have very little.¡¯ There were those who, despite having Magia existing in them¡ªjust as it existed in pretty much everything¡ªhad no cluster at all. Those were the ones that didn¡¯t have any potential at all and could be labeled Inept. Dan was beyond happy that he didn¡¯t fall into this category of people, but that didn¡¯t mean he was out of the woods yet. ¡®My body¡¯s natural affinity makes it so that, even if I do my best as a Mage, I can¡¯t advance very far. My flow is slower than the others, and since I am focusing on both Spellcasting and Runecrafting as my Majors, it means the flow will be even slower.¡¯ This was why his Supervising Officer and most students thought he was foolish for choosing the path that he chose, and he couldn¡¯t blame them. Common sense made it clear that he was doomed. ¡®But¡­ am I really?¡¯ He smiled, once again attempting to sit upright. This time, due to the pain subsiding, his body listened to him and he was able to do so. ¡®With the two Runes I¡¯ll be using for now, I can solve the problem of Flow and Volume.¡¯ The first was Flow. ¡®The first Rune I inscribed is the opposite of the kind used to remove Magia from a surface or place.¡¯ Usually, the Rune functioned as a way to drain the energy in a particular target and disperse it outside the object. It could also be channeled into another target, or a specific location. However, by creating its inverse, rather than the target being the one drained, the surrounding was being sucked of its Magia¡­ channeling all of that energy into the target. That target was himself. ¡®I applied this Rune all over my body, which means upon activation, it will suck in the surrounding Magia and impart it into my body. Since everyone had their individual Magia signature, introducing external Magia was only going to cause complications for the body. The pathways would have conflicting energies, which would lead to a disturbance or deviation. In severe cases, such a person could become crippled for life or even die. It was for this very reason that Mages didn¡¯t use this method to improve their abilities, even if it had been discovered quite a while ago. It was practically suicide, and the ones who stubbornly attempted to try this method regardless paid dearly for their greed. Dan was different from them, though. He wouldn¡¯t have used this method, knowing of the risks, if he didn¡¯t have a way out. ¡®This is why the second Rune exists. It converts the external Magia to my Magia signature, which allows me to use it properly. Of course, this also prevents any suspicion to fall on me, since to any prying eye, all they¡¯ll see is my Magia Signature.¡¯ How was he able to achieve such a feat, though? ¡®It¡¯s the same way I¡¯m able to Inscribe Runes on an animate surface, defying the general consensus on what is considered a viable surface.¡¯ Normally, Runes could only be inscribed on inanimate and tangible surfaces. Intangible surfaces like air, and animate surfaces like the bodies of a living thing could not be used for Rune Inscriptions. However, thanks to his Universal Rune Inscription, not only could Dan Inscribe on intangible surfaces, but animated surfaces were not exempt from him. ¡®The method for the latter is different from the former and considerably more difficult.¡¯ His thoughts flowed as he looked at the Runes on his body. ¡®To inscribe a Rune on a living person, you have to adjust the Magia Signature being applied to the Magia Signature of the surface being inscribed on.¡¯ Since inanimate surfaces didn¡¯t have unique signatures, this wasn¡¯t a problem for Runecrafters. All they had to do was imprint their own Magia Signatures on the surface, and they could successfully activate their Runes. But it was different if there was a pre-existing unique signature. After constant research into the field, the general consensus in the community was that it couldn¡¯t be done. As such, everyone accepted that only inanimate surfaces that were tangible could be considered viable. ¡®However, what they failed to realize was that it is indeed possible to alter Magia Signatures. The answer comes in the form of a Rune that allows the person inscribing to successfully imprint a corresponding Magia Signature to the surface of something with an existing Magia Signature.¡¯ This wasn¡¯t the fault of the Magus Community, though. After all, Dan¡ªor rather, Arthur as he was known in his past life¡ªwas the one who discovered it. ¡®It doesn¡¯t seem like anyone has discovered it yet, though, since I haven¡¯t seen it being applied anywhere.¡¯ He smiled. ¡®Should I be relieved about that? Probably.¡¯ In any case, this was why he could imprint Runes on the surface of living beings. There was no risk of any complications arising, and the fact that he was able to successfully use it on himself was enough proof of that. ¡®By collecting the Magia around me and sending it to my pathways, I improve the quantity of Magia it can take in at once, improving its capacity and quickening its flow.¡¯ Also, since this Magia would be gathered from various points of his pathways, not just from his stomach region, the time it would take for the Magia to be transported to its needed area would be considerably reduced. All of this was going to greatly improve his speed. ¡®With that, the Flow issue is resolved. If applied well, and in the right circumstances, my Magia Volume won¡¯t even be a factor¡ªexcept when I want to activate the two Runes.¡¯ Once the Runes were activated, the Magia that flowed through them from the surrounding would make them self-sustaining, putting less strain on his own Magia Cluster. Even with these benefits, though, Dan wasn¡¯t satisfied with stopping here. ¡®I have to also work on the volume of my Magia Cluster.¡¯ There could be situations when he couldn¡¯t absorb Magia from his surroundings, or the Magia being absorbed wouldn¡¯t be sufficient for the job. To compensate for such moments, he needed to have enough stockpile to still function desirably. ¡®Which is why I¡¯m going to improve my Magia Cluster¡¯s volume.¡¯ He was still a long way from raising the quality, but quantity was something he could manage. ¡®That¡¯s why I have those Runes especially embedded on my chest and stomach.¡¯ The Runes on his chest and stomach were much more powerful than the ones on the other parts of his body, and as a result, the Magia it would absorb was much more. They were also connected by a new pathway that he just created¡ªwhich was why he was so exhausted and his body ached. New pathways couldn¡¯t just be created, since the body already had its existing pathways, but there was a reason he had to do it. ¡®Transferring foreign Magia in such a large quantity requires a lot of room for absorption and transportation. I can¡¯t afford using my other pathways, since it would cause a disruption, and I also can¡¯t use the Rune that changes the Magia Signature anywhere near that area, since it will affect how much I can absorb. That was why he positioned the Magia Signature ¡®Altering Rune¡¯ all the way on his stomach region and connected the two with a unique pathway. ¡®That way, all of the energy is directed towards my stomach, which the Altering Rune will transform into my Magia and send it off to the cluster right beneath it.¡¯ By directing all of that Magia to his Cluster, it would vastly increase its quantity over time.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. It would also help with his Magia Recovery speed. ¡®Still, improving Magia volume isn¡¯t easy.¡¯ Dan sighed. ¡®Like every other organ in the body, it has to be exercised.¡¯ That meant he had to keep depleting the Magia, and then pumping more Magia into it, increasing its capacity every time this happened. Usually, this would take forever as a result of the recover speed issue, but since that wasn¡¯t a problem¡ªthanks to his new method¡ªhe could practically recover his small volume instantaneously. ¡®All of this depends on how rich in Magia my surroundings are, but considering how this is the Imperial Magus Academy, I shouldn¡¯t be too concerned.¡¯ By continuously going through this process, Dan was assured of real growth. ¡®I should probably get something to eat now, and immediately after that¡­ I¡¯ll commence!¡¯ ********* [The Next Day] ¡°Erm¡­ welcome to the Runecrafting class. My name is Darwin Levantis¡­ and I¡¯ll be your Instructor for your time here as First Years.¡± A rather aged man¡ªabout fifty years of age¡ªgave a rather unenthusiastic greeting to the students who sat opposite the podium that he stood on. Due to his old age, his posture was slightly hunched, and he had a slightly gnarled staff that doubled as his walking stick. His ashen hair draped down his face, and his Mage Hat appeared slightly wrinkled¡ªalmost as if it also suffered from old age. His attire was a dark brown cloak, with deep blue wear underneath. He had a few rings on his wrinkled fingers, as well as an amulet that was tied around his neck. Overall, his rough, baggy attire and long cloak covered most parts of his body. So, other than on his face and wrinkled hand, no other part of his skin was exposed. ¡°Why don¡¯t you introduce yourselves?¡± He gave a forced grin as he looked at the students in front of him. There were just two of them. One of them, the girl, rose to her feet and sharply introduced herself. Unlike the boy, whom he couldn¡¯t fully read, she seemed quite impatient to begin her journey as a potential Runecrafter. Just from how she rose to speak, and the tone of her voice, it was clear that she wasn¡¯t there to mess around. ¡°My name is Lyla Raeven¡­ first daughter of the Raeven Family, one of the six Noble Households in the Empire, and I look forward to your teachings, sir!¡± Darwin Levantis kept up his forced smile as he rubbed his long beards while analyzing the student before him. ¡®Even though it is presumed that the Instructors know the identities of their wards, she still found it necessary to tell me of her lineage, huh? I can tell she didn¡¯t say it as a sign of disrespect, though, since there¡¯s still a fair amount of reverence in her tone.¡¯ His thoughts flowed smoothly as a glint flashed in his eyes. ¡®She was probably taught to introduce herself like that in formal settings.¡¯ Still, he could sense that she had a strong desire to learn Runes. ¡®The Raeven Family is in competition with the Kornelius Family when it comes to Runecraft. Those two have been at it for generations. The latter Kornelius Household has the lead for now, but I hear that they might fall behind very soon.¡¯ He gave a wry smile. ¡®The fact that their ward¡ªSylvia Kornelius¡ªchose the Spellcasting path rather than Runecrafting also adds to the credence to the rumors, but I suppose it¡¯s too early to judge.¡¯ After all, he still didn¡¯t know if this Lyla Raeven was capable in Runecraft. ¡®Having a strong desire to learn something and being capable in that thing are two completely different matters.¡¯ He smirked to himself. ¡®Besides, life isn¡¯t as straightforward when it comes to things like this.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t like a single student would be able to make or break a family that had stood for centuries. ¡®And now¡­ for the next student.¡¯ Darwin Levantis thought to himself, nodding slowly as he acknowledged the introduction of the girl. As soon as she sat, the boy rose to his feet. ¡°My name is Dan Nilrem. I look forward to learning from you.¡± There was nothing particularly special or interesting in the kid¡¯s introduction, but that didn¡¯t mean old Darwin hadn¡¯t noticed a few things worthy of observation. ¡®Even now, it¡¯s difficult to completely read him, huh?¡¯ He thought to himself as he eyed Dan. ¡®On one hand, it seems he¡¯s just as prepared to learn about Runecrafting, but on the other¡­ it almost feels like his heart isn¡¯t fully here.¡¯ The reason Darwin thought about the latter was because of the expression that the young man had been hiding throughout their exchange. He had noticed it ever since he entered the classroom. ¡®Is there something he¡¯s dissatisfied with? What a guy¡­ he¡¯s being a little cheeky, isn¡¯t he? It seems I have rather interesting students this time.¡¯ Draven nearly chuckled to himself as he had the thought. One was a Noble who had the zeal to learn, and the other was a mixed bag. ¡®They¡¯re both problematic wards¡­ but not very difficult to handle. Still¡­¡¯ He sighed. ¡®... I was really hoping there wouldn¡¯t be any new blood this Year.¡¯ For some years now, there had been no Year 1 Students who picked Runecrafting as their Majors. As someone who had specifically selected his current position for that very purpose, this suited his agenda. ¡®I thought I¡¯d be able to slack off without doing much in this Academy until I retired, but these ones just had to ruin things for me.¡¯ Old Darwin tried his best to hide it, but their interest in Runecrafting was a bother to him. ¡®It would have been better if they chose Spellcasting or Magia Engineering¡­ damnit! Now I actually have to put in work.¡¯ He gritted his teeth silently. ¡®It can¡¯t be helped, though¡­¡¯ In this Academy, much was expected from the Instructors¡­ and that included Darwin. Back when he didn¡¯t have students, he was free from scrutiny because there were no Apprentices to be responsible for. Despite him not doing anything, though, the Academy couldn¡¯t just lay him off because of his qualifications. He was one of the few high-ranking experts in Runecrafting, and the only one interested in Education. With the Academy¡¯s emphasis on quality, they had no choice but to retain him and keep him on a high salary. Any other Magus Academy would have just let him go and not have hired another Runecrafting Instructor, but the Imperial Magus Academy couldn¡¯t do that. They had to make sure every facet of their academic curriculum was accounted for, and that included having Instructors readily available. Low-ranking Runecrafting Instructors¡ªlike Junior Lecturers or Part-time Lecturers¡ªwere put in charge of Minor Courses, while he was responsible for the Majors. And because there were no students who chose Runecrafting as their Majors, he had an easy life. ¡­ Until now. ¡®The girl is a Noble, and she¡¯s very interested in the course, which means her expectations are high. As for the boy, he seems like someone with a keen eye and a skeptical nature. He also got a perfect score in the Runecrafting Exam. If I mess up, these two could report me to the top brass and I might get into trouble¡­¡¯ A bead of sweat formed on Darwin¡¯s face as he considered this. In the Imperial Magus Academy, students held a lot of power. Due to them being assumed to be among the best¡ªas well as having the potential to be powerful Mages in the future if they were taught well¡ªtheir opinions carried great weight. ¡®Low-ranking staff could get immense disciplinary measures, or even lose their jobs if a student successfully lodges a valid complaint on them and it is proven to be a serious matter affecting that student. Depending on the severity of the complaint, the staff could even be imprisoned for their actions.¡¯ Darwin sighed to himself. For Senior Lecturers like himself, though, the rules were less gruesome. It wasn¡¯t very easy to replace Senior Lecturers, so the Academy would have to be lenient on them. Punishments like pay-cuts, public apologies, or other kinds of disciplinary measures could be taken on them¡ªthough severe cases would still result in a loss of their jobs. A Senior Lecturer losing their job meant a loss of prestige in the Magus Community as a whole, which dealt a double blow to the few who had this action taken against them. The reason for this was simple: the higher one is, the harder the fall. For Junior Lecturers, even if they made severe mistakes and got fired, it would be assumed that they were either too young, naive, or careless. Their experience and positions also made it so that they couldn¡¯t even be responsible for too much. As such, their wrongdoings didn¡¯t have much of an impact on both the students and the Academy as a whole. But¡­ Senior Lecturers were different. With the astronomical increase in pay and prestige came a high cost of responsibility. Senior Lecturers were highly respected, and so they handled very important and sensitive matters in the Academy¡ªan example being teaching a Major Course. Due to this, they couldn¡¯t afford to mess up. Even if they did mess up, due to their status and importance, the Academy would try its best to seek measures and alternatives that didn¡¯t involve letting them go. And so, in the rare case of a Senior Lecturer being fired, it would be clear that they must have committed something incredibly foul and unforgivable¡ªeven by the standards of the Academy. For this reason, the Magus Community would distance itself from such a person. It would be the end of their career as a Mage. ¡®I normally wouldn¡¯t get fired for any misconduct, since the Academy needs me due to my qualifications as a Runecrafter, but¡­ the current circumstances make me a little worried.¡¯ Darwin swallowed his saliva. For one, he wasn¡¯t well-liked by the top brass of the Academy. He was just being tolerated by them because there weren¡¯t any other viable options, and he knew it. The moment they found a passable candidate, as well as sufficient reason to get rid of him, they would do so without a second thought. Even now, he knew the Academy was actively searching for someone to take his place. ¡®They won¡¯t find any, since I know every single Runecrafter in my level, but even at that¡­ I¡¯m not indispensable.¡¯ He was simply hard to get rid of without proper justification. But all of that could change now. ¡®If the daughter of one of the six Noble Families finds great fault in my performance as an Instructor, and she is supported by the boy who got a perfect score in Runecrafting¡­ then it¡¯s very possible I could lose my job.¡¯ If that happened, he would be finished as a proper Mage. ¡®I¡¯m too prestigious to become a local Runecrafter and too old to be an Adventurer.¡¯ Darwin also knew that he didn¡¯t have a lot in his savings due to his lifestyle. ¡®In order to protect my interests¡­ I have to hide any weakness that they can exploit.¡¯ This was easier said than done since Darwin Levantis had not taught a single class in years and was out of practice. Just the previous day, he had thought this practice would continue, so he didn¡¯t even bother checking his desk for any list of students that would be taking his Course. ¡®¡­ Not until this very morning.¡¯ He could still remember how sober he became once he realized he had a class in just an hour. This was going to be a severe pain for him, but Darwin knew he had to endure. ¡®Let¡¯s just hope these two don¡¯t give me much trouble¡­¡¯ He looked at the girl and boy, whose eyes were plastered unblinkingly on him. ¡°Nice to meet you two. Now then¡­ shall we begin with the basics?¡± ************* ¡®Is this man really a Senior Lecturer?¡¯ Dan did his best to hide his frown throughout the lecture even though he was tempted to break his facade many times. ¡®How disgraceful!¡¯ His thoughts echoed internally. ¡®Has the Imperial Magus Academy degraded in quality this much since my death?!¡¯ He simply couldn¡¯t believe the pathetic display that the old man before him was exhibiting. ¡®I tried my best to forgive him for coming late for the lecture, since it was only a few minutes of tardiness, but he couldn¡¯t even be bothered to attend class properly?!¡¯ Everyone knew Instructors had to wear fresh clothes and also have a clean appearance when coming for Lectures. Yet what was the case with this so-called Senior Lecturer? ¡®His outfit is rough, and so is his hair. Overall, he has a very shoddy appearance. He also used a Rune to hide the stink of alcohol all over his clothes, but he can¡¯t fool me with something so blatantly obvious.¡¯ Dan did his best to control his rage, suppressing the veins that were slowly popping out of his head. If he was still Head of Runecrafting, such a thing would never happen! ¡®I hoped he would be able to redeem himself once he properly began the class, but what is this? You call this a lecture?¡¯ He gritted his teeth. ¡®This washed-up old man thinks saying a bunch of big words and throwing around questions to answer counts as teaching?¡¯ Not only was he mixing up the topics that they were supposed to be learning with more advanced ones that weren¡¯t in their curriculum, but he was hiding his severe unpreparedness in sophistry and over-exaggerations. ¡®How does he expect anyone to learn anything from him like this?¡¯ Dan fumed. ¡®He¡¯s a fraud!¡¯ He glanced over at the girl who sat on the other row of seats next to him. Both of their seats were divided by stairs that led to higher platforms where other seats were positioned, which was the design of their classroom. This was the same space they used for their Orientation, and Dan assumed it would be where the other Major Classes would hold, but that wasn¡¯t his concern at the moment. He narrowed his eyes as he watched the girl take notes and maintain a serious facade throughout the class. ¡®She¡¯s writing a lot of things down. Does she understand what that old man is saying?¡¯ Dan wondered to himself, a little worried. ¡®New students often make the mistake of writing down everything they hear, assuming the Lecturer must have said something profound if they don¡¯t understand it.¡¯ This was due to the respect and authority that Lecturers commanded in the Academy. It was assumed that they knew a lot. ¡®As a result, even if this old fool says a bunch of rubbish, it¡¯s possible she might think he¡¯s making sense and she simply doesn¡¯t understand it yet.¡¯ Dan felt this was wrong. ¡®A lecture should be done in a way that the audience understands¡­ else what¡¯s the point?!¡¯ Due to his past experience as an Instructor, he understood the importance of communication and proper understanding when it came to education. In all of these regards, the Instructor before him could be regarded as nothing short of a failure. ¡®I can never learn from someone like this.¡¯ Chapter 8: Lyla And Dan ¡°... And with all that said, I¡¯ll see you all in the next class.¡± The Runecrafting Instructor¡¯s voice echoed in the classroom as he began to wave farewell to the class as he walked out. ¡°Remember to do your assignment before the next class.¡± And with that, he was out of the classroom. After he left, the large hall was quiet. The two students¡ªLyla and Dan¡ªsimply remained glued to their seats, each having their respective thoughts on the lecture they had just experienced. While Dan was still recoiling from his annoyance, clenching his fists and gritting his teeth, his counterpart was still writing down a few things even after classes were over. She hadn¡¯t written down everything she heard, plus there were a few thoughts that had to be outlined as her personal notes regarding the overall content in her rather large notebook. As she scribbled them down, her thoughts were finally allowed to flow in her mind. ¡®All of these are so complex! As expected of the Imperial Magus Academy, this is nothing like what I was taught back home.¡¯ Lyla wrote down even more, feeling a bead of sweat trickle down her face. Her pitch-black hair danced behind her as her ruby eyes fell on the pages of her book. She had an overall slender figure, slightly pale skin, and a delicate face that didn¡¯t match the intensely serious expression she was giving off. ¡®Where do I even begin?¡¯ She wondered to herself. Just like most students in the Academy, Lyla had received some basic education regarding Mage Arts before enrolling in the Magus Academy. However, unlike most others, her education was far more sophisticated and in-depth. ¡­ Especially in Runecrafting. ¡®And yet, I couldn¡¯t understand over ninety percent of what he was saying. I picked up on a few things, since I was able to learn some of the topics we would be taking in our First Year, but it seems there¡¯s still so much I don¡¯t know.¡¯ She felt conflicted at that moment. On one hand, she was happy that the Imperial Magus Academy lived up to the hype, but on the other hand¡­ she could feel fear¡ªor rather, a sense of overwhelming danger that caused fear to creep in. ¡®How long will it take me to decipher all of these? I don¡¯t even know how to begin with the assignment we were given.¡¯ Lyla was considered a fast learner by most, but this was only due to her studious nature. She didn¡¯t consider herself a genius by any standard, but she was a hard worker. ¡®I guess I¡¯ll have to spend all night in the Library today. Big sister told me I wouldn¡¯t need to do that until my second year, but it seems like she underestimated how difficult the curriculum has become.¡¯ Lyla didn¡¯t mind spending time learning things that she didn¡¯t understand, as long as she would be able to understand it in the end. Nothing worthwhile came without effort: that was her philosophy, so she didn¡¯t dread the process of learning. But¡­ she didn¡¯t like the feeling that came with being overwhelmed. ¡®It would have been different if there was more time allocated to studying, or if Runecrafting is the only course I¡¯m taking here, but considering the fact that I have two other Minors, it seems I might not have nearly as much time as I imagined.¡¯ After all, if this was how complex her first class was, it was very likely that things would get much more complex. ¡®We have Major Courses every week day and Minors at least two times a week. One of my Minors is three times, though, which means I have at least two classes per day. That¡¯s three hours of Lectures, which gives me a lot of time to study¡­ or so I thought.¡¯ However, the study Mage Arts was very time-consuming¡ªparticularly individual research¡ªand Runecrafting was particularly very slow and tedious. ¡®Attending two hours of lectures like this every day, and spending the rest of my day researching more on what is being taught already seems overwhelming, but I have to add my Minor Courses to the mix as well.¡¯ Just thinking about it was maddening. ¡®But¡­ I can¡¯t complain, considering how that guy over there has it worse.¡¯ Lyla glanced at the boy beside her, who was slowly getting up from his seat. ¡®I bet he¡¯s regretting his choice of selecting both Runecrafting and Spellcasting.¡¯ Lyla didn¡¯t make it her business to judge other students for their choices, especially since she was already too busy with her studies, but she couldn¡¯t help but feel like he made a terrible mistake in his decision. ¡®I wonder how much of the class he was able to understand¡­¡¯ She wondered to herself. Since she was so focused on the words of the Instructor, she didn¡¯t have enough time to properly study his expressions when the lecture was ongoing, but she had a few glances and noticed he wasn¡¯t even writing much. ¡®He probably didn¡¯t grasp a lot.¡¯ She sighed to herself. ¡®Or¡­ could it be that he did?¡¯ Lyla Raeven came from a prestigious Runecrafting family, so it was no surprise that she got as high as eighty-five percent in the Runecrafting Exam. However, there was one student who scored higher than her in that category¡­ and it was this student in particular. ¡®Is it possible that he grasped more than me in the lecture? If that¡¯s the case, should I ask him for assistance¡­ at least in the assignment?¡¯ Lyla wondered to herself. ¡®If I can pick his brains, it could save me some time and offer me direction on what to research.¡¯ Despite having these thoughts, she hesitated. Why? ¡®Am I not getting ahead of myself? I¡¯m operating on too many assumptions, and besides¡­ doesn¡¯t it seem like he¡¯s leaving already?¡¯ The scowl that she saw on his face already showed that he wasn¡¯t in the best of moods, so now wasn¡¯t the best time to request for his help. Besides, wouldn¡¯t it be too presumptuous of her to ask him to spend valuable time aiding her when he also had a lot on his plate? In fact, compared to her¡­ wasn¡¯t he even in more trouble?The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡®Yeah¡­ I probably shouldn¡¯t bother.¡¯ She told herself. ¡®Big sister told me not to hesitate in asking fellow students for help when I can, but I shouldn¡¯t act on that so impatiently.¡¯ Based on what their Supervising Officer said during Orientation, and what she had observed from her fellow students, it was clear that most people here didn¡¯t put much stock in cooperation and camaraderie. She understood the reason why. After all, they were ultimately competitors in the Academy and would be the same once they got to the larger Magus world after graduation. ¡®As a Raeven myself, I should understand this well.¡¯ She clenched her fist around her pen, sighing softly. ¡®It seems I can only rely on myself after all¡­ Lyla proceeded to close her book, but before she could, a hand suddenly landed on it. ¡®Eh?¡¯ ¡°Excuse me for a moment, Lyla Raeven¡­ but I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if you were able to grasp what our Runecrafting Instructor taught just now.¡± The voice of her only Major coursemate echoed in the air, forcing her to raise her head. At that moment, her crimson eyes met his dark ones. ¡°W-what?¡± She stuttered, much to her embarrassment, but it only went to show how surprised she was by the question that was thrown at her. ¡°I was just wondering if you understood what Instructor Levantis taught.¡± He repeated himself, his voice calm. ¡°You wrote down a lot, but from the little I just saw in your notes, as well as my general observation on the class just now, I felt compelled to ask.¡± ¡°You¡­ looked at my notes?¡± She asked, raising her brows slightly. ¡°I apologize for my impudence. It was unintentional, but I did manage to have a few glances.¡± Lyla felt a mix of emotions. Her handwriting was difficult to read by most people, especially when she scribbled quickly. Plus, she wrote in the Imperial Shorthand, a difficult thing to decipher unless one was taught in it specifically. For this boy to have merely glanced at her writing and spoken rather confidently about it¡­ didn¡¯t that mean he knew the Imperial Shorthand? ¡®But only Nobles learn the Imperial Shorthand as a part of their basic education, and not many even pay much attention to it¡­ so how?¡¯ Lyla wondered to herself. ¡®Is he bluffing right now? I don¡¯t think so, since that would be a foolish thing to do.¡¯ If he was faking his knowledge on the writing method, she could easily figure that out. ¡°From what I observed, you wrote a lot of what he said word-for-word¡­ even when he spoke about the Classical Grafting methods. Right¡­ there, right?¡± He pointed at the specific location where she had written exactly that. That alone cleared him of any suspicion of lies. ¡®But¡­ how was he able to tell that I wrote his teachings word-for-word? He wasn¡¯t taking a lot of notes in class, right? Does he really remember everything he said word for word? That¡¯s insane, though.¡¯ She told herself. If the lecture was overly simple, then perhaps such a thing would be believable. But their Instructor bombarded them with a lot of big words and went through a lot of complex explanations throughout the lecture. Most students would be too confused to remember anything substantial from the lecture, not to mention actually recollecting everything word-for-word. ¡®Is he some kind of genius or something?¡¯ Lyla wondered, but quickly brought herself back to reality. ¡®There¡¯s no way, considering how badly he scored in the written exams.¡¯ Dan Nilrem was the lowest scorer in the whole class¡ªunable to cast a single Spell, and scoring just barely average in the written test. It was only because of his perfect score in Runecrafting that he managed to meet the cut-off mark and get into the Academy. Anything less would have secured him a whopping loss. ¡®I may have been overestimating his intelligence, but it¡¯s still impressive that he knows the Imperial Shorthand.¡¯ With that thought in her mind, she discarded any other useless ideas she had about him. ¡°I see. So you remember what he taught us?¡± Lyla asked as calmly as she could. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t really call that teaching, but yes.¡± He responded. ¡°But remembering something and understanding it are two different things.¡± She was silent, but nodded in agreement. ¡°So, did you understand his lecture?¡± The question came once again. At that moment, Lyla had a choice. She could resort to her pride as a Raeven¡ªone of the only two Runecrafting powerhouses of the Empire¡ªand lie to him. After all, it would severely injure her image, and the image of her family, if she was ignorant of the very first lecture in Runecrafting. But, she could also be honest and tell him the truth. ¡°I didn¡¯t understand much of anything he taught.¡± She sighed in response. ¡°I don¡¯t even know how to go about the assignment.¡± For a moment, she closed her eyes and instantly regretted her decision. The boy before her was not a Noble, and it was a given that most commoners¡ªparticularly former Nobles¡ªheld grudges or deep-seated envy towards the Noble Families. Revealing her inadequacies to this boy could be a mistake that would come to bite her back in a very damning way. With that thought rushing in her head, she instinctively tried to retract her confession. ¡°I¡¯m just ki¡ª¡± ¡°Forget about the assignment.¡± At that moment, Dan¡¯s voice surged, completely silencing the weak response she was about to give. Lyla Raeven slightly gasped as she heard those daring words from the boy. ¡°You didn¡¯t understand anything because he didn¡¯t teach anything of value. Rather than waste any time trying to comprehend and piece together everything he said in class, you should visit the Library and read the third chapter of Basics of Runecraft, by Head Instructor Arthur.¡± He added. ¡°That should help you with what you need to start the course.¡± A lot of questions and thoughts assailed Lyla¡¯s mind at that moment, but when she opened her lips, the only question that came out surprised even her. ¡°Why not chapter one and two?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± The boy smiled knowingly, almost as if he knew more than he was letting on. ¡°You must have already been taught that before coming here.¡± Lyla was speechless as she watched the boy speak. ¡®I didn¡¯t see him at the Library yesterday, yet it seems like he already has knowledge that I don¡¯t have.¡¯ She pondered deeply. Since the books published in the Imperial Magus Academy belonged to the school, they couldn¡¯t be reproduced outside the Academy Walls. As a result, other than Academy Tours or Academic Symposiums that took place within the school grounds, the only way any Mage could get access to such educational material was by studying in the Imperial Magus Academy as a student. ¡®Big sis also told me to consume as much of Head Instructor Arthur¡¯s materials in the Library, though most of his content would be too complex for me to understand until I reached Year 3 and above.¡¯ The fact that this boy was repeating the same words as her sister meant he had deep insights. ¡®I guess I can now understand why he scored the highest in Runecrafting.¡¯ A bead of sweat formed on her face as she looked at him. ¡®He¡¯s an incredible student!¡¯ ¡°I understand. Thank you very much for your advice.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. We¡¯re coursemates, so we should be able to talk about stuff like these freely.¡± He remained calm with his words. Despite clearly having a lot of insight into Runecrafting, he didn¡¯t seem haughty at all. He remained stoic and had an aura of maturity. ¡°That¡¯s a relief to hear.¡± Lyla rose to her feet at that moment, stretching her hand while offering him a friendly smile. ¡°I hope we can get along well in class, Dan Nilrem.¡± ¡°Same here.¡± He grinned too, shaking her hand. ¡°And please¡­ just calm me Dan.¡± ¡°Only if you call me Lyla.¡± ¡°Of course, Lyla!¡± He beamed with a calm smile. Lyla had met all sorts of people in her life, but no commoner had ever shown the audacity and calmness that this boy displayed. He was quick to call her by her first name, and he wasn¡¯t even hesitant to approach her first. Compared to her, he behaved more like a noble. ¡°Dan¡­¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ll see you around.¡± He waved farewell to her, confirming the fact that he was indeed in a hurry to get somewhere. Even at that, he spared the time to talk to her. Not only was he intelligent and mature, but he was also very considerate. ¡°¡­ What a fascinating guy.¡± Chapter 9: Resolve Of A Student As Dan stepped outside the classroom, he felt the coolness of air wash over him. The breeze blew his dark brown hair, causing it to dance violently before finally calming down. He closed his eyes for a moment, absorbing the instant chill that assailed his body at that moment, but quickly acclimated. ¡®The classrooms here have Runes that regulate their internal temperature, providing an environment that¡¯s conducive for everyone to learn.¡¯ He smiled to himself. ¡®So, coming out after spending two hours in such a space could cause a bit of backlash if one isn¡¯t used to it.¡¯ Most students would only feel this slight discomfort within their first week, but they would get used to it very quickly. Dan shifted his thoughts from that and focused on the urgent matter he urgently had to attend to at the moment. ¡®My next course begins very soon¡ªin about ten minutes, if I¡¯m not mistaken.¡¯ However, not only was the hall different from their main classroom, but it was a new building that didn¡¯t exist back when he was Head Instructor of the Academy. In essence¡­ a strange concept for him. ¡®I didn¡¯t get enough time to study the school grounds yesterday and this morning due to all my preparations, but I can¡¯t throw it off any longer. The sooner I refresh my memory and adapt to this new era, the better it¡¯ll be for me.¡¯ Despite his time rapidly running out, Dan remained calm and assessed his situation. ¡®Every Course has a thirty-minute break before the next Course¡ªwhether Major or Minor. This is to allow the student to rest and prepare for their next class.¡¯ He slowly nodded, opening his eyes. ¡®It also accounts for the time it would take for the students to reach their next class¡­ which shouldn¡¯t be very far, since it has to remain within the Year 1 ecosystem.¡¯ Every Year had their specific spot within the Academy Grounds, which meant there would hardly be any interaction between any of them during study sessions. Each Year also had their respective libraries¡ªthough there was a Grand Library that existed at the center of the Academy for much more advanced studies. Year 1 Students didn¡¯t need to go that far, though, considering they were merely dealing with basic stuff. ¡®Considering everything thus far¡­ I suppose there¡¯s only one solution.¡¯ He narrowed his eyes as he smiled to himself. In swift motion, he hurriedly moved his body and approached a nearby staff who was patrolling the grounds. ¡°Hello, sir¡­ I¡¯m looking for the Martial Arts Ground.¡± He smiled at the man he approached, who also returned his smile and promptly directed him. He bowed in thanks, politely leaving for the location he was directed to. ¡®When one doesn¡¯t understand something, the most time-saving solution is to ask someone who does.¡¯ Dan smiled, walking in the direction he was shown. There was no shame in admitting one¡¯s ignorance. In fact, it was a sign of maturity and courage, and he was glad to see Lyla Raeven exhibit both. ¡®A lot of students naively assume they can¡¯t afford to present themselves as inferior¡ªespecially during their first weeks in school. This prevents them from taking advantage of the several resources that exist here¡­ most of them being fellow students like themselves.¡¯ Dan sighed, shaking his head as he remembered his days as an Instructor. He had seen these things play out in numerous ways. ¡®Since she was a noble, I half expected her to reject my help, but she impressed me.¡¯ This caused him to nod in satisfaction. ¡®She¡¯s a proper student!¡¯ A student was someone willing to learn. This learning could come from Instructors, books, or fellow students like them. The Academy existed as a way to provide all of these components, fostering the most organic and well-rounded growth a person could have. It was unfortunate that most people didn¡¯t see things this way. ¡®They¡¯re still young, though. In time, many of them will bend and adapt. Those who can¡¯t will break and be left behind¡­¡¯ Unless a student had exceptional talent, they couldn¡¯t survive by themselves in the Academy. ¡®I have great hopes for you, though, Lyla¡­¡¯ Dan still wasn¡¯t sure if she would take his counsel and ditch her attempts to decipher their Instructor¡¯s jargon. After all, it would take a leap of faith to trust a fellow student while neglecting the work given to them by an Instructor. However, Dan really hoped she would see past the surface and take his words to heart. ¡®Instructors don¡¯t have much power in the Academy anyway¡ªespecially when it involves the student. In fact, it''s the opposite.¡¯ Students held a lot of power and autonomy in the Imperial Magus Academy. They were the prime focus here. ¡®As such, unless an assignment is graded¡ªwhich must be stated before the assignment is given¡ªit isn¡¯t compulsory to do it.¡¯ He smiled. ¡®Besides, according to the academic calendar, grading shouldn¡¯t be happening so soon. We students need some time to adjust and absorb more knowledge before we are tested on what we learned.¡¯A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. It was foolhardy for an Instructor to test a student when they were yet to learn anything. ¡®Since the school calendar and academic curriculum haven¡¯t changed much since I died, I can only assume that the Instructor¡¯s guide is the same¡ªor at least very similar. If that¡¯s the case, then there should be no problem skipping the assignment.¡¯ Based on what he observed from the Senior Lecturer, Dan was very sure that the man wouldn¡¯t even read their submissions. Why did they need to waste their time on something worthless? ¡®During the General Assembly, and even when I first arrived here for the Exams, I was able to see a lot of the fine Instructors that this Academy has. It appears to me that this man is the exception, not the rule, when it comes to the current staff that have been employed. He¡¯s also a Senior Lecturer, so that makes it difficult for him to be let go.¡¯ Still, that didn¡¯t explain his overly impudent behavior. ¡®Could it be that there are no other Runecrafters of his level that could replace him if he messes up? If that¡¯s the case, I can see why he¡¯s being so carefree.¡¯ Dan hated this: the fact that Runecrafting had fallen so low in popularity and prestige. ¡®How can only two First Years be studying a Major? This is an anomaly.¡¯ Back in his day, at least thirty percent of the class still had an interest in Runecrafting and chose it as their Major in their First Years. Of course, about half of them would switch to Spellcasting or flunk out of the Academy by the time they reached the second year, but at least fifteen percent of students remained in the Course until graduation. ¡®But what do we have here? A mere four percent? That¡¯s absurdly low!¡¯ He clenched his fist, feeling his emotions get the better of him again. Ever since he reincarnated, he had been prone to a lot of impulsive emotions, and while his body tried exhibiting signs of anger, frustration, and happiness, among many others, his aged mind always kept everything under control. As such, even now, his expression remained stoic as he neared his destination. ¡®There¡¯s not much I can do about any of this as a student, and there¡¯s definitely nothing a First Year like me can accomplish at the moment.¡¯ He faced the reality of the matter very squarely. ¡®But¡­ that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ll ignore everything going on.¡¯ Dan simply had to bide his time and keep all of these things in mind. ¡®Right now, my primary occupation is acclimating to school and improving myself.¡¯ Reminding himself of this, he felt his anger dissipate. A refreshing feeling came over him, causing him to sigh a little. ¡®I¡¯ll do my best to assist the students who require my assistance and look out for any deviants that may cause any trouble. People like Lyla will prove very valuable in the Magus Community if she¡¯s groomed properly here, but there are some bad eggs who will only cause discord and regression if they aren¡¯t checked now.¡¯ From his experience, there were only two ways to handle such students. ¡®Reform or Expulsion.¡¯ Certain students only needed discipline and proper attention and they would turn out well¡ªeven contributing greatly to the Magus Community after graduation. Dan knew quite a few of them in his past life, even as classmates. All they required was guidance and they could be reformed. However, there were some students who were a bane to the Community¡ªpoisonous parasites that would only damage it if allowed to advance further. ¡®Some may say it¡¯s too early to judge what a person will be just from their young age, but¡­ I beg to differ.¡¯ From his experience as a student, an Instructor, and Head of Department, he could clearly say that this wasn¡¯t always the case. Some students were bad eggs that couldn¡¯t be reformed in the slightest. Of course, initial attempts could be made, but after seeing what kind of people they were¡­ the safest option for everyone would be to remove them. ¡®The only way to get rid of poison in a body is to expel it. Purging out toxic contents¡­ uprooting the weeds¡­ all of those are necessary in order to have a good system in place.¡¯ This applied not only to students but also Instructors. ¡®Our Runecrafting Instructor seems like he can still be reformed. I might take it upon myself to take him through that. But, there are certain people that can¡¯t be reasoned with. Whether Student or Instructor¡­ they exist in every generation. ¡®And I plan to purge them from this Academy¡ªif I can.¡¯ Dan¡¯s eyes shone with resolve as he arrived in front of the gate that served as the entrance to the Martial Arts Grounds. All of this was for the sake of the Magus Community, as well as the world at large. ¡°Looks like I was so deep in thought that the journey just went by in the blink of an eye.¡± He said to himself, noticing the gate and tall walls that circled the inner compound. From where he stood outside, he couldn¡¯t see anything happening inside, but he could already feel tension coursing through him as his hand neared the gate¡¯s handle. ¡®My next course is Basic Martial Arts Training¡­¡¯ As expected, he was nervous. The place stood at the edge of the First Year¡¯s domain, which likely meant that seniors also used the same compound for their advanced Martial Arts Courses. ¡®I suppose it makes sense that we¡¯ll be sharing space with them. Even now, it seems Martial Arts isn¡¯t widely acclaimed in the Magus Community.¡¯ A wry smile formed on his face. During his time as a student, and even an Instructor, there wasn¡¯t even a building allocated to the course. It was a relatively new one, and it took place outdoors. This discouraged a lot of students from checking it out early, himself included. ¡®I ended up regretting it later in life, since I had to go over the basics when I was already much older.¡¯ He sighed. ¡®But, well¡­ here I am correcting that mistake!¡¯ He opened the gate and entered the vast compound. ¡®Ohhh!¡¯ His eyes widened as he looked at what greeted him as soon as he stepped in. There was one central building at the furthest end of the compound¡ªlike a dojo for learning Martial Arts. It wasn¡¯t very tall, so you couldn¡¯t see it from outside, but it was very wide. However, even aside from the building, the compound itself was very vast. As he entered, he felt the slight crunch of sand beneath his feet. ¡®It¡¯s like a very big sandbox.¡¯ He marveled. ¡®Compared to my past life, this is a huge impro¡ª¡± ¡°Oi, out of my way!¡± A voice suddenly echoed behind him. It was very loud, having a mix of aggression and panic, which made Dan¡¯s reaction that of slight annoyance. ¡®What a rude tone¡­¡¯ He turned to look at the person who spoke, but found two rather interesting things about them. Firstly¡­ it was a girl¡ªwith short red hair that floated as she approached him. Secondly, well, she was running towards him at breakneck speed. With the rate at which she was speeding, a head-on collision was inevitable. ¡®What the he¡ª!¡¯ Chapter 10: How To Make Friends Britta was late for class. She had overslept, since she wasn¡¯t used to the kind of comfortable bed that the Academy provided for its students. At first, she wanted to just sleep on the ground, since she feared something like this would happen, but decided against it since she was now a prestigious student and wanted to act like one. ¡®Look where that got me!¡¯ She cried to herself as she raced to class¡ªprobably breaking an academic regulation or two on her way to the Martial Arts Ground. She didn¡¯t know the location, and she couldn¡¯t read, so she was stuck checking around the Year 1 section of the Academy until she was left with the last¡ªthe one that stood at the edge. ¡®This has to be the one!¡¯ She had told herself upon spotting it and began running towards it at full speed. There was no way she would be tardy on her first day! By the time she neared the gate, she noticed a student standing in her way. She couldn¡¯t see him well, since she was running at full speed, but he seemed like a twig that would break if they ended up colliding. ¡°Oi, out of my way!¡± She screamed at the top of her lungs, her tone panicky as her eyes widened in fear. She now understood the reason why it was forbidden to run past a certain speed on academic grounds. If she ended up running into this boy and severely injuring him, what would become of her stay in the Academy? Was she going to get expelled? Would she have to return to her hometown after they had contributed all they had to make sure she had an education and brought pride to the community? How was she going to face everyone? In the brief moment that existed before impact, Britta thought about all of this. She was scared¡ªfor the boy and herself. ¡®Damnit! I couldn¡¯t even last a week¡­!¡¯ As her school life flashed before her eyes, she braced for impact. ~FSHUU~ She suddenly felt her body¡¯s speed dissipate, and then she moved in a swirl, releasing the rest of her pent-up force. Suddenly, she felt dizzy and lost control¡ªslipping as she felt an imbalance that disturbed her body¡¯s sense of equilibrium. However, before she could fall to the ground, two hands held her on her shoulders and pulled her back up. ¡®H-huh¡­? What just happened?¡¯ Britta wondered to herself, as confused as she was surprised. ¡®D-did I¡­ am I going to be¡ª?¡¯ ¡°Are you okay¡­?¡± A soft and calm voice echoed in the air, forcing her to open her light brown eyes and see how much damage she must have caused. She didn¡¯t feel any impact, but what if the boy she collided with was just so fragile that her body didn¡¯t register it as an object of resistance? What if he had been no different from air and she ended up turning him into splatters of blood and meat? ¡°I-I¡­ what have I done¡­ eh?¡± She looked around her and found none of the damage that she should have caused. ¡°Where¡¯s the meat and blood?¡± ¡°The what?¡± The boy before her asked, his brows raised as he looked at her like she was crazy. ¡°A-ah! Sorry¡­ I¡­ wait¡­ were you the one I nearly¡ª¡± ¡°Yes.¡± His tone seemed to carry a bit of annoyance at this point. ¡°Yes, I am.¡± ¡°Sorry¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± He released her shoulders right as she got the full balance of her body back, dusting off his hands as if he had just touched dirt. ¡°Just be careful next time. Running on Academy Grounds is against the rules, so you should¡ª¡± ¡°Sorry! Gotta go! I¡¯m late!¡± Before the boy was done, Britta darted off once again. Despite how grateful she was that some miracle occurred and she didn¡¯t end up causing any damage, she still couldn¡¯t afford to express said gratitude. Lateness was not something condoned in the discipline of Martial Arts, and she knew that too well. ¡°H-hey!¡± She could hear the student behind her yell out in annoyance, but she swiftly waved apologetically, not having the time to even look back. ¡°Sorry¡­ thanks! I¡¯ll make it up to you later, I promise!¡± And with that, she was long gone. **************** ¡°That girl¡­ she¡¯s still running so fast.¡± Dan muttered to himself, frowning slightly. ¡®Even after I told her the rules¡­¡¯ His inner Instructor manifested a little, and a desire to give her an earful came over him, but he quickly let those emotions die down. If he had the authority of a lecturer, then perhaps such a thing could be effective, but student dynamics were different. If he came on too hard on her, it could feel like he was being incredibly rude or overbearing. ¡®And that isn¡¯t very good for socializing.¡¯ He sighed to himself. ¡®If I want to correct students my age, I have to be very diplomatic about it.¡¯This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. He resumed his walk, going over the strange encounter he just had with the very peculiar student. ¡®A freckled face, hard skin, short and rough red hair, well-developed muscles, and a crass manner of speech¡­ she must be a commoner.¡¯ Dan instantly analyzed everything he knew about the girl he met. Not just a commoner, but a rather impoverished one. By touching her shoulders, he was also able to figure out just how well-built her muscles were, and he knew she was well-ahead of any student her age when it came to physical form. ¡®Could she be a Martial Artist? Maybe she just has a strong physique and has an interest in it. In either case, it wouldn''t hurt to befriend her.¡¯ He smiled. ¡®Since we got off on a rough start, and she is sort of indebted to me for not reporting her and preventing her from making a big accident, I should have an advantage here¡­¡¯ The girl also said that she owed him one, which was a good sign. ¡®If I get closer to Lyla from Runecrafting and this new one from Martial Arts, then I only need one more from Spellcasting to complete a basic circle of friends.¡¯ By friendship, Dan didn¡¯t mean anything superficial or deeply emotional. He wasn¡¯t sure he could think like people his age, so he couldn¡¯t naturally form the bonds that others would inevitably have to. However, since he understood the importance of camaraderie, he still needed friends. As a result, he had to approach everything logically. ¡®You aren¡¯t supposed to use logic to make friends, since it¡¯s all about emotions and bonds, but¡­ everything thus far for me has been logical.¡¯ Approaching Lyla Raeven was the first, and he had calculated everything to suit his needs. ¡®From the way I approached her, to everything I said, which led to the both of us addressing each other on a first name basis¡­ I guided the conversation to reach the required outcome.¡¯ Dan noted to himself. ¡®It feels a bit underhanded, but after calculating the benefits that this will provide for the both of us¡­ I find it necessary.¡¯ If he didn¡¯t rely on his experience and simply left everything to chance, then wouldn¡¯t that be irresponsible of him? As someone who had lived a life of regret in the past, it was better to resort to methods that were within his power to achieve the best results. ¡®Even in the case of this new girl¡­¡¯ He thought to himself once again. ¡®I could have stepped out of the way by enhancing my body with Magia, or perhaps even pushed her back with a Common Spell¡­¡¯ Instead, he made sure to stop her in a way that ended up with her losing balance, and then he proceeded to help her and even asked how she was. All of these were ways to get on the good graces of people and make them consider him more approachable. ¡®Now the two girls feel like they owe me something¡­¡¯ He nodded. ¡®And by relying on that, doing them even more favors, they will become more interested in me and would also want to make themselves interesting to me.¡¯ By doing this dance¡ªwhether repeatedly or once¡ªit was possible to make someone a friend. ¡®For Lyla, I will continue helping her out in the basics of Runecrafting, so it¡¯s best not to correct the attitude of our Instructor until she and I have become friends due to her reliance on my help. She¡¯ll most likely want to help me out after receiving assistance from me, and she will also want to keep me close in case of any future need of help. This will create a desire for friendship, and since I also have that desire¡­ we will click.¡¯ As for this girl, he didn¡¯t know her enough, but he had a few ideas in mind. ¡®I can connect with her on the level of a commoner. Commoners are rare in the Academy, so I should be able to form some kind of connection with her. Then, by relying on what she owes me and amplifying the matter, she¡¯ll want to do something for me.¡¯ By allowing her to help him in some way, she could feel good about herself and consider themselves even. He could also request even more of her help, and since she would instinctively desire to feel good again, she would most likely help him if it was a small favor. By doing this repeatedly, they would naturally become close. ¡®But, since I desire to make it an equal relationship¡ªand not a one-sided kind¡ªI have to think of something of equal value that I can offer her.¡¯ Since she seemed like an impoverished commoner, there was very little doubt in Dan¡¯s mind that she couldn¡¯t read or write. Her words were unrefined, so it was clear that she only learned how to speak and nothing more. ¡®Most commoners fall under this category, which is why they don¡¯t attend Academies at all. She must have applied for some kind of waiver, which would have cost a lot of money for commoners¡­¡¯ Waivers allowed students to have special privileges in being accepted into the Academy. Of course, the privilege had to be reasonable and justified, so it couldn¡¯t be abused by anyone with enough money to afford it. ¡®Her waiver must have allowed her to skip the written exams. That means she was only judged on Runecrafting and Spellcasting. I fairly remember her being ranked quite low in the class, which means she isn¡¯t exceptional in those two either.¡¯ Dan reasoned. ¡®Though, I suppose for a commoner¡­ she should be considered incredibly talented.¡¯ Her small village probably saw her as a prodigy and spent all they had to make sure she could get the proper education and shine as a star in their community. Dan had seen this before, so he wouldn¡¯t be surprised if this was her situation. ¡®Most of these commoners still end up dropping out of the Academy regardless. Even if you pass the Exams with a waiver, as long as you can¡¯t read the many materials that surround the course you¡¯re taking, you won¡¯t be able to pass.¡¯ Many commoners assumed they could excel if they paid attention in class and practiced what they were taught, but the reality was completely different. ¡®Most of what you learn as a student is from independent research and assignments. The Academy¡¯s focus was teaching the students how to think¡­ not what to think. A lot of autonomy was given to Apprentices in a proper Magus Academy for this very reason.¡¯ Without being able to digest the many books that existed in the Academy, how could the commoners advance as potential Mages? It was impossible! Still, it wasn¡¯t like their case was hopeless. ¡®As long as you find someone who can help you with studying, then it¡¯s possible to pass¡­¡¯ Dan smiled as his thoughts came full circle. This was one of the reasons why friendship was so important. ¡®I was a commoner in my past life, so I know¡­ life as one in the Imperial Magus Academy of all places isn¡¯t an easy one. You need friends who can read out the words in a book for you and explain the basic concepts that you wouldn¡¯t have been exposed to since you didn¡¯t receive the basic education that others received.¡¯ However, even this¡ªas difficult and unfair as it was¡ªwas easier said than done. ¡®Where will you find such a friend?¡¯ He nearly chuckled at this point. ¡®Most students are too busy with their studies that they won¡¯t waste valuable time on teaching others¡­ at least without gaining something in exchange.¡¯ Plus, the same way most commoners were envious of nobles, most nobles looked down on commoners. Since most of the students came from some rich noble family or the other¡ªeven if they weren¡¯t from the 6 Noble Households¡ªit would be expected that a lot of classmates wouldn¡¯t help a commoner in need. ¡®That¡¯s where I come in, red-haired girl.¡¯ As he opened the door to enter the only building in the compound, his eyes shone with optimism. He could clearly see the path already. ¡®I¡¯ll help you out as you help me out¡­ and we¡¯ll become friends as well!¡¯ Chapter 11: Martial Arts Class ¡°You¡¯re late.¡± As Dan entered the dojo-looking building, he was instantly assailed with a very deep voice. He cast his gaze in the direction that it came from and his eyes met a goliath. The man appeared to be in his late thirties and was as huge as a giant¡ªabout three meters tall in height, with a very muscular body to accompany his tall stature. He wore simple training clothes: a black sleeveless top, with shorts that clung tightly to his body. He had a headband tied around his forehead, with bushy beards and a very rough-looking face. The best way to describe him would be that of a barbarian or ruffian. His eyes were kind, though. Despite how rough and grumpy he seemed, his small eyes shone like little marbles as he stared at Dan, who remained calm despite the eyes that were on him. It wasn¡¯t just the Instructor that was present in the Hall, after all. ¡®A total of seven students from our class chose this as a Minor, huh? Not a bad number for a start.¡¯ Dan thought to himself as he observed the students that all stood before the teacher in a straight line. He even noticed the weird red-haired girl among them, since she was the tallest. ¡®She looks nervous, and she¡¯s avoiding my gaze.¡¯ Dan felt a slight smile tug at his lips, but he forced it away, not wanting to appear impudent before his new Instructor. The reason he felt amused was due to the current situation that he was in and an opportunity that presented itself before him. ¡®I was already planning on coming late, so there was no need to rush. However, the girl who nearly knocked me down thinks it¡¯s her fault that I was late.¡¯ His thoughts flowed. ¡®That means I could choose to lay the blame on her or choose to take personal responsibility.¡¯ Of course, he wasn¡¯t going to do the former. This wasn¡¯t because he felt it was cowardly to assign blame or responsibility to another person. If the situation demanded it, and if such a person was indeed in the wrong, Dan wasn¡¯t going to hesitate to call them out on it. However, not only was the girl not directly responsible for his tardiness, but he could also benefit from omitting the part she played in his lateness. ¡®She¡¯ll owe me yet another one.¡¯ He nodded to himself. ¡®That¡¯s not a bad thing.¡¯ ¡°I apologize for my lateness, Instructor. It was difficult locating this place, so I got confused and lost for a while before finding it.¡± ¡°Hmph! You had all day to prepare, so why didn¡¯t you start coming for classes sooner?¡± ¡°Forgive me, sir.¡± Dan bowed his head respectfully. ¡°I had Runecrafting lessons not too long ago, and our Instructor¡¯s words were so profound that it took me a while to fully sort out my thoughts before leaving the class.¡± ¡°Runecrafting? I did hear that a few students were offering that this year. Hmm¡­ you have Darwin as your Instructor, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, sir. You know him?¡± Dan smiled, glad to see that the conversation was successfully being led in the direction that he wanted. ¡°Know him? Pssh!¡± The Martial Arts Instructor quickly shrugged dismissively. ¡°You¡¯d do well to do a lot of personal research and cooperate with your coursemate if you want to pass that Course.¡± ¡°I will, sir!¡± ¡°And if you get lost or confused by anything in the Academy next time, you shouldn¡¯t hesitate to ask any of the Patrol Officers around. That¡¯s one of their uses anyway.¡± ¡°I will keep those words in mind, sir!¡± ¡°Also remember to read the Academy Encyclopedia and those scrolls that are in your room. All of them are important and valuable. Understand?¡± ¡°Understood, sir!¡± ¡°Good! Now come join the rest of your coursemates in the line.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Dan scurried to join the line, a small smile on his face already. ¡®What a gentle giant he is.¡¯ His thoughts echoed within him. ¡®Despite his toughness and clear no-nonsense attitude, it¡¯s clear that he cares for his students.¡¯ While the main reason Dan arrived late was to see the reaction of his Instructor when it came to Darwin Levantis¡ªhis Runecrafting Instructor¡ªthe other reason was to observe the response his Instructor would give him for coming late. ¡®Not only did he chastise me minimally, but also gave me room to explain myself. After that, he gave me advice on how to improve and not make the same mistake again.¡¯ Dan felt his smile growing bigger. ¡®This is how an Instructor should be!¡¯ The massive man that stood before him, as well as his coursemates, was a shining example of the true essence of an Instructor.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡®The ability to discipline a student, listen to a student, and properly guide a student¡­¡¯ He felt relief in his heart. ¡®I¡¯m glad to see that this place still has Instructors like this man.¡¯ He was already looking forward to his Martial Arts classes, which was more than he could say for his Runecrafting Major. Dan found it incredibly ironic that his own specialty course turned out in such a way¡­ but he knew the sole cause. ¡®It¡¯s the Runecrafting Instructor. That man¡­ isn¡¯t a good Instructor.¡¯ Dan sighed internally. From the reaction the Martial Arts Instructor made when the Darwin Levantis¡¯ name came up, and the counsel that he gave afterwards, it was obvious that Dan¡¯s suspicions about his nature wasn¡¯t wrong. ¡®Instructors usually frown at the idea of talking badly about colleagues. This is a workplace after all, and most of the staff try to set up a good name for themselves and the Academy. That means avoiding besmirching fellow staff and making sure everyone keeps up a good appearance.¡¯ The fact that the Martial Arts Instructor¡ªa man who didn¡¯t seem to be a bad or biased person¡ªshowed such an expression when Darwin Levantis came up made it clear just how bad the latter¡¯s reputation was. ¡®He also didn¡¯t directly say anything bad about him, which means he¡¯s still trying to protect his colleague¡¯s image. That makes what I have learned more reliable.¡¯ Dan concluded. If the Martial Arts instructor had run his mouth and spoken particularly poorly about his colleague in front of all the students present, Dan would have lost some respect for him and would have even questioned the validity of the information he was receiving. After all, envy and ill will wasn¡¯t uncommon in a workplace. It was possible that a fellow staff member would want to sabotage another. It wasn¡¯t an ideal practice for Instructors, but it still happened on occasion. ¡®But, with this brief interaction, I can tell that this Instructor has no ill will towards Darwin, but also doesn¡¯t approve of him.¡¯ Dan kept his expression stable at this point. ¡®And now that I know of his current position in the system, it won¡¯t be difficult to shake things up for him to make sure he does better.¡¯ And¡­ if he failed to improve, Dan would to take the more extreme measure. ¡°Welcome to Basic Martial Arts Training. My name is Beck, and I¡¯ll be your Instructor for this Course.¡± ¡°A pleasure to meet you, Instructor Beck!¡± Everyone yelled out, almost all at once. ¡°Sheesh! Tone it down a little.¡± He responded, rubbing his head a little as he responded with a suppressed smile. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so loud in greetings. A popular misconception about Martial Arts is that it is always brazen and loud, lacking sophistication¡­ but that isn¡¯t true.¡± Silence wafted in the air as he said this. ¡°However, Martial Arts actually values modesty. It is an art that is complex, built upon the foundation of discipline and silence. Martial Artists often train in seclusion for several years, only revealing their strength when necessity calls for it. So remember, students¡­ loudness isn¡¯t considered a value in this place. Instead, always strive to be solemn and cultured in your pursuits.¡± He smiled at everyone, his small eyes glittering as he did so. ¡°Is that understood?¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Dan joined everyone in saying this, his voice kept minimal in order to emulate the qualities he had just been taught by the man before him. ¡®I find it a little funny that he talks about sophistication when he looks so huge and wears tight shorts in a formal setting, but I suppose this is one of the cases where appearances can be deceiving.¡¯ He thought to himself. Unlike a lot of students his age, he knew enough about Martial Arts to understand why Instructor Baek chose such a fit for class. ¡®The practicality of the tight, but elastic shorts allow for free, unrestricted movements of the legs and all the joints¡ªalmost as if they¡¯re a part of one¡¯s body. The same could be applied to the sleeveless tops, since they do not restrict the shoulder or extend beyond it.¡¯ The reason the top wasn¡¯t tight like the shorts was that one¡¯s upper body had a lot more movement and strain when practicing Martial Arts, while the feet was usually rooted or had more straightforward patterns. ¡®As a result, a tight top will end up restricting some of the movements of a Martial Artist¡ªeven if it is elastic. The muscle movements wouldn¡¯t flow as much as they were supposed to, and that would reduce efficiency. ¡®The lower body would have suffered the same problem if the tight wear extended beyond the knees, but there¡¯s a reason why they are shorts instead.¡¯ All of this analysis in Dan¡¯s mind was for the sole purpose of arriving at the conclusion that his Instructor was indeed correct for choosing the kind of outfit he wore. ¡®His bushy beards have no practical use, though.¡¯ He silently added. ¡®He should shave them away.¡¯ ¡°In order for all of us to be familiar with one another, each of you will introduce yourselves.¡± Instructor Beck interrupted Dan¡¯s thoughts and continued. ¡°Let¡¯s start with the earliest to arrive¡­ you over there.¡± He pointed at the boy who stood at the far right of the line. Naturally, Dan turned to look at him. The student had a serious demeanor on his face¡ªone he had worn throughout the time Dan was in the dojo. He was also dressed in Martial Arts wear already¡ªthough his shorts were not tight, but loose. Based on the definition on his neck, arms, calves, and other visible parts of his body, it was clear that the boy was a Martial Artist. He also partially reeked of sweat, which meant he had been training prior to the start of class. ¡®What dedication¡­¡¯ Dan felt a small bead of sweat fall from his face. ¡°My name is Kai Kendou¡­ a pleasure to meet you.¡± ¡®Kendou? From the Kendou Family?¡¯ The name sparked memories in his head. ¡®They¡¯re the only Martial Arts Household that¡¯s recognized to be on the same level as the 6 Nobles in the Empire.¡¯ The Kendou Martial Arts School was popular in his time, so he understood the weight behind the boy¡¯s words. ¡®So he¡¯s on the same level as Lyla Raeven and the other two Nobles that registered in our year, huh? Looks like we have quite the interesting characters in our class.¡¯ Dan could not help but wonder why he didn¡¯t hear Kai¡¯s family name when he was being introduced in the General Assembly. The Academy Head only called out his name, and even now¡­ the expression of Instructor Beck was that of disapproval the moment Kai was done with his introduction. ¡°Kai¡­¡± He spoke in a low, disapproving tone. ¡°... You know the rules.¡± ¡°But I thought¡ª¡± ¡°....¡± A stern look from the Instructor was enough to break his stubbornness, after which he re-introduced himself without the family name. Everyone in the dojo remained calm and didn¡¯t show any sign of surprise by what just happened, which further raised Dan¡¯s curiosity. ¡®What in the world? Why was he made to hide his family name?¡¯ A family name was something that belonged exclusively to noble households. Anyone with one was regarded higher than a commoner, so it was only a given that it would be worn with pride by those that had it. Even commoner families who used to be nobles held onto their names. ¡®So why¡­?¡¯ There were a few reasons that flashed in Dan¡¯s mind, but he chose not to draw any conclusion at that moment. He could only remain curious. Chapter 12: Establishing Hierarchy In the Southern Empire, there exists a social hierarchy. First is the Imperial Family, headed by the Emperor who rules the land. After the Imperial Family are the 6 Noble Households, which are basically treated as royals and the foundational pillars that hold up the Empire. Naturally, these six households possess the highest caliber of Mages and hold vast influence in the Magus Community. They have existed for centuries, with three existing since the conception of the Empire nearly a thousand years ago. After the 6 Noble Households, the other noble families are the most influential in the Empire. Noble families usually have a monopoly on the economy, and it¡¯s impossible to rise to a high point in commerce without being a noble. That¡¯s why a lot of merchants save up money to buy noble titles, just so they can improve their business prospects. Even then, due to the considerable number of nobles, there exists competition among themselves. To have the edge, a lot of nobles curry favors or become affiliated with one of the 6 Noble Households, which creates its own complications within the Empire. However, there exists one family that rose in status to even rival the 6 Noble Households without relying on their power or authority. Just pure merit. That is the Kendou Family, and with their Martial Arts and incredible contribution to the Empire¡­ they became recognized as a force equal in rank to the 6 Noble Households. The only reason they weren¡¯t officially a part of them was due to their lack of proper Mage Arts. Everyone knew the qualifications for a Noble Household was to possess an Archmage and at least three Grand Mages. However, since the Kendou Family was comprised of Martial Artists who weren¡¯t that highly versed in Mage Arts, they couldn¡¯t qualify. Still, their authority and recognition did not fall behind the 6 Nobles. ¡®So¡­ what could have happened?¡¯ Dan asked himself, his mind still stuck on Kai and his introduction as the other students introduced themselves. He heard all familiar names from his coursemates, but none of them really stuck out to him. ¡®Most of them will probably quit this Martial Arts after a while anyway.¡¯ He told himself, and this was due to what his experience had shown him. Even though he made sure to memorize the names and faces of all his classmates, he recognized that not all of them would be essential to his own growth or the advancement of their class as a whole. Some would drop out, while others would have to be polished so they could keep up. ¡®Not everyone achieves success¡­ and the same principles apply here.¡¯ Martial Arts was about discipline, so the students who couldn¡¯t keep up would have to drop out. The pain and effort required to excel in this field wasn¡¯t one that just anyone could give. ¡®Still, the rewards are worth it.¡¯ Dan smiled. It was unfortunate that a lot of people didn¡¯t recognize this, but he wasn¡¯t going to let their ignorance shackle his progress. ¡°My name is Britta! Nice to meet everyone here!¡± The red-haired girl beside him finally introduced herself, her voice loudly echoing in the hall. It was like she had forgotten about their Instructor¡¯s admonition regarding modesty in Martial Arts. Dan glanced at Instructor Beck and realized his expression was unchanged. ¡®I see¡­¡¯ He smiled and nodded in acknowledgement. ¡®So he¡¯s also patient enough to understand that not every student will be able to follow his instruction immediately.¡¯ Once more, his respect for the Martial Arts Instructor deepened. ¡°My name is Dan Nilrem. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet everyone here.¡± He introduced himself normally, glancing at Britta¡ªwho had now realized her mistake and covered her lips. He was tempted to chuckle, but he suppressed the desire. ¡°Great! I have memorized all of your names. However, for the purpose of order and efficiency, I will be assigning numbers to everyone present. As such, whenever we are in class like this, I will call you by your number. Understood?¡± ¡°Yes sir!¡± ¡®Did he really remember our names?¡¯ Dan somehow felt doubtful. ¡®Isn¡¯t he doing this just for convenience sake?¡¯ ¡°Kai is Number 1, Jake is Number 2¡­¡± He assigned numbers based on the order of introduction. ¡°... And Dan Nilrem is Number 7.¡± Dan noticed two things after the numbers were assigned. ¡®It looks like he actually remembered all our names¡­¡¯ A wry smile formed on his face as his doubts regarding his Instructor¡¯s competence was dispelled. The gigantic man even made a proud smile, as if already aware that some students would have doubted his recollection. Then, there was the second thing he noticed. ¡®Everyone here¡­ aside from Kai¡­ is a commoner.¡¯ No one had family names except for himself and the former.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Even those with family names didn¡¯t seem that relevant. ¡®Kai isn¡¯t allowed to use the Kendou name, and my Nilrem family name is as good as garbage.¡¯ He thought to himself. ¡®So, functionally speaking¡­ we are all commoners.¡¯ Why was no noble taking this course? Dan already knew the answer to that, and it involved the public perception of everyone regarding Martial Arts and Mage Arts. Mage Arts were regarded as more sophisticated and complex¡ªsomething worthy of dedicating one¡¯s life to and attending an Academy for. As a result, Magus Academies held more prestige than Martial Arts Schools. Only true Martial Artists understood the importance and relevance of Martial Arts. ¡®The problem is that most Martial Art Techniques are kept hidden from the general populace and are only passed down to direct disciples. The more powerful the Technique is, the stricter the process is.¡¯ As a result, knowledge of Martial Arts was not as readily available as that of Mage Arts¡ªwhich fundamentally relied on sharing information in order to advance. ¡®Since Martial Arts is an individual disciple, rather than a collective one, there is no innate need to form a community and share knowledge. Sure, there exist Martial Arts exhibitions where skills are displayed, but core techniques are hidden and will only be taught to the inheritors of the techniques.¡¯ In the Magus Community, Spells and Runes were also hoarded in some cases. However, the system was designed in such a way that in order to gain recognition and advance in the society, one needed to share their research and contribute to the advancement of Mage Arts. It wasn¡¯t enough to simply be powerful or knowledgeable. ¡®In any case, since Martial Arts isn¡¯t very respected by Mages, which means the families of those Mages would rather choose something else than follow the path of Martial Arts¡ªespecially since it involves hard labor and a lot of physical exertion.¡¯ He concluded. For commoners, however, Martial Arts was a lot more appealing. ¡®A lot of Commoners can¡¯t read and write, so learning Mage Arts¡ªwhich is heavily based on research and intensive study¡ªis very difficult for them. Martial Arts is a lot more straightforward, and since most commoners have experienced hardship growing up, the hardship involved in learning it is considered a lot more bearable.¡¯ However, just because it was considered bearable didn¡¯t mean that was really the case. ¡®It¡¯s a lot more difficult and technical than a lot of people give it credit for, which is why most of the commoners that remain in the Academy still end up dropping Martial Arts in subsequent years.¡¯ Dan wasn¡¯t like those people, though. He had no intentions of backing out of what he started. ¡®My body isn¡¯t the best, but I¡¯ll make sure to train it and learn as much as I can about Martial Arts before graduating from this Academy.¡¯ ¡°Now¡­ here¡¯s what we are going to do!¡± Instructor Baek¡¯s words echoed in Dan¡¯s ears, waking him up from his inner thoughts. ¡°You¡¯re all going to spar with each other¡ªright here and now.¡± A few students gasped or expressed surprise, but Dan remained calm. He also noticed that Kai¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change, though Britta had a rather excited smile on her face. ¡°There are two reasons for this: one is for me to see how skilled and strong each one of you is, and the other is to establish a hierarchy amongst yourselves.¡± Just now, the Instructor had given them numbers arbitrarily, but he now wanted them to earn the numbers that they were given¡ªor higher ones if possible. ¡°In Martial Arts, power is everything. The power to protect yourself, your belongings, your friends, your family¡­ that power is what we strive for as Martial Artists.¡± He explained even further. ¡°As such, a hierarchy of power will be established in this class. You will have to call those with a higher number than you Senior and do whatever they tell you to do within the class¡ªas long as it is within reason.¡± Many students exclaimed at this, but a single glare from Instructor Beck caused them to mellow out very quickly. ¡°If you¡¯re so dissatisfied with answering to someone else, make sure you get Number 1 then!¡± ¡®Ohh¡­ I plan to do that.¡¯ Dan¡¯s eyes glimmered, and he noticed the eyes of Britta did the same as he glanced to his side. Some students seemed nervous, but for the most part¡­ they were excited. And why wouldn¡¯t they? Even if they couldn¡¯t all get first place, as long as they didn¡¯t get last place, they would still be called ¡°Senior¡± by at least one person, and would be able to boss that person around. This single allure of power gave many the much-needed motivation to fight. ¡®It¡¯s funny seeing how many people get giddy at the allure of having authority over others.¡¯ Dan mused. It was clear that the students were only interested in selfishly using their elevated positions of authority selfishly, merely basking in the fact that they had someone they could lord over in their social setting. Such was the nature of a lot of people: even the nobles that existed in the Empire. However¡ª ¡®These people miss the true essence of such power: it is meant to protect.¡¯ Even though the Martial Arts Instructor had just mentioned the meaning of power for a Martial Artist, many people didn¡¯t grasp the values he was trying to impart. ¡®He didn¡¯t mention using it against people, but for the sake of oneself and others¡­¡¯ Dan¡¯s respect for Instructor Beck deepened again. ¡®Those at the top should have enough power to remain there¡­ while doing their best to protect themselves and those under them.¡¯ As an Instructor in his past life, who rose to the position of Head of Department, he was able to realize this after years of experience. As such, Dan couldn¡¯t really blame these young ones for not realizing these things yet. ¡®Some may never grasp it, but I have hope that a good number of them will understand if they¡¯re shown the way.¡¯ It was a good thing they had such a competent Instructor. ¡®That said, I really should aim for the top. If I can be Number 1, I¡¯ll be able to gather allies a lot quicker and coordinate this class and ensure they all grow sufficiently.¡¯ He could also prevent any ¡®abuse¡¯ of power by the people below him. ¡®The Instructor did say we can only make reasonable demands from our juniors, so I doubt he¡¯d allow such abuse. Still, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to place myself in a position where I can make my own precautions.¡¯ Instructors were Instructors and students were students. These two weren¡¯t the same. As long as the Instructor didn¡¯t belong to the circle of students, there would always be places his regulations couldn¡¯t touch and his eyes couldn¡¯t see. That was why a responsible leader for the class needed to exist. ¡®I can be that leader¡­ though it won¡¯t be easy.¡¯ Dan told himself. ¡®There are two people here that pose the most challenge to me at the moment.¡¯ One was Britta and the other was Kai. ¡®I¡¯m not sure I can defeat them¡­¡¯ He could feel a bead of sweat form on his face. Still, he had to try. ¡®If I win, I can help everyone and myself¡­ and even if I lose, I¡¯ll still be able to secure a decent rank and gain their respect.¡¯ There was no loss in giving the match his all. Chapter 13: Martial Arts Combat ¡°The rules are simple! Do not use any special techniques or Magia. The last person standing gets Number 1, and the one standing before them gets second¡­ the list goes on.¡± In essence, this was a survival match¡ªone where the participants had to be concerned about conserving their stamina, while also dealing the most damage to their opponents so they could be defeated as quickly as possible. Since all seven of them were going to fight one another at the same time, there were a lot of opportunities as well as disadvantages involved. Everyone was prey¡­ but they were also equally the predators. ¡°Let¡¯s take this match outside.¡± Instructor Beck smiled at his students. ¡°But first, change into your Martial Arts robes.¡± ************* ¡®I see¡­¡¯ Dan thought to himself as he stepped out of the dojo in his Martial Art uniform. ¡®It feels quite comfortable.¡¯ Every student around him was also donning a similar wear¡ªsleeveless martial vests and shorts. The material was lightweight, but the quality told him that it was durable. They were also slightly baggy, allowing for ease of movement without restrictions. Dan looked in the direction of Kai¡ªthe current Number 1¡ªand smiled. ¡®It looks like I was right. He was here for training much earlier and already changed to his Martial Arts clothes.¡¯ That meant this guy took Martial Arts extremely seriously and was most likely very good at it. This much was to be expected from someone bearing Kendou name, so it wasn¡¯t very surprising to see. ¡®Still, the problem involves defeating him.¡¯ Dan sighed. ¡®How am I supposed to win?¡¯ Once the students reached the center of the vast compound, feeling the cool sand on their bare feet and the slight chill of the environment, they began to move their bodies and stretch their bodies in preparation for the inevitable. Dan also did the same, observing everyone around him. ¡®I have six opponents. Britta is the only girl in the group, and there are five males.¡¯ He allowed the thoughts to flow in his mind as he rationally estimated his chances against each of the students. ¡®They all have better bodies than me. As I suspected, the previous owner of this body was a bookworm who kept all his stocks on Mage Arts and never really focused on training his body physically.¡¯ Most commoners wouldn¡¯t keep journals that vividly explained their day and essential aspects of their lives, so Dan had always considered the previous owner of his body to be peculiar. Besides, he was grateful for the boy¡¯s meticulous nature when it came to documentation. ¡®The only reason I know what I know is because of him¡­¡¯ He smiled. ¡®In any case, it seems the match is about to begin.¡¯ As one would expect, Instructor Beck served as the referee and made sure everyone was at least two meters apart from the other. They were also in a circular formation, so everyone had a good idea of the position of the others, as well as the distance it would take to reach their targets. With this tactical formation established, the Martial Arts Instructor made sure to establish a considerable distance between himself and the group. Then¡ª ¡°You may now begin.¡± ¡ªThe match officially started. ~WHOOSH!~ Dan¡¯s first instinct was to take a leap backward, quickly distancing himself from the rest. ¡®I would normally take the initiative to attack, but there are two main reasons why that approach wouldn''t be the most optimal for me.¡¯ The clear reason was the tactical benefit it gave him regarding survival. ¡®If I extricate myself early enough and allow everyone to duke it out amongst themselves, I should be able to eliminate a few people without lifting a finger.¡¯ He told himself. ¡®This allows me to conserve my strength.¡¯ Since this was an endurance match above all else, the logic behind this method was sound. But¡­ it wasn¡¯t without its flaws. Dan recognized a particular figure approaching him despite leaping away, and he smiled instantly. He easily recognized an example of why his strategy wasn¡¯t perfect. ¡®I¡¯m already perceived as weak due to my relatively small build. Leaping away is another sign of weakness, and anyone who sees me doing this will probably think I¡¯m an easy target.¡¯ This had both positives and negatives. ¡®On one hand, it means I¡¯ll inevitably be targeted. However, since they¡¯re targeting me because of the presumption that I¡¯m weak, it¡¯s more likely that I¡¯ll be underestimated.¡¯ That was the cause of Dan¡¯s smile. Since it was inevitable that he would ultimately be attacked, wasn¡¯t it better he did so on his own terms? ¡®Then, there¡¯s the second reason for separating myself from everyone else.¡¯ He took a quick glance at the rest of the group and saw they were hard at work already. Britta rushed at Kai, and the other three were duking it among themselves while the last was charging at him with a wild grin. ¡®It¡¯s a mess out there, and if I remained there, I¡¯d probably have to deal with multiple opponents at once.¡¯ He reasoned. ¡®Fighting against two opponents is exponentially more difficult than fighting one.¡¯ In a lot of cases, it was even more dangerous than fighting against someone with a weapon. ¡®I would have to physically exert myself a lot more than necessary, and there¡¯s no guarantee of victory.¡¯ Dan wasn¡¯t one to take that chance. Rather than putting himself in such a dangerous and unpredictable situation, he allowed himself to create circumstances that were under his control. Thankfully, someone fell for the bait and was now rushing towards him. ¡®I believe his name is Jake. He¡¯s the current Number 2, and judging by his actions, he wants to maintain his rank.¡¯ A smile nearly crept up on his face, but he suppressed it.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. He didn¡¯t want to give his opponent the wrong¡ªor rather, right¡ªimpression of his predicament. ¡®Since Britta and Kai¡ªthe two strongest in the class¡ªare locked in a fight, and the other three students are in something of a three-way deadlock, this Jake fellow must have assumed that he could easily defeat me and allow the rest to take each other out¡ªor at least wear one another down.¡¯ By taking the easy kill, he wouldn¡¯t have expended so much energy, and he would be able to deal with the rest, who would have been worn out at that point. It wasn¡¯t bad thinking at all. ¡®But¡­ it¡¯s exactly what I wanted you to think when I leapt away and you pursued.¡¯ Now that he was in Dan¡¯s inescapable net, ready to deal the first blow, there was only one path waiting for him. ¡ªDefeat! ~WHUUM!~ The first palm strike, directed at Dan¡¯s lower jaw, was easily avoided because he could already see the trajectory while also understanding the intent of his adversary. ¡®He wants to take me out quickly, so it¡¯s only right for him to target a vulnerable location that¡¯s also easy to strike and within reach.¡¯ Once he could understand that, Dan was able to predict the angle that the attack would come from based on body movements. ¡°Tch!¡± The boy clicked his tongue and quickly retracted his palm so he could take a proper stance. Dan observed this and smiled internally. ¡®Good choice.¡¯ If the boy had leaned even the slightest bit closer, he would have been vulnerable to a swift and decisive attack from Dan due to his center of gravity being uneven. ¡®I could have easily knocked him down and proceeded to pummel him from above.¡¯ This was just one way to handle the matter, though, and Dan wasn¡¯t particularly upset at the missed opportunity since it wasn¡¯t an integral part of his plan. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you mind surrendering¡­¡± Jake asked with a big smirk. ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Good. Just struggle enough to make the fight last a little lon¡ª¡± ~WHOOSH!~ Dan took this chance and rushed towards Jake, something that the latter wasn¡¯t expecting in the slightest. ¡®As expected, he thought I would try to stall, which would cause the time to drag out longer for the other fighters.¡¯ The mask was down, and Dan was smiling already. ¡®By surprising him a with quick movement, he will get flustered¡­ allowing him to instinctively focus on defense or retreat.¡¯ Jake chose defense. He raised both hands and protected the part that Dan seemed to be targeting with his fist. But¡­ that was only a feint, and the real target was the opposite side. In a nimble motion filled with precision, Dan twisted in the air, using the force generated from his dash, as well as the swirl, to attack the boy¡¯s left rib. ¡°Gahh!¡± He instantly screamed out and fell to one knee, holding onto the position that was struck. ¡®Don¡¯t overreact. It¡¯s not like I broke it or anything¡­¡¯ Dan¡¯s thoughts trailed as he watched the agonized expression the boy was making. ~WHOOSH!~ His legs whipped upward, kicking the distracted face of his adversary in his right side of his lower jaw. That was more than enough to make sure the boy passed out, even while on his knees. In a light thud, he fell to the ground¡­ defeated. ¡°Huu! Looks like I won my first fight.¡± He could feel beads of sweat on his face, with strained breaths leaving his lungs. His heart was racing, and he could feel his legs especially aching. His body was really not athletic. ¡®How are the others faring?¡¯ Dan wondered to himself, turning to face the group of three that were duking it out. However, at that moment, he sensed something rapidly approaching his face and evaded it at the very last minute. He leaned back, allowing the fist that would have crushed his left cheek to pass right in front of him. With eyes still widened in surprise, and his body experiencing the recoil of such sudden movement, he tried his best to maintain composure. After all, a follow-up attack was underway. ~WHOOM!~ The boy who attacked, but missed, flailed his other first in order not to halt his momentum. However, since Dan already predicted this attack, he crouched and avoided the strike, while also whipping his legs across the ground to ground his opponent. ¡°Ack!¡± Just as he intended, due to the opponent¡¯s lack of balance, he fell to the ground. Dan quickly rolled to the side and rushed to his feet, trying his best to understand the situation as best he could. ¡®I see. So the other two are already down and he¡¯s the only one left.¡¯ He must have been going for a surprise attack, but Dan always made sure to remain on constant alert, so his tactic failed. ¡®If that initial blow of his had connected, I would have been knocked out¡­ or at least fallen to the ground.¡¯ At that point, it would be game over. ¡®I really need to improve this body.¡¯ He heaved as he watched the boy get up, also breathing heavily. ¡®It seems he¡¯s also exhausted from the fight he just had. I can¡¯t afford to let him recover.¡¯ Based on their physical abilities, it was clear who would recover quicker and what would happen once that happened. ~WHOOSH!~ Dan charged forward this time, taking the initiative away from his opponent. However, instead of the boy getting flustered like Jake did, he kept his feet rooted and took a stance in preparation. ¡®Did he watch my previous fight? No, I doubt it considering he must have been busy with his own fight¡­¡¯ Dan reasoned. ¡®He must just be a superior fighter to Jake.¡¯ That meant petty tricks wouldn¡¯t work on this one, and he would have to attack with actual skills. ¡®Here goes!¡¯ Once Dan reached the enemy, he sent a straight thrust towards his stomach, but the boy easily blocked it with his palm. That very instant, he attempted to twist Dan¡¯s hand¡ªand without hesitation at that¡ªbut the latter swiftly jumped to mid-air and twisted his body, following the rhythm of his opponent. He sent a kick to the boy¡¯s neck, which he blocked with his other hand. But¡ª ¡°Guh!¡± Due to the force exerted by Dan, the kick caused the boy to wince in pain and stagger a little to the side. ¡®He¡¯s off balance!¡¯ Noticing that his stance had been broken, and the boy had even let go of the hand that had been caught, Dan charged at him the moment he landed on the ground and went for a tackle. He dived headfirst and used his full weight and pushed the staggering boy to the sandy ground. ¡°Urgh! Get off me!¡± The boy tried to push Dan off, but the latter resorted to biting his hand the moment it got close to his face. ¡°Arghhh!¡± Dan ignored the boy¡¯s scream and sent his bladed palm straight to his throat. The attack on his larynx caused his screams to cease and his breathing to become temporarily clogged. ¡®Nothing permanent or anything, but I¡¯m a little desperate here.¡¯ Dan said to himself, tightly clenching his fist. ¡®Besides, the boy is also quite brutal, since he would have snapped my arm if I didn¡¯t make that quick move.¡¯ Since he knew who he was dealing with, he used force that was proportionate. That was fair. ~BAM!~ He hit him rapidly, and with sufficient blunt force that it caused the boy to fall unconscious nearly instantly. ¡°Haa¡­ haaa¡­¡± Dan rose to his feet once he was done with the boy, his body already feeling heavy at the defeat of his second opponent. ¡®Now then¡ª¡¯ ~THUD!~ A heavy thud rang in the field as Britta¡¯s body collapsed on the ground after being defeated by Kai. Dan promptly noticed this and looked in the boy¡¯s direction. ¡®There¡¯s not even a scratch on his body¡­¡¯ He marveled, taking a moment to glance at Britta¡¯s pummeled face and body. It appeared Kai didn¡¯t discriminate between men and women. Britta was the last to fall, adding her to the four that were already on the sandy ground. One quick glance around told him that everyone¡¯s body was accounted for. ¡®Looks like it¡¯s just me and you now¡­¡¯ Dan stared at Kai, noticing the boy¡¯s determined glare. ¡®It¡¯s clear that he won¡¯t be going easy on me.¡¯ That meant he also had to go all-out this time¡ªat least, as much as his body could let him. ¡°I have to win.¡± Chapter 14: A Bit Too Far ~WHOOSH!~ Kai did not delay at all, rushing towards Dan at full speed the moment their eyes met. In one or two seconds, he had already bridged the gap and was flinging his fist in a curved arc towards his target. The way the air vibrated as the back of his fist neared Dan showed just how intense the blow was. It was meant to knock him out cold the moment it connected. Fortunately, Dan had noticed the movements of his shoulders and made sure to avoid the hit just in time. ¡®Ah¡­!¡¯ The blow hardly grazed him, but he could feel a wave of nausea hit him that very moment. Before he could take another step back in retreat, though, a powerful kick pressed itself on his stomach, causing him to cough out saliva. ¡°Gahh!¡± Kai¡¯s first strike, despite seeming too powerful to be a feint, was a mere diversion. Using that strike to disorient Dan, also blocking his field of vision, he was able to prevent him from reading his next move. ¡ªThe straight kick. Pain instantly shot through Dan¡¯s body as he was launched away from his initial position and nearly crashed to the sandy floor on his back. Fortunately, he was able to recover in time, rolling quickly and regaining his sense of balance. ¡°Haa¡­¡± A misty breath leaked out of his lips as he exhaled, his body now crouched and still as he tried to recover his strength. Beads of sweat formed on his face, and even more heavy breaths proceeded from his mouth. ¡°Haa¡­ haa¡­!¡± Despite trying his best to suppress it, the burning pain on his stomach was too intense to ignore. This wasn¡¯t the worst pain he had felt in his whole life, but since he was in a weaker body, he felt every ounce of that agony. ¡®It seems the pain tolerance of this body is quite low¡­¡¯ Dan gnashed his teeth as veins popped out of his head. He had never felt as frustrated with his current body as he did at this point. ¡®Aren¡¯t commoners meant to have a pretty good physique and pain tolerance? I know this boy was allowed to pursue Mage Arts by his family, so his physical attributes shouldn¡¯t be too impressive. But¡­¡¯ He struggled to stand, his thoughts still flowing in his head. ¡®... I still expected a little more hardness.¡¯ Dan felt his vision blur for a moment, but swiftly recovered his sight by shaking his head. Once he blinked, Kai was no longer in his line of sight. ¡®Shit!¡¯ Dan instantly knew he had a split-second to decide the next step to take, and that was not enough time for his body to fully respond. ¡®Where will he attack from? Above? Below? Left? Right? Behind?¡¯ None of those mattered at this point. Without having superhuman senses or using some kind of Mage Arts, it was impossible to compete with Kai¡¯s level of speed. ¡®In that case¡­¡¯ Gnashing his teeth, Dan arrived at his conclusion. ¡®... It looks like I¡¯ll have to give up on this route.¡¯ Like a blur, Kai appeared right behind Dan and went straight for his legs. His legs swooped down, instantly causing the guarded boy to lose his footing and crash to the ground. ¡®Ack!¡¯ Once again, pain shot through his legs as he crumbled to the ground. Kai didn¡¯t waste any time after seeing that Dan crashed to the ground. He swiftly went to him, nearly assuming a dominant position over him¡ªthe same one that Dan had used against his previous opponent. However, unlike with Dan¡­ his attempt was unsuccessful. ¡°Arhhh!¡± The reason was quite simple: just as he was about to climb over Dan, a hidden weapon that the seemingly vulnerable boy had prepared completely blinded him. ¡°T-this is¡­ SAND?!¡± Kai yelled out loud, feeling the dirty grains in his mouth and all over his face¡ªparticularly in his eyes. ¡°Hehe!¡± A chuckle echoed in the air, followed by a solid kick to Kai¡¯s left kick, which sent him staggering away. ¡°You are correct!¡± Kai¡¯s triumphant voice echoed from his lips as he recovered from his fall by quickly rising and closing in on the disoriented boy. ¡°T-that¡¯s dirty!¡± ¡°Well, I already gave up on winning the normal way. That doesn¡¯t mean I can give up on winning, plain and simple.¡± Dan recognized that orthodox Martial Artists valued honor and fairness in a sight, so he wanted to adhere to those basic rules of combat as much as possible throughout the fight. However, Kai was too strong for him to stick with that code. If he didn¡¯t play dirty and use some dishonorable tactics, he was going to lose for sure. ¡®I¡¯m sorry, kid. This honestly brings me no pleasure¡­¡¯ He almost sighed. It wasn¡¯t like he desired to pick on a boy who was barely an adult. There was no ill-will between the two of them, and he seemed like a decent kid. However, this was a competition. And he wanted to win. ¡®I didn¡¯t know where he would attack from, so I had to guide his attacks as much as possible. By guarding my head and slightly loosening my stance, I invited him to go after my legs.¡¯ Thankfully, Kai didn¡¯t see past the trap and fell for it.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡®Then, I used the sand on the ground to blind him, allowing me to send a hit in while he was still confused and blinded.¡¯ Dan already knew this confusion would only last a few moments, and Kai wouldn¡¯t remain blind forever. That meant he had to take advantage of the fight as quickly as possible. ~WHOOSH!~ Rushing towards Kai, who was still trying to remove the sand from his eyes, Dan sent a straight punch to his target, which was promptly blocked. However, a powerful kick landed on his left cheek at nearly the same moment. The disoriented boy¡¯s face shifted to the side, but Dan corrected the imbalance by sending another blow to his right. This forcefully centered the boy¡¯s body¡ªenough for Dan to grab him by the neck and drag his head down. Then¡ª ~POW!~ His knee cleanly connected to the boy¡¯s chin, sending a loud noise through their immediate surroundings. ¡®Hopefully that¡¯s enough to¡ª¡¯ Before Dan could complete his thoughts, two arms wrapped themselves around him, completely locking him in place. ¡®Damn!¡¯ He stared hard at Kai, who was now glaring at him with a determined gaze. The boy¡¯s bloodshot eyes widened, revealing the tears that flowed and washed away most of the sand that blinded him. His lips curled up to form a violent grin, showing just how much suppressed rage was swirling within him. ¡°GOT YA!¡±. Against a lock that tight, there was no escape¡ªor so it seemed. Dan quickly loosened his muscles and squirmed his way out of the sweat-drenched training outfit that was loosely clinging on him. In one swift movement, he fell to the ground, leaving Kai with nothing but his smelly vest. ¡°W-wha¡ª?!¡± Before Kai could properly react, Dan put all of his energy in his fist and clenched it as tight as possible. This one strike would determine everything. ¡®He¡¯s wide open!¡¯ With a dangerous glint flashing in his eyes, Dan launched a blow to the most sensitive spot in a young boy¡¯s body. ¡®Forgive me¡­ kid.¡¯ ~POW!~ At that moment, Kai felt unimaginable pain assail his entire body, enough to paralyze him. ¡°Ahh¡­¡± He let out a slight moan, or was it a groan, and even more tears rushed from his bulging eyes. Such pain couldn¡¯t be described with mere words, but it felt like his crotch was on fire, and something within him had been shattered in a million pieces. This¡­ this was too cruel to be experienced by a young man like him. Kai crumbled to the ground that very moment, his muscular body making a light thud as he spasmed in the sand. ¡°Huuu¡­¡± Dan watched all of this and let out a soft exhale. He wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead and stared at his opponent in pity. ¡®Did I go too far in that attack? But¡­ if I put in less strength, there was a chance that he would have recovered, which would prove fatal for me.¡¯ In the end, he chose the logical route and made sure the boy suffered. He felt bad about it, but did he regret his actions? No! ¡®I had to win, no matter what. It¡¯s not only for my sake¡­ but theirs as well.¡¯ While it would be impossible for people like Kai to understand the value in what he had just done, there was no doubt that they would eventually come to appreciate everything. It was all for the greater good. As Dan was about to move away from Kai, he suddenly felt a strong grip on his leg. It was Kai¡¯s. ¡®Oh¡­?¡¯ Dan¡¯s eyes widened as he saw Kai struggle to move, holding onto Dan¡¯s leg while his eyes gleamed with resolve. ¡®It looks like he doesn¡¯t want to give up and accept his loss.¡¯ The fact that Instructor Beck was yet to declare the winner meant that Kai wasn¡¯t down yet. ¡®Since that¡¯s the case, then¡ª¡¯ ~POW!~ Without a single second of hesitation, Dan used his second leg to stomp on Kai¡¯s outstretched hand, hearing a slight crushing sound as he finished this action. ¡°Arghhh¡­!¡± Dan ignored the pained scream of the boy, using his dominant foot to kick Kai on his face, forcing him to roll over with his belly exposed. He let out a slight whimper, almost like a dog that had been badly wounded. Dan¡¯s face remained calm¡ªcold, even¡ªas he slowly approached the heavily breathing Kai, who didn¡¯t seem to have given up. He still had a defiant glare, and despite his body shivering from the pain, he was not screaming or making any pathetic noises. No¡­ he held it in. His face was turning red, and several veins formed all over his head and neck as he glared angrily at Kai. ¡®Such defiance¡­ such spirit¡­¡¯ Dan¡¯s eyes gleamed coldly as he looked at the poor boy. ¡®... It¡¯s such a shame to break it.¡¯ He stomped on Kai¡¯s belly, causing the boy to spit out saliva, tears leaking out of his eyes. Afterward, he sat on his stomach, clenching both fists as he readied himself for what Kai would have done to him if he didn¡¯t use the sand trick. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to talk once I begin, so just raise your hand if you surrender.¡± After Dan said this¡­ he commenced the beatdown. ~POW!~ ~WHAM!~ ~THUMP!~ Flesh slapped against flesh in a violent manner as Dan¡¯s fists landed on his victim¡¯s right and left cheeks, respectively. After one strike from his right fist, he would instantly use his left while winding up his right for another blow. He made no pauses, but continued to pummel down the opponent¡ªno hesitation, no mercy¡­ no regrets. It was just a one-sided slaughter, with Dan completely subjugating a much bigger foe. Kai was powerless. He was utterly limp, taking the blows until blood started to appear on both the cheeks and the fists that were hitting those cheeks. ¡®Ahh¡­¡¯ Dan¡¯s thoughts trailed. ¡®... This reminds me of old times.¡¯ As he felt the stinging sensations on his fists, he found himself drifting into the past; particularly the many fights he had experienced. Whether it was against the Blights, Martial Artists, or fellow Mages¡­ all he had to do was ensure he got into an advantageous position and overwhelm the opposition with simple, but consistent, attacks. ¡®That always does it.¡¯ No matter how strong something was¡­ it had a breaking point. The same thing applied to humans as well. ¡°¡ªan¡­!¡± All he had to do was keep striking and striking until said breaking point was reached. ¡°Da¡ª!¡± Faraway voices seemed to echo in his ears, but Dan¡¯s immense concentration on the task at hand blurred all of those away. He just kept striking¡­ and striking. Until¡ª ¡°DAN, THAT¡¯S ENOUGH!¡± Both of his hands were gripped very tightly, stopping him from making any more attacks or winded motion. Based on the grip alone¡ªthe firmness and hardness that could be felt from it¡ªDan could tell the hands belonged to his Instructor. ¡°Did¡­ I win already?¡± He asked, raising his head to see the face of Instructor Beck. What he saw instantly broke him out of his immersion. Instructor Beck¡¯s face showed concern¡ªnot towards Dan, whose fists were now bloodied, but towards the unconscious boy whose face was an absolute mess. Dan traced the gaze of Instructor Beck and saw the current state that Kai was in ¡­ The state he put him in. He couldn¡¯t bear to look at what he had done to such a young boy, but the moment he looked away, his eyes met the surrounding gazes of his classmates¡ªall of whom were now awake. The constant noise of Dan¡¯s fists had woken them up. All of them stared at him in horror¡­ and they looked at Kai with pity. ¡°Ahh¡­¡± Dan¡¯s voice weakly echoed as he slowly rose to his fist after Instructor Beck freed both of his hands. No one needed to tell him already. He had won.