I went home after visiting Ash. Later, I received a call from Henry asking me what academy I would attend. While I was thinking about what kind of academy to choose, Henry suggested that it would be better if I attended Chasin Academy.
He told me to prepare immediately and that I should attend tomorrow. He also said I had nothing to worry about if I went to Chasin Academy.
In the morning, Henry picked me up and drove me there. He reassured me that I didn't need to worry about the entry qualifications. However, he warned me that it was better to avoid the big, influential families while I was inside Chasin Academy.
When we arrived, I was amazed by how massive the front gate was. I saw how long the walking path was, and just looking at it made me feel tired. The size of Chasin Academy was almost the same size as an entire city.
"Welcome to Chasin Academy. I appreciate that all of you are going to attend this academy," an instructor announced once everyone had arrived. "Everyone, get on the bus."
I never expected that simply coming here would be this exhausting. The campus bus took a long time just to reach our destination.
"Everyone, please gather at the center plaza and meet the principal of the academy," a guide directed.
A sea of people gathered at the center of Chasin Academy, making the surrounding area incredibly crowded.
"Everyone please be quiet, and again, I welcome all of you to Chasin Academy..."
After a brief speech by the assistant principal, the principal came forward to speak in front of all the students, introducing the elite seniors who were going to graduate soon.
"The academy is really too big," I muttered to myself. "It's so tiring to walk around. At this rate, I'm going to collapse if I don't reach the registration area soon."
When we finally arrived at the registration area, many people were testing their skills and checking their classes. Once they did, they went through to the class selection phase. The selection classes had different categories similar to the classes and jobs they had in their system interfaces. The classes included Assassin, Fighter, Tank, Mage, Support, Tamer, Alchemist, Marksman, and others.
"You are Lucas Ferios, right?" a staff member asked, looking up from a terminal.
"Yes."
"Henry told me that you don't have a Class because of your exclusive skill, correct?"
"Yeah, it's restricting me from obtaining a normal class."
"It's better not to tell this to anyone; keep it a secret," the staff member advised quietly. "Henry told me that you can choose any class curriculum you want to attend. So, what will you choose?"
Henry had clearly pulled some strings for me. But regarding my lack of a class, should I really trust this staff member? After a moment of thought, I figured Mage would be the safest bet for my current build.
"Then I'll choose the mage class," I replied.
"Alright, wait for a moment. I'm going to register you in the Mage class."
It felt strange that I was the one actively choosing a class curriculum instead of the system letting me decide based on an official class awakening.
"Here's your student ID," the staff member said, handing over a card. "And if you want to exchange your funds for academy points, you should go to the West district. You'll find the exchange center there."
I headed directly to the exchange point. Instead of using normal Quor in this place, it seemed they enforced strict rules regarding academy currency. After I exchanged my coins for points, the clerk explained how to use them. I could use them to buy anything I wanted, rent a dorm or a villa, and earn more points from hunting monsters, completing academy quests, and fighting in the arena.
I waited for the campus subway to go to the South district, where the dorms and villas resided. Since the only thing I could afford to rent right now was a basic dorm, I headed there. The housing options clearly had different tier levels.
"It's so tiring after a whole day of this. I'm starving," I grumbled, entering my new room.
I looked inside the fridge, but it was completely empty. I checked the cabinet and found ten packages of cup noodles. It was enough to fill my stomach for now, but I thought to myself that I should definitely visit the market next time.
After I ate, I called Henry to ask why he went to such lengths to have me attend. Henry told me he had noticed that after I revived Ash, I became significantly weaker. Instead of paying me back directly with standard currency, he decided to invest in my future by helping me enter the academy.
Ugh. My body felt incredibly stiff. The dorm bed was too old and uncomfortable. It made me realize I better earn a lot of points quickly to upgrade my living situation.
The next morning, I took the subway to the East district, since the school buildings were located there.
The academy grounds were split into five main zones: first, the North entrance; second, the East school district; third, the South dorms and villas; fourth, the West marketplace; and lastly, the Center arena, where battles happened to earn points, ranking positions, skills, and honor.
When I arrived at the East district, crowds of students were pouring in. This place felt completely different from a normal school outside the academy walls. The classes were strictly divided into specific rooms and didn't mix up. Since I chose the Mage course, I figured I'd better find my classroom sooner rather than later.
"The building is massive. It's so tiring just trying to locate this room," I muttered, sliding the door open.
Suddenly, the professor entered, and the chatter among the students went silent in an instant.
"Hmm, looks like a lot of aspiring mage students are here, huh?" the professor noted, scanning the room. "Alright, I'm going to introduce myself. My name is Jonathan Gards, and my class is Mage, just like all of you. Alright, students, everyone should introduce themselves, state their level, and share what they want to achieve here."
One by one, my classmates introduced themselves. To my surprise, almost all of their levels were above 20. When my turn came, I stood up.
"I'm Lucas Ferios, and I'm level 10," I lied, keeping my actual power hidden. "I just leveled up two weeks ago before coming here. The reason I'm here is to increase my skill level and expand my knowledge about this world."
All my classmates turned to stare at me, erupting into laughter at my low level and simple response.
"Hmm, that's a pretty interesting reason, Mr. Ferios," Professor Gards cut in, silencing the laughter. "It's certainly better than everyone else who always just wants to be in the spotlight."
The students became dead silent again in an instant.
From there, the professor began discussing the nature of the Mage class and its core capabilities. He emphasized that the most critical priorities for a mage were mana capacity, damage output, accuracy, spell control, casting speed, and base intelligence stats. After the lecture, he instructed us to follow him to the training area to test our current skills.
"Students, you need to follow my instructions carefully. Those who break my rules are entirely free to leave this academy and find a new one," the professor warned. It seemed none of the students wanted to risk breaking his rules. "The rules are simple: you do not hurt other students, and you do not look down on them. Now, I'm going to demonstrate the qualifications required to pass this initial assessment."
He stepped up to the terminal. "First, your skill damage must be above 300. Second, your projectile speed must reach at least 10 meters per second, since the target distance is exactly 50 meters away from you. Third, you cannot use more than one skill invocation to achieve this. Get it, everyone?"
After the professor finished outlining the parameters, the practical test began. Most of my classmates failed to hit the moving targets based on the strict speed and damage requirements.
"Ahh, it's my turn now," I muttered as my name was called. My [Fireball] skill was currently stuck at F-rank since I rarely used it due to my previous lack of mana capacity. Thankfully, before we parted, Henry had given me a necklace artifact that increased my maximum mana by 50 points.
I needed to focus. I gathered the energy into my hand, chanted the incantation for the spell, and released it toward the target.
Damage: 301
Speed: 9.9 m/s
Cast Count: 1
"Although you barely passed the damage threshold, your projectile speed clocked in at 9.9 meters per second," Professor Gards observed, reviewing the terminal data. "However, I should consider that a pass, Mr. Ferios."
Those who failed to meet the baseline requirements were dismissed from the training area and sent back to the main building, while those of us who passed were awarded initial academy points.
We returned to our room, and the professor continued the lecture, transitioning into a discussion about the history of the world and how the system first began.