The following day, many students gathered on the bridge with their packed bags. First-year students were moving into the dorms. Naturally, I had the most trouble with bringing too much stuff, and leaving was pretty emotional for my mother. She had insisted on packing everything, thinking I'd need it all for my academy life.
"Don't forget this, honey. You might need this too! Can't forget winter clothes and your brush!" She went on and on.
The two guards stood at the gate as usual, watching the swarm of students trying to get past. "Wait your turn and let me see some identification!" one of the guards grumbled, trying to identify as many students as he could. I struggled through the crowd and greeted the two guards.
"Hey, Harv, Jackie." I'd learned their names when I got lost in the academy building the other day.
"Hey, Chloe, go on ahead," Harv waved me through. It's nice to get a little benefit just from being friendly.
I paused and asked, "Do you know where UN-4 is?"
"Oh yeah, the unique dorms are near the nobles to the right. The buildings with fewer people."
"Thanks," I replied, a little confused. Unique dorms? I'm just a regular commoner. But I wasn't going to complain—it probably meant better living conditions than the commoner dorms.
Other students shot me jealous glares as I walked by without showing identification. "What the hell! Completely unfair!" One tried to follow my lead, but Harv stopped him.
Harv loomed over the student, his voice deep and intimidating. "Got some ID, kid?" And that was the last anyone heard from that student.
The Citadel was bustling more than ever. Students crowded every corner, making the place feel alive and chaotic. The Citadel is divided into four sections: dorms, shops, barracks, and training grounds. The dorms were the closest to the campus, nestled just below it. They were divided into three classes: nobles, commoners, and the unique dorms, which I knew nothing about. All I needed to do was find mine, but there was so much to see!
The shops caught my attention, but I remembered I needed to check in first. "No, no, dorm first, then sightseeing. Maybe I can go with Lilia later."
As Harv had said, the building was nice and clean, but it felt empty—almost abandoned. I headed for the stairs, my dorm somewhere on the upper floors. A few upperclassmen glared at me as I passed, so I kept my eyes forward, avoiding eye contact. At least now I wasn't the only one.
I found my room—one of the upper rooms in the "UN-4" dorm. The nameplate next to the door confirmed it. I checked the key just to be sure. "Correct."
Inside, the room was spacious, complete with a bathroom, balcony, and a beautiful view of the lake that surrounded the academy. "I even get my own room?!" I unpacked all my essentials, leaving them on the bed to organize later.
Curious about my neighbors, I knocked on the door next to mine.
"Knock knock."
"Lilia?!"
The door opened, and I was surprised to see her. "Well, this is a surprise! I didn't expect you to be here."
We settled into her room, which was, as expected, unique. With vines and small saplings, her room looked almost like a jungle—a perfect fit for someone who specialized in spirit arts. "As someone who lives in the unique dorms, you can customize your room however you like. No consequences," she explained.
That was a tempting idea. I wondered how I should decorate my own room, but that was something for future me to worry about.
"Have you met anyone else?" I asked.
"I've met Alkaline, the guy next to me. A bit much, though. He talks a lot."
We chatted a bit more before heading out. I decided to meet my other neighbors, knocking a few more times. No response from the first door I tried. Curious, I reached for the doorknob.
"It's open!" I heard from inside.
I stepped inside, finding the room to be fairly basic—probably just a recent move-in, like mine. But there was something off about it. An ominous feeling crept over me.
『Forced activation: Perfect Vision』
This time, when I activated my special sight, the pupils of my eyes shifted to a star-like purple symbol. Suddenly, everything became clear. A trail of shadowy particles led to a drawer. My hand instinctively reached for it, and I gasped. A bloodstained diary lay inside.
"Lycos."
My heart raced.
『Forced change: partial activation』
I reached for the diary, but an intense, familiar presence washed over me, like a heavy weight.
"It's not nice to go into someone else's room without permission."
I turned around slowly, my stomach dropping. The vibrant black-haired student from the other day stood there. How hadn't I noticed him before? His eyes were black too, and a fresh scar marred his cheek.
An awkward silence hung between us, and I decided to break it. "Hi, I don't think I formally introduced myself. I'm Chloe Valastine. Nice to meet you."
He didn't respond right away. I pushed the drawer closed behind me, hoping he didn't notice.
"...Lycos," he finally said, his voice low.
"Well, if there's no problem, I'll be going," I stammered, backing away.
"Wait..." His voice stopped me, and before I could react, he was right in front of me.
I froze. His face was so close to mine that my cheeks turned bright red.
"Do you have something in your eye? You should probably get that checked out."
"N-noted!" I quickly scrambled out of the room, heart racing. That was the most intense encounter I'd had in a long time.
Once in my room, I sat on the bed, catching my breath. Something was off about him. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I needed to stay wary.
Later, morning arrived, and I slept soundly for a while until—
"Knock knock!"
"Ugh–" I groggily got up, and the knocking continued. "I'M COMING, SHUT THE—"
"–KNOCK KNOCK."
I opened the door to find Lilia, her face flushed. I paused, then realized I was still in my undergarments.
–SLAM!
I quickly changed into my uniform, my face bright red. "I don't want to talk about it."
"Hehe, lucky it wasn't a boy. Imagine if it were me instead of you."
"Arena?" I asked, embarrassed.
"Yep, today's the joint training examination for the newcomers. We'll be up against second years to test our strength."
The arena was packed with first- and second-year students, all gathered for the examination. Lilia and I found seats at the front so we could see all the action. I grinned, my eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Violent as ever, Chloe," Lilia teased.
First up was none other than the blonde-haired hero, Retsu, whose talent with a sword captivated most of the students. He defeated the second-year student he was up against with ease, striking a pose and charming the girls. To me, though, he was just another playboy.
"Ugh, what a playboy, right, Lilia?"
I could tell that Lilia was also charmed by the hero.
『Forced partial activation: Perfect Vision』
Hero Retsu tried to put me under a spell, but fortunately, it was blocked due to Perfect Vision.
(She remains unaware of this.)
The hero looked up at the seats, then glanced directly at me and gave me a short smile before walking off the arena. It disgusted me. I didn't feel so good.
The so-called prodigies of the first years. Aria blazed down her light magic—a rare element, not many possess it. Selina didn't show up for an unknown reason, and Candice showed exceptional swordsmanship.
After a while, it was my turn. I walked up to the area, and all eyes were on me. The pressure was intense. I didn't want to be here.
"—pout."
I was up against Noland Reverb, a bastard if there ever was one.
I unsheathed my katana and held up a basic sword stance. No need for anything fancy.
He looked at me in disgust, clearly unimpressed that a "lowly commoner" was his opponent. He turned to the referee.
"Why do I have to fight a lowly commoner like her?" Noland flailed his sword around like a man-child. The referee stood idly, irritated.
"Someone of high status like me shouldn't have to fight a first-year with such low status."
The Reverb family was notorious, and it seemed the rumors about Noland were true. He was the second son of the Reverb family, an arrogant bastard who used his status to get whatever he wanted.
Rather pitiful. Must've been dropped as a child.
"I don't have time for this," I groaned, and with that, I dashed forward. In the blink of an eye, I was right in his face, slashing twice at him. Noland barely blocked the two attacks. The fear in his eyes was satisfying. I kept up the relentless assault, knocking the sword from his hand and tripping him. I sheathed my sword.
"Keuk!"
Humiliated, his ego shattered. But that wasn't enough for him.
"Where the hell do you think you're going?!"
"I guess someone doesn't know how to take a loss."
He slowly stood up and picked up his sword.
Before he could take a proper stance, I swung my foot into a very specific place—a place that would make any man cry. He crumpled to the ground in pain. A smile tugged at my lips.
"Wanna keep going, fucker?"
The entire arena went silent at the unexpected turn of events. Noland held his crotch, a scrunched-up face telling a story of immense pain, which he absolutely deserved. Noland had to be taken off on a stretcher. I returned to my seat. No one dared speak to me. I guess that was one way to show superiority.
Now, it was time for the fight everyone had been waiting for: the prince's duel against an unexpected opponent.
The prince strode into the arena holding the kingdom's treasure—the king's blade, a special sword passed down through generations of the royal family. It was famous in history books, a beautiful golden blade with a jewel at its center. The blade was said to enhance mana, granting its wielder exceptional buffs. Of course, these buffs weren't allowed to unfairly tip the scales of the battle, but the prince was clearly displaying his status.
The gloomy, lifeless figure I had already met, Lycos, stood across from him. Some students were surprised by the black-haired boy and even more surprised by his choice of weapons. He wielded a flintlock in his right hand and a short-barreled musket in his left. They weren't like the usual firearms soldiers used; these were modified.
It was odd for someone to use firearms in a duel. Guns couldn't transfer mana, and their effectiveness was limited. They were typically used by city patrol guards for minor problems like subjugating bandits or beasts.
This didn't seem like a good match-up.
"Someone with black hair? Isn't that a bad omen?" the students whispered.
The referee began the match, and the two students stood still. The prince spoke first. "What an odd setup you have there. You must know how ineffective firearms are?"
The prince spoke disdainfully, his loathing obvious. Black hair and eyes. Using such weapons? How distasteful.
"How about you forfeit now? You can avoid humiliation and keep your dignity intact."
Lycos bobbed his head in mock thought. "Blah, blah, blah... Let's just get this over with."
He taunted.
The prince's irritation grew. "Fine, then." He took a stance, pointed his sword, and charged at Lycos.
Lycos fired off multiple shots from his short-barreled musket.
Bang, bang, bang!
The prince, taken aback, blocked the bullets, which shattered on impact.
"—Keuk!"
"Impossible! How could a musket fire multiple shots? It's only supposed to fire once before needing to reload... unless..."
The Author sat high above, observing the fight with a pleased smirk. He was enjoying watching his creation unfold.
You see, Lycos is a special case. He has a strong connection to internal arts known as mantra.
Mantra is similar to mana but uses energy from within the body. It's rare, only a few—about three percent of students—can use it, but none are as exceptional as Lycos. Though he can't use mana, his connection to mantra more than compensates for it.
The prince thought to himself, It doesn't matter. I can still win.
He postured, pointed his sword again, and dashed forward. Lycos repeated his attack.
Bang, bang, bang!
The prince blocked each shot with ease and continued running. Lycos lowered his musket and switched his grip, now holding the stock of the musket. As the prince came into attack range, he swung.
Swoosh!
Lycos raised his musket, parrying the prince's attack. The prince's posture stumbled, his guard wide open. My blade should've sliced right through him!
But something was wrong. Lycos's musket glowed slightly. Mana? No, it's mantra!
Lycos pointed the flintlock straight at the prince's face. A low-pitched, piercing shriek of energy came from the musket. The prince could already see his fate.
ZZZZZzt—
Lycos spoke, "Mantra art: Simeío kenó!"
KABOOOM!
A massive, dark blue energy beam shot from the small gun, right in the face of the prince, burning him to a crisp. He wasn't dead, but he was heavily injured. He would be out of commission for a while. The crowd went silent. The prince, beaten by the bad omen, had to be taken off on a stretcher.
The final matches were over, and everyone began to leave the arena, heading back to their dorms. Lilia and I walked out together.
"That one boy using firearms... I've never seen someone like that before. I wonder what his name is?"
"Lycos. His name's Lycos. I met him the other day... I kind of barged into his room."
Lilia paused and smirked, putting her hand to her mouth in a way that made my heart skip. That face—oh, no. That look meant trouble.
"Oh, how felicitous of you, Lilia!" Lilia teased. I flushed, clearly flustered.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I dug my fingers through my hair.
She giggled.
"Keep doing that, and you'll go bald."
Loud chatter filled the air as we approached the academy entrance. Getting to class was easier this time, as the professors guided us better than before. There were more students than I remembered. I scanned the schedule to see what classes were ahead: "Elemental Arts... Physical Training..."
"What the hell is Mantra Arts?"
The mantra arts classroom was nearly empty, except for a few students. Aria and Slenia Slike, both prodigies, were there, along with one unfamiliar student. What were the odds? I was about to sit down when I felt something poke my back. I jumped, startled, then clutched my chest.
Ba dum, ba dum.
"Oh, it's you," I said, somewhat bitterly.
"You get scared too easily."
"Yeah, I noticed. Maybe it's because you keep popping up out of nowhere. Try showing your presence once in a while."
I went to sit down, but before I could, I heard a whisper in my ear.
"Heeyyy~"
I turned to see the unfamiliar student leaning over the top row above me.
"Hey, you're Chloe Valastine, right?"
"I am."
He jumped over the top row and sat beside me, grinning.
"I'm Alkaline. Your average know-it-all. I'm everywhere—helping the protagonist or sometimes a side character in these kinds of stories. Thought I'd introduce myself before the author forgets and puts me in ten chapters later."
Chloe looked completely unimpressed, a priceless expression on her face.
"What?"
"Doesn't matter."
Riiiiing!
The students gathered in their seats. The professor entered, his jet-black hair slicked back, a serious expression on his face. He seemed like the type who would read the school handbook ten times over.
"Greetings, students. My name is Professor Nicholas Rye, but you'll call me Professor Rye."
"Seems there aren't as many students as last year, no surprise. Welcome to Mantra Arts."