Chapter 4 Entrance Ceremony

Looking at the system notification, It felt as though my breathing had became heavier.

Just a moment ago, I had been talking to them like a normal family.

 It hurt.

No.

It really hurt.

Slowly, I turned my gaze back toward the orphanage.

Standing at the entrance was the person I had called grandma only a moments ago. Noticing me looking at her, she smiled warmly and spoke.

"Do you need any help, young man..?"

Hearing those words confirmed it, her memory of me had truly been erased.

A sharp pain gripped my chest, so intense that it felt as if i could burst into tears at any moment. In the end, I forced a bitter smile onto my face. 

"It's nothing... Have a good day, Grandma.."

She nodded politely but from the look in her face, she must have noticed a change in my emotion.

After that, I left the orphanage behind, tears began pouring out down my face but I kept walking until I reached a quiet alley.

There, I sat down on the nearest bench.

"Why?.."

It was the first word that escaped my lips after my tears finally stopped.

Suddenly, a system notification appeared before me.

[Sorry..]

My eyes widened slightly.

The system...

was apologizing?

"You can talk?"

I asked while wiping away the remining tears from my eyes. However, no response come. The notification disappeared as though it had never existed.

After waiting for several seconds, I let out a sigh.

"..Forget it.."

There are no point expecting an answer.

I stood up from the bench and began walking toward the waiting center where the academy's flying ship would arrive.

But before I could take more than five steps, another notification appeared. 

[New mail]

Do you wish to open it?

Yes/No

I stopped walking.

"Yes open it.."

[Mail Opened]

You have obtained a new trait.

[Trait Acquired: Survival Expert (A Rank)]

[Effect]

You possess expert-level knowledge of non-magical survival techniques.

From building shelters and identifying edible herbs to tracking animals, finding water sources, and cooking in the wilderness.

I blinked.

"A survival trait?.."

After reading the description, I quickly understood its purpose.

It wasn't related to combat.

Nor did it increase my mana.

Instead, it specialized entirely in wilderness survival.

In simple terms, it was like having all the survival and bushcraft knowledge I used to watch online back on Earth.

Finding food, cooking meals, building shelters, identifying herbs, starting fires.

All of it had become second nature to me.

"... Well, it's better than nothing.."

Considering my terrible F-rank stats, I couldn't exactly complain, especially since the trait was A-rank.

At the very least, this trait might prove useful during the academy's class placement test.

With that thought in mind, I closed the notification and continued walking toward the waiting center, where the academy's flying ship would soon arrive.

...

After a few minutes of walking, I arrived at the waiting center.

There, I saw several people wearing the same uniform as me. Just from that alone, I could tell they were also freshmen of Helios Magic Academy.

Moreover…

Almost all of them came from noble families.

Fancy belongings.

And servants carrying those belongings behind them.

The sight made me quietly rethink my own situation.

I wasn't a noble.

And more importantly…

I didn't have money.

"…"

Now that I think about it, there were supposed to be two major characters from the Kingdom of Arathia here at this moment.

I slowly scanned the crowd.

Eventually, my eyes landed on a large group. There, I saw a young man with golden hair.

He wasn't one of the major characters, but his presence was still important in the game as a support character.

More importantly…

He was the prince of the Kingdom of Arathia.

In other words, the type of person I would never willingly approach.

In the original game, he was extremely arrogant due to his royal background. Because of that, players usually had to "tame" his personality before he could become a reliable ally.

But he wasn't who I was looking for.

The ones I was searching for were the Ice Queen, Seo Yerin, and Yoo Hwa, the disgrace of the Yoo family.

Out of all the playable characters in the game, those two were the only ones I felt I could somewhat relate to.

In other words…

We were the same type of people.

Introverts.

"…"

Before I could locate them, a loud sound echoed from the sky.

A massive magic ship appeared above us, casting a shadow over the entire waiting area.

So I stopped searching and focused on boarding.

The ship's door slowly opened, and a professor responsible for the new students stepped out.

His gaze swept across the crowd as he began inspecting us.

"…Looks like everyone has arrived…"

Then he continued.

"You may now board the ship. And take this."

With a wave of his wand, a small key with a number engraved on it appeared in front of each student.

"After you enter, you will find rooms corresponding to your key numbers. You may rest or socialize freely."

He paused briefly before adding.

"Oh, and there is a cafe on the second floor. You can eat there if you wish."

"Alright. You may board now."

With the key in my hand, I followed the crowd as they rushed toward the ship.

My room number was 103.

I moved through the first floor, checking doors as I went.

After a few minutes, I finally found it.

Room 103.

I inserted the key, and with a soft click, the door opened.

The room was a simple single-bed bedroom.

Small, but private.

I let out a small sigh of relief.

At least I wouldn't have to share a room.

After placing my belongings on the bed, I decided to explore the ship.

Since all the rooms were on the first floor, I made my way up to the second floor to check the cafe.

And the moment I arrived…

I immediately regretted it.

The prices were insane.

Even a simple sandwich cost fifty silver.

"…Are they trying to rob students?"

To be fair, I should explain the currency of this world.

Copper, silver, and gold.

One hundred copper equals one silver.

One hundred silver equals one gold.

I checked my money pouch.

Inside were only one hundred silver coins.

Once again, I looked at the menu.

Bread cost fifty copper.

"…Ugh… at least I can still fill my stomach…"

With a heavy heart, I took out one silver coin and bought two pieces of bread.

Fortunately, the bread was large enough to justify the price.

While eating, I walked aimlessly around the ship.

Not knowing what else to do, I decided to explore further.

The second floor was crowded with students, so I avoided it and went all the way up to the third floor.

Unlike the lower floors, the third floor was open-air.

A spacious deck where students could relax and look at the scenery.

Tables and chairs were placed around, but I didn't sit down.

I knew that later, more students would come here.

There was only one quiet spot on the entire deck.

Not exactly hidden…

But no one seemed to go there.

With the bread wrapper still in my hand, I walked toward the edge of the ship.

Then I stopped and began eating while looking at the view.

Mountains.

Endless green forests.

The scenery was breathtaking.

For a moment, I lost myself in thought.

A cold breeze brushed past me, snapping me back to reality.

And that was when I noticed them.

Not far from me sat a silver-haired girl reading a book quietly.

And at the far end of the deck, a girl with red-and-white hair tips stood alone, gazing into the distance.

Yeah…

They were exactly the type of people I was talking about earlier.

Introverts.

Somehow, all the introverts on the ship had gathered in the same corner without talking to each other.

It was almost impressive.

"…"

But still…

Nothing good would come from talking to them right now.

So I decided to mind my own business and stayed quietly in my corner.

Time passed.

I wasn't sure how long.

Eventually, the ship crossed into academy territory.

A loud voice echoed through the ship.

"Time to disembark. Don't forget your belongings."

Hearing the announcement, I grabbed my things and headed toward the exit.

We were then instructed to proceed to the main hall for the entrance ceremony.

...

Entrance ceremony.

Just hearing those words was enough to make me sigh.

In my opinion, entrance ceremonies were nothing more than long and boring events.

More importantly...

I already knew what was coming next.

The principal's speech.

In the game, it was mentioned countless times that the principal loved giving ridiculously long speeches.

"Oh... It's starting."

A magic circle suddenly appeared in the center of the stage.

Moments later, a petite white-haired girl emerged from it.

The crowd immediately became noisy.

"Hey... Isn't that teleportation magic?"

"Yeah, but who is that kid?"

"Is she a professor?"

Her long white hair nearly reached the ground, making it look as if she was carrying a silver cloak behind her.

Honestly, it looked ridiculous.

The person everyone was talking about was none other than the principal of Helios Magic Academy.

And secretly...

A dragon.

There was never a proper explanation in the game, but she was the only dragon known to live among humans.

Most dragons had disappeared after sealing the entrance to the Netherworld five hundred years ago.

Only the principal remained behind and founded Helios Magic Academy.

"Silence."

The moment she spoke, an overwhelming wave of mana erupted from the stage.

The entire hall froze.

Many students immediately broke out in cold sweat.

Some even struggled to remain standing.

"...So this is the mana of an SSS-rank mage..."

I clenched my teeth and tried my best not to collapse.

Fortunately, she seemed to be holding back.

Otherwise, I doubted any of us freshmen would still be conscious.

A few seconds later, the pressure vanished.

Everyone released a breath they didn't realize they had been holding.

Looking back at the stage, I saw the principal standing calmly with a wand in her hand.

A decorative wand.

At least, that's what it was for her.

Dragons didn't need wands to cast magic.

She probably carried it around to avoid revealing her true identity.

After ensuring everyone was paying attention, the principal finally began her speech.

"Welcome to Helios Magic Academy."

"Here, your background, status, and family name mean nothing."

"Only your ability and effort will determine how far you can climb."

"Some of you will become great mages."

"Some of you will become heroes."

"And some of you will fail."

Her golden eyes swept across the crowd.

"Work hard."

"Survive."

"And don't embarrass the academy."

With that, the speech continued.

And continued.

And continued.

By the time it finally ended, the sun was already high in the sky.

"...That was even longer than I remembered."

Afterward, we were assigned temporary dormitories.

The actual class placement examination would begin tomorrow.

As I walked toward the dormitory building, I couldn't help but wonder what kind of ranking I would end up receiving with my collection of F-rank stats.

Fortunately, I already knew what kind of tests the academy would be giving tomorrow.

The first was a written examination.

That part would be easy.

After all, I had already memorized every question and answer while playing Hero Academy.

Unlike most games, Hero Academy required players to complete every exam themselves.

Magic theory.

Magic formulas.

Monster studies.

History.

And countless other subjects.

Honestly, that was one of the reasons nobody wanted to play the game.

The second test was a survival examination.

At first glance, it sounded dangerous.

In reality, however, the test took place inside an artificial field created by the principal's illusion magic.

Even if a student died inside, they would simply be teleported back to reality.

The official requirement was simple.

Survive.

Most students interpreted that as fighting monsters and defeating as many enemies as possible.

But I knew better.

The academy never said anything about defeating monsters.

The requirement was only to survive.

And thanks to my newly acquired Survival Expert trait, I had a feeling my approach to the test would be very different from everyone else's.

A small smile appeared on my face.

For the first time since arriving in this world, I felt like I might actually have an advantage.

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