(disclaimer this chapter will be only info dump. Still read it through cause it will help you understand more stuff)
You'd think surviving your first week in a magic academy built like a death trap would be worth something. A medal, maybe. Or a nap. Preferably a nap.
Instead, all I got was excruciating back pain, the permanent scent of forest gore, destroyed muscles and another cryptic system message this morning:
> [Reminder: You are still alive. Probabilities updated.]
[Main Quest Progress: Orientation Complete.]
[Rank Evaluation: Updating...]
[You have 1 Skill Ticket and 1 Mystery Item waiting in inventory.]
Still alive. How touching.
I sat on the edge of my dorm bed, rubbing my eyes. The place had stopped feeling like a room and more like a bunker. Outside the reinforced window, the morning fog rolled over the training fields. Distant explosions echoed—someone already blowing themselves up before breakfast.
Business as usual.
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There are something i ve learned this past week by eavesdropping quite a lot .
So firstly
Let's talk about Valebourne's ranking system. The place may call itself an "academy," but it's more of a brutal funnel that filters potential corpses into slightly more useful corpses.
Every student is ranked. Top ten get glory, extra resources, fancy training slots, and a lot of staring. The rest of us get the scraps.
I'm currently Rank 43. Out of 108 in my class .which is Not awful, not good. Just floating in the middle like lukewarm soup.
Each year has about 10 classes each with about 100 students each there is a yearly ranking which ranks the entire year. Also
They update rankings weekly. Based on test scores, combat performance, teamwork evaluations, and probably how shiny your boots are. I've seen students rise and fall overnight. Sometimes literally. One guy dropped ten ranks because he tried to punch a golem barehanded.
Legend.
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The World Outside – Or, Why Everything Wants to Kill Us
So, the world?
Yeah. It sucks.
There's a whole Demon Continent across the sea. Filled with things that go bump, roar, or melt your face off. There've been wars for decades. Sometimes they call it a crusade, sometimes diplomacy. Either way, people die.
Valebourne is part of the Kingdom of Baleria, which isn't even a major power—but this academy is respected because it forges students into living weapons. We're trained not just to fight, but to lead battles. Some of the instructors are ex-commanders. Some are ex-assassins. Some might just be demons in disguise, but no one's brave enough to check.
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My Not-So-Lovely System
I've had a week to observe this thing in my head.
It gives quests—some normal, some straight out of a bad dream.
It rewards coins, lets me check stats, and occasionally offers sarcastic encouragement like:
> [Perception Low. Would you like to continue being blind to danger? Y/N]
Charming.
It also gives skills, like "Flicker Step," which I unlocked last trial. I can't use it well yet, but I feel something shift when I move fast enough. Like a twitch in the fabric of space. It's minor, clumsy—still, something.
More than most people get.
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Existential Crisis O'Clock
Sometimes, when the noise dies down, I wonder how I got here.
I don't remember dying. Or being summoned. Or asking for any of this. One moment I was—
Actually, I don't even remember that part clearly.
Just a feeling. Like I was pulled from somewhere… not gently. Dropped into a body that wasn't quite mine, but felt like home anyway.
Was it a glitch? A second chance? A cosmic prank?
No answers yet.
Just the system. Watching.
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Skill Ticket Time
Right. Enough brooding.
> [Use Skill Ticket?]
[Y/N]
"Yes. And please don't give me something like 'Slightly Enhanced Toenail Growth.'"
The interface flashed.
> [Select One of the Following – Tier 1 Skills:]
• Mana Thread – Create thin threads of mana to interact with objects or enemies.
• Flow Reading – Briefly sense the next movement of a target in close range.
• Spark Palm – Generate a small burst of electricity.
• Quick Cast (Basic) – Cast simple spells faster.
• Danger Sense (Lesser) – Feel when you're about to die. Not always accurate.
• Mana Surge (Risky) – Temporarily boost your mana at the cost of stamina.
I stared at them. Not bad.
Flow Reading felt perfect for someone like me who survives by not being dead.
But Danger Sense had a special charm too. Like a passive screaming alarm.
Still, I hesitated.
> [No rush. Take your time. Death is patient.]
Helpful.
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Mystery Box: Curse or Foreshadowing?
Now for the other thing. The one I got back in Chapter 9. Er—Trial 2. Whatever.
> [Mystery Item – ???]
[Time Until Unlock: Unknown.]
[Hint: Soon.]
[Tracking inner conditions…]
"Soon? That's your definition of soon?"
Of course it didn't answer. But I could feel something building. Maybe it was tied to how many quests I completed. Or if I hit a certain stat. Or maybe it was just waiting for me to let my guard down.
That would be on-brand.
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Magic 101 – Spirits, Sparks, and Science
Let's wrap this up with what little I understand about magic.
Everyone here uses ambient mana—pulling it from the air, the earth, even people. The strong ones manipulate it effortlessly. The rest of us mostly give ourselves headaches.
Some students can sense Spirits. I can't. They're mana-born lifeforms that bond with mages or grant boosts. I'd love to meet one. Assuming they don't immediately judge my soul and reject me like a cursed puppy.
Then there's Magic Engineering. A whole branch dedicated to building tools, weapons, and artifacts that channel magic. Enchanted swords, mana cores, teleportation seals—stuff I could never afford unless I learned to make it.
That… actually might be my best shot.
Forget flashy spells. What if I just learned to build things no one else could?
That thought lingered.
For the first time since I arrived, I didn't feel like I had to be the strongest. Just the cleverest.
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The system pinged again. Faint.
> [New Quests Updating...]
[Main Schedule Resumes Tomorrow.]
Great.
Another week in paradise.
I stood, cracked my neck, and grabbed my sword.
Time to go not die again.
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