Chương 10: The Royal Arcane Academy

The first thing I noticed after entering the academy was how many students there were. Hundreds of young men and women moved through the main courtyard, carrying books, training equipment, and small magical tools. Some wore expensive uniforms decorated with family crests, while others wore simple clothes beneath their academy robes. There were commoners. There were nobles. There were students who had probably spent their entire lives surrounded by magic. And then there was Amon, who was already complaining.

"This place is huge." Masha looked at him.

"We've been inside for less than a minute."

"Exactly. Imagine how lost I'll be by the end of the day."

"You have the academy map." Amon pulled a folded map from his pocket.

"I don't trust it." Alice looked at him.

"Why?"

"It looks complicated." I glanced at the map.

"It has four colors."

"Exactly." Masha sighed. I couldn't help laughing. The academy already felt different from what I had imagined. I had expected strict instructors, difficult lessons, and competitive students. I hadn't expected to spend the first few minutes watching Amon argue with a map. We checked the notice board near the entrance. Our names were listed alongside our assigned classes. First-Year Class C. Amon leaned over the board.

"We're together." Masha smiled.

"That's good." Alice looked at me.

"Did you expect otherwise?"

"Not really."

"Then why are you smiling?"

"I didn't realize I was." She smiled.

"You're happy."

"Maybe." Amon turned around.

"Enough talking. We need to find the classroom." Masha pointed toward the eastern building.

"It's there." Amon looked at the opposite direction.

"I knew that."

"No, you didn't."

"I was testing you."

"Of course." We followed Masha. Our classroom was located on the second floor. When we entered, most of the seats were already occupied. The room was larger than a normal classroom. Each desk had a small crystal embedded into its surface, presumably for practical lessons. The walls were covered with diagrams of magical circles and elemental structures. I chose a seat near the window. Alice sat beside me. Amon sat behind us. Masha took the seat on my other side. A few students glanced in our direction.

That wasn't surprising. We had all performed well during the entrance examination. People had already started talking about the results. A boy sitting near the front turned around.

"You're Leo, right?"

"Yes." He smiled.

"I'm Daniel." We exchanged greetings. He was a commoner from a merchant family and had an affinity for Wind. We spoke for a few minutes before the classroom became quiet. A woman entered. She looked to be in her early thirties, with brown hair tied behind her head. She placed several books on the desk.

"Good morning." The class responded.

"I'm Professor Elena. I'll be your homeroom instructor this year." She looked around the room.

"Before we begin, I want to make one thing clear." This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Everyone became attentive.

"This academy isn't interested in how impressive you were before arriving here." Her gaze moved from student to student.

"Some of you were the best mage in your village."

"Some of you were praised by your family."

"Some of you may even have been considered geniuses." She smiled slightly.

"None of that guarantees success here." I liked her immediately. She wasn't trying to intimidate us. She was simply stating the truth.

"You will be competing with students from every part of the kingdom. Some will be better than you in magic. Some will be better with weapons. Some will learn faster." She turned toward the board.

"Your job is not to be the best at everything." She wrote three words. Learn. Adapt. Improve.

"Remember those." The rest of the morning was spent going over academy rules. Class schedules. Examinations. Practical assessments. Library regulations. Training ground regulations. Dormitory rules. Amon looked increasingly bored. At one point, he whispered:"How many rules are there?"

"Probably too many."

"I've already forgotten half of them." Masha whispered back.

"You haven't remembered any."

"I remember the important ones."

"Which are?" Amon thought for a moment.

"Don't get expelled." Masha stared at him.

"Surprisingly accurate." Alice covered her mouth to hide a laugh. Professor Elena looked toward us.

"Is there something amusing?" The three of us immediately became quiet. Amon shook his head.

"No, Professor."

"Good." She continued. I smiled slightly. The academy wasn't going to be boring. Our first actual lesson was Mana Theory. Professor Elena handed each student a crystal.

"Before you can become a good mage, you need to understand what Mana actually is." She placed her own crystal on the desk.

"Mana exists throughout the world. It can be found in the air, water, earth, living creatures, magical materials, and certain environments." The crystal illuminated.

"Every person possesses a natural affinity toward one or more forms of magic." She looked toward the students.

"Your affinity determines which type of Mana responds to you most easily." A student raised his hand.

"Can someone use an element outside their affinity?"

"Yes." Several students looked surprised.

"But proficiency varies greatly. A person with Fire affinity may learn Water Magic, but reaching the same level as someone naturally suited to Water would require considerably more effort." That explained why most mages specialized. Then she moved to the next subject.

"Some people possess unusual affinities." Her eyes briefly moved toward me.

"Darkness." A few students looked in my direction.

"Light." Alice became the center of attention.

"Lightning." A student near the front raised his hand.

"And several other rare variations." Professor Elena continued teaching. I listened carefully. Even though I already knew most of the basic theory, I wanted to understand how this world's scholars explained it. Some of their theories were different from what I had learned privately. Others were surprisingly advanced. I took several notes. Alice glanced at my notebook.

"You already know all of this."

"Most of it."

"Then why are you writing everything?"

"I might learn something new." She smiled.

"You're serious about this."

"I've been waiting six years."

"Fair enough." After Mana Theory came practical assessment. We moved to the training grounds. The academy had several large arenas surrounded by protective barriers. Professor Elena stood in front of us.

"Your first assessment will be simple." She pointed toward the crystals placed along the edge of the arena.

"Channel Mana into the crystal." One by one, students stepped forward. The crystals changed color depending on the amount and quality of Mana they received. Some students produced weak results. Others surprised the class. Amon stepped forward. He placed his hand on the crystal. Fire spread across its surface. The crystal glowed intensely. Professor Elena nodded.

"Strong Mana output." Amon returned with a satisfied expression.

"I knew it." Masha went next. Earth Mana spread through the crystal in a dense pattern. Her result was slightly lower than Amon's in raw power but much more stable.

"Excellent control." Masha nodded and stepped aside. Then Alice. Light filled the crystal. The entire object shone brightly enough that several students had to shield their eyes. Professor Elena raised an eyebrow.

"Very good." Alice returned to us. Amon grinned.

"Show-off."

"You were glowing too."

"Mine was fire."

"Still glowing." They continued arguing. Then my name was called.

"Leo." I stepped forward. The crystal felt cold beneath my hand. I drew a small amount of Mana into my body. I didn't need much. The Darkness affinity responded immediately. Black Mana spread across the crystal. Instead of becoming brighter, the surrounding light seemed to fade slightly. Several students became quiet. Professor Elena studied the crystal.

"Good control." I released the Mana. The effect disappeared. I returned to my group. Amon looked at me.

"That's it?"

"What do you mean?"

"You barely used anything."

"I wasn't asked to use everything." He thought about that.

"Fair." Alice smiled.

"You've always been careful." I looked at the crystal.

"Being careful is useful." The final class of the day was physical combat. This was the lesson I had been looking forward to. Our instructor was a large man with short black hair. He introduced himself as Professor Gareth.

"You are mages." He looked around.

"But that doesn't mean you should collapse the moment someone gets close to you." Several students laughed.

"Magic requires concentration. If an opponent reaches you before you can complete your spell, your affinity won't save you." He demonstrated. One of the assistant instructors attacked him with a wooden sword. Gareth stepped aside, caught the man's wrist, and threw him onto the training mat. The entire class became silent.

"Your body matters." He looked at us.

"Strength. Balance. Footwork. Reaction speed." His eyes settled on Amon.

"You." Amon straightened.

"Yes, Professor?"

"Come here." Amon stepped forward. Gareth handed him a wooden sword.

"Attack me." Amon grinned.

"Seriously?"

"Yes." Amon charged. Three seconds later, he was on the ground. The class laughed. Amon stood immediately.

"Again." Gareth smiled.

"Good." They fought again. This time Amon lasted longer. He still lost. But he learned. That was the point of the exercise. Then Gareth looked at the class.

"Who wants to try?" Several students avoided eye contact. Amon immediately pointed at me.

"Leo." I looked at him.

"You volunteered me?"

"You're good." Professor Gareth looked toward me.

"Leo?" I stood.

"Yes." He handed me a wooden sword. I held it. The weight felt unfamiliar. Not because I had never used a sword. Because this was a training weapon. Too light. Poor balance. But it was sufficient. Professor Gareth took his stance.

"Don't worry about winning."

"I wasn't." He smiled.

"Good answer." The match began. I didn't use Internal Energy. I didn't need it. He stepped forward. I moved backward. His wooden sword came toward my shoulder. I blocked. The impact traveled through my arms. Strong. He attacked again. I parried. Then again. His movements were straightforward but disciplined. I recognized his style. It wasn't Murim swordsmanship. It was based on military training. Simple movements. Reliable. Easy to teach. I adapted quickly. He noticed. His attacks became faster.

I continued defending. Then I saw an opening. I stepped to the side and tapped his shoulder with the wooden sword. The arena became quiet. Professor Gareth looked at the place I had struck. Then he laughed.

"Good." He lowered his weapon.

"You've trained before."

"Yes."

"Where?"

"With private instructors." He nodded.

"Your fundamentals are strong." I stepped back.

"Thank you." Amon looked impressed.

"You never told me you could use a sword like that."

"I thought you knew."

"I didn't." Masha looked at me.

"You hide things."

"Sometimes." Alice smiled.

"Apparently." I returned the sword. I didn't tell them that I had spent decades mastering the weapon in another life. There was no reason to. By the end of the day, my body felt pleasantly tired. We left the training grounds together. Amon stretched his arms.

"I like this academy."

"You've been thrown onto the ground twice."

"Exactly." Masha stared at him.

"That makes no sense."

"It does to me." Alice laughed. We walked toward the dining hall. The sky had begun to turn orange. Students filled the pathways, discussing their classes and comparing their results. Some were already talking about tomorrow's lessons. Others had begun making plans for the weekend. It felt ordinary. And I liked that. There was no battlefield. No army. No political alliance waiting for my decision. No one kneeling before me. I was simply walking through an academy with three friends.

For someone who had once ruled an entire martial sect, that simplicity was strangely precious. We entered the dining hall. Amon immediately headed toward the food. Masha followed. Alice stayed beside me.

"Leo."

"Hm?" She smiled.

"Welcome to the academy." I looked at her. Then at Amon arguing with the cook over portion sizes. At Masha trying to stop him. At the students laughing around us. I smiled.

"Thank you." My second life had finally reached the place I had spent years preparing for. And tomorrow, the real lessons would begin. End of Chapter 10.