3 First Day

Today marked the grand kickoff of the academy adventure.

Mythos Academy sprawled out like it had something to prove. Seven colossal buildings stood tall, a main tower reigning supreme at the center while six others clung to it like loyal sidekicks.

Each building played host to a mix of classrooms, training centers, restaurants, gaming havens—you name it, they had it—all neatly allocated to a specific year. Thanks to the marvel that was the hyperloop, getting around was a breeze.

Yes, the much-hyped revolutionary mode of transportation was more than just talk in this world.

I casually strolled over to the academy's personal hyperloop station, whipping out my trusty I.D. card to register and gain access to the windowless carriage.

Inside, the ambiance was sleek and futuristic, with white seats sporting a golden trim. Fellow first-year students shot me wide-eyed looks, undoubtedly intrigued by the golden bling adorning my school uniform.

Speaking of uniforms, we were all rocking a simple yet classy ensemble—a white shirt, a snazzy black tie, and a suit and pants combo. To indicate the first-year status, a Roman Numeral I was proudly etched on the pocket.

But the real game-changer was the color-coded trimmings distinguishing different classes within the same year.

Gold for Class A, Silver for Class B, Bronze for Class C, and Grey for Class D.

As we zipped through the hyperloop at the speed of sound, we reached our destination in a mere blink, the first-year building.

With a bunch of eager classmates, I disembarked and embarked on the journey to my classroom. Their competitive spirit and subtle envy couldn't escape my notice, especially with those golden trimmings making a statement.

Navigating through the sea of ambition, I climbed up to my classroom on the fifth floor. The building itself was a massive, futuristic white cuboid adorned with windows. Robotic staff floated around like high-tech pixies, serving as a constant reminder of just how advanced this world was.

Hopping into the elevator, I pressed the button for the fifth floor and ascended. So far, no signs of the main cast, but that was to be expected. After all, the real heavyweights were mostly housed in the illustrious Class A.

I approached the classroom door, marked with a clear 1-A. Taking a deep breath to steady my frayed nerves, I swiped my finger across the doorknob-less silver door, prompting it to slide open.

Despite my attempts at composure, the sight of the main cast casually seated, teacher absent, sent a ripple of unease through me.

Summoning what calm I could muster, I navigated to my seat at the back, designated as Rank 8.

"Nice to meet you, my name is Seraphia," a melodious voice chimed in from the seat next to me. With the class arranged in a 2X4 format, I had only one seat beside mine.

She was resting her face on her hand, her crystal-like silver hair cascading down to the table. She seemed a bit uncomfortable in her school uniform, which made sense when one thought of her identity.

Rank 7, the princess of Mount Hua Sect, Seraphina Zenith. A remarkable talent unfortunately overshadowed by the presence of the Divine Dragon in this world.

Her small, pale hand extended towards me, and I managed a smile as I accepted the gesture.

"It's my honor, I am Arthur Nightingale."

In the realm of Mythos Academy, formalities were theoretically unnecessary. However, I wasn't about to disregard courtesies with the princess of the esteemed Mount Hua Sect.

"No need for formalities," Seraphina waved off, her two cyan eyes meeting my azure ones. "We are all equal here."

"Sure," I replied, nodding in agreement.

"So, you're Rank 8," a cute voice, though sending shivers down my spine, reached my ears. Tilting my head, I met the gaze of the girl who spoke. Her golden hair flowed like liquid gold, cascading down to her hips, and her eyes shone like twin crimson moons.

Cecilia Slatemark, the princess of the Slatemark Empire. Also, a hidden sociopath who took delight in tormenting the MC. She was a rare magic swordsman as had a Gift that granted her a physique complementing this.

"It's an honor to meet you, princess," I said, bowing in a show of respect.

"Leave out all the unnecessary stuff," she dismissed with a wave of her hand. "Like Sera said, we're all equals here."

"That's true, all that matters is ability," chimed in the man sitting next to her.

Ian Viserion, the prince of the Southern continent, and also Rank 5.

He extended his hand towards me, his fiery red hair standing in stark contrast to his character. "And you have the ability, since you managed to reach Class A."

Ian exuded pride, both in his talent for spearmanship and the dragon will granted by Tiamat. However, his pride would soon be crushed by Lucifer Windward, Rank 1, in the sparring session.

Going onto Rank 2, Ren Kagu, he was a talent almost guaranteed to be the strongest in this generation due to his two extreme talents. Unfortunately, even he was outshone by Lucifer.

Ren's inheritance of the [God's Eyes], coupled with a triple affinity for the rare elements of time, space, and gravity, made his ancestors formidable in the past. Yet, even this lineage of strength paled in comparison to the sheer brokenness of Lucifer.

I shifted my gaze to Lucifer, seated beside the white-headed Ren. Blonde hair framed his face, and verdant eyes spoke of power. His robust physique was a product of rigorous training under his father, a <Radiant > Knight.

In the future, he would wield two Gifts, both considered overpowered by the world. His affinity to six different elements reached an extreme level, and he was blessed by both mana and swordsmanship. Undoubtedly, the greatest genius to ever exist.

Shifting my focus from Rank 1, I observed Ranks 3 and 4. Rank 3 belonged to Rachel, the daughter of King Creighton, immensely talented in mana. Her affinity with light, wind, fire, and lightning magic, coupled with a Gift allowing her to effortlessly meld different elements, created a destructive synergy.

Rank 4 was Jin Ashbluff, with an affinity for dark and ice elements. What set him apart was the hereditary gift of [Necromancy], inherited from his father. This Gift granted him access to necromancy with lower mastery over dark magic, enhancing his strength significantly.

'It's one thing to read about it, and entirely another to witness it firsthand,' I mused.

Each of them was undeniably monstrous.

Not only did they possess formidable Gifts, something I lacked, but they also outclassed me in terms of mana rank.

This journey won't be a walk in the park.

The door slid open, and our instructor stepped in. I recognized him, of course.

Nero Kaelid, an <Immortal > magician, second only to the Headmaster of Mythos Academy.

Why such a powerful figure as our instructor? The answer was evident—this class was loaded.

In terms of sheer talent, this Class A surpassed every other Class A in Mythos Academy's history. Hence, instead of an ordinary <Ascendent > instructor, an <Immortal > instructor was assigned to us.

"Today marks the beginning of Class A," Nero announced, his gaze sweeping over us. "I know each of you is an exceptional talent, which is precisely why I've been assigned."

As I suspected, nobody except me recognized Nero. He kept a low profile, which explained why some paid little attention to him.

Nero grinned before exerting pressure using mana.

I immediately felt the weight, gritting my teeth and activating my silver core to resist. However, the pressure continued to rise, rendering me utterly helpless. I noticed everyone, except Lucifer, struggling in the same way.

'Of course,' I thought, 'How could I forget?'

Nero unleashed <White >-rank pressure to test our mettle. However, he hadn't checked Lucifer's data or core, failing to realize that he had already reached the <White > rank at the age of 15—a new world record.

Nero was caught off-guard by Lucifer's lack of struggle against his pressure, only to realize that Lucifer had already achieved the <White > rank.

At this point, he was about to elevate the pressure to <Integration > rank to make Lucifer feel the strain. However, he halted when Seraphina and Cecilia protested, their cores falling short of <Mid Silver> rank.

As anticipated, he initiated the pressure increase.

"S-stop," I stammered, raising my hand before Seraphina and Cecilia. Did the Arthur in the novel resist this much pressure?

"I might have gone too far with my test; I apologize," Nero said, blinking before bowing.

I gasped and shook my head at his apology.

'Was this guy trying to kill me?' I cursed internally. It made sense, considering he wasn't just unleashing pressure close to <Integration >-rank but also tapping into his bloodlust honed from battling Shadow Seekers in the North.

Nero coughed uncomfortably before continuing, "Anyway, let's move on to weapon selection."

Weapon selection at Mythos Academy aimed to provide students with standardized relics to ensure fairness in battles. Normal, advanced, and elite-grade relics could be mass-produced with our technology, and the Academy supplied elite-grade relics to its students. If a relic broke during an Academy test, such as an end-of-semester evaluation, it would be replaced at no cost.

Arthur received a historic-grade sword from Count Chase as a reward for entering Class A. However, all the other Class A students already possessed ancient-grade relics, so I was on board with the idea of standardization and fairness.

In a few years, technological breakthroughs would enable the mass production of historic-grade relics. For now, elite-grade relics were the best I could acquire from the Academy.

Nero led us out of the class until we stood before a massive chamber on the ground floor.

"As Class A, you get first dibs," he grinned. "Not that it matters since there are tens of thousands of elite-grade relics inside for all of you to choose."

The chamber, while colossal, seemed too small to house the number of relics Nero suggested. My classmates shared the same perplexity, while Ren wore a knowing grin, having noticed something intriguing.

Nero's fingerprints were registered on the door, and it began to open automatically.

Everyone was stunned by the sheer size of the room.

This room wasn't just huge; it was massive!

Its proportions inside and out didn't match! It was almost as if this room existed in a hyperspace.

The room alone was as large as the entire floor it occupied, and before us were hundreds of thousands of weapons on display.

I inspected the inscriptions on the walls, instantly grasping what was happening.

"Spatial runes," I muttered.

"That makes sense," Seraphina remarked, clapping her hands.

The unique aspect of mana and magic in this world lay in the emphasis on intent. Magic required a living being to be directly responsible, making magic technology impossible.

However, humans found a clever loophole by using the organic blood of living beings to power magic. Additionally, magic to refresh the blood was employed—an almost perpetual machine fueled by the flow of mana particles.

While mana couldn't be utilized or transported by machines, it could still be transported using trees.

Then, one might question why technology was crucial if magic couldn't integrate with it. Well, guns allowed ordinary mana-less humans to take down <Orange >-rank beings. Missiles were effective against <Yellow >-ranks, and the most potent weapons could threaten <Silver >-ranks and even endanger those of <White >-rank.

Of course, there were limits, but technology empowered lower-rank humans to gain advantages over more potent magical beings.

Returning to the matter of weapon selection:

Unsurprisingly, Lucifer swiftly chose an elite-grade longsword. Relics were crafted by inscribing blood runes onto the metal. The stronger the relic, the more challenging it was to wield.

However, everyone present was formidable enough to handle up to ancient-grade relics.

Ren opted for knuckles, while Jin selected twin shortswords. Seraphina chose a sword, and Ian took up a spear. Rachel and Cecilia both picked wands.

I settled on a longsword, mirroring Lucifer's choice.

And thus, weapon selection concluded. 

Our next session would be very interesting.