Welcome to Brivid! [1]

''Then, that's it.''

Looking at the door of the classroom he would be attending, Ezran took a deep breath.

It was hard to believe this was all happening, even after spending nearly a week in that world.

At first, things might seem easy when just theorizing and rambling about alone in his room, but it was much more complicated to deal with in real life.

Even more so when all of that used to be part of a romance he'd loved since he was just a teenager.

''Fuuh..''

A dream?

No.

It could not be a mere dream.

He felt everything from the cool breeze wafting through the monstrous windows around the vast hallway he was standing in, staring at the wooden door in horror, to the marble floor his feet touched.

The assumption that it was all a dream had long since been discarded by him, due to a multitude of factors that had proven otherwise.

'Anyway, why did Pharah have to leave me behind?' Thought the redhead, bitterly regretting his decisions. 'Damn it.'

After they had arrived in the region at the edges of the capital of Glittero, where Brivid was located, it was already night and so the duo ended up staying temporarily in a hotel to rest.

The next day, in this case today, they finally made their way resolutely to the renowned Academy.

Honestly, the young guy didn't expect to get there so early and so fast.

After all, getting from his luxurious penthouse to the Academy had been quick with that Ether-powered train, but the boy expected to get lost once he got there.

Luckily, he and Pharah had taken a vehicle called 'Tartarus', which was a bus that ran every 10 minutes around Brivid and which, for some reason, didn't exist in the original story.

Finding this tool very useful, Ezran realized that since the novel had become a real world, it felt like he was fixing the plot holes on his own.

After they got out of the transport, Pharah, the boy's personal bodyguard, had guided him to the classroom that the instructors there had indicated would be where he should go.

She, as always, had been a great help to Ezran — someday, he swore to himself, he would thank her, and his older brother Damian, for their efforts in helping him.

However, the dark brown haired woman simply disappeared shortly after that, saying she would deal with the administrative issues surrounding the problem of Ezran's late arrival at the Academy.

"Trust me, Young Master!" So ​​obstinately, she said, as she ran down the wide corridors and disappeared beside a tall professor. ''See you later!''

Her words that they would see each other soon were unlikely to be true.

That is, not that he would distance himself from her on account of the Academy, but certainly the period in which he would be deprived of freely leaving Brivid would likely be relatively long, if the original plot descriptions of LOTH were correct.

Besides, given the accident he'd supposedly been subjected to some time before the Academy's enrollment went into effect, it was likely they'd be watching him closely for some time.

Constant supervision, at least by teachers and security officers, would certainly be a recurring factor in the weeks that would follow.

Although, frankly, he hoped not.

After all, Ezran was still undecided as to whether attention was unwanted or useful in this world.

It was best, then, to act as discreetly and as best as possible while promptly making up his mind on the matter.

Moreover, with his reputation for being an unscrupulous piece of trash who didn't care about anything or anyone, he didn't know how things were going to work out from there onwards...

'Wait a moment.' Puzzled, the red haired boy pondered inwardly. 'Does…'

A lightbulb seemed to go on in Ezran's mind, baffling him over an interesting fact.

'An elemental incident, wasn't it…?'

Now that he'd stopped to think a little more deeply, with feelings of anxiety coursing through his veins and taking him into a sudden epiphany, Ezran realized something he hadn't before.

That event that the original Ezran had been subjected to, that elemental incident...

Could it have something to do with Ezran's altered consciousness and his mysterious transmigration?

'There are several factors that make me think that...' He thought, checking the facts one by one.

First of all, that elemental incident that had rendered him unconscious for a whole week and three days had never even been cited in the novel's original plot.

Not that it made any difference explaining the backstory of a villainous throwaway character like the one Luxxan had taken on — Ezran del Razón — but it was strange that Damian had never talked about it.

For starters, wasn't that guy extremely in love with his little brother, always talking about him, even after the death of that filthy sinner?

'It just doesn't make sense.' He stated, silently nodding his head in agreement.

Second, and last but not least, the fact that he, Luxxan, had taken control of the body as the main consciousness right after the incident made things very suspicious.

It was very convenient.

Even when considering the plot of LOTH, which had several cliché and generic characteristics, it was impossible not to find that event strange.

Therefore, the absence of citations, whether relevant or not, and the incongruous information about Ezran's past — which the current Ezran did not have much knowledge about — made him actively question the veracity of that theory.

Perhaps, then, to assume that assumption was right...

''Hey you. The idiot who's standing in front of the door.'' A voice sounded behind him, snapping him out of his temporary daze. ''You're getting in the way, don't you realize?''

Ezran was startled for a second, then regained his composure.

Turning to the side, toward the source of the sweet voice that had startled him while he was vulnerable and deep in thought, Ezran came across a girl a little shorter than him.

His blue eyes latched onto the girl's sharp, defiant ones, snorting in anger for some reason unknown to the young red-haired man.

'Wait, she's…' Forcing his brain to remember, he analyzed her from head to toe. 'Sasha Blake, isn't it?'

Sasha Blake, one of the most frequently featured characters during the early arcs, always coming to Qilin's rescue and later joining her close friend's preferred guild of choice.

Despite her height, which made even the now-short Ezran — who, surprisingly, only reached 172 cm — feel tall, Sasha was clearly a muscular young woman beneath the Academy jacket she wore.

Her thick, messy light brown hair was featured in three braids at the back of her head, which she seemed to choose to play to the right side of her shoulder.

And on her left side, she had a long lock that stretched down to her chest.

In addition, her dark complexion and tomboy look, originally planned and designed by the original author — Templeman — made her one of the most popular characters among the few readers of LOTH.

"Is something wrong, you weirdo?" She asked, her gray-black pupils narrowing as she noticed Ezran's appraising gaze. ''What are you looking at, after all?''

She was very pretty, but it wasn't like Ezran could say that openly.

What's more, she was only 16 years old, while technically Ezran was 7 years apart from her age!

'You fucking pervert!' Judging himself, he slapped his cheeks, reverting to his usual expression.

''You're weird, huh...'' Exclaiming that, Sasha walked past him, throwing him back and opening the room's door.

A procession of people rushed toward her as the door closed once more, leaving Ezran in the dark again.

He looked down, now taking the time to make his final mental notes.

[Rookie — Quiescent]

Written on a badge of sorts, attached to the upper chest region of his Academy attire, were those words, in bold capitals, setting them apart from everything else.

'Let me see, if I remember correctly the Novice refers to the first year cadets, while Quiescent is the name of the class I belong to.'

Simply put, Ezran, and Sasha — who probably should have had a badge like that under her thick jacket — were in their first year of Class 1.

Being placed in the same room as Sasha only indicated one thing…

What's more, Quiescent was an important name that no LOTH fan would ever forget, even after 1000 years.

That was why Ezran knew what that class was and how important it was to the world for years to come.

Qilin, the protagonist of LOTH, and Aaron, his rival and the only person capable of directly rivaling Qilin, were in that exact class and that didn't seem like good news for Ezran.

He already expected this, given that the original Ezran developed envy and jealousy towards Qilin during class activities - which implied that the boy was part of the Quiescent class.

What worried him was that as groups formed around the two main characters, many schemes, mostly started by Aaron and his followers, in partnership with Ezran's sister bitch, would make the class rowdy.

And that suggested that, as a member of the class, Ezran would likely be dragged along regardless of his will and nature.

''Phew''

After catching his breath, Ezran slowly and carefully opened the wooden door.

The interior was elegant and much larger than it appeared from the outside; there, a grayish white dye spread everywhere, with no sign of dust and several long tables arranged in a cascade.

Apparently, Ezran's decision to wait a little longer had been the right one, and the commotion caused by Sasha's arrival had already dissipated.

'Well, where should I sit?' He asked inwardly.

It was now 8:15 and class started at 8:30, so he could take his time.

Looking nimbly around the classroom, Ezran without too much trouble found Aaron seated at the front on one of the benches farther away, next to the room's windows.

He looked amused for some reason, with his eyes closed, an odd smile on his mouth and his thick hands in his pockets, giving him the appearance of an imposing being.

'No wonder he's the second protagonist.' Ezran stated.

Next to Aaron, a girl with hair completely black as darkness and a face even more elegant and striking than Sasha's chattered nonstop.

From what Ezran remembered from the novel, this was Aaron's childhood friend, and also a person who, for some reason, would love him (platonically) until the protagonist Qilin won her heart, in the later stages of the story.

Her name was Lissandra Yoon.

'For now, I'd better not even try to get involved with them.'

Talking to each other, the two paid no attention to Ezran — in fact, no one in the entire room seemed to notice his presence.

He thanked the universe internally, heading up the stairs that led to the other cascading tables.

Finally finished choosing, the red haired boy sat on the bench away from the windows in one of the highest rows of the class.

Acting as an extra character would, he stared straight ahead in a daze, marveling at everyone and everything.

Incredibly, as described in the novel's texts — which said that the world of LOTH was extremely developed, due to the advent of magical energy — the room was fully equipped with futuristic items.

At the front of the room, there was no blackboard, but a screen for projection of holograms.

'This is really cool.'

Looking at it, Ezran couldn't help but let the feeling of surprise overwhelm him and sigh.

Having gone through high school at a school located on the most dangerous and filthy outskirts of his country in his past life, and having lived most of his life in a decrepit dive, that sight was spectacular.

And, without a doubt, if the people of his world were there to witness that scene, many of them would be in the same state as the boy.

The Brivid Academy lived up to all its accolades.

Brivid's semester began at the end of March.

Those who had attended the Jeronimo Military Academy would obviously have advantages, which poor Ezran was far from.

Qilin, like the protagonist, had been a student at the Military Academy — the number one, unbeatable and who held countless records unreachable by others, of course.

On the other hand, Ezran was just a mere pawn for his younger sister, Mariana, to use, so that she could hit Qilin and the guy's companions.

''Hmm...''

Concentrating on his hypotheses, Ezran didn't notice that the clock on the living room wall was counting the time, which finally arrived at the designated time for class.

[8:29:58]

[8:29:59]

[8:30:00]

TRINNNNN~

Eyes widening in surprise, Ezran lifted his head from the table he watched, lost in deep thought.

"Now!" A deafening scream filled his drooping ears. ''Hello everyone, we meet one more time!''

When he finally looked straight ahead, the instructor was behind the podium in front of the projection screen.

''Well, it's still your first week at the Academy, so there won't be any special training as always, but I hope you all trained in the morning. I have high expectations for my students. I know you have potential.''

He stopped talking for a second.

His eyes swept the room in record time, suddenly stopping in the direction of Ezran, who was silent.

''Now, I imagine that you guys know that a new student has arrived at the Academy. Your new classmate, Ezran del Razón.'' He continued.

The gazes, which triggered several different emotions, fell on Ezran's figure, and when Aaron and the others watched him, he cringed slightly.

Aaron's sneer made Ezran understand that the guy knew about the less-than-positive fame behind him.

''As most of you know, my name is Orlan Winters, and I am the instructor in charge of all of you for the year.''

That name; Ezran swore he could vaguely remember it.

Surely, if there were quotes about him at some point in LOTH, the middle-aged man had some relevance early on in the story, right?

''For those who doubt my résumé, I must tell you: I am a professionalized hero. Current World Rank Rank: 5322. By the Alliance rank, I would be Intermediate level, Grade 4, of the Path of Darkness.''

People already seemed to know that, but the students' eyes still lit up anyway.

For Ezran, it was an understandable reaction.

In an unending line of over one and a half million heroes in the world, someone with a rank in the thousands was obviously a very skilled person.

''I think that's enough for now.'' He finished, looking away from Ezran's direction.

Then his lips curved into a bizarre smile that made even Aaron shiver.

That was why his roguish smile sent a shiver down Ezran's cold sweat-streaked back.

''Next, well, as you all know Brivid Academy is very objective. I won't go into too much detail as you can check your respective Pads later. So let's start once and for all and make it clear that the only indicator of your success will be your grade.

The people who were talking had fallen silent.

Even though they had, most likely, already heard that explanation several times in the other two days, they listened without question.

''It is normal to fail Brivid once or twice, but those who fail more than three times will be immediately expelled. Don't worry though, as you will be able to become a mercenary or security agent and secure adequate cash income.''

After scaring the students away, the instructor paused one more time -- which Ezran suspected was calculated -- and scanned the faces of every student in the class.

He ran his index finger across the screen, sliding it.

''All the ones in green are present, huh...''

Strangely, everyone's icon was painted green except for one person.

Qilin Styr, the protagonist.

But Ezran didn't have time to think about what could have delayed the boy or made him miss that particular day,when the instructor raised his voice.

''I will repeat. Here at Brivid, you'll need to confirm the things you've learned so far and hone your skills for use in battle. There will be no kind of gentle training or preferential treatment here. Remember that.''

With that, taking a few steps towards the door, Orlan announced.

''Now, get ready. Today's activity will be quick and it won't take long, but it will be an essential factor for your future.''

People listened intently, some leaning forward from their desks and desks.

''The first task will be nothing more, nothing less than the ''selection of the pivot stone''.

Finishing with his explanatory monologue, Orlan ordered everyone to follow him towards the training facility.

'And now.' thought Ezran, his heart hammering against his chest. 'Now it all starts for real!'

The selection of the pivot stone would be the second step for him to change his destiny. He absolutely couldn't let things go wrong.

For the sake of maintaining his life. Of his survival.

Everything had to go well.

'Please.' Following the line with an impassive expression, Ezran began to think.