I had thirty minutes to solve a puzzle in a room that looked like it hadn't seen sunlight since the invention of fire, and now that the door had opened… I was outside again. Not in the plaza, not back with Onelio, but in a huge circular courtyard with jagged stone archways, pillars cracked from age, and glowing glyphs crawling along the ground like nervous ants.
But none of that mattered.
Because the moment I stepped outside, I saw it.
> [Quest: Attend the Opening Ceremony] Status: In Progress
Objective: Do not cause a scene.
Reward: +20 Credits
Penalty: Lose the reward from your next quest
Still active.
Still mocking me.
I'd figured the ceremony ended when that old guy with a fashion addiction to capes disappeared. But apparently, no. We were still in it. Which meant—
There were more trials coming.
Of course there were.
This place wouldn't give out class rankings just from a glorified escape room. I was expecting a combat test. Maybe magic. Maybe that tank thing, where they beat you with a club and check how many bones don't snap.
I sighed, dragging a hand down my face.
I had to know what was coming. I had to prepare.
But I couldn't just go around asking questions like, "Hey, fellow terrified strangers, anyone know what trial is going to murder us next?" Because…
> [Hidden Quest Unlocked: Survive Your First Day] Objective: Understand your surroundings without drawing attention.
Reward: Basic Map of Valebourne Academy
Failure Penalty: -10 Reputation (Visible Cluelessness)
Yeah. That one.
And I still had no idea how this reputation thing worked. For all I knew, -10 could make people throw food at me or blacklist me from the good lunch tables.
So, I did the only thing I could do: people-watching. Strategic eavesdropping. Casual lurking.
The courtyard was filling up slowly—students trickling in through various doors, some alone, some in groups. A few looked bruised or sweaty. One guy had what looked like moss growing out of his boots. No one was screaming, so that was promising.
I hovered near a broken column, head tilted like I was admiring the architecture, ears tuned like a paranoid spy.
"...mine was a shadow maze. Had to light the torches in a pattern—burned my hand twice."
"Did yours have that voice too? The one whispering clues? Gave me chills."
"Trial One complete. Trial Two's gonna be worse, you know that right?"
Bingo.
I drifted closer to that last group—three students with matching emblems on their uniforms. Maybe they were from the same pre-academy? Or just stylish cultists.
"Combat?" one of them asked, stretching. "Feels too early. Maybe endurance?"
"Could be. They'll want to weed out the weaklings fast."
I tried not to gulp.
Instead, I leaned against the column and nodded to myself, like I was reflecting on life.
Inside, I was screaming.
One thing was clear: asking directly was out. But listening? Listening was free.
I moved again, drifting toward a quieter edge of the courtyard where a pair of girls were seated on a floating slab of stone—because of course even the benches here defied gravity. They looked calm, too calm. Probably the "I've trained for this my whole life" type. I hated them a little already.
Still, I tuned in.
"...father said the academy tests reaction speed early. Combative decisions under stress."
"Ugh, that means combat," the other one groaned. "I hate close quarters. Why didn't I get Seer lineage like you?"
"I didn't inherit much. Just flashes. But I saw blood on the second test."
I stiffened.
Blood?
Fantastic.
I looked down at myself—still in that spotless navy uniform with zero armor, zero weapons, and absolutely zero experience in anything that might involve bleeding less.
I took a slow breath and leaned back casually, pretending to stretch.
I wasn't learning fast enough. These people either had connections, heritage, or both. All I had was a system that liked to play cryptic quest-giver and didn't come with a FAQ.
Wait.
Maybe...
> [Menu]
I mentally called it, half-joking.
And to my surprise—
> [System Menu: Available]
Quests
Inventory
Coin Balance
Information (LOCKED)
Skills (LOCKED)
Shop (LOCKED)
Information was there. Locked, but still there. That meant it would open later.
I just had to survive until "later."
As I closed the menu, a faint bell rang out, echoing through the courtyard. Everyone stiffened. Conversations dropped like dead pigeons.
Then the platform in the center began to rise—stone grinding against stone, unveiling a second figure.
Not the silver-eyed headmaster this time.
This one was younger. Armored. Scar across the jaw. Voice like steel.
"Trial Two will begin shortly," he announced. "Combat Evaluation. No weapons allowed. No spells permitted. No second chances."
...Excuse me?
> [Quest Updated: Orientation Ceremony – Trial Two Begins]
Objective: Survive the Evaluation
Bonus Objective: Last At Least 60 Seconds
Reward: Combat Affinity Preview
Penalty: Lowered Physical Stat Growth
---
Oh no.
Sixty seconds.
That was the bonus objective. Not even winning. Just… lasting.
That should've made me feel better, right?
Spoiler: it didn't.
Because if the system was offering a reward just for surviving sixty seconds, that meant most people didn't.
I swallowed hard and glanced around. The atmosphere had changed. The confident, smug expressions were cracking. Even the ones who looked like they'd bench-pressed lions for breakfast were starting to shift uneasily. Either they knew what was coming, or they'd just remembered they couldn't use spells or weapons.
Which was… all of us.
No weapons, no spells.
Great.
All that left me with was my stellar cardio and wildly underwhelming upper body strength.
I couldn't even punch properly. I'd once sprained my wrist slapping a mosquito.
Okay. Think. Think.
Maybe it's bluff. Maybe it's just a mental test. Psychological stress. They'll throw fake threats and analyze our reactions.
That would be merciful.
But mercy didn't exactly feel like Valebourne's vibe.
> [Reminder: You are not allowed to cause a scene.]
Oh. Right. That one was still active.
Just brilliant. I had to survive a no-weapons combat trial while also behaving myself. What's next? Bake a cake mid-battle?
The armored instructor raised one hand. The ground beneath us started shifting—squares of stone separating, moving like clockwork gears.
Arenas.
Dozens of them.
My square began to move, drifting away from the others like an elevator made of nightmares. I was being isolated.
So were others.
Each one of us was being taken to a solo platform.
Then I heard it. A growl.
Low. Guttural.
And then, across from me, rising from a summoning circle etched in the stone—
A creature.
It was tall. Canine features. Bones showing under patchy fur. Eyes like molten tar.
A Bloodfang Warg.
I remembered it from the guidebooks.
A monster typically hunted in groups.
As in, by groups of trained mages.
"Sixty seconds," I whispered to myself.
The Warg snarled.
I ran.
---
I ran.
No plan. No strategy. Just pure, panicked instinct.
The Bloodfang Warg lunged after me, claws scraping stone as it gave chase with terrifying speed. I barely made it around the edge of the platform before it slammed down where I'd just been, the stone cracking under the weight of its attack.
Okay, so dodging: possible. Surviving: still questionable.
> [Timer: 59 seconds remaining.]
Excuse me?
You started the timer now?
I ducked behind a low stone pillar as the Warg snarled and turned, eyes locking onto me again. It wasn't dumb. Just patient. Like it knew the second I slipped, it'd have lunch.
I tried to control my breathing, heart pounding in my ears. Think. No magic, no weapons. Just me.
Me and... okay, still no plan.
The creature began circling, claws tapping. My eyes darted to the sides of the arena—nothing I could use as a weapon. Not even a stick. Just smooth, empty stone and my own two hands. Which, let's be honest, were not known for their combat capabilities.
> [Timer: 48 seconds.]
Twelve seconds gone. Already felt like a year.
I needed something. A distraction. A trick. Anything.
Wait.
Bloodfang Wargs had sensitive noses, didn't they? I remembered reading something about them getting disoriented by sharp smells or smoke.
Too bad I didn't have a smoke bomb.
What did I have?
> [Inventory: 1x Orientation Brochure.]
Oh great. I could hit it with school propaganda.
The Warg darted forward, claws raised. I yelped and dove to the side, scraping my elbow but avoiding getting mauled. Barely. The beast slid on the stone, recovering fast.
> [Timer: 39 seconds.]
"Okay, okay," I muttered. "New plan: dodge and scream until help arrives."
The Warg lunged again. I feinted right, then stumbled left. Not intentional, but apparently, clumsiness works as evasion. Good to know.
I landed hard, back slamming against the stone. Stars burst behind my eyes.
The Warg loomed over me.
And then—
I raised the brochure.
"Back! I'm a student!"
It didn't flinch.
Worth a shot.
I kicked upward—aimed for the nose, or at least a general face-area.
It reared back with a growl. Minor success. Probably more confused than hurt, but I'd take it.
> [Timer: 25 seconds.]
I scrambled to my feet again, panting, circling, trying to keep something—anything—between us.
Another charge. Another barely-dodge. My knee screamed in protest.
> [Timer: 12 seconds.]
Almost there. Come on. Just a few more seconds.
The Warg hesitated. Sniffed the air. It didn't like that I kept moving. Unpredictable prey wasn't fun.
It lunged again—fast, desperate. I threw myself backward, rolling with the impact, the claws grazing my side but not digging in.
> [Timer: 2 seconds.]
I braced for another hit.
> [Timer: 0 seconds.]
[Quest Completed – Bonus Objective Achieved.]
[Reward: Combat Affinity Preview Acquired.]
[Note: Your survival instincts are… questionable.]
[System Remark: Nonexistent Affinity for Mage detected.]
I collapsed flat on the stone, limbs splayed like a starfish, gasping for air.
The Warg vanished into smoke.
The platform stopped shaking.
And then—
A slow clap.
---
Someone was clapping.
Slow. Mocking. Unbothered.
I turned my head, still lying flat like roadkill, and saw him near the edge of the platform. Lean, tall, the kind of posture that screamed arrogance even in silence. His academy blazer wasn't even wrinkled. He hadn't broken a sweat.
"Impressive," he said, though his tone suggested the exact opposite. "You managed to turn a combat trial into slapstick theater."
I opened my mouth. Nothing came out but a wheeze.
He stepped closer. His eyes were golden—literally. Glowing faintly, like they thought the sun was their cousin or something.
"But I'll give you this," he added, crouching slightly. "Most people cry. You didn't. You flailed with… dignity."
I coughed. "I was... being strategic."
"Oh, clearly."
> [Hidden Reputation Trigger: Unknown Individual - First Impression: Mild Amusement.]
Well. At least I wasn't on his murder list yet.
Before I could form a comeback, a loud chime rang out. The platform began to descend again, this time slower, smoother. I barely managed to roll myself over before it dropped back into the ground with a gentle thud.
Back in the courtyard, the crowd was already abuzz.
Some were staring. A few whispering. One person was sketching. I hate him.
Then—
A giant magical screen burst into existence above the courtyard.
> [Orientation Ceremony: Trial One & Two Preliminary Rankings]
1. Callis Veyron – 210 pts
2. Reina Allhart – 208 pts
3. Lucian Draewell – 205 pts
4. Iria Halden – 204 pts
5. Selas Morn – 202 pts
...
6. Jack Varin – 135 pts
...
7. Aster – 130 pts
There I was. Not last.
Not even bottom five.
I blinked.
Then grinned.
"Well," I muttered, "look who's not dead and mildly average."
A soft breeze passed through the courtyard. Around me, the students stared up at the screen. Some with pride, some with fury, and a few with cold calculation.
I followed their gazes upward.
That's when I first saw them—the contenders.
And something told me I'd be seeing a lot more of them very soon