novelraw Chapter 15
Chapter 15
Chapter 15
Class 1
In truth, the hallway of Class 1 wasn’t any different from Class 0.
The carpet laid across the corridor and the chandelier hanging from the ceiling looked so identical that one could easily mistake it for Class 0’s hallway.
Perhaps because Class 1 had already finished its last class for the day, there were no students in sight.
“Is everyone resting in their dorms?”
Hei had no sense of unfamiliarity toward the new environment.
If anything, he murmured with interest as he looked around the hallway.
Just like Class 0, Class 1 was quiet.
Ed Branch was said to have the fewest students among the five branches, so I wondered how many students Class 1 actually had.
“Anyway, since the mob said he’ll guide us, let’s find the dorm first.”
This time, I took the lead and decided our next move.
Clatter, clatter.
Russel silently dragged his suitcase, glancing at the mob as he headed toward his assigned dorm.
Without the group he usually surrounded himself with, his retreating figure felt strangely pitiful.
That didn’t mean I intended to get friendly with him.
What he had shown in Class 0 was the exact kind of behavior I hated the most.
“Serves him right. He acted all high and mighty back in Class 0.”
Hei clearly didn’t view Russel kindly either.
And so, we followed the mob to locate our dorms.
“Wow! All three of us are right next to each other?”
Upon arriving, the one who got the most excited was Kiena.
Hei’s dorm and mine were adjacent rooms, and the room directly across from us was Kiena’s.
“Let’s unpack and meet out front. We need to eat dinner.”
With that, each of us went into our dorm.
“Hm, nothing special about the Class 1 dorm either.”
A worn wooden table, a bed, even the old wardrobe.
Only the size of the room had increased ever so slightly compared to Class 0.
After hanging my spare uniform in the wardrobe and stepping outside, Hei and Kiena were already waiting.
“Let’s go, let’s go! Time to eat!”
The one who got the most excited at mealtime was, as always, Hei.
When we arrived at the cafeteria, only a few students were present.
“Are they the ones who just got promoted?”
“Looks like it?”
The students in the cafeteria glanced at us and whispered among themselves.
Seeing the Class 1 students made the difference immediately apparent.
Unlike the Class 0 students, the students on this floor had streaks of dyed-looking color in their hair.
Red, brown, white—each was different.
Their ages seemed similar to ours.
But since the lifespan of a mage was inherently long and aging occurred slowly, they might have been far older than us in reality.
The number of students in the cafeteria didn’t even reach ten.
“They don’t look like anything special. Let’s ignore them.”
The students also noticed our hair colors and immediately understood we weren’t mages adept at handling magic yet.
“Let’s eat.”
The moment I reached the table where food was prepared with the two in tow—
“Wow! There’s noodles here!”
That was Hei’s shout of awe.
“Wow…! Cookies and even cake…!”
This time it was Kiena.
I barely held back the laughter threatening to spill out.
Their reactions were completely understandable.
Each class had its distinctions.
Those distinctions, petty as they were, began with food.
In the Class 0 cafeteria, only the most basic foods were served.
Bread, salad, soup, and the like.
No meat.
If anything could be considered the closest to meat, it would be eggs.
As the class increased, the variety of food available in the student cafeteria also expanded.
Class 1 was still introductory level, but since it consisted of students who had formally passed through Class 0, this could be considered a form of reward.
“Look, they even have drinks over there.”
In Class 0, the only thing to drink was water, but from Class 1 onward, they had a few beverages, including orange juice.
‘I want tea or coffee, but Class 1 doesn’t have those.’
Since Class 1 mostly consisted of younger students, such drinks weren’t offered.
Hei piled noodles and meat onto his plate until it overflowed.
Meanwhile, Kiena filled her plate with cakes and cookies.
“It’s delicious…!”
Both of them spoke the exact same words as the food entered their mouths.
“Let’s eat and rest for the day. I’m tired.”
“Artel, are you very tired?”
“Yeah, I want to sleep.”
“Alright, let’s eat fast and go sleep.”
I wasn’t actually tired—what I wanted was to check Class 1’s facilities through the mob once I returned to the dorm.
‘What kind of form would the branch’s Class 1 take…?’
After finishing our meal and exchanging farewells to rest, we returned to our dorms.
I lay on the bed and immediately manifested the mob.
[Customized Timetable for Class 1]
Name: Artel / Elementalist (Darkness, Fire Double Caster)
—Daily Classes—
‘Darkness Element Theory’
‘Darkness Element Practical Beginner 1’
‘Fire Element Theory’
‘Fire Element Practical Beginner 1’
‘History of Mages 2’ (Common)
—Weekly (Common) Classes—
‘Definition and Theory of Mages’
‘Correlation of the Elements’
‘Magic Sparring’
My timetable had automatically updated to fit Class 1.
From Class 1 onward, individualized lessons were conducted, so the timetable listed my name and the type of mage I was.
As expected, because of what I displayed during the exam, they were convinced I was a Double Caster.
But there was a new type of lesson called weekly classes.
Looking into it through the mob, daily classes were personalized lessons based on each student’s elemental type.
Weekly classes were sessions where every student in the class gathered in the same classroom once a week for each subject.
That was why the weekly classes had the word ‘common’ written in parentheses.
Since the subject History of Mages had been mandatory since Class 0, it was the only common subject among the daily classes.
‘Definition and Theory of Mages’ was held every Tuesday morning, ‘Correlation of the Elements’ every Wednesday afternoon, and ‘Magic Sparring’ every Friday afternoon.
But this sparring class was a subject that didn’t exist in my previous life.
It was surely one of the things that had changed over the past 300 years.
“Wait, did my personal information get updated too?”
[Personal Information]
—Name: Artel
—Type: Elementalist (Darkness, Fire Double Caster)
—Age: 13
—Admission: Ed Branch
—Class: 1
—Year: 0
—Record: Graduated Class 0 (Year 5)
The moment I rose to Class 1, my personal information updated accordingly.
And the category ‘Type,’ which didn’t exist in Class 0, was now added.
In Class 0, my year had been listed as 5, but upon entering Class 1, it reset.
It showed as 0 now, but likely when the year changed, it would display as Year 1.
“I’m experiencing all kinds of things.”
Since my master had developed the mob after I had already graduated from school, seeing the mob update in real time made me feel strangely proud.
I proceeded to examine the facilities of Class 1 in earnest.
“Hm, as expected.”
The library was larger than that of Class 0.
Just as I expected, Class 1 had a training grounds and sparring arena—facilities that Class 0 didn’t have.
There was a reason the curriculum included sparring.
Still, Class 1 students were 1st Circle Mages; to introduce sparring from the 1st Circle—what were they thinking?
It felt as though mages were being raised purely as combat forces like in the society of swordsmen.
Sparring was a subject that hadn’t existed in the school of my previous life, so it felt even more foreign.
Whose idea brought about such a change?
Was it only Etar Branch, or were all branches like this now?
However, the evaluation schedule for Class 1 students remained the same as Class 0—once on the Monday of the second week of October after summer break, and once on the Friday of the last week of December.
It seemed the exam schedule for all classes was identical.
As time grew later, the sound of hasty footsteps echoed in the hallway.
I cracked the door open slightly and peeked out. Students were packing their luggage into carriers and heading somewhere.
‘Since winter break is starting, they must all be heading down to the Lower World.’
Among them was Russel.
As Russel passed by me, he glanced my way and sharply turned his head.
‘What’s with him again?’
He was indeed not a kid I could take a liking to.
I counted the number of students heading to the Lower World.
It looked to be around thirty.
But unlike Class 0, the students were divided into summoners and elementalists, so once classes began, there would be very few students attending the same lessons together.
Even among the students with the faint red tint in their hair that I could see, there were only five.
Those with completely black hair were either darkness elementalists or summoners.
‘Thirty students… it really is few.’
In my previous life’s school, there had been more than three hundred students in Class 1.
Once again, the reality of Ed Branch having the smallest student body among all branches hit me.
Winter break began, and Russel successfully arrived at the main Mihael residence located in the Lower World.
To celebrate the break, the family had prepared a feast for him.
In the main residence’s dining hall was a single table stretching long across the room.
It was so long that if two people sat at opposite ends, they wouldn’t hear each other without using magic to amplify their voices.
At the head seat sat the head of House Mihael, Ruin, with his white hair and white eyes.
Despite having lived over 300 years, he looked youthful—around his thirties—with a radiant appearance.
It was as if his body had halted in time at that age.
The butlers and maids nervously watched him as they carefully arranged the dishes.
Once everything was placed, they bowed at a sharp angle and hurried out as though fleeing.
Even for Russel, this was an extremely tense setting.
Sitting in the seat beside the head chair, Russel kept his back straight and rested his lightly clenched fists on his knees.
“So, after a year, you finally passed Class 0?”
“…Yes! My lord.”
Though Ruin was his father, Russel could not call him father.
That was the rule of the family, and there were many rites of passage one had to complete before being allowed to do so.
But Russel, who only now became a 1st Circle Mage, had yet to undergo those rites.
“I don’t even remember what number son you are anymore, but at least you didn’t bring shame to the family.”
That was exactly why.
Ruin, who had lived for more than 300 years, had countless children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
There were too many to count, and unless one was truly exceptional, he wouldn’t even remember their names.
Had Russel failed the Class 0 evaluation, he wouldn’t have earned the honor of dining alone with the head of the family like this.
To dine with the family head upon passing a promotion exam—
That was the tradition of House Mihael.
“How old were you again?”
“I am nine years old, my lord.”
“A little late compared to your other siblings.”
“…My apologies.”
“Which branch did you enroll in?”
“…Ed Branch, my lord.”
“Tsk, tsk.”
At his answer, Ruin clicked his tongue and shook his head.
Ed Branch was not held in good regard even within House Mihael.
“For now, eat.”
As the heavy atmosphere continued, Russel cautiously asked,
“My lord, may I be permitted one question…?”
“What is it?”
Ruin still didn’t spare him a glance as he picked out only the dishes he wanted with his fork.
“Alarize Petra…? Was there such a mage?”
The moment Russel asked—
Flash—!
Boom!
“Ggh…! Ghk!”
Ruin manifested a spell toward Russel.
A white spear-like spell.
It was the spell used mainly by the clans of the light element—‘Light Sealing Spear.’
A high-difficulty spell capable of both restraining and attacking at the same time.
Russel’s body was pinned against a tall wall.
“You… where did you hear that name?”
“M-my lord…?”
It was a face distorted by fury—something Russel had never seen from Ruin before.
“My own child dares!”
“I—I’m sorry…!”
Drip, drip.
As Ruin roared at him, the young boy lost control and wet himself on the spot.