183. Orientation
“We shall now begin your orientation.”
Clayton’s [Secretary] approached me, producing a sheet of folded paper. I accepted it as she adjusted her glasses.
“Ms Salvos, if you will follow me, I shall give you a brief tour of the academy.”
“Oh, alright.”
I glanced over at the Headmaster if he had anything else to add. But after welcoming me as a student and shaking my hand, he had gone off to the side to speak with a handful of older men and women. They spoke in hushed voices, about things I probably couldn’t care about. So, I simply nodded and followed the [Secretary].
“What’s your name?”
I asked her as we left the Tower of Truth. Apparently this large structure held the offices of many of the school faculty. I saw the runes inscribed on the walls and felt the strands of mana contorting around the entire building. I couldn’t study it in detail, since there was some other spell overlaid on top of it to obfuscate its detailed makeup.
“I am Marie Schofen. You may simply address me as [Secretary] Marie. More than that is not necessary.”
“Sure!”
I followed her down the steep white steps leading up to the Tower of Truth. Marie unfolded her own sheet of paper, unveiling a map, and gestured at the courtyard before us.
“This is the Central Square of Mavos Academy. It is, as you can surmise from the map, at the very center of the institution.”
“I see, I see.”
I nodded along as she listed the names of the various buildings located around Central Square.
“And that is the Thundercage. It is where [Aeromancers] practice their Flight spells and their lightning magic. There’s no need to worry about stray lightning bolts, since the four poles in each corner are effective conductors placed to draw the electricity. Next to it is the House of Amber, a building donated by the Amber family…”
It wasn’t like a city where all the buildings were uniform. But they weren’t haphazardly built structures either. They were all enhanced by magic. There was a thin tower, almost like a minaret, that reached up to a cloud. There was a dome-like building, holding in it what seemed like a small lake. I saw fish and sea creatures with long and undulating bodies floating through its glass panel walls. There were people swimming alongside them, much to my surprise.
There was a floating stadium; a crooked, spiral building; and what looked like a castle all in the Central Square.
“Moving on, we shall head to the west wing of the academy.”
“Wait, just how large is this place?”
I found my eyes glazing over the scenery. It was colorful, vibrant— full of life. It wasn’t crowded, since students were busy with classes and lessons. However, when I first came through the Central Square, I remembered that it was very much teeming with people rushing to the different buildings, some of them using magic to quicken their pace, only to be stopped by what looked like guards dressed in robes.
“Mavos Academy is a large institution. There is an estimated population of over 20,000 people living here.”
“That many students? I thought Platinum Ranks were rare!”
“They are. But not everyone living here is a student. And not student graduates. Furthermore, the curriculum is rigorous, and intended to be so. There is a drop-out rate of 73% over the course of all four years. The death rate is 2%, higher than any other academy in the world. In fact, this is the only academy in the world which regularly produces individuals equivalent to Platinum Rank. That is why we are sought out by every nation in the Human lands.”
“Huh.”
It was, honestly, like a small city.
Except, magical.
“You guys are pretty awesome, aren’t you?”
I heard a sigh from Marie, for whatever reason.
—--
We didn’t hold much small talk. Marie seemed quite brusque, to be honest. I knew when people didn’t like me— most of the time. And she clearly disliked me.
It was probably because she was lower-leveled than me.
[Secretary - Lvl 87]
I was surprised that her Class even reached that high of a level. But whatever the case was, she showed me around dutifully. I saw the vibrant botanical gardens in the east wing, and a dull, small desert enclosure in the south wing. There was a small rain forest with its own biome and natural environment on one side, while a fully artificial edifice rose up right next to it, made out of metal as a laboratory.
There were multiple libraries located throughout Mavos Academy. Each of them had their own unique design. One was built like a temple, reminiscent of the ostentatious designs the Sanctum of Elements had. Another was more sleek— neat. Not a lot of decorations. It showed just where books were, and that was that.
Marie gave me a detailed history of each location and their uses, before the orientation finally came to an end. When it did, she handed me a folder full of documents.
“What’s this?”
I cocked my head, and she replied.
“This is for you to fill out, Ms Salvos. To determine your schedule. Do try to submit this as soon as possible, as classes have already begun, so you are far behind your peers in terms of your education.”
“Oh, um, what do you recommend?”
I had no idea what I was looking at. I saw boxes— tables. There were checklists and names. I didn’t understand it at all. Marie shook her head.
“That is for you to decide.”
She turned around, about to leave me alone.
“Wait—”
I raised a hand, blinking.
“What about my… dormitory?”
That was what Saffron called it. Marie answered simply as per usual.
“Unfortunately, students in the School of Aspiring Elites typically find their own housing. The dormitories are reserved solely for those attending the College of Aspirations— those in the four year program.”
“Where am I supposed to stay?”
“There are other housing situations across the campus. However, they will not be partially reimbursed as student housing dormitories are. I suggest finding one now too.”
I watched as she left. I crossed my arms, frowning.
“As if! I’ll just stay with Saffron!”
—--
“No.”
“Please?”
Saffron Merryster rubbed her temples as I pleaded with her.
“I’ll just sleep on the couch! I have nowhere else to go!”
“Don’t you have the coin, Salvos?”
“Yep! But I don’t know how to buy a house!”
“You don’t have to—”
There was a moment where she tried to work her jaw. Where she tried to speak. But something in her clicked, and she decided against it.
“You know what? Fine. But I will not accommodate you as I have done so so far. You will not be my guest. You will be a roommate. So, try not to make a mess, or I will be lodging formal complaints against you.”
“Yay! Thank you!”
I hugged her and entered the room, throwing myself onto the couch. My belongings were still here, since I had been staying over beforehand. Matthew gave me a sidelong glance from the kitchen as he washed the dishes from the night before.
“Also, Matthew will no longer be catching your meals for you. You will have to find those… bugs by yourself.”
“Aw. But that’s fine.”
I got to work, rather than arguing with her. I began sifting through the documents I had been given, trying to figure out what classes I wanted to take for my first ‘term’ in Mavos Academy.
“Ok, so, there are these classes… that’s a lot of classes. And they’re very specialized, aren’t they? Although, it looks like these two classes are full, and these other seven classes have been dropped. Hm.”
There was, fortunately, a class on space magic. And another on theoretical dimensional movement. Also, a class on summonings, which I thought would be relevant to me. So, I chose those three as my main classes.
I had to choose another two, unrelated to my concentration. I chose general rune study as one of them, since I was interested in understanding how enchantments worked. I would’ve liked to replicate something similar to the Runic Scroll of Starfall. Since I wasn’t an [Enchanter] or a [Runesmith], I highly doubted I’d be able to create anything equal to its level.
But I’d have been satisfied with being able to create Low Grade artifacts myself.
Lastly, I had to choose a lab class.
“What even is a lab class?”
I wondered aloud to myself. Saffron glanced at me, snorting.
“Lab classes are meant for practical learning, as opposed to the more theoretical lessons given from the other lectures. While the regular classes are practical with examinations that test your abilities on the field, those happen only so rarely. Working in a laboratory will require almost every lesson to be practical lessons.”
“Huh. And here there’s smithing, alchemy, herbalism, crafting, mining— there’s a lot of things here. What should I choose?”
“I suggest alchemy.”
Saffron peered over my shoulder.
“It is the most useful for someone such as you to learn. When you are out in a Dungeon or far from any civilization, it’d be useful to know how to use the ingredients at your surroundings to create your own potions, no?”
“You’re right!”
I looked over at the options listed. Most of the alchemy classes were full, except for two of them. One was by a professor William S. Bradern. The other was by [Alchemist] Raymond.
“Which of these classes do you think I should take?”
“I’ve heard good things about professor Bradern. However, he is a harsh teacher. For someone like you, who’s more… new to all this. I’d suggest taking [Alchemist] Raymond instead.”
“Alright then!”
I finished filling out the documents and left to submit them. Before returning, I stopped by one of the gardens to hunt for insects to eat. I snagged a few colorful-looking large critters, filling my stomach, and left with a burp.
It was past midnight by the time I was back in Saffron’s room. Or— our room, now. Matthew didn’t stay over in the dormitory. He found his own place to stay elsewhere in Mavos Academy. Saffron was already asleep, so all I did was collapse onto the couch, excited for the day that was to come.
I’m finally going to begin school.
It was nerve-wracking. There were still several hours before my first class started. I didn’t feel sleepy, for whatever reason. Did my [Partial Mortality] penalty vanish somehow?
Whatever it was, I didn’t sleep. I had no reason to. I didn’t feel like it. Instead, I stayed awake, happily planning all the events of the next day. I also considered the pros and cons for my various Classes.
[Fairy Maiden] seemed more appealing than ever to my mind, which was slowly growing more and more tired. But [Worldly Mystic of the Nexeus] sounded cool! And [Dimensional Mage] would raise the least amount of questions.
It was a tough decision. And I yawned.
General Skill [Racial Skill: Partial Mortality] has leveled up!
[Racial Skill: Partial Mortality - Lvl. 3] -> [Racial Skill: Partial Mortality - Lvl. 4]!
Experience is awarded for the leveling of a General Skill!
—--
“Salvos, you’re going to be late!”
I blearily blinked my eyes open as Saffron pulled me out of the couch. I yawned, and she shoved me out of the door.
“Come on— I’m not going to be late because you overslept!”
I stumbled forward, confused at what was going on. Wasn’t I awake just a moment ago? I was pretty sure the sun had just risen, and I decided to rest my eyes for a second. But now it was higher up in the sky. It was nearly noon!
Saffron led me out of the dorm building and into the street. We were in the west wing of Mavos Academy, where most of the housing areas and food areas were located. I was still confused when I spotted the name written on a building in the distance.
“Your first class is at that building over there!”
She pointed, before running off in another direction.
“Don’t be late or you’ll be in trouble!”
I watched her go as I mindlessly headed to Shoveler’s Hall. I didn’t run, for whatever reason. I only realized that I was, in fact, five minutes late, when I stepped into my first lecture room. It was the class on space magic. It was a smaller room, compared to the others I passed by.
There were only a dozen students there, seated rather far apart from each other. The lecturer— an older lady with a single monocle— was drawing a circular shape on the chalkboard. They glanced over at me as I stood at the doorway, unsure of what to do.
She raised a wrinkled brow.
“I take it you are the new student?”
I struggled to get words out of my mouth.
“I, um, just enrolled— yes? I’m Salvos…?”
She nodded and gestured at an empty seat.
“Take a seat, young miss. And try not to cause any more interruptions.”
“Y-yes!”
I hurried over to the seat she pointed out. I found myself settling down next to a rather scrawny man who was studiously scribbling down on a piece of paper. He had a few books opened up as he glanced between his notes, the chalkboard, and the textbooks he had.
And it was then I realized I forgot to bring my bag.
It was my first ever day in school, and I made such a massive mistake. I was flustered, to say the least. With a deep breath, a single thought crossed through my mind. I condemned the thing that was at fault the most for these series of mishaps.
I hate sleeping!
MelasD
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183. Orientation
“We shall now begin your orientation.”
Clayton’s [Secretary] approached me, producing a sheet of folded paper. I accepted it as she adjusted her glasses.
“Ms Salvos, if you will follow me, I shall give you a brief tour of the academy.”
“Oh, alright.”
I glanced over at the Headmaster if he had anything else to add. But after welcoming me as a student and shaking my hand, he had gone off to the side to speak with a handful of older men and women. They spoke in hushed voices, about things I probably couldn’t care about. So, I simply nodded and followed the [Secretary].
“What’s your name?”
I asked her as we left the Tower of Truth. Apparently this large structure held the offices of many of the school faculty. I saw the runes inscribed on the walls and felt the strands of mana contorting around the entire building. I couldn’t study it in detail, since there was some other spell overlaid on top of it to obfuscate its detailed makeup.
“I am Marie Schofen. You may simply address me as [Secretary] Marie. More than that is not necessary.”
“Sure!”
I followed her down the steep white steps leading up to the Tower of Truth. Marie unfolded her own sheet of paper, unveiling a map, and gestured at the courtyard before us.
“This is the Central Square of Mavos Academy. It is, as you can surmise from the map, at the very center of the institution.”
“I see, I see.”
I nodded along as she listed the names of the various buildings located around Central Square.
“And that is the Thundercage. It is where [Aeromancers] practice their Flight spells and their lightning magic. There’s no need to worry about stray lightning bolts, since the four poles in each corner are effective conductors placed to draw the electricity. Next to it is the House of Amber, a building donated by the Amber family…”
It wasn’t like a city where all the buildings were uniform. But they weren’t haphazardly built structures either. They were all enhanced by magic. There was a thin tower, almost like a minaret, that reached up to a cloud. There was a dome-like building, holding in it what seemed like a small lake. I saw fish and sea creatures with long and undulating bodies floating through its glass panel walls. There were people swimming alongside them, much to my surprise.
There was a floating stadium; a crooked, spiral building; and what looked like a castle all in the Central Square.
“Moving on, we shall head to the west wing of the academy.”
“Wait, just how large is this place?”
I found my eyes glazing over the scenery. It was colorful, vibrant— full of life. It wasn’t crowded, since students were busy with classes and lessons. However, when I first came through the Central Square, I remembered that it was very much teeming with people rushing to the different buildings, some of them using magic to quicken their pace, only to be stopped by what looked like guards dressed in robes.
“Mavos Academy is a large institution. There is an estimated population of over 20,000 people living here.”
“That many students? I thought Platinum Ranks were rare!”
“They are. But not everyone living here is a student. And not student graduates. Furthermore, the curriculum is rigorous, and intended to be so. There is a drop-out rate of 73% over the course of all four years. The death rate is 2%, higher than any other academy in the world. In fact, this is the only academy in the world which regularly produces individuals equivalent to Platinum Rank. That is why we are sought out by every nation in the Human lands.”
“Huh.”
It was, honestly, like a small city.
Except, magical.
“You guys are pretty awesome, aren’t you?”
I heard a sigh from Marie, for whatever reason.
—--
We didn’t hold much small talk. Marie seemed quite brusque, to be honest. I knew when people didn’t like me— most of the time. And she clearly disliked me.
It was probably because she was lower-leveled than me.
[Secretary - Lvl 87]
I was surprised that her Class even reached that high of a level. But whatever the case was, she showed me around dutifully. I saw the vibrant botanical gardens in the east wing, and a dull, small desert enclosure in the south wing. There was a small rain forest with its own biome and natural environment on one side, while a fully artificial edifice rose up right next to it, made out of metal as a laboratory.
There were multiple libraries located throughout Mavos Academy. Each of them had their own unique design. One was built like a temple, reminiscent of the ostentatious designs the Sanctum of Elements had. Another was more sleek— neat. Not a lot of decorations. It showed just where books were, and that was that.
Marie gave me a detailed history of each location and their uses, before the orientation finally came to an end. When it did, she handed me a folder full of documents.
“What’s this?”
I cocked my head, and she replied.
“This is for you to fill out, Ms Salvos. To determine your schedule. Do try to submit this as soon as possible, as classes have already begun, so you are far behind your peers in terms of your education.”
“Oh, um, what do you recommend?”
I had no idea what I was looking at. I saw boxes— tables. There were checklists and names. I didn’t understand it at all. Marie shook her head.
“That is for you to decide.”
She turned around, about to leave me alone.
“Wait—”
I raised a hand, blinking.
“What about my… dormitory?”
That was what Saffron called it. Marie answered simply as per usual.
“Unfortunately, students in the School of Aspiring Elites typically find their own housing. The dormitories are reserved solely for those attending the College of Aspirations— those in the four year program.”
“Where am I supposed to stay?”
“There are other housing situations across the campus. However, they will not be partially reimbursed as student housing dormitories are. I suggest finding one now too.”
I watched as she left. I crossed my arms, frowning.
“As if! I’ll just stay with Saffron!”
—--
“No.”
“Please?”
Saffron Merryster rubbed her temples as I pleaded with her.
“I’ll just sleep on the couch! I have nowhere else to go!”
“Don’t you have the coin, Salvos?”
“Yep! But I don’t know how to buy a house!”
“You don’t have to—”
There was a moment where she tried to work her jaw. Where she tried to speak. But something in her clicked, and she decided against it.
“You know what? Fine. But I will not accommodate you as I have done so so far. You will not be my guest. You will be a roommate. So, try not to make a mess, or I will be lodging formal complaints against you.”
“Yay! Thank you!”
I hugged her and entered the room, throwing myself onto the couch. My belongings were still here, since I had been staying over beforehand. Matthew gave me a sidelong glance from the kitchen as he washed the dishes from the night before.
“Also, Matthew will no longer be catching your meals for you. You will have to find those… bugs by yourself.”
“Aw. But that’s fine.”
I got to work, rather than arguing with her. I began sifting through the documents I had been given, trying to figure out what classes I wanted to take for my first ‘term’ in Mavos Academy.
“Ok, so, there are these classes… that’s a lot of classes. And they’re very specialized, aren’t they? Although, it looks like these two classes are full, and these other seven classes have been dropped. Hm.”
There was, fortunately, a class on space magic. And another on theoretical dimensional movement. Also, a class on summonings, which I thought would be relevant to me. So, I chose those three as my main classes.
I had to choose another two, unrelated to my concentration. I chose general rune study as one of them, since I was interested in understanding how enchantments worked. I would’ve liked to replicate something similar to the Runic Scroll of Starfall. Since I wasn’t an [Enchanter] or a [Runesmith], I highly doubted I’d be able to create anything equal to its level.
But I’d have been satisfied with being able to create Low Grade artifacts myself.
Lastly, I had to choose a lab class.
“What even is a lab class?”
I wondered aloud to myself. Saffron glanced at me, snorting.
“Lab classes are meant for practical learning, as opposed to the more theoretical lessons given from the other lectures. While the regular classes are practical with examinations that test your abilities on the field, those happen only so rarely. Working in a laboratory will require almost every lesson to be practical lessons.”
“Huh. And here there’s smithing, alchemy, herbalism, crafting, mining— there’s a lot of things here. What should I choose?”
“I suggest alchemy.”
Saffron peered over my shoulder.
“It is the most useful for someone such as you to learn. When you are out in a Dungeon or far from any civilization, it’d be useful to know how to use the ingredients at your surroundings to create your own potions, no?”
“You’re right!”
I looked over at the options listed. Most of the alchemy classes were full, except for two of them. One was by a professor William S. Bradern. The other was by [Alchemist] Raymond.
“Which of these classes do you think I should take?”
“I’ve heard good things about professor Bradern. However, he is a harsh teacher. For someone like you, who’s more… new to all this. I’d suggest taking [Alchemist] Raymond instead.”
“Alright then!”
I finished filling out the documents and left to submit them. Before returning, I stopped by one of the gardens to hunt for insects to eat. I snagged a few colorful-looking large critters, filling my stomach, and left with a burp.
It was past midnight by the time I was back in Saffron’s room. Or— our room, now. Matthew didn’t stay over in the dormitory. He found his own place to stay elsewhere in Mavos Academy. Saffron was already asleep, so all I did was collapse onto the couch, excited for the day that was to come.
I’m finally going to begin school.
It was nerve-wracking. There were still several hours before my first class started. I didn’t feel sleepy, for whatever reason. Did my [Partial Mortality] penalty vanish somehow?
Whatever it was, I didn’t sleep. I had no reason to. I didn’t feel like it. Instead, I stayed awake, happily planning all the events of the next day. I also considered the pros and cons for my various Classes.
[Fairy Maiden] seemed more appealing than ever to my mind, which was slowly growing more and more tired. But [Worldly Mystic of the Nexeus] sounded cool! And [Dimensional Mage] would raise the least amount of questions.
It was a tough decision. And I yawned.
General Skill [Racial Skill: Partial Mortality] has leveled up!
[Racial Skill: Partial Mortality - Lvl. 3] -> [Racial Skill: Partial Mortality - Lvl. 4]!
Experience is awarded for the leveling of a General Skill!
—--
“Salvos, you’re going to be late!”
I blearily blinked my eyes open as Saffron pulled me out of the couch. I yawned, and she shoved me out of the door.
“Come on— I’m not going to be late because you overslept!”
I stumbled forward, confused at what was going on. Wasn’t I awake just a moment ago? I was pretty sure the sun had just risen, and I decided to rest my eyes for a second. But now it was higher up in the sky. It was nearly noon!
Saffron led me out of the dorm building and into the street. We were in the west wing of Mavos Academy, where most of the housing areas and food areas were located. I was still confused when I spotted the name written on a building in the distance.
“Your first class is at that building over there!”
She pointed, before running off in another direction.
“Don’t be late or you’ll be in trouble!”
I watched her go as I mindlessly headed to Shoveler’s Hall. I didn’t run, for whatever reason. I only realized that I was, in fact, five minutes late, when I stepped into my first lecture room. It was the class on space magic. It was a smaller room, compared to the others I passed by.
There were only a dozen students there, seated rather far apart from each other. The lecturer— an older lady with a single monocle— was drawing a circular shape on the chalkboard. They glanced over at me as I stood at the doorway, unsure of what to do.
She raised a wrinkled brow.
“I take it you are the new student?”
I struggled to get words out of my mouth.
“I, um, just enrolled— yes? I’m Salvos…?”
She nodded and gestured at an empty seat.
“Take a seat, young miss. And try not to cause any more interruptions.”
“Y-yes!”
I hurried over to the seat she pointed out. I found myself settling down next to a rather scrawny man who was studiously scribbling down on a piece of paper. He had a few books opened up as he glanced between his notes, the chalkboard, and the textbooks he had.
And it was then I realized I forgot to bring my bag.
It was my first ever day in school, and I made such a massive mistake. I was flustered, to say the least. With a deep breath, a single thought crossed through my mind. I condemned the thing that was at fault the most for these series of mishaps.
I hate sleeping!
MelasD
Check out my patreon to read up to 20 chapters ahead and support me!
Help me hit my goal of 1,000 patrons!
Join my discord or subreddit.
Follow me on twitter or instagram.
