Chapter 2
The first-year classes at Mel Academy don't change according to grades.
Instead, students are distributed evenly.
Each class gets five students from the top tier, five from the middle tier, and five from the bottom tier, and so on.
However, one strange student appeared who couldn't be classified.
Bin.
What the hell.. how are we supposed to deal with this guy?
“How should we classify this student?”
“You mean Bin?”
“Yes. His entrance scores were in the bottom tier, but he came in first on the entrance ceremony assignment.”
“I don't know what to do with him either.”
Professors had seen plenty of unusual students.
There were all kinds of supernatural abilities in the world.
Mel Academy was where all those unusual students gathered.
However, Mel Academy definitely had standards for students like that.
Students with unusual abilities could be evaluated based on ‘utility,’ ‘growth potential,’ and ‘scalability,’ among other things.
But Bin couldn't be evaluated.
“There had never been a powerless student who came in first on the entrance assignment.”
“Honestly, didn't he rely too much on a cheap trick?”
“That is true, and it also helped that the entrance assignment was [Treasure Hunt].”
“Still.. he didn't accomplish it through his own ability, right? At best.. we should put him in the middle-tier group, shouldn't we?”
“That sounds best.”
The professors settled on placing Bin in the middle-tier group.
He had come in first, so they couldn't put him in the bottom tier.
But his grades were a complete mess, so they couldn't put him in the top tier, either.
On top of that, he had no supernatural ability.
It was a fairly reasonable decision.
“What do you think, Professor Naia?”
The professors' gazes turned toward Professor Naia.
She was sitting in the corner with her eyes only half open.
Blue hair that seemed to hold the depths of the sea.
A youthful face.
And a title that didn't match it at all: Head Professor of Magic.
Though she was clearly wearing casual clothes, she had an air of mystery about her.
Unusual in every way, she lifted her lips.
“Top tier.”
““.. Yes?”“
“I think that student belongs in the very top tier.”
Her words plunged the office into silence.
No matter how little they valued theory.
His test scores were at the bottom.
He had no supernatural ability.
Even his method of passing had been pure luck.
How could they put this student in the very top tier?
“Even so.. putting a student with no supernatural ability in the very top tier is..”
“That's right, and.. he passed through sheer luck, didn't he?”
“Is that so?”
Naia tilted her head.
In truth, she wasn't particularly interested.
She had only gone to the entrance exam because she was bored.
She had simply taken a liking to that guy named Bin because he'd done something amusing there.
“Well, do as you please.”
Naia said that and left the office.
There was no particular reason.
She was simply the type to suddenly go off somewhere for no reason.
“Oh.. she left? She isn't angry, is she?”
“Don't worry. That's just how she is.”
“.. Should we move him into the top tier?”
However, her words weren't without influence.
She had become the youngest head professor purely because of her ability.
Her magical skill, research achievements, and judgment.
The students she rated highly always aimed for the top.
And when students already at the top saw her shake her head,
they would somehow become ordinary mortals.
“I see. When Professor Naia says it like that, there's usually a reason.”
And that was how Bin ended up in the top tier.
Though Bin himself hadn't wanted it.
***
“.. Why am I in the top tier?”
I sighed as I looked at the class assignment sheet.
[Class 3, No. 12: Bin]
In their first semester of first year, students were assigned class numbers according to the following rules.
No. 1: Top tier
No. 2: Upper tier
No. 3: Middle tier
No. 4: Lower tier
No. 5: Bottom tier.
No. 6: Repeat from the top tier.
That meant that number 12 belonged to the upper tier.
‘.. A powerless player who starts with the lowest written-test score being placed in the upper tier is really difficult.’
To be honest, I was a little annoyed.
Getting placed in the upper-tier group hadn't been my goal.
‘If it's not the very top tier.. I'd rather be in the bottom tier.’
The very top tier could receive powerful support.
They were also more likely to participate in unusual events.
Conversely, students in the lower tiers and below received less attention.
From my perspective, where I needed to freeload my way through things, even the lower tier was fine.
‘Well.. the people in my class aren't bad.’
[Kanghan], known in this game as the Wailing Wall, was in my class.
There were also several named characters, including [Helia] and [Mizha].
“Ha.. what a headache.”
I sighed and turned around.
Everything had been fine until the entrance test ended.
Now my head hurt.
The problem was a hologram floating before my eyes.
[You have survived.]
‘I was just going to play a little WWE, but it suddenly turned into the UFC..’
From now on, I'd have to wring every last bit of brainpower out of myself.
‘I need to.. get as strong as possible.’
That was when it happened.
Suddenly, I felt an unfamiliar sensation on my shoulder.
- Thump!
“What are you so worried about?”
It was Ena.
She was smiling, as if she were in a good mood.
While resting a hand on my shoulder.
“Ah.. nothing. I was just wondering what I should do from here on out.”
The moment I saw her face, I answered honestly.
With Ena, it was better to be honest.
She hated frustrating things, but she was suspicious by nature.
If I said something weird for no reason, she might get angry.
But that was a mistake.
“Puhaha! Why are you saying that when you came in first on the entrance assignment? You looked so relaxed at the entrance ceremony. I guess you're getting nervous now that it's the real thing?”
Ena spoke while gripping my shoulder tightly.
And those were words she shouldn't have said.
““.. That guy came in first?”“
“The one who made everyone look like idiots with that chair?”
In an instant, everyone's attention turned toward me.
And Ena, apparently realizing she'd messed up, began rolling her eyes.
“Ah.. I.. I guess you must be worried?”
Ena began slowly backing away.
And so did I.
“Hahaha.. It's just a test, after all..~”
I smiled toward Ena, pretending to be calm.
But my lips wouldn't curl up.
I quickly turned around.
And I made absolutely sure not to look back.
If I turned around at the wrong time and saw all those faces..
Somehow, I felt like there'd be no coming back from it.
“That bastard was the culprit!!”
First, I had to run!!
- Huff.. huff..
“Whew.. surely no one's still chasing me.”
After running for quite a while, I ended up in the garden.
It was filled with lush green trees.
It was spring, too, so flowers were in bloom.
And.. there was someone at the academy who liked flowers.
“Excuse me.”
White armor shone in the sunlight, dazzling me.
But the sight of her face was even more dazzling.
[Mist]
The undisputed Rank 1 in the academy.
Mist was looking at me with cold eyes.
‘She's not much of a talker.. so why did she speak to me?’
“Is something wrong?”
“By any chance..”
She stopped speaking and examined my face.
Then she tilted her head as if she wasn't sure.
“Have we met somewhere before?”
“Huh?”
“I definitely feel like I've seen you somewhere, but I can't remember..”
“.. I don't think so. I've never seen you before.”
“Hmm.. Ah!!! The entrance ceremony!!”
Mist's eyes widened for a moment.
Soon, her brow furrowed slightly.
‘Ah.. this is bad.’
Mist was righteous.
Almost to an excessive degree.
She despised people who used deception or underhanded tactics.
And she was extremely pleased when she encountered someone righteous.
If that was the case.
What about what I'd done at the entrance ceremony?
Naturally, it hadn't been righteous.
‘I deceived everyone at the entrance ceremony, so she obviously won't think I'm a good person.’
“Why did you do that at the entrance ceremony?”
Mist asked me with an unpleasant look on her face.
I had to choose my words carefully here.
“What did I do?”
I tilted my head as if I didn't know what she meant.
Mist bit her lip and glared at me.
“Passing the test through deception like that.. isn't right.”
I'd picked the wrong fight entirely.
Mist didn't have a huge role in the game.
That didn't mean I could afford to make an enemy of her.
Rank 1.
The weight carried by that title was anything but light.
Especially now that this was reality rather than a game.
Even more so.
That was the moment I started racking my brain over how to get through this predicament... But it was a pointless concern.
“Hey, who do you think you are, telling him what to do?”
A loud voice came from beside us.
Pink hair fluttered in the wind.
It was Ena.
There were beads of sweat on her forehead.
As if she'd run all the way here.
“.. Who are you.. no, what business is it of yours to speak so harshly?”
Mist looked at Ena, her expression crumpling slightly as she protested.
Ena's expression twisted as if Mist's words were absurd.
“Then who are you to lecture someone you just met?”
“I.. merely asked because you passed the entrance exam through an unfair method.”
What on earth was going on?
Two people were fighting because of me.
Mist and Ena.
The two were already famous for being a pair that fought often.
But they didn't usually start fighting this early in the semester.
“What nonsense. You're so frustrating. Are you saying he should've just failed?”
“No. He should have found the treasure through a fair and square method.”
“Ha, you're seriously frustrating. A kid who doesn't have a single supernatural ability. Where's the fairness in that? He has to fight tooth and nail to survive.”
“Ah.. you don't have any supernatural abilities?”
.. Scrape by?
I stared blankly at the two of them arguing.
Then an idea for turning the situation around occurred to me.
‘Mist likes good people.. but she also likes people who work hard. Then.. what about someone who works hard without being good?’
I definitely couldn't turn her dislike into liking.
But couldn't I at least stop the situation for now and bring her around to neutrality?
‘.. It works.’
“That's right. Should I just sit still because I'm powerless? Wouldn't it look better if I worked hard to achieve the result of passing?”
Mist froze.
It was probably because of what I'd said.
She considered the keyword ‘hard work’ important.
She believed that even her own position at Rank 1 was the result of hard work.
She thought everyone who worked hard was beautiful.
“Ah, do you not believe me? I can even show you my admission certificate.”
Mist's expression began to change.
Her solemn expression, as if she were a police officer,
changed into the look of a cat anxiously watching for a reaction.
“Ah.. no, that's not it. I must have judged too hastily! I'm sorry!”
Mist's pale face turned red.
Then she slipped away and ran off.
Without even looking back.
‘Hmm.. maybe I shouldn't have pushed her so hard?’
Unlike her stern image, Mist was rather tenderhearted.
But well.. I'm sure she'll be fine.
More importantly, I had Ena beside me to deal with right now.
- Grin.
She was giving me a thumbs-up as she watched Mist run away.
“So? Was I pretty good?”
I blinked at her.
Thanks.
Honestly, things had almost become a real headache.
Mist was a fairly important person, after all.
But there was something I'd been wondering about for a while.
Why was she here?
Had she followed me?
“.. Thanks, but how did you end up all the way here? Did you follow me?”
“W.. what are you talking about!!? Who followed you? I just came because I was worried you'd get in trouble over that slip of the tongue earlier!!”
So.
Wasn't she basically admitting that she had followed me?
“Damn it! Anyway! It's resolved, so I'm leaving, okay?”
Ena said that and started walking off.
But it wasn't long before I ran into her again.
The moment I moved a little to go home.
I saw her face.
She had a cigarette in her mouth and was looking around.
“Ha.. fuck.. where the hell is this?”
Having said that, Ena spat on the ground as if she were irritated.
Oh, right.
She was directionally challenged, wasn't she?
“What are you doing here?”
…!”
Ena couldn't say a word and only stared at my face.