We were directed to the familiar, albeit not that familiar forest to the farthest side of the Academy Isle where a familiar face welcomes us.

“Took your sweet time, didn’t you?” Asks Melana sitting in the grass and chewing on some jerky. “You dare make me look for you instead of seeking me out yourselves right on your first day?” Seeing our confusion she chuckles. “Just kidding, but we need to talk.”

“Wait, wait, wait…” I hold my hands up. “You are the one meant to instruct us on how to duel?” I ask, looking for… something more.

“Why is it so surprising?” Melana asks, tilting her head.

Her ears flop a little as her head moves and it's so fucking cute. Stop it, Eli, She’s an adult and so are you! Almost. Now is not the time!

“No disrespect but people far older and probably more experienced sent me here to learn things they were able to impart to us. So…” I leave the sentence open because it's easier than looking for a way to say things without them sounding awfully disrespectful.

“So you expected to see some wizened old fart?” She asks and I nod. Even Valka does. “It’s true, some of them do have more experience in combat…” She grins viciously. “But I have more experience against people. I killed more haughty duellists, bandits, soldiers, or even nobles than any of the relics around. Bar two.” She disappears from my view. Not a moment later the feeling of dread grips my neck from behind and a cold voice whispers into my ear. “Are you perhaps dissatisfied?”

Electricity already crackles between my fingers before I can even open my mouth, but the world around me returns to normal. Yet my instincts are anything but calmed. Then I hear the sound of someone biting into an apple from a branch to my right.

Melena lazily lounges there like an innocent child, enjoying the warmth of Solaire, and looking unbothered, almost as if the predator who made my blood run cold had nothing to do with her.

“Not at all.” I answer her question with shaky legs. Repressing the disgusting feeling of crippling fear, I steel myself and look the woman in the eye that glints with danger and mischief at my sight. “I hope this is not another combat demonstration, we just ate.”

I don’t break that easily.

Instead of answering her face just freezes at my comment before she starts shaking in laughter like someone electrocuted her. “Good, very good.” She claps. “I don’t know what you faced to reach your level so quickly but I can tell you had your fair share of dances with Malor.” She hops down effortlessly.

I’ll take that as a compliment although I can sense part of her message missing. There’s a certain but omitted there.

“Let’s get down to business then.” She leans against a tree. “The students of the Fist we receive usually act as the team representing the Academy in tournaments. You all have excellent training, prior experience in combat, and most importantly established teamwork.” Oh, here comes the but. “This is not the case this year. The rest fit the norm but you two… The two of you are a year older, which is fine, we can work around it, yet at the same time you almost double the entrance requirement when it comes to strength.”

Just out with it already woman, I want to be back in my room and just stare at the ceiling rather than listen to you saying things I already know.

“The Academy is impartial, we value talent over lineage, yet we must respect the old noble houses.” She shakes her head, disappointed. “The warrior dynasties want a share of the spotlight no matter the cost and would bring down a hammer of fury if we gave every event to commoners while neglecting their wishes. The Fist gets the Team Battle while the nobles take the duels and free-for-all. This year it will have to be different. I’ve heard your cooperation with the other four isn't… stellar. At the same time, I’m sure the two of you could confidently aim for the top in both solo events. If we can arrange for that.”

Yesss! Thank the Gods. I thought some weird punishment or something was coming after being called here out of the blue. Objectively speaking, good things rarely happen to me so I’m not just being pessimistic here.

“With that said, we’ll have to put minimal restrictions on you because of your age advantage. You had four years since your Awakening to grow while the standard is three.” Melana adds and no matter what rebuttal I think of… this seems fair. “No matter if they determine the penalty to be twenty or twenty-five percent, I believe you’ll be able to work with it. You have much more than a few levels of advantages.” She nods with a satisfied smile.

I don’t like the sound of that as much anymore but even with a thirty percent penalty, whatever that might be, I should be a good twenty levels above the minimum. Easy peasy.

“Anything else?” I ask because this really wasn’t something urgent to drag us here.

“Is there some kind of training we do?” Valka asks a question I don’t want to hear answered.

I know her goal is to grow stronger and I promised I’d walk that road with her but c’mon, not the free time.

“We’ll discuss the rest tomorrow morning. Today you have a day off and extracurricular activities only start tomorrow as per the Chancellor’s orders.” Melana shrugs. “You’re dismissed.”

The words ring so familiarly that I almost instinctively stand straighter and snap a salute. Melana goes back to lazing around in the grass so we leave her in her little sanctuary that is the clearing in the forest and walk back to where we ditched the others.

“So clothes and maybe some soap for you,” I mentally check our to-do list. “Anything else?”

Valka nods. “Both Wolfie and the Chancellor said-”

“Hold up! Wolfie?” I look at her, flabbergasted.

“Well, she looks and acts wolfish and those ears are really cute,” Right? “So Wolfie?” Valka reasons.

“Never say that to her!” I warn my friend for her own safety.

“I’m not stupid, and I doubt she can hear us anymore, not with all this noise around us.” She says as the bustling of the city encompasses us again. “So what I was saying is that we should learn a bit more about these extracurricular stuff, like the Combat Department.”

Are you telling a person who’s feeling lazy and would rather be done with social interactions for the day to voluntarily look around and search for interesting groups of people? Sounds like a disaster in the making, and I really don’t feel like it… but let’s have it her way.

I’m feeling extra generous today.

“We should get you some clothes first and maybe after.” I remind her of the plan. “And do you plan on dragging the others along?”

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“They should know more than we do. Why not?” Valka shrugs. She’s not wrong, the rest of our actual squad has been here a year longer so they could help us find things faster.

***

“... and where are your new war-peasant friends, huh?” We hear as we turn the corner to the square where the magical restaurant is. I will buy that place even if it's the last thing I do. “They took the opportunity from my sister, you hear me? Do you think because some fancy bandits got your back you belong here, among us?”

The topic is Val and I, isn’t it? Every time I get something done another thing pops its head up…

“Hey, Eli!” Our airheaded elf waves at us.

Shut the fuck up Kayla, why did you have to notice us, I swear…

Her enthusiastic greeting draws not only the attention of our friends but also the unwelcome guests. The heads of the two brand-new pains in the ass snap our way. A basic fairy tale prince-looking dude and a slightly chubby girl with the overgrown fluffy rat in her arms.

A charming pair.

The girl sneers like we’re the most unsightly things in the world while the boy has a mix of anger and something else… something disgusting in his eyes. He pushes Victor out of his way even though he wasn’t obstructing him at all and marches right towards us.

I really wish beating him unconscious and moving on would be a valid solution. If only the Academy allowed combat outside the designated areas and without the consent of both sides… That would be paradise.

For us at least.

[Mage lvl 95]

I bet he’d even agree, judging by that cocky smile on his face, but walking all the way to the arena or training grounds and back just sounds like such a hassle.

“You two cheats should-” I hold up a hand before he can start throwing insults and make me break the rules on my first day.

“Use Identify before you make assumptions, always.” I lecture the boy. “Then think about your next words carefully before you make a bigger fool out of yourself than what you’ve shown to all these people around us.” I’ve also just noticed the amount of eyes following the events. “Now act like the noble you are supposed to be, apologize, and walk back to Mom and Dad who actually amount to more than a basic footsoldier, unlike yourself.”

I say my part and walk past the stunned pretty boy, beaten brutally using only words.

Dad would be proud.

“Get off the high horse peasant!” The girl in his wake responds in his stead, still displaying enough outrage to fill a lake. “We both know it’s you who’ll end up crawling in the dirt in battle, just where you belong. Act tough all you want but nothing will change that.”

[Mage lvl 77]

Big words for someone so small.

“Nice rat.” Valka nabs the pet from the girl's arms before she can react. “Smells funny.”

“It’s a Perfumice.” Kayla corrects her. “They look really cute and their saliva is used as perfume.”

“Give Dia back!” The chubby girl lashes out and Valka dodges her with ease.

“You walk around with this?” Valka throws the creature up in the air nonchalantly, far above the roofs. “I bet your parents change the topic when people ask about you. Now go fix your eyebrows.”

The girl desperately scrambles to catch the poor ugly thing.

“Do you know any good places to buy some clothes?” I ask Victor, giving a cold shoulder to the duo behind us. They’re not worth my time and breath.

“Don’t you dare turn your back on me!” The boy yells, throwing even the rest of his decorum into the mud. “You dare insult me like that? I demand you face me in a duel so I can punish you for your insolence!”

“What did Melana want?” Victor plays along in the ‘Ignore the indignant nobles’ game.

“Just our roles and all that. We’ll do the free-for-all and duels supposedly.” I answer casually. Because this is exactly the topic our poor nobles are so infuriated about.

“There’s a nice shop a few streets away. They have some insanely comfy slippers.”

“What about the extracurricular places?”

“Ah, yes, is there anything interesting?” Val chimes in.

The conversation keeps on flowing, our smiles keep on growing and the snarls on the nobles' faces keep on deepening.

“Halt, you coward!” The boy grabs my shoulder just when we’re about to leave.

Don’t lash out, don’t kill him, don’t take his arm… Calm Eli, it’s nothing serious, he doesn’t need to get hurt.

He does need to learn a lesson though.

I stop in place and use the technique Martha once taught me for fun but I never got the knack for it. Mana seeps out of my body, still firmly under my control, and it fills the area around us like an invisible smoke. As a fellow Mage, the boy instantly feels the change in the atmosphere and tries to step away before I grab his arm.

His eyes widen and color also begins to leave his face. Despite his respectable level he fails to react in any meaningful way, even though only the ambient mana is affected and his own reserves should be more than enough to fight back.

I continue to press down on my mana around like kneading some dough until his knees give in and he falls to the ground, clawing at his throat. “If you still find your sister more suitable to fight in the name of the Academy then send her to me, but be warned, I won't be this lenient the next time!” I tell him in a cold voice and leave with the others.

That was a big waste of mana if I'm honest without doing all that much. It's nice but not too functional.

After leaving both the growing crowd and the two humiliated nobles in the small square Valka pokes me with her elbow. “You know that was technically bullying?”

“You’re the one to talk? Poor girl won't be able to look into a mirror for a while.” I look at her acusingly.

“Don’t deny the blame, we’re both at fault even though we promised. It’s just so…”

“Easy? Satisfying?” I say the words that come to my mind first.

It felt so good to know you’re in power and the opponent is at your mercy, the feeling of superiority… It felt addicting.

“Let’s make a deal.” Valka sighs and reaches out for a handshake. “If the power gets to my head or I go overboard you’ll be there to stop me and vice versa, even if they are pesky humans or haughty elves. I don’t trust the teachers or anyone else to do this and I don’t trust myself to stay incorruptible forever. So, deal?” She proposes.

Meaning she does not trust anyone with this… but me.

Also, she thinks I didn’t realize the way she phrased it. Small bullying is ok, putting obnoxious little brats into their place is ok, going out of our way just to hurt someone is not. As easy and satisfying this all was… I hate it. All my life people more powerful than me decided my fate and I went through hardship after hardship under their hands… becoming what you despise is just next-level hypocrisy.

“Deal.” We shake on it.

“This is the shop I told you about.” Victor stops us in front of a pretty ordinary-looking place. “You won’t believe the stuff they make here.”

***

He didn’t lie… and it was fucking expensive. Be got a pair of comfy shirts for Valka, pants made out of some weird plant, fluffy sweaters for the both of us and two pairs of slippers. Those slippers man… I’m pretty sure they killed something insanely fluffy and turned it inside out but I don’t care, my feet felt like melting. I haggled to the best of my abilities using every underhanded aspect I could think of but there were definitely some Skills at work on the merchant’s part so I lost that battle devastatingly.

Two gold twenty silver. It’s our first day here and we lost more than half of our monthly budget. I cannot imagine how the others survive the scam of a deal Martha made with them. Okay, maybe I can… Kayla is very low maintenance, Victor could live off the streets and August would be okay with just stale bread for months. Still, I’m not the foodie here, they just can’t see the value of good food.

“Anything else?” Victor asks with a fiendish smile at the sight of my deflated face after spending so much money.

I never really had my own money, except for my share from the crab festival and the gems we stole but that’s different. Anyway, I imagined spending money would be fun.

It isn’t.

Every single silver spent is like a punch to the guts and I wasn’t even the one who earned this. Imagine if I had to see my hard work disappear in a matter of seconds…

“No.” I answer in defeat.

“Stop being so boring!” Valka chimes in. “The day is long and we wanted to check on the different departments.

“Oh Malor, bring peace to this poor mortal.” I beg the God of Death as I’m dragged away to do more fun things.

This is only the first day…