Dinner, actually, is more of the same: sitting again with Caroline, Ashe, and Sol. Plus, I'm supposed to feel honored to share a table with the latter. Charming, right? Except what I really feel is the urge to scream. The only interesting part of the evening is the speech given by the academy's headmaster during dessert. He welcomes us, greets the newcomers, and explains how tomorrow's two exams work. Basically, cheating is forbidden in the theory exam, which lasts two hours and will be held in the auditorium, a room large enough to accommodate this year's more than three hundred applicants. As for the practical, first they'll check our stats with the stone slab and, if we pass the minimum requirements for level and physical attribute points, we'll move on to the exam. This will consist of one test and you can choose whether to be examined in magic, weapons, or both. In the case of someone good in both subjects, their grades are added, divided by two and multiplied by 1.4, which can give them up to fourteen points. I'm only going to choose magic, so my maximum score will be ten. And I need that ten, because I see myself getting a zero in theory. For the final exam grade, theory and practical are averaged, with passing being possible from 4.7. They do it this way to avoid eliminating very promising people in the academic field or future contenders in the games.

After dinner ends, I say goodbye to my three companions and head to my room. When I enter, I see a girl reading at her desk.

"Judith, right? I'm Bianca," I greet her.

"Yes," she answers while standing up. "Nice to meet you."

"Same here."

So this timid-looking young woman is the bookworm you can choose as protagonist in the video game and who I'm supposedly going to make life impossible for, outraged at having to share a room with her.

No way. First, I'm not like that, and second: what a waste of time, right?

"I'm a bit tired and tomorrow's the exam," I comment while heading to the bathroom we share.

I notice her staring at the puppy who started barking and running around my feet as soon as I entered the room. I don't say anything to her. I'm not going to be rude, but her being quiet works great for me. I don't like talking much either, and since I arrived, my head's been spinning from all my supposed friends' chatter. Yes, I'm lucky to be rooming with a quiet girl.

And that's how my first day ends.

The second...

The second is much better.

Well, let's see, better, better... The written exam is a total disaster. More than four pages of short questions that I leave blank except for some little things I remember from reading in the country house library. Then, a half-hour break and the practical exam.

Before that practical test, we all had to pass by the stone slab, in the middle of the academy's main courtyard. The slab is placed on a pedestal and when someone places their hand there, cuneiform characters with that student's character sheet will magically engrave themselves.

Two professors are there to record our starting levels and magics. The line is quite long. We’re ordered by our theory exam scores which, while not yet posted, um... I am at the very end. Only a muscular redheaded boy and another dark-haired one, as thin as if eating isn’t his thing, are waiting behind me. Caroline and Ashe, of course, as soon as they see I’m not with them among the top ten positions, look at me strangely. When they finally call me to get in line, practically last of all, they cover their mouths with their hands to hide little gasps of surprise and indignation. I can imagine why: like them, I’ve spent my whole life studying for this exam and, besides, I’m supposed to be their friend and a friend doesn’t do that: deliberately fail. Remembering their basic otome psychology, they might even think I’ve done it to make them look bad.

Anyway... I focus on my own business, avoid looking at them and ignore them, helped by the long single-file line separating us. When it is their turn to put their hand on the slab, they look like clones of what Bianca was a few weeks ago: level 1, best score in wisdom and an elemental magic with medium or low affinity. Obviously, they are disqualified from the practical exam for not meeting the minimum requirements, which gives them an automatic zero. When it is the protagonist's turn, everybody can see that, despite being level 1 she has extraordinary values of 10 and 9 in intelligence and wisdom, as well as a very high affinity for light magic. The students burst into whispers.

Yes, I know, I know, she's freaking promising. A 9 and a 10 without training, being just level 1 when the average is 3. And that light affinity showing her heart's goodness. Yes, surprising. I felt like patting the guy in front of me on the head to make him stop praising Mary. Yes, she's fabulous; but I already knew that since she's the FL of the otome after all. She'll sweep through the eligible guys' hearts and get top scores in the games, making the king name her noble and grant her a duchy. The pup, which I'm carrying in my school uniform jacket pocket, barks softly.

"Shhh," I tell it while bringing a finger close to pet it. "We've already talked about this, you have to stay quiet and not ruin my tests."

I thought about leaving it in the room or with the maid. The first option, better not. Yesterday, when it was left alone during dinner time, it dedicated itself to tearing up part of my clothes and Judith's. (No comments about how I had to dissolve into apologies to her.) The second... if the damn thing had misbehaved on purpose, which was very likely, then better not. Who knows what it might think up to do to my maid. Please! I've been naive to trust it after the mess it got me into in the dungeon... Seed of darkness and it has dark magic. In this world, you have to be a bad person to have that type of magical affinity. The puppy, looking so cute and innocent, is a divine beast of the dark god. And who is this god? No idea, there weren't any gods in the game.

They weren't mentioned beyond it being a war between them that almost ended the world when the last Demon King tried to conquer it. Since then, people destroyed all churches and altars. Some light monasteries remained that were converted to peace sanctuaries to teach children with that magical affinity. And that's it. Mentioning the gods is frowned upon, doesn't matter if they're of light, darkness, or fire, and people don't even remember why, they just know their grandparents told them about the great war that not even they lived through. There must surely be some government institution making sure no one tries to have faith or restore a divine altar again, otherwise I can't explain why nobody talks about the gods. I mean, come on, this is a world with magic. It makes no sense that nobody tries to become a priest.

As for attribute points, after hearing one of the professors read so many charts aloud while the other notes them down, I'm reaffirmed in the impression I got from the otome. Here talent matters, and a lot. I mean, if you're born with all stats at 3 and can only raise one point each time you level up, you're screwed. Someone like Mary, who if gods were worshipped would be the typical saint, is going to outpace you whatever you do. Plus, nobles usually have higher values, I guess because they formed their highborn society out of those who stood out in the battle against the Demon King, meaning the best ones. That translates not only to magic usually being a noble thing, but also good stats. Mary the commoner is like the strange exception that proves the rule.

Obviously, if leveling up were the only way to raise your attributes, the game would have been boring, especially since the maximum level is 20. Well, I'm not one to talk, in the two afternoons I played if it weren't because I was in voice chat with my friend, it would have seemed like a dull game to me. Mainly because it focused on dating instead of leveling up to win the games. However, there were mechanisms to raise stats beyond your level: items and skills. The first were rare, but appeared in the game. The second explained how a boy born with 6 strength and level 3 wasn't as strong as a soldier born with 4 strength also at level 3 but who spent years training with the sword. Skills, as I had already verified with the three offered to me, raised one point in a stat at their initial level. As you advanced along the skill path, developing it to the maximum of grandmaster, those points increased.

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A very simple mechanic, too simple for my taste, but it worked in the otome and, from what I'm seeing, in this world too. In the stats the professor is reading aloud, there are cases with a number in parentheses next to, for example, their strength value. Then he keeps reading and we see they have mastery with some weapon. Since they're kids my age, whoever has it has it at beginner level, so that number in parentheses is a one. Just like my agility bonus from Runner. These days at the country house I've been researching in the library. They keep records of great mages and warriors who reached level 20 and you can count them on both hands. The experience difference between levels grows exponentially, that's why the gap between 19 and 20 is abysmal.

Who knows how many demons and monsters those heroes had to kill in the wars to achieve it. Today, in this kingdom it's the military leader of the armies who has the highest level: 17. And he's already an elderly man who's spent his whole life training in dungeons. There's also an academic who has made several botanical discoveries who's rumored to be close to catching up to him. For me to be level 6 now, the insane amount of experience they must have given me when the shadow wolf cleared the dungeon. The thing is...

"Next. Next."

The professor's voice sounds louder and pulls me from my thoughts along with a not-so-gentle tap on my back, courtesy of the redhead behind me.

I blush a little seeing everyone looking at me, I've never liked drawing attention.

"Sorry," I say and hurry to approach the professors.

One is sitting in front of a wooden desk, with a long parchment on which, with a quill, he keeps record of the applicants and their statistics. The other is right next to the stone slab, a block of white marble half a palm thick and completely smooth on the face that's in front of me. I've just approached and stay hesitant, without bringing my hand forward.

"Name," the instructor asks me.

"Bianca L'Crom."

"Go ahead, what are you waiting for?"

If I could tell you... I think. For starters I'm not happy about revealing that I have affinity for all four elements, much less a contract with a divine beast of darkness. The only thing missing would be ending up imprisoned.

I see he's looking at me with increasing impatience, so I steel myself and touch the stone. Immediately, words start carving themselves on its polished surface, the same ones from my character sheet in the system.

What the shit?

They're going to catch me... My heart races, I feel fear and the roar of adrenaline screaming at me to run and leave before it's too late. But what am I supposed to do? Flee to the mountains and hide? Search for evil creatures and force them to serve me as vassals? No... I don't want that life. If this is the end, if they want to imprison or execute me for the contract, I...

Hell no! I refuse to let myself be killed. I need to get out of here right now.

What the hell was I thinking coming to the academy?

Ah, right, because it's what I'm supposed to do... Just like in my life on Earth, where instead of living it, I studied and did what my mother told me to.

I look around. Everyone is looking at me and whispering, but more with what seems like envy than fear. The professor is reading my stats. These murmurs are definitely about the level 6. In fact, the redhead following me in line is muttering something that sounds like "can't be, I don't believe it." The professor reads normally, he hasn't reached my affinities yet. Oh god, he's about to get there... He stops for a few seconds on the previous line, the one about my three mana points. His face, which was already whitish typical of a scholar who avoids the sun, pales even more. I know what he must be thinking, according to this I'm some inexplicable prodigy. A few seconds pass where all the students look at us and whisper, not understanding what's happening.

Then the professor looks at me, furrows his brow and seems to make a gesture I can't quite understand. He clears his throat forcefully, as if he had something in it, and continues reading.

"Earth elemental affinity, medium level affinity."

Seriously? He didn't expose me? But he must have read it for sure. Maybe he wants to discuss it with the headmaster before making it public. I slide my eyes over the slab. My magical affinities are there, the four elements at medium level and spirit at very high. Then come the skills, spells, and right below the contract. I need to get out of here. Wait a minute... the slab has already engraved all the characters, it's faster than the professor reading. However, the ones relating to my bond with the puppy seem to be written in black ink instead of carved into the magical rock. I should leave, but something tells me to wait. The doubt, not being able to decide, ends up being my choice as my classmates are amazed by my runner skill—it's something a noble would never choose as it's the typical skill army messengers aspire to, a low rank and totally inappropriate for a duke's daughter. In fact, Caroline and Ashe are muttering, deeply offended, and looking at me as if they don't recognize me. Then it ends. The professor doesn't read anything else. Nothing. No bound creature, nothing more. This time, the professor doesn't pause; he behaves with absolute normality. I think he can't read it, that he hasn't seen those words written in ink. The relief that floods me is overwhelming. Oh my god, I'm saved.

I hear a choked cry behind me.

Oh crap, I think while turning my head. The same movement everyone else is making, except the professor who, since he's already looking that way, just slightly furrows his brow.

A boy, the skinny one with the starving look from the end of the line, covers his mouth with his hand and doesn't take his eyes off the slab. I don't like this; I don't like this at all.

"Well, step aside, Miss L'Crom," the professor repeats after ignoring the student who just interrupted. "Next."

As I move aside, I look at the redhead approaching. I catch him watching me with rage, he seems angry. Behind him is just one boy left, the one who interrupted. He's staring at me wide-eyed and I'd swear there's something that looks like worship in those huge brown irises of his.

Worship? Ugh, I mentally scold myself for thinking something like that. That boy isn't part of the protagonist's romantic interests, and I doubt he could be with how ugly he is. I don't know what he's looking at but I look away disturbed. It really does look like worship and it's given me a very bad feeling. I almost find myself wishing he fails just so I don't have to run into him in class...

When I have that thought that I don't like at all, I hear a guttural sound coming from my pocket and if it weren't because what's in there is a wolf, I'd swear the puppy is purring.

I roll my eyes and focus on the redhead. His level is 5, one less than mine. He has no less than sword mastery at apprentice level, which gives him two points of strength. Okay, I understand. This guy must have trained a lot in dungeons to get it, I imagine he can't explain how it's possible that I'm a higher level than him.

Somehow, he notices I'm watching him and turns his head. Our eyes meet. The professor dismisses him and calls the next one. A malicious gleam shines in the student's eyes and he approaches me.

"Bianca L'Crom, I know your brother. I don't believe you're level six," he tells me while positioning himself to my right.

The professor is asking the dark-haired boy to put his hand on the stone slab.

"If I'm honest with you, neither do I." I shrug.

Immediately, he reaches out and grabs my forearm. His grip is firm, squeezing and hurting me.

"Hey, this isn't a testosterone competition," I say annoyed. "Let go."

"Not until you tell me how you did it. I saw your brother a few months ago and he told me about you, the little bookworm."

This muscle-head is making me angry but I don't know what to tell him. The truth is out, that's the only thing I'm clear about. Then I realize that those around us are whispering again. For a moment, I think it's because of the way the redhead is holding my arm. I look around and relax: it's not that. It's rather about the skinny, ugly boy. He's level 1, has average attributes, but his magic is darkness with a very high affinity.

"That boy..." escapes me.

Because dark affinities are quite common, but not at that level.

The redhead loosens his grip and I take advantage to shake my arm free. Then, I completely ignore the redhead who I think is trying to tell me something again. The dark-haired boy has a high affinity for darkness and earlier he choked back a cry and looked at me very strangely. Please, someone tell me he couldn't have read that part on my slab.

"Very well, you may proceed to take your exams. Miss L'Crom, you come with me."

I open my mouth to protest or ask about my practical exam but close it again. This surely has to do with my affinity for spirit and the four elements. Under the angry and surprised looks of both my supposed friends and the redhead, I take a couple steps toward the professor. This is about to get interesting.