“Universal Rune Inscription, Runic Shorthand, and Rune Linguistics: with these three at my disposal, a lot of things will become easy for me.”

For one, his journey as a Runecrafter was pretty much smooth sailing.

‘The reason I still chose Runecrafting as a Major and Basic Rune Grafting as a Minor was just in case there were new things I could learn in this era.’ He thought to himself. ‘But even if there isn’t, they’ll serve as a way to keep my grades afloat since they’re practically cheat Courses for me.’

The main problems would arise in Spellcasting, Basic Spell Combat, and perhaps Basic Martial Arts Training.

‘I have experience in all of these, but it’s not sufficient to help me very much in this case.’

Dan had a small quantity of Magia in him, so Spellcasting wouldn’t be easy. The flow of his Magia was also pretty slow, which meant his overall talent was low. Then, he had a pretty weak body, so Martial Arts Training would be quite difficult.

Since he was confronted with so many challenges from the get-go, it was wise to have a few cheat courses that would help boost his overall performance in the Academy.

‘The Units of a Course is what determines its importance when it comes to overall grading.’

Five Unit Courses had the most weight, followed by the Three and Two Unit Courses, then finally… the one Unit Course.

‘Having Runecrafting as a Major already balances whatever flops I might make in Spellcasting—especially in the initial stages.’ Dan broke into a sigh. ‘The same applies to my Two Unit Minors.’

The issue was in Basic Martial Arts Training.

‘I guess I’ll just have to be average, at the very least. One Unit Courses don’t carry much weight, but I can’t be too careless.’

Not only did Dan not know if the marking scheme and grading system was still the same as he remembered it, he also recognized that he couldn’t afford to take chances in such a highly competitive environment.

‘Overconfidence could lead to failure… and I can’t afford that right now.’

Dan had to put in more effort than all his peers, so not slacking off meant double for him. He recognized that all his efforts would pay off in the long run, but for the time being, he would have to suffer considerably.

“No pain, no gain… right?” As he said this, he looked at the Rune in front of him and decided it was time to activate it.

There were three Runic Symbols inscribed in mid-air.

One was to drain the surrounding Magia, the second was the actual effect he was going for, and the last was to hold the Rune in place so it wouldn’t activate until he was ready.

‘Now that I’m done with my analysis…’ He erased the last symbol, which instantly caused a small eruption of Magia in the surface area.

The Rune activated at that moment.

VWUSH!

A burst of flames, clustered together to form a ball of fire as big as Dan’s head, floated in the air.

This was an example of Basic Mage Arts.

“I believe this is Spell #3 in the Centennial Records… [Ignite].” He murmured, his dark eyes reflecting the flashes of fire that danced in front of him.

Before long, the fire began to shrink in size. After a few seconds, it died out completely, leaving traces of smoke that also vanished after another few seconds.

‘It lasted a total of five seconds before dying out. Looks like there is no change.’ An expression of relief formed on his face.

He had feared that, perhaps due to his body or any other unforeseen factors, his Rune would be inferior to other Runes in the same category or Spells. However, this just proved that they were on the same level.

Of course, just to be certain, he would have to conduct more experiments.

‘There’s no way I’ll be satisfied with just one result.’ He smiled. ‘To be a Mage… especially a Runecrafter… is to be meticulous.’

He had to be careful and watch out for every variable while keeping account of the constants.

This was fun in itself, so Dan merely considered it an interesting exercise.

‘Unfortunately, there’s a limit to what I can do with this boy’s body.’ A sigh escaped his lips.

Not only had his Magia Pool reduced by half at this point, but he was already feeling mild exhaustion from the activation of a single Rune.

“What a predicament…”

Runic Shorthand burned less Magia, due to the speed and efficiency involved in its inscription, but since Dan had used three Runes at once—one for draining the environment’s Magia, one for the flames, and one for delayed activation—he ended up spending more energy than he normally would.

‘Based on my estimates, this body can only use five—six at most—Runes in the Common Tier. As for Spells, I’d say his maximum is three.’

Everyone knew Spells required more Magia to utilize than Runes.

That was why he already knew his life as a Spellcaster would be hellish due to his body’s constraints. Still, Dan wasn’t going to give up due to these simple challenges.

“Despite having such a body, you made it this far, didn’t you?” Clenching his fist in resolve, he addressed the previous owner of his current body. “Don’t worry! I’ll make sure to keep marching ahead.”

He didn’t know how and why it happened, but reincarnation was already a blessing.

It didn’t matter what kind of body he had.

‘I can make anything work!’ He looked at his slightly underweight body and smiled. ‘Nothing that constant exercise and a good diet won’t fix.’

As for his Magia deficiency and output situation, he also had a solution for that.

‘I just need to create a battery of some sort.’ He smiled. ‘But, students aren’t allowed to utilize Enchanted Items outside classes, I can’t make use of an external power source.’

That meant he had nothing to rely on but himself.

‘It’s a little early, but I’ll have to start inscribing Runes on my own body.’ Dan clapped loudly upon arriving at a decision.

In particular, he needed ‘THAT’ Rune.

There wasn’t much time until the Graded Tests, so he had to start improving as quickly as possible. Still, thanks to what he had in mind, he had a chance of survival.

‘With it, I’ll be able to correct my deficiencies and hopefully get a lot better overall.’

**************

[Later That Night]

The meeting room was an imposing and incredibly large space.

The walls are carved from hard stone, and practically everything was Enchanted or Inscribed with runes. The walls seemed to pulsate and change in hue, but that was only because of the luminescent crystals that made up the chandelier that floated in the air.

A long, rectangular obsidian table, polished to a mirror sheen, dominated the center. High-backed chairs, tailored for each occupant, stood behind each side—five to the right, and five to the left—while a grander one stood at the head of the table.

The crystalline chandelier hovering above wasn't only useful for illumination, but it could also project visual information that was useful for presentations and general conveyance of information. Along the walls, ancient magical artifacts were displayed, reminders of the academy's storied history.

From medals, to awards, to pictures and paintings—the place had a rich history.

The floor was lined with a deep blue carpet, interwoven with silver threads forming certain patterns that pulsed subtly, stabilizing the powerful energies present. A towering arched window at one end offered a majestic view of the academy grounds and distant mountains, the glass enchanted to always remain clear. Of course, no one could see the window or whatever was happening in the building from outside, so it was an exclusive space only accessible by the qualified staff.

Not even regular Instructors could come here.

Overall, the room exuded a sense of timeless magic and authority, and everyone present knew why. It was because of the Archmage herself—Juliana Randalorion.

“It looks like we are all here.”

The voice of Archmage Juliana Randalorion echoed in the well-lit, luxurious room which she entered. As the Head of the Imperial Magus Academy, and one of the few Archmages of the Empire, she had an air about her that couldn’t be rivaled by anyone else in the room.

The ten individuals all rose to their feet in silence, bowing in respect as she made for her seat.

Standing behind her was her assistant, who simply remained quiet and inconspicuous—almost as if he was a ghost.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

“You may all have your seats.” Archmage Juliana said in a calm tone, her azure eyes watching the ten that stood before her.

These were the Supervising Officers of each Student Year in the Academy, and the purpose of the meeting was pretty obvious to all of them.

It was the start of a new Semester and Academic Year.

There was a lot to discuss.

"Let's start with the basics." She broke the silence in the room with calm words, her facade completely filled with grace. "How are our students this year?"

At the Imperial Magus Academy, the wellbeing of the Apprentices studying within their walls was the most important concern. Their performance, safety, and overall integration into the school was of utmost priority.

Everything else was secondary.

"Let's start with you, Supervising Officer of Year 1." She cast her gaze on the youngest-looking Mage in the entire room—even younger than the Archmage herself.

"You were able to finish the General Orientation today, right? What is your general assessment of the students under you?"

Ketiya Lampshade felt a little shiver once she felt the attention of the Archmage fall on her. The pressure was slightly more than she bargained for, so she took a few seconds to respond to the simple question.

"N-no problems here. Everything is perfectly fine."

Despite giving such a basic and satisfactory answer, Archmage Juliana frowned upon receiving the news.

"No problems whatsoever? No deviants? No worries?"

"None at all!"

"Hmm… Ketiya, since you are new here I'd like to give you a bit of advice." As the Archmage said these words, everything in the room began to vibrate. "As an Educator here, you'd do well not to lie about the wellbeing of your students and class overall—especially in a meeting as important as this one."

Without realizing it, Ketiya gulped loudly, unable to look away despite her best attempts.

"The reason behind these questions is to see solutions that can be made when a problem is identified. However, if you do not shed light on a problem, how can there be a solution put in place?"

The incredibly nervous Ketiya could do nothing but nod in agreement.

"And so, I'd like to ask you one more time… what is the general assessment of the students in Year 1?"

At this point, all eyes were on Ketiya—not just that of the Archmage, but the rest of her colleagues who were far superior to her in rank, age, and experience.

Beads of sweat formed on her face as she spoke, but tried her best to respond honestly this time.

"For the most part, the students seem decent. We have sixty-two percent of students who chose Spellcasting as their Major, with thirty-six percent choosing Magia Engineering. The remaining four percent chose Runecrafting. As for—"

"Forgive me for interrupting, but it seems your calculations are a bit off." One of the much older Supervising Officers quickly pointed out. "The numbers don't fully add up."

"I was actually getting to that," Ketiya said with a strained smile.

"Go ahead."

"One of the students chose two Majors: Spellcasting and Runecrafting." As Ketiya said this, some of the Supervising Officers gasped.

They all looked at the Archmage of the Academy to see her response. After all, the last person who went down that route and successfully graduated from the Imperial Academy was none other than Juliana Randalorion herself.

"Interesting." She leaked out a slight smile. "There's always one or two of them who pop up in every generation. Who is this student?"

Archmage Juliana wanted to know if the student was one of the few who caught her eye during the Assembly earlier that day.

'There are a few exceptional ones this Year, judging strictly by the results of their Entrance Exams.' Her thoughts trailed.

Three in particular had incredible scores, but that was only to be expected since they were from incredibly distinguished families in the Magus Community. Their families must have taught them well, providing all the resources necessary for their basic education.

As a result, their foundation was incredibly sturdy. The Entrance Exams were proof of that, as these three managed to get over seventy percent in each category of the exams.

Perhaps one of them decided to kick things up a notch and expand their ambitions a little.

'If I have to guess, I'd say… Sylvia Kornelius? Her family is pretty reputable in the Runecrafting Community, but based on her nearly perfect score in the Spellcasting Exam, it's clear which field she's more suited for.'

Based on this line of thought, Archmage Juliana judged it to be plausible that the Sylvia girl wanted to do both Courses—for the sake of her family and also herself.

'Of all the newcomers, it seems she's the most plausible suspect, so—'

"His name is Dan Nilrem." Ketiya interrupted Juliana's thoughts with the true answer, causing all of the latter's analysis to go up in flames.

"Hm? Really?"

Juliana was shocked by the news, but she maintained a calm facade. Many of the Supervising Officers in the room couldn't, however, so they either gasped or resorted to murmurs of their own.

"I-indeed…" It was clear that Ketiya was very bothered by the student that she spoke of. "He scored the lowest in the Entrance Exams and barely passed, so I can recognize everyone's surprise."

"How strange…" Juliana muttered as she absorbed the information. "So which course did Sylvia pick?"

"O-oh! She went for Spellcasting."

"Ah, really? Good… that's a good choice." It seemed the Archmage was far more interested in the wellbeing of a student with promise than the strange boy that was just mentioned.

Everyone else in the room seemed to also share her priority.

"It seems, as usual, most of the students went for the Spellcasting Major." One of the Supervising officers said with a chuckle.

"Yeah! Though I'm glad to see Magia Engineering becoming more popular among students." Another retorted.

"Pfft! Please… we all know why they're going there." One more added with a slight scoff. "Give them a year, and they'll see that it's not as easy as they thought it would be."

Many Apprentices didn't know this, but the whole buzz about Magia Engineering was nothing short of misinformation borne out of sensationalism.

"Sure, it's a lucrative industry… but there's a reason not many people occupy the field. You'd think our esteemed students would use their brains a little, but no! They're blinded by the money that seems to be overflowing in the industry."

"Indeed, indeed! That isn't an attitude befitting a proper Mage."

"Let's cut them some slack. They're still kids, so it's only natural that they make some mistakes now. Give them time to grow…"

Many more of such comments flew around, causing the meeting room to turn rowdy.

Until—

"Ahem… that's enough."

The moment Archmage Juliana cleared her throat, everyone fell silent. They all ceased their respective conversations or individual murmurs and returned their full focus to their superior.

"Back to the topic at hand, I assume this student—Dan Nilrem—is the one you're worried about in your class?"

"Indeed, Academy Head." Ketiya swiftly nodded. "Not only do his skills and overall talent seem average, but his attitude also worries me."

"Hm? How so?"

"He acted impudently in class, wasting a lot of everyone's time with his Course Registration. He also acted disrespectfully towards me, though he tried to hide it under the guise of innocence. Finally, while everyone went to the library after the Orientation, he returned to his dormitory."

"Oh wow… he actually did all of that? On his first day?"

"Yes! I worry for him as a Supervising Officer, since he won't last very long in the Academy if he continues with this poor attitude."

"Hm. I see…"

Ketiya nodded solemnly, hiding the relieved smile that was hidden beneath her facade.

'With this, I've exposed that boy for what he is. Even if he performs poorly in his classes or gets into any kind of trouble, I'll be absolved of much blame, since all the higher-ups know how unreasonable and reckless he is now.' She thought to herself. 'I'm glad I spoke up about him.'

"Well, it's too early to judge a student based on their potential. Dan Nilrem, huh? Does anyone know which family he comes from?"

There was no positive response to the Archmage's question.

At that moment, the shadowy figure behind her leaned closer and whispered a few words into her ears. No one in the room could decipher what he said, and after a few seconds, he was done.

"I see…" Archmage Juliana muttered. 'So he belongs to a former Noble household, which explains the family name attached to his name. Still, I've never heard of the Nilrem Noble household.'

"Would you like for me to investigate?" The silent whisper of the man in the shadows echoed in her ears, causing her to break into a smile.

'There's no need for that.' She responded through her thoughts.

"Understood."

No one else in the room could listen in to the brief communication that the two shared, so the Archmage wasn't particularly concerned about the stares she received.

Instead, she went on to address Ketiya.

"Just make sure to treat him impartially—the same way you would any other student." It's possible that he is a fool who has no idea what he's doing, but there's also a chance that he could be a special case."

"Special case? Him? No offense to the Academy Head, but need I remind you that he scored the lowest in the entire class?" Ketiya protested. She clearly didn't think very highly of him, and she wasn't expecting someone as esteemed as Archmage Juliana to.

"He also scored a perfect score in the Rune Exams." The latter retorted. "No one has done that since, well…"

Archmage Juliana glanced at the person behind her for a moment and smiled.

"In any case, it's too early to tell. Just perform your role responsibly and ensure the students under your watch thrive the best that they can."

"Understood!"

"With that settled, we best move on to the other classes. I certainly hope we have interesting cases like what is happening in Year 1."

The whole room burst into chuckles and smiles.

The only person who wasn't smiling was Ketiya Lampshade, and that was because of the additional responsibility that now burdened her.

'The Archmage herself told me to look after him. Even though she says I should treat him the same as everyone else, it's clear that his below-average performance requires more effort than the other students.'

She had thought telling everyone about Dan Nilrem would reduce her liability regarding him, but that only made it worse.

'I'm stuck with the kid, and he's stuck with me…' She gritted her teeth, completely zoned out from the report of the other Supervising Officers.

'What a mess!'