After brushing her teeth, Aerie spat in the stone sink. She touched the mana crystal and water quickly washed away all the mess. While the accommodations were not nearly as good as her home, she was glad that they still had mana crystal amenities. After getting dressed, Aerie made her way out of the dormitory.

Since school had officially begun, Aerie had to be at class before the sun had even risen past the horizon. When she exited her building, she found that the outside was dark and cold.

She walked quickly through the campus, her path illuminated by floating lanterns. The red uniform she wore was spotless, as were all of her clothing possessions, and the silver amulet hung loosely around her neck in a display of grandeur. She had never been one to be late or unfashionable.

At last, she rounded a corner and came upon the large building that hosted her first class. The doors swung open as she stepped toward it, obviously a simple detection enchantment. Inside, there were only around ten students who had arrived earlier than her. Their ranks varied widely. The lowest was a gnome at rank 1, while the highest was a skinny human male at rank 18. Aerie felt inadequate as she noted that most of the students were higher ranked than her.

‘I’ll simply have to work extra hard,’ she told herself. Soon enough, more students arrived and everyone gathered around the central podium at the center of the stage. All the seats were full, except for the one by Aerie. Students talked amongst themselves as they waited for class to begin; Aerie just waited patiently. She was used to being alone and she passed the time by fiddling with her blonde hair. Typically, she wore it in a pony tail and today was no different

It wasn’t too long later when the professor walked in. She was dwarfish and her rank was 65. Aerie almost mistook her for a male due to her brawny build, but she remembered that male dwarves were bearded and this one was cleanshaven. Her voice was rough and grainy and she cleared her throat before she began.

"Good morning, class. I am Professor Arsha, your enchantment instructor. Today, you will learn how to repair damaged weapons. Get into pairs, please.”

Just as she finished the door opened once more, and a recognizable face walked in. Jessica looked half-asleep and Aerie couldn’t tell if her clothes or hair were more disheveled.

‘Definitely the hair,’ Aerie decided. The whole class watched as she searched for an empty seat. Inevitably, this led Jessica to the last seat in the classroom. Jessica fumed as she sat down right beside the princess.

‘At least she didn’t have to be alone during the project,’ Aerie thought to herself. Professor Arsha looked at Jessica disapprovingly.

“Did you get lost?” the professor asked, disdain evident in her voice.

“Only in my studies. I didn’t sleep yesterday and I lost track of time.” Jessica replied as though it was the most simple thing in the world. Perhaps it was, to someone like her. “But I’m here now, so please, continue.” Aerie could see the professor turn red but she continued the lecture.

The day’s project was to sharpen a dull sword. The teacher grabbed a large sack and began passing out the dull blades. When Aerie grabbed onto it and could now see that the weapon was all but useless in its current condition. Jessica immediately began to summon mana even before the teacher gave the directions. Aerie watched as blue energy wrapped around her hands. They looked like monstrous tentacles as they tightened around the weapon. For a moment, the blade became razor sharp, but seconds later, it cracked into shards that fell upon the floor.

The professor handed the pair another sword along with a warning. Aerie now held the sword so that Jessica couldn’t try her disastrous method again.

“Now class, there is a minor weapon enchantment that repairs all gear. Go to your Player Interface.”

Aerie thumbed the amulet.

Name: Aerie Canter Race: Human Class: Scholar Personality: Timid Newcomer Player Magic Tier: 2 Ascension: Locked at level 100 Level: 5 Strength Dexterity Intelligence Charisma Mana HP: 100 8 12 18 7 10 Skills Combat Sight Perks Genius

“Now mentally click on skills,” the teacher commanded.

Skill Description Combat Sight(unlocked) Unlocks ability to see enemy rank, class, and species. Will update Player on damage dealt and received. Will turn enemy color red upon sign of hostility. Advanced Combat Sight (locked) Allows Player to see enemy stats. Increases perception and enables dark vision. Sword Proficiency 1 (locked) Unlocks Swordsman class. Requires Strength of 13. Dexterity of 12. Increases damage done with swords. Spear Proficiency 1 (locked) Unlocks Spearmen class. Requires Strength of 10. Dexterity of 10. Increases damage done with spears. Shield Proficiency 1 (locked) Unlocks Shieldman class. Requires Strength of 12. Dexterity of 10. Increases damage blocked by a shield. Armor Proficiency 1 (locked) Gets rid of dexterity debuff from wearing armor. Lockpicking (locked) Enables opening locked chests and doors through the use of lockpicks. Requires dexterity of 15. Stealth (locked) Unlocks "sneak attack" which deals critical damage if enemy is unaware. Requires dexterity of 18. Deception (locked) Increases chances of successfully lying. Requires charisma of 15. Mana Manipulation 1 (locked) Unlocks Mage class. Requires intelligence of 15. Mana of 12 Mana Charge (locked) Basic attack spell. Deals 10-20 damage. Requires intelligence of 10. Mana of 10. Minor Weapon Repair (locked) Fixes basic weapons and restores them to initial conditions. Requires intelligence of 13. Mana of 10. Greater Weapon Improvement (locked) Upgrades equipped weapons and imbues them with mana. Requires intelligence of 18. Mana of 10. Self Regeneration (locked) Regenerates 10-15 hp. Requires intelligence of 14. Mana of 11. Tracking (locked) Enables Player to see enemy tracks from 1 hour prior.

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“The skill required for this project is called: Minor Weapon Repair.“ Professor Arsha stuck her hand out and white light came over the weapon until it was shining like a brand new sword.

“In order to unlock this skill, you will need to focus your mana. Don’t worry if it takes awhile, we will be revisiting this spell again.”

All around the classroom, students held out there hand in an effort to cast the spell. Those who were closest to reaching success managed to get a few dim sparks before the light sputtered out, while most simply held out out their hands in vain.

Jessica tried first and it seemed like she almost succeeded. That was until the light died and she struck the sword in frustration.

Aerie calmed her breath. She knew some basic mana manipulation, and the most important thing was to remain focused. She closed her eyes, and held her hand just as the Professor did. She felt her hand getting colder as the mana escaped her body. She could feel each imperfection in the sword's body and her mana quickly went to work fixing them. She lost track of time as her mana systematically improved the sword. When she opened her eyes again, the whole class was staring at her in awe. The sword in her hand now pulsed with a feint blue light. Even that was not the most unusual thing because at the top of her vision, white words were written.

Skill Unlocked: Greater Weapon Improvement

Jessica was the first to interrupt Aerie’s thoughts. “How did you do that?” she asked.

“Do what?” Aerie asked curiously.

“The golden light” Jessica clarified. The whole class stared at her with questioning eyes.

Aerie shrugged. “I just did what the teacher said to do.”

It was at this moment that the Professor spoke. “And you did a mighty fine job, Princess Aerie. I would love for you to stay after class for a few minutes” the teacher politely commanded. “But the rest of you get back to practicing; you may stop after you’ve repaired your arms.” She then handed Jessica another dull sword and left to help other students.

Aerie sat down as Jessica continued to try and enchant the sword. Several times the white light came and went but Jessica never ceased in her effort. It was truly impressive, Aerie thought.

“Let me help you,” Aerie said. Jessica looked red but she didn’t say no. Aerie pushed forward. “Just take a deep breath and close your eyes,” Aerie advised. “Focus on the mana in your hand.” Jessica complied. This time Aerie could feel how close Jessica was, but just before the spell was complete, Jessica opened her eyes and the light faded uselessly. Jessica sighed in disappointment, but Aerie was not deterred. She stood behind Jessica and placed her hands on Jessica’s eyes. Embarrassingly, Aerie had to be on her tiptoes to reach. “Do it again, and no peeking!”

The light from her hand surrounded the dull sword. It swirled around it, faster and faster. When it finally dissipated, the sword looked brand new. Aerie let go of the tall mage’s eyes. Jessica hmphed in victory as she waved her staff proudly. Aerie relished in the shared victory, but the school bell announced the end of the class and Jessica was quick to start leaving.

“Let’s partner again sometime,” she said. Then with a smirk she added, “Next time though, I’m in charge.” Pretty soon the whole class was gone and Aerie was left alone with the professor.

The dwarf was sitting at her desk as she beckoned the princess to come forward. “I read about you before you came to my class.” Arsha began. “Your record states that you want to take the [healer] class. A fine choice, to be sure, but what I witnessed today tells me that you were born to be a [weapon enchanter]. The skill you learned was [greater weapon improvement], an intermediate skill that typically takes weeks to learn.”

Aerie shook her head in understanding, but inside she was a mess. Her dreams of learning alchemy and becoming a healer existed for as long as she could remember. “I will think about it,” was all she replied. The professor nodded and the exchange was over.

The rest of the day was mostly uneventful. After Enchantment class, she learned mathematics, combat training, and finally alchemy. Combat training was an interesting class as every single student had to take it. For the first day, everyone picked their weapon and learned the basics.

Aerie, Jessica, and Eric all took staffs as their arms, whereas Orpheus and his group of friends decided to grab a sword as theirs.

As the day continued, Aerie learned that she shared an alchemy class with Eric. The pair decided to be partners and work together. Word had also spread that she learned intermediate level skills and she made new friends. When her classes were done, there was only an hour left of sunlight.

Aerie could think of no other way to spend it then getting her outfit ready for the next day.

Name: Aerie Canter Race: Human Class: Scholar Personality: Timid Newcomer Player Magic Tier: 2 Ascension: Locked at level 100 Level: 5 Strength Dexterity Intelligence Charisma Mana HP: 100 8 12 18 7 10 Skills Combat Sight Greater Weapon Improvement Perks Genius

Note: The average height of a high ranking knights and martial fighters is six foot five or 195.5 cm