The day of the entrance ceremony finally came. During our time here, we occasionally ran into the kid that messed with Maya. While he glared at us, he didn't do anything. That should be a good thing, but I couldn’t help but feel we messed with the wrong person. We were in a school full of nobles, after all. Commoners probably didn’t have the power, or even the want in the first place to mess with others.

“What do you think, Fortis?” Maya asked, tugging the ends of her skirt.

Our uniforms were certainly unique, black and purple being its primary color scheme. Black is used to symbolize elementless, meaning neutrality and fairness, while purple was the color the original founder of Syla, Amoriaz Keroz Syla, used to wear.

“Not bad.”

“This is weird…” The girl walking next to Maya murmured as we made our way to the central building. I had seen her hanging around with Maya a few times before, but had yet to get her name.

“What’s weird?” I asked.

The girl walking next to Maya tilted her head forward and looked toward me. She had dark blue hair reminiscent of the deep sea, with yellow eyes rivaling the brightness of the sun. “You see, normally, they do the level tests in private, so people that don’t have high levels won’t be embarrassed. But this year, they held it publicly, for some reason.”

“I guess that’s weird… By the way, who are you?”

“I’m Solicea Misyosnoer, Maya’s dorm friend and neighbor. You’re Fortisbel, right? Maya’s childhood friend?”

You don’t have to rub that in!

Of course, I had no plans on dating Maya, but she was still a cute girl. Knowing I had no chance, even if I wasn’t romantically interested, still hurts!

“Yeah. Did Maya say something about me?”

“She talked about how weird you are, like how you know things others don’t know.” Solicea eyed me curiously. I guess it would be pretty noticeable. I did, technically, defeat a dragon, despite never even seeing one.

“She certainly had a unique impression of me.” I decided against talking about it. We arrived at the central hall, where the ceremony took place and picked our seats. I hadn’t talked to anyone other than Maya so far, so I decided to just sit next to her. Then,

“Can I sit here?” I looked to my right, seeing the girl with silver hair from before.

“Sure.”

“Thank you very much.” She bowed her head and sat down.

The ceremony began not long after. It went like how you would expect. The principal gave us a long winded speech, then some more speeches, some introduction, bla bla bla.

No mention of the demon king…

It was easy to forget. No one ever mentioned the demon king’s return. If they even remotely mentioned him, it would always be about how we won.

“Now, we will begin the level testing. Due to… circumstances, the level testing would be done here.”

Instantly, surprised murmurs filled the large hall. From what I could hear around me, most were expecting testing to be done in private. To add to the confusion, the school set up a screen on the side, slightly behind the box.

“Are they trying to tell the entire schools our levels?”

“That might be the case.”

The students whispered to each other. The principal began calling out names, and one by one, students stepped onto the podium, inserting their hand to a magic box.

The human body, in this world, absorbs magical energy from its surroundings. When you defeat a monster, you take all the magical energy from that monster’s dead body. The magic item calculated your level based on how much magical energy was found in your body.

A student inserted their hands into the box. The number seventeen appeared on a screen behind him, showing his level to the rest of us.

The principal confirmed by announcing his level, “level seventeen.”

“Typical for our age,” Solicea commented. If one didn’t grind their levels, their body would normally absorb enough magic energy to match their age.

“Is that so?” I pretended to not know. It was explained in the game, and was one of the reasons that in game, you started at level twenty.

“Level twenty.”

“Level twenty one.”

“Level eighteen.”

The principal continued giving level callouts. Some of the levels were quite expensive. Being a level twenty one, five to six years older than you are, meant that they put in quite the effort to level up. So far, there hadn't been anyone whose level matched their age exactly, assuming they really are my age.

“Next, please come to the stage, Solicea Atara Zeria Misyosnoer.”

Solicea stood up. She glanced at Maya before walking toward the stage. Unlike the others, she didn’t immediately thrust her hand in. She looked around first, took a deep breath, before slowly inserting her hand. The device lit up, and a number appeared.

“Level fifteen. Don't worry, Solicea. You still have a long future ahead of you.”

“Eh…” Solicea looked disappointed.

She returned to her seat, her eyes downcast. Maya patted her back.

“Don’t worry, I’ll help you level up.”

“Thanks, Maya.”

The principal cleared his throat.

“Now, Your Royal Highness, Prince Prilus Korore Jastira Syla, please step forward.” A silver-haired kid stood up and walked onto the podium.

“It’s him,” Maya murmured.

“Oh dear.”

The kid that messed with Maya was this kingdom’s prince. As if sensing our stares, the prince turned to us, a smug grin on his face. He pushed his hand into the box, then,

“Level thirty five! As expected of the Royal Prince!” The principal exclaimed in wonder.

“Huh… that’s not too unexpected.”

It was high, sure, but most people that trained had levels twice their age.

“My brother always puts in as much effort as possible,” the silver-haired girl murmured.

“Well, he is a prince, after all.”

It wasn’t surprising at all, to be honest. When you’re a noble, people expect more out of you…

Hold on.

“Brother…?”

“Ah, I’m sorry!”

“Wait, why are you apologizing?”

“Next, Your Royal Highness Princess Emori Kirro Ozare Syla.”

“Please excuse me.” She bowed her hand and stood up.

“So she’s the princess…” Maya murmured.

“Maya, how can you be so nonchalant with these things?”

I get that Maya was strong, but it was our first day of school, and we were already messing with two of the most powerful people in the kingdom.

“Level thirty.”

Unlike with the prince, despite their five level differences, there was not much fanfare with Emori’s score. There was clapping, sure, but not much more. Emori silently returned to her seat.

“Umm… that’s pretty good, Your Highness.”

“Ah, no. I don’t deserve to be called that. Please just call me Emori.” She waved her hand. She looked pretty cute when flustered.

“Okay, Emori.”

“Emori, huh?” Maya leaned forward from my left, staring at Emori. The princess seemed spooked.

“You’re interesting,” she said, before looking back toward the podium.

“Ah, thank you.”

“By the way, when will it be our turn?” Maya asked.

“I don’t know…”

The student numbering system was randomized, so I couldn’t guess from the name.

“Ma… Ya… Hmm…” The principal struggled to read the name.

Maya stood up. “Mayadokeuasnfeniskeos?”

“Yes, yes that. Please step forward.”

Whispers spread, everyone’s eyes turbed to the podium. Maya inserted her hand and,

“Level eighty seven!”

“What-”

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

“That’s insane!”

The whispers turned to loud shouts. Maya turned her eyes to a point in the crowd. Despite her flat expression, I could tell she was feeling victorious over a certain someone.

“Everyone, calm down!” The principal shouted, silencing the hall. Maya returned to her seat.

“Next, Fortisbel Baskator.”

Huh, what a coincidence.

I stood up, noticing some sharp stares on my back.

“Isn’t he that dragon’s master?”

“He’s always around that dragon.”

I decided to ignore their words and instead focus on my level. I had been training a lot, so I was curious about how high my level would be. I wonder if I could be higher than the prince.

Well, that’s preferable.

“Please, Fortisbel.”

At the principal's command, I inserted my hand into the device. All of a sudden, the entire hall fell silent.

“Impossible,” the principal murmured. One of the teachers closed up on him.

“Is it broken?”

“But if it is, then the entire test up until this point is fake!”

The other teachers began whispering among themselves.

“Fortisbel, please step back.”

I pulled my hand out, and the principal inserted his.

“...It’s working.”

The principal pulled away, motioning me to once again try.

Just how high is my level?

The box was linked to two screens. One in front of the principal, facing away from me, the other one was the one facing the students. I could see neither of those.

“... It remained the same.”

“Impossible, there must be some tinkering going on!” Prilus yelled from his seat.

For the prince to yell at me… just how high am I?

“How high is my level?” I asked the principal, who took a step away from me.

“... One hundred.”

“I’m maxed out, huh…”

In the game, one hundred is the highest level. You could still absorb magical energy, and you could still get stronger, but the number itself didn’t increase. I thought it was a system oversight, but it must be based on this world.

Besides, me and Maya had a thirteen level difference. Not that much, to be honest. Did they assume she was high level just because she was a dragon?

“I challenge you to a duel!” The prince declared.

This is getting quite troublesome. Also, why me?

I wasn't the one that punched him.

But, considering how wowed they were from hearing his level, if I could defeat him, it would prove my strength.

“Sure.”

“Ummm…” The principal looked panicked. I noticed that and repeated my response.

“I’ll take you on, Prilus,” I declared, much to the surprise of everyone there. In this kingdom, duels were considered sacred. In duels, all the status and differences between people were discarded. The second I accepted it, Prilus must treat me as an equal, despite my status as a commoner.

He knitted his eyebrows, not saying anything.

“How does after the ceremony sound?” I suggested.

“You’re bluffing, aren’t you.”

“Maybe I am, maybe I’m not.”

For the first time in sixteen years, I would be fighting a human. I couldn’t say that I wasn’t excited.

* ••

“You’re using that?”

After the ceremony finished, we were standing at one of the school’s many training fields under a shield created with Duel Shield.

Duel Shield itself is an elementless spell that allows duels to occur safely by nullifying all damage. It didn't nullify the sensation of pain itself, though.

Teachers and fellow students surrounded us. In front of me stood Prince Prilus. He stared at me, trying to look intimidating.

With no little annoyance in between.

I looked down at the weapon in my hand, the thing he pointed at.

“It’s a wand?”

“A nature wand? You’re seriously underestimating me, aren’t you?”

He seemed pissed for some reason. I had no idea why. I mean, he should know that a nature wand is dangerous, right?

Regardless, I have no time to be thinking about him. I took my stance.

Prilus may have looked intimidating, but he lost to Maya a few days prior, and Maya was under my level. To be fair, a person’s strength didn’t only rely on their level. It was another weird thing that I first saw in the game back then. You could create two same accounts, fight two same monsters, and level up at the same time, but you would still end with a different strength.

Every character had predetermined strengths and weaknesses, regardless of what job you pick. It was unfair, and weird. People complained about it many times, but it never changed.

Those differences typically weren’t game changing, but Mimosa had PvP features. The slightest advantage meant an advantage no less.

The level of detail that game potrayed…

I couldn’t help but feel impressed with Al1cea.

… It’s been a while since I’ve dueled. I wonder if I still had it in me.

All of a sudden, my stomach growled.

Oh, yeah. I haven’t eaten. I wonder what I should grab. Do they sell burgers here?

The principal lifted his hand. “Begin!”

Shoot!

I was too occupied in thinking about lunch to realize that the match had begun.

Or rather, I was too busy thinking about Mimosa the online game, to realize that the actual match had begun. Maybe a combination of both.

Prilus swung his wooden sword down on me, but

Bind!

In my vision, I painted a dark green circle above his figure, and then stacked the symbol for Bind on top of it. The next second, green vines shot from the ground.

“Ah!” Prilus jumped back. The vines shot toward him, forming a thick bush behind his feet. He stumbled down and fell on his back.

That was unintentional.

Bind followed its target for a specific time after it was cast, able to chase after it. Prilus was by no means a regular fighter, though. Bind wasn’t supposed to be able to chase after him due to his speed, but it seemed that my own spell was stronger than I thought.

After his fall, the vines didn’t stop. It continued enveloping him, until his stomach to the bottom was covered by green vines. I strolled next to him, then pointed the wand to his head.

He gritted his teeth, trying to get up, but the strength of Bind prevented him from moving. As long as I kept the symbol in my sights, the spell remained active.

“You!”

I ignored whatever he said, keeping my concentration. He tried to move his hands, but the vines captured that as well. He struggled for a few more seconds. He probably thought Bind was a low level spell. Well, it was a spell that could be utilized easily, so he wasn’t wrong. Maybe I should show him something more fancy.

I didn’t have to look at the target after casting the spell, as long as the symbol remained painted in my sights. I walked all the way to the end of the duel field, where the magic shield ended. I turned around, finally removing Bind from my vision, turning off the spell. He stood up, dusted his clothes, and rushed toward me.

As expected.

I extended my wand. The type of magic someone could cast depended on the wand they held. In my case, I held a nature-type wand.

What spell, what spell.

Most nature-type spells weren’t flashy.

How about this, then?

I looked down, then painted the symbol for Flower Field. Being an Area of Effect, or AoE for short, I painted the dark green circle on the ground. This meant it was slightly harder to deploy because of the circle needing to stick to the floor.

Little flowers of various colors grew all around me. Their sudden existence tripped Prilus, who fell head first to the ground.

That isn’t my plan!

I waited for him to get up, while I strengthened the effects of Flower Field. The spectators murmured in shock.

Unlike fire spells, though, nature spells tend to be easy to use, so for the crowd to be excited from such a simple spell…

This makes me excited.

Nature-based spells were rarely used for attack. For my spells to be this strong, I really had grown. No wonder the monsters around our forest were so easy to defeat. I always thought they were just weak. I tried remembering when I got these levels. I most likely was already high level before I met Maya. I did bring her down no problem.

Did I just not realize?

At first, I needed to use hit-and-run tactics against monsters. Back then, I needed a while to get used to painting directly on my vision. Now, it happened to me naturally.

“Ah.”

As I was thinking to myself, Prilus was already close to an attack.

He had no intention of giving up, huh?

But, unfortunately for him, I was prepared.

“Woah!”

The flowers right below him rose, and between them, trees appeared. It picked him up and brought him high to the sky. Once they reached the max of their high, I erased the symbol from my vision, causing everything to disappear. I let him drop. He crashed into the field. He wasn’t high enough to be hurt even without Duel Shield, so instead of helping him, I once again pointed my wand at him.

He glared daggers at me, seemingly still not satisfied. We hadn’t even begun studying, and I didn’t want to just lay bare all my arsenal in front of him. Having him constantly nabbing on us would be troublesome, though. And he’s the prince, who knows what kind of evil scheme he could cook up.

As I tried thinking about one special spell, he stood up and swung his sword at me. I dodged easily, stepping side-to-side as he attacked like a maniac. He still stood, so the teachers couldn’t do anything about it.

His moves were quick when compared to a normal person, but slow compared to me. I had no trouble dodging. An idea appeared in my head.

I guess I can try testing my defense.

I waited for another swing. I dodged yet again. But this time, I casted Bind right after. Green vines shot up and grabbed a hold of his sword, before yanking it right off him. He stumbled backward. Not letting him recover, I redirected the vines, punching him straight in the stomach. He flew into the air. I then cast Flower Field and used it to slow his fall. He tumbled above the flower beds, coming to a stop facing upward with flowers all over him.

He looked like he’s dead.

I knew he wasn’t actually dead. The Duel Shield that covered us prevented anyone from actually being harmed. Feeling pain, sure, but no wounds or the like. It worked regardless of the strength of magic or the strength of a particular physical attack, making it one of the strongest spells in this world.

Besides, if he did die, it would force me to flee the country, not something I wanted to do.

Then it occured to me. In the sixteen years I have been alive in this world, I have changed a lot. Had this been the me from my previous life, with such powers, I would have no issue in abandoning my country and fleeing. I probably had the strength to make a new country. But now…

I walked over to him and extended my hand. He stared at me and frowned. He slapped my hand away then stood back up by himself.

“You may have won, but this isn't the end of it.”

“Huh…”

He turned around with a huff and walked away. The crowd cheered at me.

“Fortis, that was so cool!” Solicea exclaimed with excitement.

“That is wonderful,” said Emori.

“You never used such moves when you’re with me,” Maya said with a slight pout.

“Well, you killed everything before I could have a chance!”

“What? No! You're the one that said fighting isn't about flair!”

Well I did say that, didn't I? In my defense, I had no intention of killing him, and he was far under my level. It's not about winning, but about sending a message.

As I continued talking, I noticed a small bird in the distance. It looked like your usual bird, a crow to be exact, but,

That’s a familiar.

Some mages could create familiars. These familiars were mana condensed to take the form of an animal or a monster. They had many purposes, one of them was spying. Someone must have been spying on me.

I have a bad feeling about this.