"So hey, how was it? Was it fun?"
I then quickly realized what I just did, and went to face the front again. My heart was thumping against my ribs.
'Stupid. Why did I say that?'
And then I heard Princess Yuki breathe and talk.
"It-it was fun."
Her voice was small, almost tentative. I risked a sideways glance. She wasn't looking at me, she was staring at her desk, the tips of her ears slightly pink against that beautiful blue hair.
This was why I liked her.
To everyone else in the academy, Yuki Rainsworth was terrifying. With her status as a Princess and that neutral, expressionless face of hers, most people were too scared to even look her in the eye. They assumed she was a cold-hearted genius who would look down on them, so she didn't have any friends.
I looked under the desk to see her fingers fidgeting.
'So cute!'
I had to bite my tongue to keep from grinning like an idiot. Seeing her fidget in person was a thousand times better than seeing it on a screen. But I quickly shook the thought away. I couldn't afford to get distracted.
"How about we look at the rankings, Princess Rainsworth?"
The hallway was thick with the scent of expensive parchment and the nervous sweat of hundreds of students. As Yuki and I approached, the crowd naturally drifted apart. It was like a physical barrier existed around her, nobody wanted to be the one to accidentally brush shoulders with the Rainsworth heir.
I kept my distance, standing just far enough behind her to look like an attendant, but close enough to see the board clearly.
[Rankings]
1st Daniel 425pts
2nd Alice Crestwell 400pts
3rd Felix Alistair 395pts
4th Yuki Rainsworth 385pts
5th Edna 360pts
6th Roxanne 345pts
7th 240pts
8th 230pts
9th 215pts
10th 205pts
I then scanned the names just below the top tier. My eyes stopped at the very next line.
11th Julian Blackwood 200pts
'Eleventh place? I think that is too high. But whatever.'
The moment my rank was visible to everyone, a ripple of confusion spread through the crowd. I could hear the whispers of the other students growing louder as they pointed at my name.
"Wait, is that Julian? How did he get 200 points?"
"The guy who couldn't even swing a sword correctly last month is 11th?"
"There has to be a mistake in the tally. How can Julian be right under the Top 10?"
I knew I shouldn't have gone so hard during the test, but it was already too late to change the results. I decided to ignore all the commotion. The more I reacted, the more I would stand out. I just turned my back on the leaderboard and walked away.
Even though I was heading back to the Blackwood mansion for now, it would be my last few days there. I had already made up my mind to move into the dorms starting next week. Staying on campus was the only way to be at the center of everything.
I arrived at the mansion and went straight to my room, locking the door behind me. I didn't even stop to rest. I immediately pulled out my blade and began.
One thousand slashes. From now on, this would be my daily chore, the bare minimum required to keep me from a gruesome end.
I took a long, steadying breath and let out a sharp exhale as I delivered the first strike.
'One.'
'Two.'
'Three.'
The rhythm became a blur. By the time I hit five hundred, my shoulders were burning and my shirt was plastered to my skin. By eight hundred, my hands were trembling so much I could barely maintain my grip on the hilt, and my lungs felt like they were filled with smoke. But I didn't stop. I couldn't afford to stop.
'Nine hundred ninety-nine.'
'One thousand.'
The final strike was pure willpower. I let the sword slip from my numb fingers, and it hit the floor with a heavy thud. Without even bothering to change out of my sweat-soaked clothes, I collapsed onto the bed.
A subtle, melodic chime echoed through the silence of the room. My eyes were already wide open, staring at the ceiling, when the translucent blue glow of a system window flickered into existence right in my line of sight.
[Strength Increased 2>3]
"Oh... that's great, I guess."
I stayed silent for a long time after that, letting my body recover while the dull throb in my muscles slowly faded. Eventually, I forced myself to get up. I washed away the sweat, changed into clean clothes, and finally lay back down on the bed.
I stared up at the ceiling, feeling a bit frustrated. "Strength is fine, but it's not enough. If only I had another skill besides this basic swordsmanship..."
In response to my complaint, another window snapped into existence with a sharp ping.
[Skill: Basic Fireball (Level 1)]
A basic magic skill that allows the user to shoot a ball of fire. It is the most common spell for beginners.
My heart nearly stopped. I sat bolt upright, staring at the blue text.
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" I screamed at the system window, my voice echoing off the walls of the silent room. "I HAD THIS THE WHOLE TIME?!"
I stared at the screen in disbelief. The original Julian was a fool. He had been so obsessed with being a noble swordsman that he had completely ignored his magic talent. He thought using magic was beneath him, so he let this skill sit here, untouched and rotting, while he struggled with a sword.
"You idiot!" I yelled, directed at the previous Julian. "You had a magic skill and you just left it here to rot?!"
I scrambled to my feet, my exhaustion completely forgotten. Now that I knew I had magic, my plan for tomorrow was clear.
'I need to level up my fire magic as fast as possible. It's going to be my best shot at taking down Professor Garen.'