The carriage that arrived for Donis this time was pulled by the same Droveries that pulled Corvigs carriage the first time he arrived at their home. It was slightly more luxurious looking than his old one, with black and white rims adorning the carriage.
'I think black and white is definitely Corvigs thing, the man barely covers himself in anything else...' thought Donis.
The person atop the drivers seat was a muscular hunk of a man, and after inspecting him, realised he was no mere carriage driver, he was level 20! While not enough to fight off Raul, he would still be strong enough to protect him from most dangers.
During the ride, which was definitely going to take far less time now with those powerful beasts pulling the carriage, Donis looked forward to today. He wasn't going to spend time practicing magic right now. His nerves were somehow getting to him. He really shouldn't care about the kids who'll be there, but he can't help but still somehow, somewhere want to fit in.
'I think the kid hormones are really fucking with me. Oh god. I don't want to know what the fuck puberty is going to be like. Etheria you better keep me focused!' thought Donis.
'Yes! Focused!' chirped back Etheria.
***
At the gates of the Academy.
Donis had just stepped out and was filled with wonder. The amount of students was staggering. There were thousands of people filling these walkways, people sitting, people shouting, some people were flying, some people were dueling, and some even slept under the shade of the tree on this gorgeous day.
For some reason it was always sunny at the Academy. Even during the Warrus months, the sky was clear and it never snowed on the Academy itself. Donis had long stopped questioning what dumb sorcery it was, cause no matter the answer, it was probably stupidly expensive to set up. Yet the Academy didn't look like they were in any shortage of money.
He made his way through the crowds, having to push past the people at some points. Standing at 1.5m, Donis was slightly taller than most 10 year olds, but it was by no means tall when surrounded by hundreds on every side. He'd push past people with ease, which would garner looks. He glanced at his status and realised his strength was at 9, and by deducing that his intelligence started off at 10 without any buffs, an adults strength should average out at 10.
'Leveling up this early really has some massive advantages it seems. At least for now. When everyone starts leveling the advantages should be ironed out. I hope. Unless my system is that different,' thought Donis as he pushed another student aside.
"Hey what was that for?" shouted a student who just fell over from the shove.
Donis looked down from his thoughts and saw he pushed over a skinny looking boy, about the same age as him, but quite a bit shorter.
"Oh I'm so sorry, I was just trying to get to class and I can't get past these crowds!" said Donis apologetically while reaching his hand out to help the poor boy up.
"It's okay, I'm not used to this either, the crowds are a bit too big for me too! What's your name?" said the boy
"Donis Laurent! What's yours?"
"Aled Irvine! I just turned 11 and I'm from Cariddatse!" said Aled.
"Cariddatse? Where is that?" asked Donis curiously.
"Uhh, it's like.. a few hours South from Vernaic. I'm not sure entirely, my family hired a carriage but I didn't have many opportunities to look outside cause it had no windows. But but, how old are you Donis?" said Aled excitedly.
Looking at the boy with golden hair, pale skin and a white-brown tunic, a small smile appeared on his face. "I'm 10 years old, you're older than me!"
After another minute of chatting, Donis bid his farewell and left to go to class. The interaction had been abrupt, but not unpleasant.
'Maybe I should talk to people my age more often... Where is Corvig? Hahaha, I wish someone could hear my shitty jokes. It was funny right Etheria?' thought Donis.
'Funny?' chirped Etheria.
'It's.. it's okay don't worry about it..' mentally sighed Donis.
***
Walking through the halls, Donis noticed that there was an organized flow in here, unlike on the pathways outside. The people here walked in unison, as if following some pre-written rules. This greatly pleased the inner perfectionist within him.
Following the neatly laid out pamphlets with the map of the first year schedules, Donis arrived at his first class, which was just a basic orientation. It lasted a total of 30 minutes, as the school year had officially started, and they had standards to keep up.
His classes looked like this:
Theoretical Studies and Applications – 8am – 11:50am
Magic Control – 12pm – 1:50pm
Break – 2pm – 3:25pm
Physical Training – 3:30pm – 4:20pm
Weapon Classes – 4:30pm – 6pm
It surprised Donis that the people of this world still valued weaponry and body strength to the point where they even have these as actual subjects. Yet to him it made sense. Not everyone is blessed by the aptitude for magical studies, nor is everyone blessed with the luck Donis had received.
So off he went to his first class, Theoretical Studies and Applications.
Donis picked a random seat as everything was open. The seating was placed in a semi-circular fashion, facing the blackboard and desk in front of them. It reminded Donis of the colleges in his previous world. Yet something felt a bit amiss. It could have been the lack of electric equipment in here, he wasn't sure.
As everywhere else in this academy, it was perfectly lit. The heating was optimal and the air smelled fresh. Taking a seat near the back, Donis relaxed for a moment. He had about 10 minutes before the class began and the students were starting to pile in.
Donis had seen the class fill up quickly, spotting a familiar face amongst the crowd. It was Aled! Noticing Donis's gaze, the two smiled and quickly sat beside each other.
'It'll be relaxing to have at least a familiar face amongst the crowds of strangers here,' thought Donis.
Realising he has yet to [Inspect] Aled, he decided to check out and compare his stats to his.
[Name: Aled Irvine]
[Age: 11]
[Level 1][0% EXP]
[Mana State: Wisp]
[Health: 20]
[Mana: 60]
[Occupation: /]
[Strength: 5]
[Perception: 6]
[Agility: 6]
[Intelligence: 8]
[Title: Earthen Affliction]
'Wait, I can see his stats and titles? I thought that was a restriction set up by them or the system... maybe he hasn't restricted his status, or maybe because he's a few levels below me I can actually see his stats? Maybe the extra level in [Ocular Inspection] has helped out more than I thought too. Hmm.. Wait, isn't he a little too low? Wait, am I too strong? Do levels make that much of a difference?' Donis analysed Aled.
Seeing that Donis was staring at him creepily, with an incredibly sour face, Aled recoiled slightly. "Uh, am I bothering you by sitting here? I'm sorry I can move, I thought I could sit here," said Aled as he got fidgety.
"No no! I'm sorry, I just thought about the.. poop I have to take.. I'm feeling a little constipated.." lied Donis awkwardly.
"Hahahaha, oh god I'm sorry, you were making such a sour face I thought you could smell the farm off of me or something," laughed Aled heartily, picking up a few nervous gazes from the students around them.
Before Donis could explain himself further, the lecturer walked in commanding the attention of everyone there. The nervous gazes shifted quickly from the merry duo, to the stern face of the woman before them.
[Name: Innas Hurat]
[Age: 69]
[Level: 51][0% EXP]
[Mana State: Essence]
[Health: ?]
[Mana: ?]
[Occupation: Lecturer at Vernaic Magisterium]
?
'Okay, never mind, the system would never allow me bonuses for free. I don't even know what I was thinking earlier. It's definitely either the restrictions, or the level difference,' mentally sighed Donis
"Hello class, I'm going to introduce myself once. I am Innas Hurat, of the Huratian Lineage, and I will be your lecturer for this subject. You are going to listen, and you're going to behave. This class isn't for the weak willed, nor is it for those who want to interrupt me. You will have three offences, if you get all three you're kicked out of my class. If that occurs, good luck graduating this year. Do I make myself clear? Raise your hands if you have questions," said Innas strictly and succinctly.
Her chestnut hair braided down the length of her back, and her deeply blue eyes gave a contradicting image. Her figure gave one off of youth, not looking older than a day over 25, yet to Donis's system, he knew she was far older. A slender body, with a tight yet formal dress that accentuated her strict aura. She was by no means a bad looking woman, but her incredibly stiff aura snuffed out any airs of femininity from her.
'She's not my type. Where are all the beauties that I read so much about in those novels? I know I'm far too young right now, but I wouldn't mind having something to focus on while we go over the basics,' thought Donis sadly.
The rest of the class went on as expected – Donis already knew everything that they could possibly talk about. He'd spent a lot of time with Corvig, so he was already bored out of his wits. The class didn't last too long as he spent it reviewing what he already had ironed out, which distracted him at least somewhat. The rest of the class was fully paying attention, and stared at her in awe when she explained some of the absolute basics of using [Mana Emission].
The next class was much the same, with Donis orienting himself to the next room, which looked near identical to the previous one. He chose the same seat, and Adel was already making his way down, asking him if he's relieved the monstrosity. The two mildly laughed and waited for the teacher.
A man walked in this time, with a stern face once again, but his clothes were eccentric at best. Bright colours of green and purple, completely mismatching the idea of a dignified lecturer. His eyes betrayed the rest of his face too, as they radiated a gentle kindness. The man before them seemed to be a weird one for sure.
[Name: Leslie Mackaral]
[Age: 420]
[Level: 180][? EXP]
[Mana State: Essence]
[Health: ?]
[Mana: ?]
[Occupation: Lecturer at Vernaic Magisterium]
"Good day, good day. My name is Leslie Mackaral, and I'm of the Mackaral Lineage. Please, be at ease, I'm not here to vehemently reprimand ye for being kids. Try to behave, and we'll all have a good time. Now, go around the room and introduce yourselves," said Leslie in the most gentle way possible.
The class did as asked, and it eased the tension slightly. The kids became a little more brave with each passing student and eventually there were light smiles of the kids waiting to introduce themselves.
The lecture went as expected, the basic introductions not really interesting Donis. The long awaited break finally came, and the school was let out to do their things for lunch. There was a canteen that provided hot meals, tea and coffee. Donis made his way there, and what he saw wasn't what he would consider a canteen.
It was a luxurious hall where it seemed like a group of nobles were being served lunch by their own servants. The ceiling adorned by chandeliers and the walls dyed with a pastel peach colour, accentuating the calm and noble feel of the room.
There were even columns lines with golden edges, spiralling up and all around. Paintings dotted the scene, floating instead of being pinned to any specific wall. A fountain with an angel in the middle and a menu at the entrance, it had a beyond high level restaurant feel.
'This.. this is too much.. What sort of money do these idiots have. Who in their right mind designed this room..'