September 2120
Megalopolis 10
City: Steel Center
The Royal Magic Academy separates their students into different classes by talent and mana capability not their age. However there is a minimum age requirement (18) and maximum age limit (24) to attend the Academy. Of course such rules can always be bent or just flat out broken especially for a talent like Yen
When Yen and Jin arrived at the campus the day before, they were separated by Mr.Tadaka. The reason why is because Jin and Yen had an enormous difference in mana capacity. Jin a no-mana, an ordinary human while Yen is an A-ranked mana user capable of catastrophic destruction. Her mana well is a like sea compare to Jin's empty paper cup so how can Jin study and train with her? No it's not possible
Yen would attend classes and participate in combat training in the West Wing while Jin will be sent to the East Wing. Students in the West wing gets preferential treatment than those of the East wing which is why many students of the East wing try their best to get into the West wing.
Although Yen did not like the idea, Jin assured her that it will be fine
"Yen what Mr.Tadaka said makes a lot of sense. Since the day of your awakening, I haven't felt the need to protect you from any dangers but instead I am dazzled by you. There's no way I would be able to keep up with you with the way I am now. You've given me a chance to study here and be better..I'm very grateful. So please don't worry about me, I will be fine!"
"...."
"Ok Jin I will do my best at the academy....and this time it will be my turn to protect you!"
As the soon as Yen leaves for her dorm room,
Mr.Tadaka glances at Jin with a menacing smile
'I need to get rid of the older brother as soon as possible! He will only become a distraction to my plan for Miss Yen! Rest assure, I will make your life miserable at the academy wahahhah' crooked ideas forms in Mr.Tadaka's scheming mind
Present day….
An announcement sounded throughout the Eastern Campus of the Academy grounds
"Students of the Royal Magic Academy, please make your way to your designated lecture halls!"
All the students on the East campus grounds knew where their lecture halls were and quickly made their way inside the Academy
It was Jin's first day at the Academy and he was clueless as to where his lecture hall is. As he looked around for a campus directory, a near-by student notices him and walks right up to him
"Hey fellow schoolmate! You look a little lost. Need some directions by any chance?"
Jin turns around and sees a male student with brown hair in the same uniform. He was a tad bit shorter than Jin and with a smaller frame. There were gauze patches covering an injury on his left cheek and bandages on his arms
'Did he fall down the stairs?' Jin thought but he didn't want to ask
"Directions would be great..it is my first day at the Academy"
"My name is Alexander Fay but you can call me Alex. What is your name?" asked the male student
"My name is Jin"
"Well Jin, it is a pleasure to meet you. Would you mind pulling out your phone so I can see your class schedule?"
"Phone…? Oh you mean this?"
Jin pulls out the rectangular mobile device he received at the Academy office and hands it to Alex
"Thanks, now let's see here….….hmmm..that's weird someone locked your phone with mana… but why would anyone do something like that?"
"…huh?"
"However this shouldn't be a problem...it is a low level E ranked mana-lock. You just need to put some mana into the device and it should unlock it"
"HUH?!" Jin is dumbfounded
'Someone put a mana-lock on my device and now I need mana to unlock it?! What the fuck...I can't utilize mana…how am I going to get to class..'
"Ahem...uh...I haven't awakened yet....I'm a no-mana.."
"HUH?!" now Alex is dumbfounded
Alex gives Jin a lengthy stare and wonder if he should notify the Academy security about a possible spy
"...."
"Ah forget it....I'll unlock it for you"
Alex channels some of his mana from his hands into the phone
"It's unlocked now and your lecturing hall is..D10...Hey! That is also the lecturing hall I'm in!" Alex exclaimed
"Really? Great! Thank you Alex you're a real life savior"
'Phewww..would've been bad if I missed my first day of class' Jin sighs in relief
"Oh No! We're going to be late! Let's run!"
"I'll follow you!"
Jin and Alex ran as fast as they could but still ended up late..
East Wing
Lecturing hall D10
The lecturing halls of the Royal Magic Academy were grand even for the eastern wing. Inside each lecturing halls are rows of ascending seats with a huge crescent slab of mahogany for a desk on each row
In the front of the hall is a podium with giant glass boards against the wall. These glass boards are digitized when mana is injected to show clear and crisp pictures
When Jin and Alex arrived at Hall D10, the lecture had already started
Their Professor, Mei Valentine, a B-ranked Mage scholar gave the duo an intense stare. The deadly look on her face matched her curvaceous body. Male students sitting the front can't stop fawning over her. She was known to be hot tempered and would often lash out at students if they're misbehaving
Jin and Alex walked up the side of the lecturing hall and found two empty seats near the second to last row.
"We are going to skip the introduction of the new student because he was late and frankly I don't really care!" Professor Valentine announced to the class
'Ah first day of class and you've already angered your instructor..great job' Jin thought to himself
"Professor Valentine is quick to anger but she does care about her students. She helped me with an incident a couple days ago...so she's actually really kind" Alex whispered to Jin
Jin can see Alex clutching his injury on this right arm but again he did not ask him about it
"Last week was the beginning of the new semester so you didn't miss much. Professor Valentine went over the history on the Invasion of Chaos and how it nearly destroyed all of mankind a century ago."
"I see…"
Jin didn't really care for history since he can't change the past. His life before the Academy was rough and unforgiving.
At the age 12, after finishing primary school, Jin found work at a construction company to help feed the many mouths of the orphanage
The company took advantage of his age and paid him very little. Jin knew that he wasn't going to get anywhere in life by doing hard labor living day to day. But he wasn't the only one, there were many more like him that had to find work at a very young age. That was just life in the DUMPs
However Jin didn't want that kind of life for Yen, so from a very young age, he already had a sense of responsibility to her as an elder brother
Jin supported Yen from primary school to middle school and recently High-school until her awakening
He took a second job as a "trainer" for illegal underground fighters but really he was just their punching bag. Many nights he would return to the orphanage bruised and battered
Many of these illegal underground fighters were E-ranked mana users and would often utilize cyber-ware to improve their speed or punching power
The one thing that Jin had going for him was he's really good at dodging and he improved as time went along. By the time he was 16, he was dodging every punch that would come his way even against low rank mana-users.It was a feat unheard of
Jin would never punch back. How could he? They were his customers
However at night, when gangs are out and about. When crime is at its highest and you're guaranteed to get knifed or shot. Jin would don a gas mask from his construction job and go assault gangs/criminals in the DownTown area.
He never did it for fame
But money….now that's another question
A single raid on a gang's money drops (money swaps for merchandise by two gangs) earned him enough to cover Yen's high-school fees for the month!
So every month he would attack a different gang's drop. Before he knew it he earned himself a nickname amongst the gangs in the south DownTown district.
"FKINBASTARD broke my nose!!"
"FUKINBASTAR STOOLE THE MONEY!"
"FIND THIS FKINBASTARD AND GET MY MONEY BACK!"
He never let Yen find out where he got the money. Instead he would tell her that the two jobs were paying surprisingly well. He didn't want anyone to know he's the mask marauder that is wrecking the gangs in the area. He didn't want the retaliation against him and the orphanage if they the gangs found out
"Hey Jin, let's get lunch together after class! The Academy dining hall sells this delicious chicken katsu sandwich on Tuesday's. We have to get there fast so they won't sell out!"
"That sounds good but I don't have money in my school balance at this time"
"It's okay, food at the academy is fairly cheap so it will be my treat this time"
"I'll take you up on your offer then" Jin said with a rare smile
As the instructor carried on with the lecture, Jin got to know Alex a bit better. Alex came from an ordinary family. His dad, an E-ranked mana-user operates the Metrocity 10 speed rails and works over time to take care of Alex's sick mother
Sometime later….
"The new student will stay after class, the rest is dismissed!" Ms Valentine shouted
"I will run to the Dining Hall to buy the sandwiches before they're sold out! I'll meet you there Jin"
"Okay"
Jin sits patiently in his seat as the other students leave. When the lecture hall empties, Jin makes his way down to the podium where Professor Valentine stood
"You would like to speak to me?"
"Where are your manners. You will address me as Professor Valentine you hear me?!"
"…."
"Professor Valentine, you would like to speak to me?"
"I heard you're Yen's brother. She's a special one that one…the Academy board made a huge deal about her coming to the Academy even ascending that snake to the seat of Vice President in our Corp"
'Snake?..Vice President?..' Jin had a confused look on his face
"The old geezer tried hiding your files but I was able to recover them. Your name is Jin, age 21, an orphan since you were young, and most importantly a no-mana…."
"How did you get into the Academy? Did you strike a deal with that old geezer?!"
"…."
Jin didn't know what to say at first but he kinda understood who she was talking about
"So what if I did? Does the Professor have a problem about that?"
Professor Valentine can't help but get a little annoyed when hearing that response.
'Tch..This brat!.'
"There is no problem..for now….But know this, I've got my eye on you from now on Jin. Now get the hell out of my classroom"
Jin leaves for the dining hall in a hurry
Left Wing
Main Dining Hall
Jin walks past multiple lecturing halls to the dining hall but he is stopped by heavy traffic.There is a huge crowd of students around some sort of commotion at the entrance of the dining hall
As Jin make makes his way past some of the students, he could hear them whispering about the commotion ahead
"Another day of the same thing…I do feel a little bad for him…"
"He should just leave the Academy at this point. Once you cross the Ming brothers, your life at the Academy will be miserable"
"Haha I think he deserves it. He looks pathetic!"
When Jin got to the front of the crowd he could clearly see Alex curled up on the ground, backed up against a wall, and surrounded by four other male students
They were the Ming brothers and their student henchmen. One of the Ming brother was standing next to Alex while the other three watched
Jin could now fully see the the injury on Alex's arms. They were swollen and badly bruised. In Alex's hands were two chicken sandwiches in plastic wrap
"Didn't I tell you what would happen if you show your face in this school again?!" Tou Ming shouts
"Let this dog stay brother. We can use him as a pet! It will be funnier this way Hahah!" Lou Ming snickers
"Not a bad idea! Let me just get this last kick in!" Said Tou Ming as he raises his leg. However just before he gets to execute a stomp to Alex's rib cage , his movements suddenly stopped and he began to fall forwards
…..