Back in my dorm room, I was messing around with circulating mana around my body. But I couldn't manage to empower my body without wasting my mana reserves.
After an hour of trying and failing, I gave up and looked at the ceiling while sitting on the couch.
"I'm bored."
The anxiety and anticipation about starting school at the academy was making me jittery and unfocused. It was too early to sleep and I didn't have anything to do at the moment. So, I decided to explore the campus.
Inside the elevator, an array of buttons was to the right of the doors ranging from numbers 1 to 100. I clicked on the 100 button and surprisingly, the elevator began to move upward.
After a few minutes in the elevator, the doors finally opened to a wide, open-air area. In the middle of this area stood a tall castle structure with large doors and high windows.
"That must be where classes are held."
I walked out onto the rooftop and looked around. There was a wall enclosing the roof and the academy with foliage lining the top. Right now, the sky was dark, and a multitude of stars were shining accompanied by the dominant moon. There was no cloud coverage, making the spectacle even more beautiful.
I neared the wall and mana flowed through my legs. I crouched and launched upward, perfectly landing on the tall wall.
The sight of Pantheon took my breath away. From my vantage point, I could see the enormous walls on the border that completely surrounded everything in one large loop. The nightlife of the city was very vivid with lights lining the streets and countless people still walking back and forth between buildings.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Asked a soft, feminine voice.
Even with the sudden voice, the softness and kindness contained in it didn't alert me at all.
"Yeah, it is…" I said, still looking at the city.
I took a glance beside me and immediately wished I hadn't. The beauty of the city was like an insect compared to the woman standing beside me. Her long, golden hair danced in the slight breeze and her curves were accentuated by the loose black robes she wore. But her face was what I couldn't take my eyes off of. She had sharp features and reptilian eyes that seemed to carry infinite wisdom.
"Don't stare too long, you'll embarrass me," She said in a playful voice.
For the first time since I arrived in the Mana Realm, my acuity couldn't stop my face from blushing. I hurriedly faced back to the city view, trying to hide my red face.
"I-I'm sorry, ma'am. I didn't mean to."
Her light chuckle at my words made my heart do somersaults in my chest.
"It's okay, young man," She said with an amused expression. "I was surprised to find someone up here this late. This is usually where I come to clear my mind."
I took control of my body and forcefully slowed my heart and cut off my blush. My head instantly cooled down and I collected myself again. But I knew I couldn't look at the woman or else all my efforts would be for naught.
'Get a hold of yourself, dammit!'
Unbeknownst to me, the woman was analyzing everything that was occurring within me with a curious eye.
Once I was finally calm, I responded to her remark. "Yes, it's very quiet up here. I feel I could stay up on these walls the whole night."
The woman faced back to the city and her slight smile faded.
After a few moments of silence, as the breeze flowed smoothly through the night against us, the woman spoke up.
"I should introduce myself since we might see each other up here again in the future." Her words were still playful but held some slight apprehension. "My name is Iris Highmore, headmaster of Pantheon Academy. It's nice to meet you."
I steeled myself and turned to face the woman. I had already known she was going to be someone with a high position when she was able to sneak up on me.
Looking at her face nearly made all my precautions useless but I somehow managed to keep control over myself and held out my hand. "Pleasure to meet you, Headmaster Highmore. My name is Kaiser Raijin."
My actions caught Iris by surprise, but she soon accepted my handshake with a smile that could melt the thickest ice.
'I should upgrade my acuity.'
After our introductions, we again faced the city and were silent. I only focused on the view and watched the passing carriages make their way down the street. A few minutes went by in silence and Iris spoke again.
"I'll be heading back," She said as she walked to the other side of the wall. "Don't stay up here too late, your first day of school is tomorrow."
"Yes, ma'am. Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
She jumped off the ledge of the wall and her presence disappeared completely.
My expression fell after she left. "Guess I should head back as well."
…
The next morning, as soon as the sun rose over the city and through my bedroom window, a buzz from my wrist woke me up. I begrudgingly rose up and sat on the side of my bed and read the screen over my wristband.
—
[All first-year students report to homeroom in half an hour.]
Homeroom of Kaiser Raijin:
Room 022 – Hela Dremeseus
—
After getting dressed in my new school uniform, I quickly headed out for my new school life.
As the elevator opened to the wide roof that I had visited last night, the sight of thousands of students in their uniforms greeted me.
Some students were gathered together, engaging in various conversations, while the majority were hurrying towards the central castle-like building on the rooftop to attend their classes.
I followed their lead and walked briskly toward the main building of the academy. It took me longer than expected to figure out how to put on my uniform, so by the time I reached the building, there were only a few minutes left before class started.
The massive doors of the academy stood wide open, and I maneuvered through the crowd of students making their way inside. Once inside, a grand main hall greeted me, leading to different sections of the building. Each hall boasted high ceilings, and the ones to my left and right were adorned with large windows.
Over each hall, there were signs displaying numbers, indicating the location of each classroom. I quickly located the one I needed and proceeded down the hall to the far left.
As I made my way through the corridor, I passed by numerous classrooms brimming with students. The air was filled with a vibrant hum of voices and the energy of anticipation. Finally, after navigating through the bustling corridors, I arrived at classroom 22.
I pushed open the doors and a hushed silence descended upon the room, punctuated only by faint whispering. The gazes of the hundred or so students in the classroom shifted toward me, their conversations abruptly silenced. It felt as if time stood still for a brief moment, the weight of their collective attention directed solely at my arrival.
Their sudden focus on me caught me by surprise, but I could understand why. Ignoring the gazes of so many, I just walked calmly to a vacant desk in the front row and took a seat, waiting calmly for class to begin. The cacophonous voices soon returned to normal and I relaxed a bit more, my shoulders loosening from being tense.
Now that I was comfortable, I subtly looked around the room and the myriad of faces present. I quickly noticed that all the top 10 students were in my class as well as all of the people with the highest mana reserves I had seen during the entrance exam.
'Seems they're grouping our classes by how we placed in the exam.'
During my scanning of the class, the doors to the classroom suddenly flung open and a woman with long, raven black hair walked to the front of the classroom where a podium stood in front of a chalkboard. She wore the signature black robes of the staff here at Pantheon Academy, but they couldn't hide her subtle curves.
Her piercing black eyes swept over the now silenced students, their collective gaze fixated on the enigmatic figure standing before them.
"Good morning class," She said with a stern tone. "My name is Hela Dremeseus, your homeroom teacher from this day forward. This is the point of no return, so I hope none of you have any reservations about attending this academy."
Her words took the students there by surprise. Who didn't want to attend the famous Pantheon Academy? Whispers between students sounded out from behind me.
"I say this," she declared, her commanding presence filling the room once more and rekindling the attention of the students. "Because Pantheon Academy stands apart from any institution you may have encountered before. Here, we embrace a teaching philosophy that diverges from the conventional norms. Lectures and tests alone will not shape your path to mastery. Instead, we prioritize a curriculum that revolves around firsthand experience, where your results become the ultimate measure of progress."
A collective murmur spread among the students, their curiosity piqued by the unfamiliar approach of their new academic home.
"Consider, for instance, the entrance exam you all endured," she continued. "It was not a mere test, but an immersive experience designed to gauge your potential. The time you lasted within that trial became the foundation of your initial grade, or rather, your rank. It offers a glimpse into the journey that lies ahead, serving as a compass for your growth within these hallowed halls. Rest assured that at this academy, your growth will not be hindered by the confines of traditional methods. Here, you will have the freedom to explore, experiment, and forge your own path toward mastery. Your experiences and achievements will shape not only your understanding of magic but also your position among your peers."
Hela's words aligned with what I had heard from my father before. He had told me that most of my time spent here at the academy would be preparing for and taking part in exercises that build experience and allow me to come to my own conclusions about how to further my growth. Since I had gone through college back on Earth where lectures and tests were the norm, it was a foreign concept at the time and I was hesitant to believe in it. But I knew that learning Mana Arts was completely different from what I was used to, so I was open to new teaching philosophies.
The students in the class who had yet to learn about Pantheon Academy's way of teaching were initially surprised, and that was followed by confusion and anger. The academy was supposed to be a place where they were taught everything from the best of the best, somewhere that they were guaranteed to become a great mage.
"Don't expect knowledge and skill to be force-fed to you," Hela said, her voice perfectly cutting through the chaos that ensued from her previous words. "The greatest mages are the ones who find their own answers and push themselves to become greater than their peers. Don't assume that just because you made it here that the job is done. Each of you in this classroom has the potential to become powerful mages, but it is up to you to take advantage of that."
This speech closely aligned with my grandmother's parting words when I had left for this academy. I slightly smiled at the similarity, which was the complete opposite expression of most of the students here. Most of them were angered or disappointed that they had to basically teach themselves everything.
Hela's smile deepened as she spoke, her words carrying a touch of validation. "Now you see why I asked if you had any reservations about joining this academy," she remarked. "I understand that back in your home country, you might find a comfortable environment where others guide you in the art of combat and magic. You could sit back and relax, letting them dictate the path of your development. However, let me emphasize this: in the vast expanse of the Mana Realm, there is no place quite like Pantheon Academy."
Her gaze swept across the classroom, her words resonating with conviction. "Nowhere else will you find peers of such exceptional strength and caliber as you will here. This academy is a melting pot of the most formidable mages of your generation, hailing from every corner of the realm. It is within these halls that you will find the perfect crucible to sharpen your skills, pushing yourself to the limits as you learn with the very best."
The weight of her statement settled upon the room, students exchanging glances filled with a newfound determination. The allure of testing their abilities against the most powerful mages their age stirred a sense of excitement and aspiration within them.
"At Pantheon Academy," Hela continued, her voice carrying a note of encouragement, "you will forge bonds, learn from one another, and engage in battles that will push you to surpass your own limits. The challenges you will face here will be unlike any you have encountered before. You will rise together, each step of the way, honing your skills and gaining invaluable experiences that will shape you into the mage you aspire to become."
Her words hung in the air, the promise of growth and camaraderie tantalizingly within reach. The room buzzed with renewed energy and a shared sense of purpose, the students eagerly awaited the trials, challenges, and the chance to stand side by side with their peers.
"Now, who's ready to get started?"