There was a tinge of guilt in August's heart.
His previous regret still lingered. It was of Mackenzie Everblade.
Their ties cut the moment the prologue was complete.
August knew of this. After all, he consciously chose to do so.
There was no other option in his heart. To drag Mackenzie deeper into this hell was something he never wanted.
The prologue was solved entirely by Mackenzie's efforts alone. August knew that.
He did almost nothing to help.
It didn't sit right with him.
He knew that in order to complete his goal, he needed to stop relying on those around him. It's what caused so much death in the first place.
Every time someone had to suffer, it was all due to his incompetence.
He wanted to help.
He wanted to fight Lysander.
He wanted to save Aurelia.
But nothing he did worked. It always ended in failure.
This feeling ate him alive.
*AHEM!*
August escaped his thoughts.
In front of him sat a middle-aged man, a mage of the magic tower.
"Can you place your hand on the orb, child?"
The mage's tone was curt, displeased by August's absent mind. He must've tried several times to get his attention because the mage quickly administered August's card.
With the yellow card in his hand, representing Fulgur, he walked to his designated professor.
"Name?" The professor asked, pushing up their square glasses.
August peeked at the woman before dismissing her. Her appearance wasn't notable in his mind. She was not a professor he knew.
But, going forward August was her apprentice. So he didn't visibly show his distaste.
"August Vale."
The female professor's eyebrow twitched, she spouted out a small curse under her breath before directing August's attention behind her.
"I've heard about you. Go get in line."
Her discriminatory attitude wasn't anything new. To not tarnish his reputation even more, August just followed her directions.
August needed to prepare for the first arc. He couldn't waste time defending his reputation.
That's why, he decided to polish and refine his lacking skills. Enlisting into the swordsman apprenticeship class.
A class alone was not going to save him. August knew that.
However, his desire to follow this path was greater than any other. So, over this past week, he trained himself.
Specifically, August trained using the vambraces of self-torture. Training his body how it feels to wield a sword.
With his senses enhanced, he felt progress, but by how much, he didn't know. It was all relative to August's perception of progress.
He ate meals appropriately. He felt tired at the end of each day. And his mind gained confidence.
However, the sword he continued to swing felt unfamiliar. No matter how much training he put towards it, he needed a proper instructor to teach him.
There was only so much The Hero's Curtain Call could teach him about physical activities.
As a reader, he followed according to what he knew, but something was still off. And he hoped this professor could teach him what that was.
There was the option of becoming a mage, but August opted out of it, instead choosing to earn a swordsman class.
Fulgar, August's elemental attribute, is amongst the top 3 most powerful to possess. If not second, then at the very least it holds third.
August was not a mage and had little desire to become one. But the value of Fulgar was something he couldn't pass up.
So, what was he to do? A swordsman could not become a mage, and vice versa.
Aura and mana were two separate energies in this world. And to accept one meant denying the other. That was how classes worked.
It's why someone like Mackenzie Everblade, who earned the spirit magician class, can now never wield aura.
However, there was one loophole to that rule. It's how classes are granted and evolve.
And if a class does not exist, then your efforts can make it a reality. The only problem with that is the perception of the gods.
It's easy for them to grant August a class like this for example:
[(Apprentice) Swordsman]
Actually, this class is exactly what he'd earn if he completed the ceremony today.
A professor accepts a student as an apprentice, granting them a class from the gods. Which, then gives the student the right to wield aura or magic.
This is how many students at Slyvanvale receive their classes. Through the process of apprenticeship.
Slowly, after practicing and learning the first stage of aura, his class would evolve into this:
[Novice Swordsman]
It was a path that swordsmen naturally followed. Growing steadily through years of training.
But there was another method. Obtaining or evolving a class through this method was much more difficult, requiring specific conditions.
It was recognition.
It was so difficult, that only 15 students out of 200 were able to obtain a class through this means. Well, 16 now including Mackenzie Everblade.
10 of those lucky students are members of class 1-A. The so-called geniuses of Slyvanvale Academy.
August was by no means a genius. He had no skill with the sword. He lacked any natural talent for aura or magic. And the body he inhabited was weaker than 90% of Slyvanvale's students.
But August possessed one thing everyone else didn't. A profound understanding of this world.
And one thing August knew for sure, was that there was a way to combine aura and mana. A class existed, not yet, but rather will in the future.
It was the same class the protagonist of The Hero's Curtain Call earned.
[Magic Swordsman]
This was the class August strove towards. It was the coolest and most powerful class in the entire story (By August's standards).
To unlock the class, August first needed to become an [(Apprentice) Swordsman]. This was how the main character did it, although unintentionally.
"Greetings students!"
The headmaster's speech grabbed August's attention. Along with the students seated behind him.
He recognized all of them, having committed their appearances to memory.
The only difference from the story this time around was a strangely nervous Mackenzie fidgeting in his seat. August figured he'd be up there considering Mackenzie possesses spirit magic.
As the headmaster continued his speech, August sat back, as he already knew where it was all going. It was the start of the story after all.
The disgust of the nobles and the annoyance of the commoners was a predetermined outcome. These two groups would always stay at each other's throats.
What August wasn't expecting was a message to appear before him.
[The first act has begun.]
[Would you like to view the quest details?]
[Y/N]
It began much earlier than he anticipated. But such timing gave August additional time to prepare, so he wasn't against it.
As his finger was about to press [Y], another window blocked his view.
[Warning!]
[Detected opposing participant!]
This was something August had never encountered.
[The difficulty of the quest will increase as a result of the opposing participant.]
'What is an opposing participant?' August thought.
A red marker appeared in his vision. He followed it with his eyes until it landed on a particular student.
This student was staring at their hands, almost as if inspecting their body. They touched their face and grabbed at their uniform.
It was a strange action, but August recognized it.
After all, that reaction was the same one August had after coming to this world.
'It couldn't be...'
The opposing participant was marked right before his eyes. It was a student August was very familiar with.
They were a major character. An existence well beyond August.
If the person inside there was what August thought they were, then he would be in trouble.
But rather than fear what was to come, or check the quest details of what needed to be done, August stared.
An insurmountable anger came from within him.
A character from the story, from his story was gone. Replaced with an imposter.
August glared at the man just beside the podium.
Kayden Calloway.
The number one student at Sylvanvale Academy was gone.
And now, he stood as an opposing force to August's goals.
Conflicting emotions came from within his heart. He wasn't sure how he looked, or what expression he made.
However, August did know one thing.
He needed to succeed. And nothing would stop him from saving this world.
[Would you like to view the quest details?]
[Y/N]
'Yes.'