She quickly made her way down the corridors, thinking about the special training mentioned in the game. Every child gifted with an awakened class had to undergo special training before joining the Ravencroft Academy of Magic and Combat (Yes, they are the founders of the school). Something bothered her, though, In the game, Selene said she purposefully didn't train her awaken skill. But knowing the Duke and Duchess, they probably didn't allow her to train it in the first place. They might have been the ones to force her to do mage training instead.
As she thought this she stopped in front of a painting of the Duke, Duchess, Damion and herself. She clenched her fist as she thought to herself, If my assumption is true, then I'll need to find a way to train myself in secret. But how?
She was trying to think of some sort of plan, and her mind was racing. Then it struck her—a cliche she had seen in every isekai manga and anime she had ever watched. The main character could often open their status window. What if? Selene wondered, a glimmer of hope igniting in her chest.
She checked to make sure no one was around to see what she was going to do. Then Selene exhaled deeply and exclaimed, "Status-open!" Her words reverberated across the deserted hallway.
Awkward silence.
Nothing happened.
Embarrassed, Selene cringed, silently grateful that nobody was there to see her making a total fool of herself. But just as she was about to give up, out of nowhere, suddenly, a floating blue interface popped into the air right before her.
Astonished, her eyes widened in surprise. It worked!
Her name, age, class, level, and skills appeared on the screen. She felt a small wave of triumph run through her body as she realized that was the same interface Saintess Eri had in the game! And then she thought, Does everyone in this world have the ability to open their status screens, or if she was just a peculiar case?
This excitement, however, was short-lived as she quickly scrolled down to see her level.
"Level 2?!" she screamed in disbelief, the sound echoing down the corridor. Selene's heart dropped. She knew she would need to at least be at level 80 just to enter Ravencroft Academy. She was nowhere near that, and time was of the essence.
"How can I level up this fast?" she muttered to herself as she paced in irritation. Her mind continued racing for solutions, but nothing seemed practical at all. I'll have to train day and night, she thought grimly. There's no way I'll make it at this rate.
Her eyes further traced down the interface to her skills. Two were listed under her abilities: Swordsmanship and Dark Magic. Curious, she clicked on the Dark Magic skill, and her heart almost stopped as she saw what was the skill she had under that category: Unholy Purple Flames.
The panic coursed through her. Any otaku and fantasy geek knew just how dangerous the Unholy Flames were. This magic was not some simple fire spell. It would burn not only the target's body but their soul, too. And if one loses control over it, it is easy to become a victim of one's own spell.
Selene grasped her hair, yanking on it in frustration as she screamed inside. Why? Of all the magics, why did I have to get this one?! Stories of even seasoned mages avoiding the use of Unholy Flames ran rampant due to its highly unpredictable nature.
Her heart sank even further as she continued. This spell's explanation was graphic: neither water nor holy magic, which ought to wash away the darkness such spells generate, could extinguish it. If it was any other type of unholy flame, whether red, orange, blue, etc, holy magic would extinguish the fire but it would turn it into an ordinary flame. But this Unholy Purple Flames was different.
Her breath caught in her throat. "I'll have to level this skill up to unlock more magic?" Selene's knees almost gave out with the thought. The only way to upgrade her class and gain new abilities was to master this dangerous spell.
"Why is this happening to me," she muttered, staring at the screen in utter disbelief. How was she to control something so volatile? A wrong move, and she might just burn herself or, worse, kill her.
Selene took a very deep breath, her mind racing with questions. I need to upgrade that plan fast. If she wanted to make it into the academy, then she needed to find a way to level up without killing herself.
"I wonder if there is any book about Dark Priestess in the library," she whispered to herself.
Selene let out a frustrated scream. "Of all the dark magic skills, I had to get this one?!" she groaned, stamping her foot as she threw a mini tantrum in the middle of the corridor. A few moments later, her panic subsided a little, and she heaved a resigned sigh.
When she was composed, she turned her attention to the status screen. Beside the "Status" panel there were three other tabs: Equipment, Inventory, and Crafting, Store. Curious, and just about to click the Equipment tab, when suddenly—
"Miss Selene! You're going to be late for your lessons!" Maid Merly's voice boomed, surprising her.
Merly was on her in an instant, grasping her arm and pulling her along the corridor before words of protest could be raised. Surprisingly muscular for her age, the little maid hurried her along.
"You'll be late for your tutoring session! Can't have you falling behind, now can we?" Merly chided as she hastened her pace, her tone warm yet urgent. Finally, at the library, Merly stopped just outside the door and fixed Selene's hair, straightening out her dress as well. She gave her a cheerful pat on her back, eyes gleaming with pride.
"There, now you look perfect. Good luck, dear," Merly said, smiling the way Selene's grandmother on Earth used to.
Tears welled up in Selene's eyes. Merly really reminds me of Grandma., she thought, touched by the maid's kindness. With a tearful thank-you, she composed herself and stepped into the library.
The room smelled of parchment and old leather-bound books. The large table at the center of the vast space was laden with books and scrolls on it. A woman in her forties sat there. While she had a stern face, it was pleasantly softened by the tiniest trace of a smile. Selene's breath hitched. She knew her straight away.
This woman had previously been a powerful ally for Saintess Eri along the original route of the game. Indeed, her name was Lady Aveline Thorn, and among most noble families, she was a renowned private tutor and one of the graduates of that prestigious Magic Academy. She was even said to be a legendary figure-one of the most skilled mages and, at the same time, one of the most severe educators.
Selene's pulse quickened. Why her? Why now? She had no inkling what role Lady Thorn was to play in this world now that she had swapped places with her. The thought of being alone in a library with her made her nerves prickle.
She took a deep breath and went ahead, hoping composure would follow. She executed a respectful obeisance. "Good afternoon, milady. A pleasure," she said.
But to her horror, Lady Thorn didn't respond to her greeting. Instead, she walked past Selene, her heels ominously clicking against the floor. She reached the door, then without so much as a word turned around and closed it softly behind them-and locked it.
The lock clicked into place-a sound that seemed to boom in her ears like thunder.
Her heart pounded within her chest. Why did she lock the door? What's going on?
Slowly, Lady Thorn turned around, her eyes narrowing as she fixed her gaze on Selene. The air in the room seemed heavy; the tension settled in like a thick fog. The palms of Selene's hands grew moist, and the screaming instinct inside her told her that something was no right.