No, I couldn't sink into self-pity.
I couldn't be so talentless, could I?
The teacher was announcing the rankings, and this would surely define my potential and my future life and death.
So I paid close attention as Cristina announced them.
After a while, I discovered my rank.
And, as expected, I wasn't in the top ten.
To my dismay, not even in the top 50.
It was worse than I expected.
I was in 87th place, with 970 points.
That couldn't even be considered bad; it was terrible!
Of the 100 places at the academy, I barely got through, despite being slightly above average, with 800 points being the minimum to get in.
This could only be a nightmare.
There was still some hope.
And that hope was called innate ability.
A great defining factor when it comes to growth potential.
The protagonist, for example, had an extremely rare innate ability called "mastering chaos", which doubled the experience gained in risky situations.
A powerful ability, because in this world everything comes down to gaining experience.
All this because this world had previously experienced a cataclysm that changed everything: magic began to flow through everything, and the planet's inhabitants then gained a way to combat the dangers and opportunities it brought.
As long as they faced the dangers and eliminated creatures or other people, people gained unlimited growth potential, and the world became like a role-playing game.
By overcoming adversity, it is possible to gain experience, level up and change class, becoming stronger and surviving.
And all this potential could be accessed with just a flick of the fingers.
With hope in my heart, I accessed all this potential.
And just as expected, a floating screen appeared in front of me, full of information.
[Status]
[Dante Kain Bell]
HP: 100/100.
SP: 100/100
MP: Inept.
Strength: 10
Dexterity: 10
Perception: 13.
Vitality: 10
Intelligence: 15
Charm: 18
Luck: 5
Innate skill: [steady hands](maximum level)
Description: You were born with steady hands, and your aim will never waver. Your weapon will never slip out of your hands, and no man or woman will ever make you let go of your precious weapon, whether by physical or mystical means.
Skills:
Proficiency in foil: level 2.
Ambidexterity (false): level 1.
Enchanter: maximum.
Sharp mind: level 1.
Lucky me! This is an indispensable skill for a farmer.
I was certainly in a nightmare, as my chances of survival were severely reduced. The only notable statuses were charm and intelligence, which could not be increased by ordinary means.
The other statuses were average or slightly above, as expected. I don't have any talents, but the worst of all was MP.
Inept meant that there was no possibility of awakening magic, which automatically eliminated the magic classes and the hybrids too.
I was left with only two paths: warrior or archer.
And archer was certainly a good choice, even more so if combined with my innate ability, as this was a much less dangerous class than warrior.
Of course, there was also another way: to become the lover of some powerful woman. With my high charm, that was possible.
-"All the beginners present, please pay attention to what I'm about to say."
Cristina's voice echoed through the room.
It brought me out of my melancholy thoughts about my potential and future.
In fact, this was her talent: all the distracted students were now focused on the teacher and her strict expression.
"As some of you may have noticed, there are many more students here than the hundred chosen by the academy. Can anyone tell me why?"
There was a sepulchral silence at the teacher's question, something quite normal for young people, especially teenagers. Perhaps the oldest of these students was only 15 years old.
A certain shyness and fear of making mistakes was to be expected, especially with a teacher renowned for her rigor.
And a wise man like me wouldn't throw himself into the mouth of a hungry tiger. Cristina was already watching me because of the restorative nap I had taken.
It would be foolish of me to try to answer a question whose answer I wouldn't know. Not least because my memories were a mess, there was so much information mixed up that it was impossible to organize things properly; I wouldn't even be able to answer what I had done the day before.
The best I could do was keep quiet and laugh at anyone who tried to answer and ended up getting it wrong - after all, that's what we young people do.
But, of course, my luck wouldn't allow me to laugh.
Because, for a brief moment, my gaze and Cristina's met, and I was sure I saw a sadistic micro-smile forming on that beautiful face.
"Beginner Dante, would you like to answer?"
asked the angelically beautiful teacher, who at the moment looked more like a malicious demon.
As I had expected, this woman had been watching me from the start and would not take "no" for an answer.
Apart from the pressure of hundreds of glances directed at me, a refusal didn't seem to be a choice.
So now I only had one choice: to give the least idiotic answer possible.
For that, a little logic was needed. Mismanagement wasn't the solution; the best academy on the three continents wouldn't have that problem.
Nor was it a question of enemies infiltrating, the security of this place was nothing to scoff at; only the Emperor's Palace had better security, and that meant quite a lot.
So there was only one thought left in my head: I was probably wrong, but it would be better than nothing or a random answer.
And better an idiot talking than an idiot with an idea in his head.
"My dear Professor Cristina, I suppose the answer is overcrowding of qualified people. Am I wrong?"
I answered the teacher's question, making a point of looking hesitant about the answer.
Cristina sighed as she crossed her arms over her ample bust, which made it stand out even more. I was certainly getting a privileged view.
"You're not wrong, but you're not entirely right either, because this is about the final test to enter the academy."
Like wildfire, an indignant murmur quickly spread through the room in response to the red-haired teacher's statement.
I could understand the indignation of those who disagreed with the red-haired teacher's statement.
Entering the academy wasn't easy, it required a lot of determination, study and training that could be called inhuman.
To pass the theory test, you had to have advanced knowledge of geography, biology, social and diplomatic studies, economics and culture, as well as military combat theory and strategy.
There was also a practical test, which consisted of combat.
Intense determination was required to try to get into one of the 100 annual vacancies.
The students' indignation was understandable, and I might even join them if I didn't have a knowledge that only a few students, apart from me, seemed to have.
In this world, the strongest reigns over the weakest: either they devour or they are devoured. And this was a military academy: we are trained to serve the empire, to follow the emperor's orders, to be future soldiers.
And the restless and indignant students were about to discover the first rule of a soldier.
The first rule is to obey the orders of your superiors without blinking.
"That's enough!"
One sentence from the teacher was enough to extinguish the indignation that had formed.
It wasn't a shouted order, but it was even more effective.
The restless students didn't keep quiet because, inside, they were obedient and good soldiers.
It was fear that silenced them.
Magic was a very powerful thing, a volatile weapon that could take many forms depending on the user, and one of its most basic applications was pressure.
I couldn't fully feel the magical pressure emitted because I wasn't able to use mana, but I could still sense the danger. Abruptly and aggressively, I felt a chill that seemed to run down my back as if a knife was sliding through every inch of my body.
The atmosphere itself seemed hostile, the air seemed harder to breathe, as if the oxygen had diminished in that environment. The most worrying thing was the silence.
It wasn't even possible to hear the sound of the students' breathing, as if they were afraid even to breathe. The more sensitive ones were even shivering, but they still didn't dare make a sound.
And I didn't dare to make a sound either, not for lack of courage, but out of survival instinct.
I knew that, logically, there was no danger. Cristina was strict, but not a killer.
However, fear was often irrational, and I felt that if I had the audacity to make a sound, my head would roll on the floor.
"Here at the Lucius Academy, only the best survive, and a soldier who can neither listen nor obey is about as useful as a corpse."
The teacher's words fell like a sentence, bringing fear and relief with the end of the magical pressure.
Some of the students gasped for air, others dried the sweat running down their faces and I, like some of them, took a deep breath to regain my composure.
"As I was going to explain before, if I'm interrupted, this final test consists of a simple test of common sense and basic knowledge about the world."
After the explanation, I could hear clear sighs of relief, and it certainly relieved me too.
My memory was a mess, but mysteriously the knowledge about this world was quite clear in my mind.
If it was a test on common sense and basic knowledge, I could secure my place at the academy quite easily. After years of following the history of this world, I could confidently say that I knew more about it than the previous one.
"However, only 100 people will pass the test. Answer wisely and don't be arrogant."
With the warning given, Cristina snapped her fingers, and a test sheet with a ballpoint pen appeared on my desk and that of the other students.
I glanced briefly at the test and, even briefly, it was easy to see that the questions were ridiculously easy, to the point of being worrying. With all my experience of exams, I could tell that the easier the exam, the greater the chance of failing.
And Lúcio Academy wasn't known for being easy to get into, so the exam surely had some trick to catch the inattentive by surprise. I wouldn't be foolish enough to ignore the questions on the test.
"You have 12 minutes to solve the test. Caution and patience are the only tips I can give you."
Said the teacher as she sat down rather elegantly at her desk, keeping the same stern look as always.
The exam seemed very much like a trap: easy questions with a short time for answers, an obvious trap for the desperate and hurried.
The best I could do was to follow carefully and without rushing, although doing so without rushing was more challenging than it seemed, as the exam had five questions, meaning I could spend two minutes per answer and two minutes correcting them. It seemed like a plan with some chance of success, and I like plans and success, especially if they go together.
With a pre-formulated plan, I grabbed the pen with determination and focused on the first question, which was also the easiest and could be considered a ridiculous question.
1 - What are the three continents and their respective rulers?
An easy question required an easy answer.
-The first and largest continent is Phanthasia, whose regency falls on the shoulders of the great emperor Lucius. The second is Tartamendez, commanded by the Republic of the Beastmen. The last is Vanair, under the order of the elf queen Silver Lily.
The second question followed the principle of the previous one, so easy that it bordered on the ridiculous and could be considered an insult to the intelligence of anyone who answered the questions.
2 - What are the three main classes a beginner can choose from?
- Warrior, with high offensive capabilities at close range; archer, with a focus on destruction at long range; and mage, the versatile area destruction class.
The third question followed the pattern of the previous ones. However, the third question was not something many people knew about, as it was a very old subject, and the vast majority of people didn't wonder about the origins of the other races.
The third question was: "What were the first and second cataclysms and what changes did they bring?"
-The first cataclysm occurred over a thousand years ago, when the world was invaded by foreign races known today as elves and beastmen, who brought magic with them when they entered the planet, activating the magic of the planet itself, which had been lost over the years.
-Five hundred years after the first cataclysm, the world was invaded again, this time by creatures who were not seeking refuge to call home, like the elves and beastmen.
These creatures sought to devour the planet's natural energy and magic.
Conflict was natural and the three races united under the command of the first Great Emperor Gregory, who, with fierce determination, expelled the creatures. The conquest was so great that it made the emperor the first named person in history.
After finishing writing the answer, I took a deep breath and moved on to the fourth and penultimate question, which, for the first time, could really make someone hesitate about the answer.
The subject was little studied due to its complexity and lack of information, as well as being an extremely rare phenomenon.
Only 20 cases in the current era, and this was the largest number of people who had experienced this phenomenon in all of history since the cataclysm. This rare and particular phenomenon was called naming.
A process in which the world itself manifested its voice and assigned a name to a person who made the impossible a reality.
And within that class, there was a named person.
The protagonist of this world.
Seeker of the light, Agni.