Pushing my way past the revolving door I'm greeted with a large open room. Tall walls with multiple lines of students speaking to what almost appear to be bank tellers exchanging electrum for different pieces of equipment.
Most notably the uniforms many of them put on in an attached changing room.
A black blazer, dark purple undershirt, and long grey pants. Each person having a pin on their lapel. Thinking back, some of the people outside had these uniforms, it just didn't stand out because their were so many different outfits.With a sigh I throw myself in line, no matter what world you are in, you can never escape long lines. Reminds me of all those times I'd wait in line at the library, though as I got older the lines go shorter. Shorter, and shorter, until inevitably I'd stopped going to the library as well.
Shaking out of the memories of my 'previous life' I try to turn to the people near me and strike up a conversation with one of these randoms, but I either get ignored or they just can't here me.
Whatever, they'll rue the day they turned down a conversation with this isekai hero.
After all, once I get my starting gear my journey shall truly begin!
Guess I can take a peep at this map.
Looks the school is separated into 6 main zones. Top left is the Knowledge Wing, with the location just under it being the Information Wing. Aren't those the same thing? Each wing having what looks like a tower near them. Either way looks like something called the Trinity Wing taking up the entire south section of the school. Whatever the three things are, they must be pretty important. Though it looks mostly like two large structures and then a smaller one. A third tower completing the set near the west side of the map.
Pulling my eyes up the middle is where I'm at now. Gravitas Park. With right in the middle being the Counseling building. Above the middle is the Formation Wing, then to its right is something called the Market. Noticing I'm getting closer to the front I tuck my map into my pocket, I'll be needing that later.
Inevitably I do make it to the front, before me stands a short red haired man, who seems to also be in school uniform.
"Here to pick up your uniform?
"Yeah."
"Dormitory?"
Pausing I wonder if I should lie and put myself in a higher ranking dorm. I discard the thought, who knows what happens when I'm caught.
"Circle" his eyes narrow slightly then he nods. Grabbing from a stack behind him he hands me a neatly folded uniform."You'll need this too."
He hands me a small silver pin in the shape of a circle with a larger circle around it and hole in the middle.
Waving his hand to shoo me away I stand there unmoving. "I noticed other people getting different things from here, can I buy something?"
"We sell basic training equipment and other basic school supplies if you need them, here's a catalog. Now get out of line." Taking the folded piece of paper I shuffle off towards the back of the room where a few other students with a similar circle pin to my own, but connected by a line to another one, are reading the catalog.
Opening the piece of paper and browsing the many different supplies, from papers, writing utensils, bags, and . . . a map. A map costing one electrum. Damn it. Just got here and I already got scammed. Well whatever, it's not that big of deal.
Shaking my head I continue browsing until I find what every starting hero needs. A training sword! If I don't have some kind of magic talent, I'll probably be good with a sword. That's just how this type of thing goes. Though the price nearly makes my eyes pop out of my head. 50 electrum for a training sword.
That's a lot but it'll be an investment.
Going into another line off to the side where people seem to be getting equipment I'm bumped out of the way by someone a bit larger than me. What an asshole.
"Ah, sincerest apologies for my mistake." A black haired blue eyed guy apologies to me.
Whatever.
"Don't worry about it." Probably noticing my disgruntled expression he continues to speak.
"Perhaps I could offer you my space in queue?" Maybe this guy isn't that bad, he speaks like some 6th century noble though.
"Works for me." Passing this random guy I step into line and think about were I should go next. Maybe I should cram some training in before my first class so I can get really strong before it? Or would it be better to look for a job . . . Training definitely feels right for someone like me, especially since I can get revenge on those wolf bastards for making me use my regression this early.
I end up getting to the front of the line where I trade away some of my starting money for a training sword(there were other weapons, but the sword is the path of the hero), a backpack, a few notebooks, and a special pen that doesn't need ink.
All of it totalling up to 80 electrum in total, leaving me with 111 electrum left. That's my lucky number today!
I head into a side room to change, luckily I've put on clothes like this when I was younger. Though, I don't miss those days at all.
Sorry Mom and Dad, but I'm in another world now. I have to be selfish.
Making my way outside I come to a realization. Where am I going to train?
Looking at my overpriced map again nothing really stands out. Looks like I back to asking for directions.
Going back to the same fruit saleswoman from earlier I ask,"Do you know where I can train with my sword?" Pointing down at the fruit near her I come to a realization. This is the scene where I have to buy a product to get information!
Purchasing another 1 electrum fruit I ask again only to be dumbfounded with her response.
"No." W-what. Why can't people stop scamming me? Am I that easy of a mark? Why is everyone such a scam artist here?
Taking a look back at my map while munching on whatever the name of this fruit is I turn to the information wing.
Information is what I need right now. Guess I'll just ask there. Making my way over I pass less students than I'd expect, though presumably everyone is still getting their bearings.
After a long walk I finally make it to what I can only assume to be the Information wing based off there being a large tower to my left and right with one right in front of me. An absolutely massive tower soaring high into the sky greets me. My legs shake slightly.
Looking back down to the ground there's a facility. One safely on the ground, and one I'd much rather enter.
Walking inside, a silent building greets me. A large empty room with soft white walls feel like they could devour me whole, and different pathways that must lead to different rooms turn into darkness. Though where is the light in this room even coming from?
"H-hello?"
. . .
Where the fuck am I?
An older woman's voice snakes out near me.
"You have wandered in, where no bounty awaits you. I suggest you leave."
"What the fuck?!" Turning my head rapidly I see a woman pushing an empty cart. Short, light grey hair, and pink eyes. She's definitely older than me, but also significantly shorter.
"Watch your language little boy, you block my way with your incessant noise."
"W-where am I?"
"The lowly young boy wandered in. His voice annoying as sin. He would not move out the way, causing a librarians delay, his lost self in the Wing of Information."
I'm in the Information Wing?
Wait a moment.
"Was that a fucking Limerick(1)?" Putting a hand over my mouth I mutter a "sorry" after realizing I've been cursing out some random lady who probably just does menial labor.
For a moment she stares at me stunned for a moment as I recognize what she's doing. I'm no lover of poetry, but even I can recognize a limerick.
She's wearing a dark purple waistcoat, white blouse, and long black skirt. Her hair in a high ponytail. Though most importantly, pointed ears. The mark of an elf.
"Perhaps I misjudged. I present you an offer, work, you may desire."
A job working with this lady? It does have a prerequisite of me having poetry knowledge . . .
"What could this job possibly be?"
"A library assistant, you'll work for me." Did she just use my own words to rhyme?
"Work for you? Are you a librarian here?"
"I sit at the top of my ladder, you may revere." My eye twitches, this is getting annoying. Fishing my map out of my pocket I hold it up and ask a much more important question.
"Can you just tell me how to get to the training area?" Her look is disappointed but she does answer.
"A poet lost his way. Wasted part of his day. So he asked for help, from my amazing self, and I directed him up and away." Dragging her finger upwards on the map from the Information Wing she points to the Formation Wing. That was were the training grounds are?
"Thanks," Walking out of the creepy building I make it outside. Looking up the sky I seem to have been going around for quite a while. It's at least noon. Guess I've got another treck to make.
After walking for a while with the sun beating down on me I sit down on a nearby bench.
This body is in decent shape, but walking for hours is still exhausting. Honestly I would kill for a water bottle right now. Maybe some water magic?
Didn't I say I was going to learn light magic first though?
Looking down at my uncalloused hands I clench them into fists. I like the idea of a magic swordsman, but honestly it sounds like a lot of work.
Am I really cut out for this kind of thing?
. . .
Of course I am.
I come from another world, that HAS to mean something.
Right?
Whatever, I just need to test out my talents. Mercury got into Gravitas right? So he must be pretty talented. Standing up I continue my walk, trying to clear my thoughts of my guilty conscious.
I wonder if the training area has some kind of legendary swordmaster who will pass on their techniques to me, or mabye I'll just have to figure it out myself? As I get closer to the Formation Wing I start to here what can only be the sounds of intense battle. The clashing of steel, roars of vigor, explosions of magic, and the crashing of footsteps. Going past the buildings I find myself gazing upon a massive arena.
A gigantic amphitheater made of some kind of black stone. Its massively imposing figure causing me to stagger back.
"Another little Circle coming to prove their worth eh?" A man my size with long dark green hair steps next to me. Uniform sleeves pulled up revealing his tanned skin covered in tattoos the same color of his hair. His uniform bearing a triangle mark. His status above mine.
"Just looking to train." He scoffs, then smiles.
"Perhaps I could show you a little bit of training then?" Got myself a training partner from a higher class, this could go very well. Lightly smiling I accept.
"Works for me."
Following him into the arena many different fights scatter across the battlefield, but one figure specifically catches my attention.
The form of Jiang clutching a wooden pole for dear life as he desperately struggles to hold his body off the ground. His body covered in blood.
(1) A Limerick is a type of poem that has a rhyming scheme of AABBA and usually tells a short story.