In the magic academy, exam results are announced immediately. The 200 students who passed today's test were now officially part of the list of admitted students.
Professor Twintail, who had proctored the exam, entered the waiting room for the successful candidates.
The sound of her heels echoed as she ascended the podium and stood before the students.
"Congratulations. From today onward, you are officially students of Astran Magic Academy."
"Wooooah!"
"Uwaaah!"
The successful candidates cheered, reveling in the realization. Being officially recognized as students of such a prestigious academy by a professor was enough to make anyone excited.
"Well, not quite yet," she continued with a sly smile. "The entrance ceremony is tomorrow. Until then, let's just call you successful candidates for now."
Since results were announced immediately, there was no reason to delay the entrance ceremony. Tomorrow would mark the beginning of our lives as students. That's why I had packed travel expenses and a change of clothes in advance.
Professor Twintail addressed the group again.
"You will now be assigned to classes. There are eight classes, from Class 1 to Class 8. Students assigned to the same class will share the same dormitory building for at least the next two years."
At the mention of dormitories, the students' eyes sparkled. This marked the start of a completely new chapter in our lives.
Living in dorms, sharing space with peers—it was an exciting yet nerve-wracking prospect for kids our age.
The professor continued.
"Each class will consist of 100 students: 25 from the regional quota, 25 from the social equity track, 45 from the general track, and 5 from the elite track. The reason for this balanced composition is to ensure that, regardless of your background or region, you can grow united as mages representing Astran Magic Academy."
Hmm.
So, basically, forget about family ties or regional loyalties and unite under the bond of this school. That worked for me—I was a fallen noble from a remote region, after all.
"Now, let's proceed with class assignments."
Professor Twintail began calling out names and assigning students to classes.
I was placed in Class 1.
Rudy was also in Class 1.
'Phew. That's a relief. With Rudy here, I won't have to worry too much about connections.'
---
We were then guided to our dormitories.
The first-year dorms consisted of eight towering buildings that resembled giant office complexes.
'Well, they'd need to be this big to house 100 students per building.'
With 800 first-year students spread across eight buildings, and similar arrangements for upperclassmen, the dormitory area was vast.
As we entered the Class 1 dormitory tower, I commented, "So, we'll be living here for the next two years?"
"Exactly. We'll use the same building until the second year. From the third year onward, students are separated by their chosen field of magic specialization."
Rudy, who seemed well-informed, shared what he'd heard about the dorm system.
Starting in the third year, students were divided into the following eight specializations:
Elemental Magic
Illusion and Enchantment Magic
Psychokinetics and Gravity Magic
Summoning Magic
Natural Magic
Alchemy
Healing Magic
Magic Circles and Artifact Creation
'So basically, for now, it's like being undeclared majors.'
In the first and second years, students focused on learning the basics of magic. From the third year, they would select a specialization and delve into their chosen field.
Rudy asked, "Noah, have you thought about what you might choose?"
"Hmm..."
"Probably Elemental Magic, right? It's the strongest in terms of raw power. Or maybe Psychokinetics?"
"I'm leaning toward Healing or Artifact Creation."
"What? But you aced the exam! Shouldn't you aim higher?"
What good would learning Elemental Magic do? The last thing I wanted was to end up as a front-line battle mage.
Healing and Artifact Creation, on the other hand, were highly valued and in demand, especially in the imperial capital or large cities.
'Actually, scratch Healing. I don't want to get dragged into the military as a field medic.'
As a student without any influential backing, if I performed too well, I might be assigned to dangerous locations. Conversely, if I performed poorly, I might still end up in hazardous regions.
My safest bet was to focus on Alchemy or Artifact Creation, which would allow me to work in safer environments.
Lost in thought, I soon found myself in front of my assigned room.
The dormitory tower seemed to use spatial distortion magic—no matter how far we walked along the flat corridor, we eventually ascended to higher floors.
Each room was a private space.
Despite having just passed the exam, my name was already inscribed on the door.
Noah Ashborn.
"Let's unpack and meet later in the common hall," Rudy suggested.
I nodded and entered my room.
The room was cozy. It came furnished with a wooden-framed bed, a large desk, a wardrobe, and even a private bathroom. It felt more like moving into a proper studio apartment than a dormitory.
'This is better than the studio apartment I rented back in college.'
This really was a prestigious institution—the facilities were top-notch.
I unpacked my belongings and decided to write a letter home.
I wrote to let my family know that I'd been admitted, shared how comfortable the dormitory was, and expressed my excitement about my future here. I also thanked them for their support and sealed the letter.
'There was a mailbox in the common hall.'
I had noticed the mailbox while passing through earlier.
I left my room and headed toward the hall.
The dormitory layout was fascinating. No matter which corridor I walked down, I could always see the hall in one direction.
I didn't even need to remember its location. Simply thinking about going to the hall seemed to guide the corridors to lead me there.
When I arrived, I slipped my letter into the mailbox.
'Looks like I'm the first here, too.'
No one else had arrived yet.
The hall was furnished with a large fireplace, magical crystal orbs, and cozy rocking chairs and sofas. It seemed like a great spot for students to gather and chat.
I sat on a sofa and waited for Rudy.
"Ugh! What is this?!"
The first to arrive wasn't Rudy, but Mahim Dwayra, the last-place finisher from the entrance exam.
Mahim, with his slicked-back, oily brown hair, looked like someone who had just tasted something sour.
"This room is so small! I can't live here!"
Spoiled by the wealth of his gold-rich family, he was clearly used to more opulent accommodations. Honestly, the room wasn't bad at all.
But before I could finish that thought…
"Ugh, what's with this bed? It's so hard!"
"This place is so cramped, it's suffocating!"
More students arrived, each one whining about their rooms. Even Rudy seemed shaken as he muttered, "I'm in shock... The bathroom is attached to the room. Shouldn't bathrooms be separate?"
In a regular house, yes, but this is normal for studios and dormitories.
"Well, it'd be inconvenient for showers otherwise. There are girls here too."
"···!"
It seemed they had only now realized they'd be sharing the dorm with students of the opposite gender. Rudy looked at me with wide eyes.
"Noah, you're a genius! How did you figure out the practical advantages of this tiny room layout…?"
Uh, yeah, sure. It's not like I lived in a setup like this for seven years back in college or anything.
"This is unbelievable. I didn't expect the rooms to be like this. At the very least, I thought there'd be a parlor..."
"······."
Rich kids. What can you do?
While the regional quota students complained about their rooms, the next group of students arrived—those from the social equity track.
Their demeanor was entirely different.
They walked briskly toward their rooms with grim determination, their eyes filled with resolve.
"Uh... Maybe we should avoid them," Rudy whispered nervously, intimidated by their intense expressions.
Of course, some students couldn't help themselves—like Mahim Dwayra.
"Hmph, they're just commoners...!"
One of the social equity students turned to glare at him, and Mahim immediately shut his mouth. Their presence was that commanding.
At the same time, they seemed desperate.
For these students, gaining admission to Astran Magic Academy was likely their one shot at turning their lives around. It was only natural they'd approach this with such fervor.
"Look over there—that's the second son of the Stroban border earl!"
Rudy pointed excitedly at another student entering the hall.
The boy had dark black hair, a grim expression, and wore a white fur cloak, even though winter had already passed.
"See the white fur? That's the signature white bear pelt of the Stroban family. They're renowned for their battle mages."
I see.
The Strobans guard the empire's northern frontier, constantly engaged in skirmishes.
I'd better stay far away from him.
'I don't want to end up as a battle mage on the frontlines.'
Including the Stroban heir, there were only five students in the elite track.
Rudy rattled off their backgrounds one by one, but the Stroban presence was so overwhelming that I barely registered the others.
Finally, the general track students entered.
As the largest group, they were a mixed bag of noble families, fallen aristocrats like me, and even some from swordsmanship families.
Even Rudy didn't know the details of every general track student.
'With this many entrants, how could anyone keep track of all of them? You'd need to be a computer.'
However, among the general track students, one caught Rudy's attention.
"Gasp! She's in Class 1 too!"
"Huh?"
"Irina Bellune! She's the daughter of the Marquis of Bellune, the empire's most famous magical family!"
I followed Rudy's pointing finger and spotted a girl who immediately stood out.
Her frosty expression could chill the air around her. Her icy-blue hair and eyebrows looked like they were dusted with frost.
"She's that famous?"
"Of course! Even people who aren't interested in magic know about her."
"Really? That famous?"
"They say she's a once-in-a-century prodigy from the Bellune family. They're known for their mastery of ice magic, and there are rumors she's already mastered Ice Arrow."
"Ice Arrow?"
Even as someone who hadn't properly studied magic yet, I understood the difference between Magic Arrow and Ice Arrow.
Magic Arrow was simply condensed mana shot as a projectile, whereas Ice Arrow added a frost element on top.
Even within the same 1st Circle magic tier, the difficulty level was on a whole other scale.
"That's impressive."
"Right? I've formed a 1st Circle mana ring, but I can't even cast basic spells yet. And she's already mastered Ice Arrow?"
"Hearing that makes it even more impressive."
"But why Ice Arrow, of all things?" Rudy asked.
"Huh? Isn't the Bellune family famous for ice magic?"
"Sure, but wouldn't Fire Arrow or Lightning Arrow be cooler?"
Rudy seemed more drawn to the flashier fire and lightning elements. They did seem more spectacular and powerful at first glance.
In games, ice magic often focuses more on freezing and immobilizing enemies than dealing damage. It might be the same in this world.
Even so…
"I think Ice Arrow is more impressive."
"Huh?"
"It's harder to cast."
"Harder?"
Rudy tilted his head, not understanding.
"They're all elemental spells, right? Shouldn't they be about the same difficulty?"
"No, Ice Arrow is significantly harder."
Not just Rudy, but even Irina seemed to perk up at my comment. Her lips curled into a faint smirk, and her pace slowed, as if waiting for me to explain.
"Why do you think it's harder?" Rudy pressed.
It wasn't just Rudy—other students also seemed curious.
Ah, right. I forgot they're all 15. They probably wouldn't know high school-level science yet.
I sighed and began to explain why Ice Arrow was more difficult.
"Well... Ice magic moves against the direction of entropy."
"···?"
"?"
Looks like it's time for a crash course on thermodynamics.