There were only a few other characters in the novel where their introductions shocked the reader more than Alice's introduction. This moment was a moment that made Allen (Grace) a fan of her eccentric behavior at the start of the novel.
Besides Ivan, Alice was Allen's favorite character.
Now, in the body of Grace, he gets to witness this introduction first-hand.
"She's smart," Grace muttered to himself. Anne heard this and turned her head to Grace, shifting it in a way that gave an expression of curiosity.
"How so?" She asked quietly.
"Headmaster told us that 'complacency is the enemy of all' and Alice responded to that statement by inciting herself as a target."
"Is that any good?"
"Of course. The arrogant and ambitious will pursue that title and since she will be constantly fighting others--there will always be certain improvement that she can hone through each fight."
Though it's not necessarily the most optimal training method--it was, though, a good supplementary method.
"Do you have interest in it? Her title, I mean?"
Grace pondered for a moment.
The position of Rank 1 held great importance early on, but becomes irrelevant once the academy portion was finished. Moreover, Grace does not have any particular interest in being Rank 1 through fighting her.
"No," he finalized. "I'll accept the title if it's handed to me through natural progression of my skill. If not that, then I don't care. Do you?"
"Uhhh... kinda?"
"Well, it probably won't be of use anyway," Grace leaned back leisurely. "No one can currently bear her at the moment." Despite Ivan taking hold of that position by the end of their first year, Alice truly had a firm hold on it until the end.
After all, she is a rare occurrence. It was explained that a few weeks prior to the events of the novel, Alice had a moment of greed.
She tried to and became a Dual Devotee.
A person who is blessed by two deities rather than just one. Out of all the characters introduced in the novel, there were only two others that were Dual Devotees.
But she was the rarest of them.
For she not only worships the Ascending Eternal Deity of Flame, but also the God that Grace had originally had as an option before encountering the change in plot-line.
The Thousand Layer All-Encompassing Sword God.
She's a freak of nature. High levels of raw talent meeting incredible luck. That is the culmination of her existence right now. None can match her at the moment. Grace looked at the back of Alice's figure as she was exuding such unbridled radiance.
The ceremony ended soon after.
~~~
"A desecrated dock..." A middle-aged man wearing a top-hat and a trench-coat spoke in a serious tone. His gaze was stern and cold with brown irises that peered at the mess.
He looked in front of him, tracing the scent of mana.
There were multiple scents, but there was a more distinct scent of mana. A scent that only a person such as him could distinctly smell.
"A child... goodness fuck."
His gaze intensified, a putrid glare boring holes into the already dead bodies of the two men before him.
"A failure until the end, I suppose. How will I report this to boss?"
~~~
The students were separated into their respective classes, with Ivan gulping at the increasing heavy atmosphere that was ramping up by the second.
"Settle down," a person with light-brown hair spoke. It was a guy who was around his late-twenties with a black blazer and black pants that seemed uniquely tailored for battle.
"My name is Paul Newman and I will be your professor for the coming years." He scanned the room before sighing at the tension that flowed throughout the 30 students that stood silently.
"First things first: I will not tolerate any indecent behavior. As students - and as your teacher - it is important to maintain camaraderie amongst yourselves. To not only have good relations in the future in case of dire need, but also to foster individual growth. Please keep this in mind.
"Secondly, today will be mainly focused on introducing the campus and allowing yourselves to get accustomed to the facilities that you can use throughout your years. At the end of today you will not only get your room number for your dormitories, but also your individual report.
"This individual report mostly involves giving you all serviceable tips and guidance towards the areas that you lacked during your examinations. While they do not account for your abilities that you have or may gain through the prayers--they are things that are fundamentally limiting."
And so Paul gestured for them to follow him, touring the campus with the limited time they did have of the day.
Ivan admired the surrounding buildings, his eyes glistening at the sight of beautiful architecture meeting his pupils.
Entering a building, they were met with an expansive space filled with pods. And a few battle areas spread across the building.
"These are the training pods that will allow you to enhance your abilities to new heights. Make sure to take full advantage of them as you maneuver through your years. They are, after all, free-of-charge."
Ivan looked at them with glee.
These things are so rare in the countryside. Ivan thought to himself. Despite the beautiful technology that blessed this city, many of the rural areas on the continent that were of lesser importance were more victorian than expected.
This was truly a new world he was experiencing, Ivan felt.
For Grace, while he did feel excited trying these pods out, he knew that these things would not be enough to stimulate growth as he approached the middle-pack of Intermediate-grade.
At some point, as a person progresses, they'll exceed the machination of the pods and they wouldn't be able to keep up with the individual's prowess. This would force a person to venture into nightmarish dungeons in order to gain strength.
Though these dungeons were often faced in groups due to the seismic nature of them being akin to new worlds.
But for now, these will be perfect for training. Grace's eyes lingered on the pods before he followed along.
He had full intention of using these pods constantly. Even though he may be brimming with talent and may be able to cross leaps and bounds of Grades, progress begins to slow down as a person not only reaches their peak latent-ability but also fail to stimulate challenge and the advancement of Grade.
Time went by and the day came to an end.
Everyone was handed their dorm room numbers and report papers, and the people who did not worship a God before coming to the academy were pulled to pick and choose which God they wished to worship. Of course, being accepted was not a guarantee.
Grace looked down at his and saw the wide-variety of criticism and praise.
[Grace Walker]
[Age: 15]
[Report: Has a natural talent in being able to deconstruct a situation and respond according to the best of his judgement. Across all the examinees, he has the greatest tendency of acting with an efficient approach. And his hand-to-hand combat is well-refined for a child his age. However, his mana control in relation to his mana reserves is something that needs to be worked on. He expends far too much mana on basic skills that it rapidly drains his reserves. For a while, it may be best for him to utilize the pods to practice manipulating his control over his mana, such as making the required input of a skill less than the standard. He can then move on with increasing the output with the minimal input. Overall, he has a knack for close-combat but truly lacks in effective magical talent.]
Grace sighed.
Even though he was Rank 10 out of the freshman class, he was still truly lacking. Moreover, it was clear that there were certain aspects of himself that he managed to hide during the examination through his efficient way of handling things.
I'll go meet my dorm-mate and then go use the pod. He decided.