At Astrong Academy, the greatest magic academy on the entire continent, there was only one motto: "Only the strong matter." That phrase was not merely the institution's symbol, but the rule that defined the lives of every student. Anyone considered weak would be expelled if they failed the examination held every four months.
Getting into that academy meant securing a promising future, but staying there was another story. The difficulty of each exam was extreme. Of the two hundred and forty students who began their first year, only one hundred advanced to the second, and only forty reached the third. Even then, that did not guarantee safety. A single poor performance was enough to lose everything. There had been years when only twenty students managed to graduate.
"But the worst part is that, in this generation, only eleven students graduated."
[Eleven? Then this must be the worst generation.]
Enrico looked at the system and chuckled quietly, covering his mouth so no one would find his reaction strange.
"Ha, why did they send someone who doesn't know anything about the story? Whenever I look at you, I start wondering if having a system is really a good thing."
The system began trembling around Enrico, clearly irritated by the comment.
'Well, it deserves it after annoying me yesterday.'
That actually happened during the "Hell at the Academy" arc, when all the students and teachers were trapped inside a massive barrier for two entire years, constantly being attacked by demons.
The need to fight every single day caused everyone to grow much faster than normal, but the price was high. Many important characters died during that period, and only the survivors managed to graduate, becoming known as the legendary Golden Age of Astrong Academy. The problem was that not even the author of the story had revealed who created that barrier, making it impossible for Enrico to predict how to stop that tragedy.
'I need to prepare from now on. If I don't find out who created that barrier before it appears, I'll end up trapped inside it along with everyone else.'
[Well, that's bad for you... I'm happy.]
Enrico let out a long sigh upon hearing the bitter remark.
"You really are an annoying system... At least yesterday was Sunday, so I managed to organize my thoughts a little. It was a terrib..."
"Isn't this strange?"
Enrico cut himself off when he heard a nearby voice. Casually turning his head, he noticed several students walking down the hallway while looking in his direction.
"Has he gone crazy?"
"Maybe. That idiot only knows how to torment other people. Maybe someone hit him on the head."
"If they did, I can only be grateful."
At that moment, Enrico finally realized the problem. To everyone around him, he was simply walking through the hallway while talking to himself. Feeling several strange gazes fall upon him, he quickened his pace in an attempt to get away.
'Damn, how am I supposed to talk to the system like this?'
[I can hear your thoughts.]
'...Why didn't you say that earlier?'
[You didn't ask.]
Enrico slowly raised his head and remained silent for a few seconds before biting the tip of his finger.
'The worst part is that he's right.'
A short while later, Enrico entered the classroom. As soon as he stepped through the door, he noticed that practically everyone avoided getting close to him. The desks around him were empty, while the other students preferred to sit as far away as possible. Not paying much attention to that, he took his seat and began observing the classroom. That was when his eyes landed on a boy with light red hair wearing glasses, completely absorbed in reading a book. Not even the movement of the students seemed to bother him.
Tolen Rusk. The person Enrico would need in order to learn more about magic.
'I can't trust him completely. In the original story, he started talking to the student council president very early on. If I make a single wrong move, she might discover my plans. I'd better wait until the very last day and manage on my own for now.'
[So he becomes friends with the protagonist.]
Enrico smiled and gave a subtle nod.
'Yes, yes. Besides, he's in my top ten favorite characters. Even though he had the worst mana capacity in the entire academy, thanks to his intelligence he managed to help the protagonist countless times. He only reached Circle 6, but his strategies were so incredible that it was thanks to one of his plans that the protagonist managed to strike one of the evil gods and...'
[You talk too much.]
A crooked smile appeared on Enrico's face.
'Then why do you ask?'
Before the system could respond, the classroom door opened. The conversations immediately quieted down as two people entered. Enrico raised his eyes and recognized both of them at once. The boy with short black hair and blue eyes walked straight toward him. Kai Zaraphor, the protagonist he had followed for more than five hundred chapters until he became a man, and without a doubt, his second favorite character.
"I'm looking forward to our duel."
Kai stopped in front of the desk and extended his hand toward Enrico. Even knowing everything he had done, he still tried to act politely. That was precisely one of the traits that made so many people like him. Although he looked serious at that moment because he was speaking to someone he disliked, Kai was naturally cheerful and kind. In the original story, after defeating Enrico, he even tried to become friends with him, only to be rejected.
'Idiot... But the worst part is that I can't accept his hand right now.'
[Why?]
'Because, in this world, when a person changes completely overnight, the first suspicion is that they've been possessed by a demon. Whether a good person becomes cruel or a cruel person becomes kind, both raise suspicion. I have to change this character little by little, or they might simply burn me alive.'
Enrico put on an arrogant smile before looking at Kai.
"I feel the same way. I just hope you don't disappoint me."
He wasn't as rude as the original Enrico would have been, but he didn't show any friendliness either. Kai simply lowered his hand slowly and gave a slight nod.
"He won't."
The long brown-haired girl grabbed Kai's arm and pulled him to another part of the classroom. Valença Bravulha, the protagonist's best friend and the story's main love interest. At that point, she wasn't in love with him yet, but that would change two arcs later.
"Tsk."
[You don't seem to like her very much.]
'No, I do like her. It's just that, when I think about all the potential she wasted by not helping in the end, even knowing everyone was going to die anyway... I get irritated. Her personality changed completely after she fell in love with the protagonist. She asked what kind of girl he liked, and he answered, "very affectionate girls." The problem was precisely the "very." She stopped being just a kind girl and ended up becoming excessively affectionate. At times, she was even annoying. Even so... she still had her moments.'
[You talk too much.]
After that comment, Enrico decided to remain completely silent.
"Enrico, where were you? The maid Angela said you stayed in your room all day."
It was a female voice. Enrico turned around and finally saw her. The leader who gave orders to the Three Stooges was standing beside his desk, watching him with a curious look. She had short blonde hair, purple eyes, and a small beauty mark on the left side of her chin. Her uniform was practically identical to those of the other students at Astrong Academy, but there was one noticeable difference: while everyone else wore black pants, hers were blue, a small display of her family's prestige. Her name was Serenya Malquess.
"Yes, we planned to break into the abandoned warehouse yesterday."
"Don't tell me you got scared."
The other two members of the group appeared right behind her. One of them was extremely short, standing at around one meter and forty centimeters tall, with long black hair and a slightly feminine appearance. His name was Elian Tervayn. The other had a much more ordinary appearance: approximately one meter and seventy-three centimeters tall, with short brown buzz-cut hair and an average build. He was Caelan Rivareth.
[Well, it looks like the Three Stooges are together.]
'Shut up.'
Serenya pulled over a chair and sat down in front of Enrico, while Elian and Caelan took the seats beside her. All three kept their attention fixed on him, clearly expecting an explanation.
"So, what happened?"
"I was sick, so I couldn't go out."
Serenya narrowed her eyes slightly, making it clear that she wasn't completely convinced.
"I heard you were making a lot of noise yesterday."
"That's exactly why. I couldn't go out."
The three of them continued staring at Enrico for a few seconds, trying to figure out whether he was lying.
'Damn, I managed to fool the maid with that excuse. If she believed it, maybe they'll believe it too.'
Without changing his expression, Enrico crossed his arms and flashed a confident smile.
"Actually, I was preparing a surprise for Kai in our duel."
The three exchanged glances for a moment. Soon afterward, arrogant smiles appeared on their faces. Elian was the first to speak.
"You really need that to defeat that commoner?"
"I could beat him with my hands tied behind my back."
Serenya merely rolled her eyes before bringing one hand to her mouth.
"Why worry so much? My family can take care of that easily. Hohoho."
She let out a typical noblewoman's laugh, completely full of confidence. Enrico's eyebrow twitched almost imperceptibly.
'Idiots... the three of you are going to be completely crushed by the protagonist and used only as stepping stones to show how strong he is.'
His gaze then shifted discreetly toward Serenya.
'But I have to admit... I like her noble laugh. It's funny.'
Before the conversation could continue, the classroom door opened. The room fell silent almost immediately as a woman with long green hair entered with graceful steps. She wore glasses, was dressed in clothes reminiscent of a noblewoman's attire, and carried such a serious presence that simply entering the room was enough to make several students straighten their posture. She was Professor Virelle D'Rosvalia, the strongest teacher in charge of the first-year class and also one of the people who despised those considered weak the most.
She quickly looked around the classroom before offering a faint smile.
"I hope all of you had a good rest this week, because today we'll be having a little test."
'Damn.'
[Ha, you're screwed.]
Magic in that world had a relatively simple activation method, depending on how you looked at it. To cast a spell, a mage simply had to will it into existence, and magic would respond to that desire.
The real difficulty lay elsewhere. To use fire magic, for example, it was necessary to understand how fire was created, its concept, and its nature, applying that understanding to magic. The same principle applied to any other attribute, such as water, wind, or gravity.
Of course, there were exceptions. Some people were simply born with such overwhelming compatibility that they could use magic instinctively without understanding almost anything about it. Those individuals were called geniuses, people whose talent simply could not be explained.
"Is this how it works?"
Enrico slowly raised one of his hands. A few seconds later, a small flame appeared at the tip of his fingers. It was so weak that it almost looked as if it could disappear at any moment.
"So it really is difficult at the beginning..."
At Circle Zero, there was still no magical ring revolving around the heart to assist with mana control. The more Circles a mage possessed, the greater their ability to control their own magic. That was why beginners had to rely solely on their concentration.
"Damn... let's try to remember again."
To draw upon the magic of Circle Zero, it was necessary to feel the magical spark that existed within the magical heart inside oneself. From there, mana spread throughout the body in the same way blood flowed through the veins.
Enrico closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Little by little, everything around him disappeared. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a completely dark space. There was no ground, no sky, or anything else, only a small light shining in the distance. He tried to walk toward it, but no matter how many steps he took, the distance seemed to remain exactly the same.
"At this rate, it's impossible..."
After thinking for a few seconds, he decided to do the opposite. Instead of trying to reach that light, he would try to bring it toward himself. Enrico slowly extended his hand.
"I'm starting to feel something..."
The small light slowly began moving closer. As the distance shrank, tiny glowing particles drifted away from it, gradually changing color until they took on a reddish hue, resembling living embers. The moment they touched his hand, a sensation of warmth spread through his entire arm.
'If I remember correctly, fire is the result of a chemical combustion reaction and requires an ignition point. If I apply that concept to magic...'
Enrico opened his eyes. At that very instant, a small flame appeared above the palm of his hand, swaying gently as though it were responding to his breathing. A faint smile appeared on his face.
"So this is magic... But now, how do I launch it?"
[I think you need to imagine yourself pushing it somehow.]
Enrico pointed his hand forward and imagined the flame being propelled. The fire really did shoot out, but instead of traveling in a straight line, it scattered into countless sparks that exploded in the air, looking more like fireworks than an offensive spell.
"That's not it."
Taking a deep breath, he concentrated the entire flame into a single point once more, compressing it until it formed a small sphere of fire. He tried again. This time, the fireball shot forward, passed through the bathroom, and struck the wall, leaving behind only a small scorched mark.
"I did it... but it's much weaker than the original."
[Cool, but I have a question. Why are you doing this in the bathroom?]
Enrico let out a small sigh.
"Because of the teacher's little test. Just imagine if that woman saw me failing to cast my own spell. It seems I made the right decision. It took me five attempts just to launch a single fireball, and it was still weak. If I'd trained in front of her, I probably would've already dropped a few places in the rankings."
At that moment, someone knocked on the door.
"Enrico, you're taking too long. The teacher asked me to call you for the test."
It was Elian's voice from the other side of the door.
"Ah, right. I had a terrible stomachache. Just give me a moment to wash my hands."
Enrico quickly erased the marks left by the fire on the wall, checked to make sure there wasn't any trace of his training, and turned on the faucet simply to make his excuse more convincing. After drying his hands, he left the bathroom and walked beside Elian down the hallway.
"You've been afraid of everything lately, haven't you?"
'Damn... here he goes again with that arrogant smile.'
Looking at it from another perspective, it made sense. Even among the Three Stooges, Enrico had always been the weakest, so it was only natural that even his own companions treated him that way. Without responding, he simply quickened his pace, forcing Elian to keep up while continuing to talk to himself.
A few minutes later, the two arrived at Astrong Academy's enormous training field. Several students were already taking their practical tests while teachers and instructors carefully observed every movement.
Elian coated his daggers with wind magic, making their blades much sharper before easily slicing through a wooden dummy. Caelan created a barrier of water in front of himself and blocked the weak attacks launched by an instructor. A little farther away, Tolen triggered a small explosion that split a dummy almost completely in half.
Kai gripped his sword firmly and performed a single precise slash, cutting through another dummy without any difficulty. Valença made a circle of fire appear beneath the target's feet, and the flames slowly rose until they consumed it completely.
As for Serenya, she simply used her unique control magic to hurl the dummy away as though it weighed nothing at all.
'What a waste... To think that a magic with so much potential would be wasted and practically disappear after Arc 3.'
"Enrico, your turn. Get ready."
Virelle's voice echoed across the training field, causing several students to turn their attention toward him. The teacher watched him with the same contempt as always. In truth, she treated nearly every student below Rank 100 that way, especially those she considered lazy and incapable of improving. Enrico walked toward the center of the field.
'If she sees me using that weak fireball I cast in the bathroom, my ranking will probably drop.'
Since it was still the beginning of the story, he decided to use the simplest method to increase the spell's power. He grabbed his own wrist to concentrate the transfer of mana from one hand to the other. Little by little, a small sphere of fire began to take shape. Once he felt he had accumulated enough mana, he cast the spell.
The fireball shot through the air at high speed and struck the wooden dummy directly in the head, completely destroying it. The rest of its body swayed for a moment before collapsing to the ground.
Virelle observed the result for a few seconds before giving a slight nod.
"Better than last week."
Enrico simply nodded back and began returning to his place as if nothing had happened. As soon as he had walked a few meters away, Virelle discreetly brought her hand to a small communication stone hidden inside her sleeve.
"I want you to keep an eye on him in the dormitory. He seems the same... but there's something different."
"Yes, ma'am."
As he walked back toward the other students, Enrico had the feeling that he was being watched. He subtly turned his head and met the gaze of the student council president. The white-haired elf with silver eyes stared at him for a few seconds, as if trying to see something, before simply turning around and walking away.
'Damn... I always get chills whenever she looks at me.'
[It makes sense. She treats trash like trash.]
Enrico decided to completely ignore the system's bitter remark.
The rest of the test ended without any major events. After that, everyone returned to the classroom, where they spent an hour and a half attending the theoretical lesson. Next came the second teacher, Borem Thalren, a highly respected commoner because of his knowledge of magic. Finally, it was time for knight training with Sir Drenholm Valcren. Only those who had chosen to follow the path of the sword actually trained combat techniques; everyone else spent most of the time doing physical exercises to strengthen their bodies.
The following days passed quickly, all following practically the same routine. Enrico trained whenever he found an opportunity, secretly studied magic, tried to improve his control over fire, and continued reducing the amount of food he ate, limiting himself to only two meals a day to lose weight as quickly as possible.
Little by little, his body began responding to the training. His movements became slightly lighter, his endurance increased, and fatigue no longer appeared as quickly as it had during the first few days. Before he realized it, the entire week had passed, and Saturday had finally arrived.
"In stories, time flies. But when you're inside one, it crawls."
[Why do you have a backpack, and where are you going?]
"I submitted a request to visit my parents' house."
Students were only allowed to leave the academy on weekends, and they could also request permission to leave the city once every two weeks.
[You're going to visit your parents?]
"Of course not. I'm going to a forest."
[Are you an idiot?]
"Let's just say I am. The protagonist lived in a cabin in the forest before entering the academy and fought wolves, bears, and other animals using the sword his father left him. That's what gave him so much combat experience. Of course, there's a huge difference between fighting animals and fighting humans, but for now, I need to get used to this heavy body."
[Ah... so that's your plan.]
Enrico smiled as he adjusted the backpack on his shoulders.
"Exactly. I need to gain experience. Besides, the student council president won't follow me outside the academy. I need to improve as quickly as possible."
Enrico walked out through the academy gates while the system silently watched him.
[Should I tell him about the possibility of making a pact...? Well, he didn't ask.]
The system simply followed him. After walking for hours through various beautiful places in what was considered the second-best city on the continent, Enrico finally left the city walls behind and boarded a wagon bound for the neighboring town. Without realizing it, a shadow followed him from a distance.
After arriving at his destination, he paid the coachman and began walking through the forest beside the town.
"Damn, I'm running out of money. I only have five silver coins and twenty bronze coins left. That's far too little for what I'm planning. Later, I need to find out how much this guy earns per month."
[So, are you sure you can do this?]
"What? Fight animals? Just so you know, I've fought before."
[You have?]
"Well, they were street fights, but that doesn't change the fact that I know how to fight. Just so you know, I was the best. Anyway, let's get started."
Enrico began running through the forest until he sensed a powerful danger approaching. Without thinking twice, he threw himself to the side. A black wolf with red eyes passed through the exact spot where he had been standing. The animal immediately lunged again, but Enrico ducked and drove a punch into its flank, sending it flying backward. Then he raised his hand, fired a fireball, and the wolf was engulfed in flames before falling dead to the ground. Enrico let out a sigh.
"Well, let's keep going."
After what felt like hours, Enrico had already killed an entire pack of wolves and five bears. Exhausted, he sat down to rest for a few minutes.
"Seriously? The protagonist was doing this when he was twelve years old?"
[That's why he's the protagonist and not you.]
"Hey, I can hear the joy in your voice whenever you annoy me."
Enrico stood up and picked an apple from a nearby tree. The moment he took the first bite, he once again felt an intense sense of danger, although he couldn't figure out where it was coming from. Taking a deep breath, he remained calm and slowly began observing his surroundings without revealing that he had noticed anything. When he looked to the right, he saw a wooden shadow beginning to take shape and immediately threw himself to the side. Even so, part of the attack struck his arm, opening a cut and causing blood to flow.
He raised his head and saw a gloomy-looking boy with deep dark circles under his eyes standing several meters in front of him. The moment he laid eyes on him, Enrico recognized him.
"At last, I'll begin my revenge against the Solcren Ferreira family, and you'll be the first step."
The system remained floating beside Enrico.
[Looks like you know him.]
Enrico placed a hand over his wound as several drops of sweat ran down his face.
"Of course. He's my fifth favorite character and the one I rooted for the most to complete his revenge. Chalés Maide, one of the protagonist's greatest allies... and currently, my worst enemy."
Chalés slowly raised his head. His gloomy gaze was filled with nothing but murderous intent.
"Your death will be very slow."