*** Hallways
"Here."
She said, handing me the journal she had shown earlier.
The journal itself was detailed; it included a variety of steps for achieving a breakthrough, progressing through the final level of the beginner stage.
From enlightenment, to specific rituals, and even brute forcing, though the last one was written as a last resort.
It was a pretty handy guide for almost any student.
And well... something that most people would probably kill for.
Even a level-three beginner could cause some serious damage to law and order when not kept in check.
"What level are you in now, anyways?"
Evelina asked.
'He should be... at least level four, right?'
She thought.
I definitely had power that rivaled that level, but it also didn't make sense for me to be beyond that; any student who is adept and beyond would already be placed in a different class altogether.
The crystal back then should have also caught my attunement level.
"I'm actually still at level two."
"Two...?"
Evelina's face was filled with disbelief.
"You see, most of my powers actually come from artifacts and contracts I have obtained."
I explained the truth, and her face returned to normal after hearing it.
"Right, I almost forgot you made a deal with a demon prince out of all things."
Evelina sighed. Even if she could, she probably wouldn't make the same deal as me at this stage.
At this part of the novel, she still hadn't become that greedy for power; she didn't need to yet.
As we entered the classroom, we were surprised to find a professor already there.
I didn't recognize him; however, he looked like just a normal professor, one who didn't appear in the novel.
"Are we late?"
I asked.
"No, we're fifteen minutes early," Evelina replied.
The class itself confirmed her answer; there were still a ton of empty seats.
"Please take a seat. I was just about to explain what was going on."
The professor replied, adjusting his glasses.
Since this still wasn't actual classes, I took the chance to sit just beside Evelina.
She didn't even bother shooing me away or looking at me; she was already getting used to my presence. After all, I'm likely going to be with her for the entire year.
She decided it was better if she just didn't question my actions and let me do what I want as long as I remained useful.
"Anyways..."
The professor cleared his throat and placed a Tesla synergizer on the table.
It was a special technology in this world that allowed the holder to enter doors or barriers that had the same calibration as the synergizer.
This world's version of an ID card.
'This seems familiar...'
I lounged back in my chair, the engravings and labels exactly matched the descriptions of the synergizers used in the novel's tournament arc.
But why would they appear now?
"This may be ahead of schedule, but the end-of-year tournament will be held tomorrow to decide the student rankings."
The professor explained, and in the class, Julius raised his hand.
"Yes, Lionbright?"
"Aren't the rankings supposed to be decided by the crystal?"
"Ah, yes... that was supposed to be the plan, but..." The professor looked at me briefly, then sighed. "A certain student managed to cause cracks in the crystal during the rank assessment, and while it was still usable..."
"It was deemed too inaccurate for overall rankings." The professor shrugged.
Evelina looked at me after hearing the professor's explanation, subtly grinning. "Seems familiar, doesn't it?"
"Very much so," I replied.
'The student rankings, huh...?'
I thought. The student rankings were a very integral part of the Royal Academy, singlehandedly deciding the hierarchy and benefits of each student.
Only five of the many academies in the kingdom used the student rankings this way.
And for good reason as well.
Every single student, professor, and staff member in the academy was comprised of all nobles, and by hearing that alone, you can already guess the sheer amount of chaos that would bring.
So the student rankings were modified to fix that problem. While noble titles were still valuable because the academy served as an educational ground for future nobles, they were at odds with power and skill.
Like a mere son of a baron having greater magical power than a son of a duke.
It would naturally cause chaos and division.
And the rankings were meant to fix that chaos by creating a clean hierarchy that combined both rank and skill.
It wasn't perfect, but it was still better than having children of multiple dukes creating the academy into their personal playground or having lesser nobles with incredible magical capabilities beating up higher ranks.
And normally, the crystal was the only tool needed to finish that list.
But since I cracked it.
They're now using the tournament to decide.
"Why explain when the rest aren't here yet?" Julius asked again.
"We don't have much time to prepare; it was a sudden decision, so I had hoped to explain it to the ones present already and have you explain it again to your classmates once they arrive."
The professor fixed his robe, already moving to the exit.
"You can head to the faculty for your synergizers, use the one I left in the room to calibrate it."
THUD!
He closed the door.
It was clear that preparing a tournament so ahead of schedule was not something the staff or professors were ready for.
DING!
The industrial speakers around the academy suddenly chimed.
[All classes will be suspended for today, please use the time to prepare.]
DING!
"You've got to be kidding me..." Marcellus complained, sitting beside Julius.
"I had plans tomorrow..." He pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I suggest you keep to yourself and use all that energy for complaining into practice," Evelina replied, standing up from her chair.
"I thought someone like you would hate this. Doesn't this put a wrench in your 'perfect' schedule?"
Evelina crossed her arms, staring at Marcellus coldly. "That's none of your business."
"Enough, she's right, let's go, brother." Julius stood up as well, Marcellus following him as they both left the room.
Evelina looked at me after they left, a hint of amusement and calculation in her gaze.
"You're coming with me..."
She smiled.
Is it finally time for my first actual official task!?