Chen Wei lay in bed, unable to sleep despite the late hour. The system popup was larger this time.
ACADEMY BASICS - TUTORIAL SECTION
WELCOME TO ETERNAL ACADEMY
Founded: 500 years ago.
Purpose: Train talented individuals in magic.
Students: Approximately 2,000.
Staff: 200+
YOUR STATUS:
Name: Chen Wei
Year: First Year Transfer Student
Major: Undeclared
Dormitory: East Wing, Room 207
SpiritualAptitude: Average (65/100)
AcademicAptitude: Above Average (72/100)
KEY LOCATIONS:
MainAcademyBuilding: Classes, administration, and library.
Infirmary: West Wing
Dormitories: East Wing (nobles/scholars), West Wing (general), South Wing (staff)
DiningHall: Central campus
TrainingGrounds: North campus
Gardens: Various locations
IMPORTANT RULES:
1. Attend all assigned classes unless medically excused.
2. Curfew: 11 PM
3. No unauthorized entry to restricted areas.
4. No magic use outside the practice areas.
5. Respect staff and senior students.
6. Report any unusual spiritual phenomena to faculty.
SOCIAL STRUCTURE:
Nobles: High social status, preferential treatment.
Scholars: High academic achievement, respected.
GeneralStudents: Average status.
TransferStudents: Low status initially, must prove themselves.
YOUR GOAL:
Survive.
Maintain good grades.
Navigate social dynamics.
Do not die.
TUTORIAL WILL CONTINUE TOMORROW WHEN YOU LEAVE THE INFIRMARY
Chen Wei read everything twice. It was standard academy isekai stuff. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep.
[SAVE POINT CREATED]
[DAY 1 COMPLETE]
[SURVIVAL PROBABILITY: 61% → 64%]
Chen Wei woke up early in the morning, and immediately the system popup appeared.
GOOD MORNING, CHEN WEI
DAY 2 - ACADEMY LIFE BEGINS
SCHEDULE FOR TODAY:
7:30 AM: Breakfast
8:00 AM: Dormitory assignment.
10:00 AM: First class on Magical Theory
12:00 PM: Lunch
2:00 PM: Campus orientation tour
6:00 PM: Dinner
11:00 PM: Curfew
ACTIVE ROUTES: 1
Inactive but flagged: 1
Inactive but flagged? That had to be Kuro.
Chen Wei got out of bed and looked around for his clothes. He found a perfectly folded academy uniform on a chair. He changed quickly. Just as he finished buttoning his jacket, there was a knock at the door.
"Chen Wei?" Dr. Zhang's called. "I have your discharge papers."
"Come in!"
Dr. Zhang entered with a clipboard and a small package.
"Good morning. I trust you slept well?"
"Yes, sir."
"Excellent. Your condition is stabilized. You're free to leave." He handed Chen Wei the clipboard. "Just sign here."
Chen Wei scanned the document, and signed.
"Perfect." Dr. Zhang took the clipboard back and handed him the package. "This package contains some basic medical supplies. It is given to all students."
"Thank you, Dr. Zhang."
"You're welcome. Oh, and Chen Wei?" The doctor's tone became serious. "Lihua wanted to be here for your discharge, but I sent her on an errand this morning. She can be overly attentive with patients she's personally cared for."
Chen Wei wanted to hug him.
"I appreciate that, sir."
Dr. Zhang smiled.
"Now, off you go. The dining hall serves breakfast until 8:30. Don't be late for your first class."
He nodded and stepped out of the infirmary for the first time since arriving in this world. He walked towards the main campus.
The dining hall was in the central building, a huge room with long tables and high ceilings. When he reached there, he saw students eating and chatting.
Chen Wei grabbed a tray and went through the serving line. Rice, grilled fish, miso soup, and pickled vegetables were being served. He found an empty seat at one of the tables and sat down, trying not to draw attention.
"Hey, you're that transfer student!" A boy with messy brown hair leaned over from the next table immediately. "The one who collapsed at orientation! Are you okay?"
"I'm fine now. Thanks."
"That was crazy, man. You just dropped right in the middle of the principal's speech. Everyone thought you were dead."
"I was just overwhelmed."
"Well, welcome to Eternal Academy!" The boy grinned. "I'm Takeshi. Third year. If you need help finding your classes or anything, just ask around. Most people here are pretty friendly."
"Thanks. I'm Chen Wei."
"I know! Everyone knows. You're famous now. The newspaper club has been asking about you."
Newspaper club?
In the game, Mei, one of the yanderes, had connections to the newspaper club. She used them for information gathering. But Mei's route wasn't supposed to activate yet. He hadn't even met her.
Chen Wei finished his breakfast quickly, talking politely with Takeshi and a few other students.
He finished eating and checked his schedule.
Room 207, East Wing.
He went outside and walked towards the dormitory buildings. The East Wing building was beautiful. Inside, the common areas were spacious and well-furnished. His room was on the second floor.
The door was unlocked. The room was beautiful. These was a large bed, a desk with a comfortable chair, a wardrobe, a private bathroom, and a small sitting area with a couch and bookshelf. His belongings were already unpacked. The system had filled in the gaps.
Chen Wei sat on the bed and looked around his new room. Suddenly, someone knocked at the door.
"Housekeeping!" A familiar female voice called.
Chen Wei opened the door, and saw Kuro standing there with fresh linens and cleaning supplies.
"Oh! Mr. Chen Wei. I didn't know you'd been discharged already." She bowed politely. "Welcome to your room. I'm Kuro Tanaka, assigned to the East Wing. I'll be responsible for cleaning and maintenance of this floor."
"Nice to meet you… properly."
"I was just about to clean your room, but since you're here, I can come back later."
"No, it's okay. I need to get to class anyway." Chen Wei grabbed his bag. "Feel free to clean."
"Are you sure? I don't want to intrude…"
"It's your job. I'll get out of your way."
"Thank you for being so understanding." Kuro smiled.
Chen Wei walked past her into the hallway.
"I'll see you around, I guess."
"Of course. If you need anything; fresh linens, cleaning, minor repairs, just leave a note on your door. I check all rooms on my floor twice daily."
Chen Wei smiled and walked away before the conversation could continue.
INTERACTION COMPLETE: KURO TANAKA
Affection: 5/100 → 7/100
Chen Wei went to the main academy building.
Inside, students rushed between classes. He went towards his classroom.
The classroom was large, with tiered seating arranged in a semicircle around a central demonstration area. About twenty students were already seated, and chatting.
Chen Wei chose a seat near the middle and pulled out a notebook. He kept his head down, hoping to avoid attention.
The bell rang, and the door opened. A girl entered inside, and walked to the demonstration area, carrying books. She put the books down and turned to face the class.
Her ice blue eyes scanned the room, assessing each student. For a second, her gaze landed on Chen Wei.
"Professor Thorne is late." She announced. "I've been asked to take today's lesson in his absence." She opened one of the books. "I am Sera Frostwyn, fourth year student and teaching assistant for Magical Theory. We'll be covering basic principles today."
Sera Frostwyn was supposed to be a background character for at least another thirty chapters.
CRITICAL EVENT DETECTED
ROUTE 3: THE ICE QUEEN
STATUS: ACTIVATING
Sera Frostwyn: 0/100 → 15/100 (Interest triggered by mysterious circumstance)
SURVIVAL PROBABILITY: 64% → 58%
Sera began the lesson, explaining magical theory in a professional tone. But every few minutes, her eyes drifted back to Chen Wei. He kept his head down but it didn't work.
"You there." Sera said suddenly. "The transfer student."
The entire class turned to look at him.
"Yes?"
"Stand up."
He stood up slowly.
"You collapsed during orientation from spiritual exhaustion, according to the medical report. Yet you're attending the class. Either you've recovered very quickly, or you're pushing yourself too hard."
"I'm fine."
"Hmm." She walked towards him.
Other students watched with fascination as she stopped in front of him.
"Hold out your hand." She said.
"Why?"
"I'll check your spiritual channels. It's a standard procedure for students recovering from spiritual exhaustion."
Chen Wei held out his hand. Sera put her palm on his, and the room temperature dropped. Ice blue light flowed from her hand to his, as he felt a tingling sensation.
"Interesting."
"What's interesting?"
"Your spiritual channels are perfectly clear. No blockages, and no sign of recent trauma. You didn't collapse due to spiritual exhaustion."
If it wasn't spiritual exhaustion, then what was it? The system had said…
"Perhaps misdiagnosis." Sera said and returned to her position.
The lesson continued, but Chen Wei couldn't focus. He was too busy watching Sera, trying to figure out what she was thinking. Every time he looked up, she was looking at him. The class ended after an hour. Students began packing their things.
"Mr. Chen Wei?" Sera called out. "A moment, please."
Soon, he was alone in the classroom with her.
"I'm curious about you." She said as she walked towards him. "A transfer student who collapsed mysteriously, recovered quickly, and is showing no sign of the condition he was diagnosed with. That's unusual."
"I'm just lucky, I guess."
"I don't believe in luck. I believe in cause and effect." She circled around him slowly. "You're an anomaly, and I don't like anomalies."
"Sorry to disappoint."
"I didn't say I didn't like you. I said I don't like anomalies." She stopped in front of him. "It means I'll be paying attention to you until I understand what makes you unusual."
SERA FROSTWYN: 15/100 → 22/100
"I'm really just a normal student."
"Normal students don't collapse during orientation, and don't recover in two days from conditions that should take a week." She leaned in slightly. "So no, Chen Wei. You're not normal. You're a puzzle." She smiled. "And I'm very good at solving puzzles."
She then turned and left the classroom.