Chapter 1
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Episode 1 - Holy Academy [1]
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Holy Land.
It's a game that can be played alone or with multiple players. Despite its fairly basic system, it has been very popular over the past decade.
The rank tiers of obtainable items are as follows:
Common, Rare, Unique, Special, Legendary, and Mythic.
The latter tier was one from which nothing could be obtained.
Mythic-rank items were not yet revealed due to their immense power.
However, there were others that did not grant power, but rather sealed it away.
"But these bandages didn't exist; they were just part of the character design."
Apart from the Mythic-rank bandages, there is the Unique trait.
"Eyes of the End wasn't a Unique trait he had. I clearly balanced Adel's power, so I decided not to give him a Unique Trait. Then why?"
I put my hand to my chin and, no matter how much I thought, I didn't come to any conclusion.
In any case, waking up in this body is strange enough.
"Anyway, where am I?"
I looked around, but all I could see was complete darkness, as if it were a sketch, with thin white lines tracing the entire room.
It wasn't hard to get used to. I walked around "looking" at the room.
There was a standard bed, a nightstand, a bathroom, and a window covered with curtains.
I walked over to the window, opened the curtains, and looked outside.
The world outside the room, which was previously completely black, began to take shape with simple white lines.
The street was filled with pedestrians and street vendors, houses, and small wooden or stone buildings in a medieval style with a modern touch.
"So I'm in an inn... well, if I'm not mistaken, then I should be in..."
I looked up. The black world quickly drew itself in white lines, and I could "see" an enormous palace or temple.
"That's the Holy Academy, a place where plebeians and nobles enter, founded by the first Saint of the Sacred Empire of Ordeal, the God of Light."
Once I had confirmed my current location, I looked inside the room, then searched everywhere to see what Adel had.
I only found a few coins. I wasn't sure if they were made of bronze, silver, or gold.
"Mhm..."
Using my senses and True Sight, I could detect the metals the coins were made of.
"Five gold, twenty-five silver, and a hundred bronze. In dollars, that would be about five thousand."
I put the coins in my pockets, then took the sword that was next to the bed.
By the way, Adel is a full-fledged swordsman thanks to his traits.
Once I had taken everything that seemed to belong to Adel, I went down to the first floor of the inn and sat at a table.
Then I felt someone approaching and looked up.
From the way the white streaks were arranged in her hair, I could tell she was a woman. Besides, with her curves, it wasn't hard to tell the difference between a man and a woman.
"Would you like to order something...?"
She paused for a second, probably looking at the bandage over my eyes.
"I-I'm sorry, I'll read the menu to you."
I nodded without saying anything.
Curiously, I understood her words, since the game specifies that this world has its own languages.
"It's surprising that you understand the language."
After a while, I ordered something simple and, before the woman left, I asked:
"What day is it today?"
The woman nodded and said:
"Today is Monday, January 7, 789 in the Imperial Calendar."
"Thanks."
"Bye."
The woman then left, and, honestly, I didn't know what to say.
'Today is the opening ceremony for enrolling in the Academy.'
That led me to have a question about it.
'What should I do exactly?'
Honestly, I don't have any goals. I just woke up in this world about half an hour ago, and it's still confusing.
'Should I follow the story and see if I can return to my world, or should I just wander aimlessly?'
However, I soon made a decision. I'm not someone who stays indecisive for long.
'I suppose entering the game's story wouldn't be much of a problem. Besides, regardless of the player's actions in multiplayer mode, any ending can be unlocked.'
A few seconds later, I decided to enter the Holy Academy. I don't have anything else to do.
Besides, I'm not worried about entering the game's story. It's not a linear story, but a branching one.
'Hmm, besides, the protagonist enters the Academy anyway, and it's safer there than anywhere else… besides, I'm blind.'
I'm not wrong about that last part. Adel is a character built for combat, not for everyday life.
From the beginning, I knew I was strong enough. I would probably be the second strongest first-year student at the Academy, since the protagonist is a special case."
After a few minutes, the woman from before returned.
"Enjoy your dinner."
"Thanks."
***
After leaving the inn, I quickly headed toward the Academy. From what I could tell, it was around eight in the morning.
The opening ceremony for new cadets is at nine. If I hurry, I could arrive a few minutes early.
On the way, I stopped to ask for directions. People were unexpectedly kind.
"Well, it's the Sacred Empire Ordeal, a place where faith in God is very natural, so people will be kind to most, and even more so to a blind man like me."
On the way, I focused on using my senses and my True Sight as much as possible to get used to it.
Soon, I no longer felt any discomfort. Additionally, thanks to Mana Sense, I could see the mana in the air with total clarity.
Without realizing it, as I looked around, I saw the mana that, unexpectedly, I could see in different colors.
Suddenly, I collided with someone.
"Ah..."
"..."
A familiar voice. In the game, the characters naturally have voices, and unexpectedly, this person's voice is the same as in the game.
When I looked down, I saw the white lines and, from her voice, I knew who she was.
In the game, she has pink hair and red eyes. And his name was…
'Clementine Lunovar.'
She was one of the main characters.
'It would be strange to run into the playable characters. They probably don't even exist.'
For example, Adel shouldn't exist, but there I was at that moment.
Anyway...
'Great, I'm in trouble.'
A clearly irritated voice reached my ears.
"Look at this jerk—can't you watch where you're going?"
'Isn't this a little ridiculous? You're telling a blind man to watch where he's going.'
I took a few steps back and said:
"I'm sorry, I'll be more careful next time."
She then got up off the ground and looked at me. Her expression changed slightly, but that was all.
"I'll let it slide this time, since you're blind."
Then she turned around and walked toward the entrance of the Holy Academy.
Watching her back, I sighed.
'Ah, I really am the creator of this character, but fortunately she saw my disability and didn't make a big fuss.'
Apart from that, I also noticed something else.
At the moment of impact, I felt the difference in physical ability between her and me.
'I'm quite strong physically, so she bounced back and fell down.'
Clementine is a swordswoman; naturally, she has quite a bit of physical strength.
But in that clash, I honestly didn't feel any exceptional physical ability.
"Well, this isn't so bad."
Without further ado, I continued walking. I soon entered the Holy Academy.
The place was enormous, with extensive gardens and buildings everywhere.
The plaza I was in was filled with new potential cadets who were taking the entrance exam.
While searching for a secluded spot, I soon sat on a bench behind which there was a fountain.
At the same time, I suddenly heard several people talking and gathering at the entrance.
"Look, isn't that the third imperial princess, Clana Ordeal?"
"Also, the youngest daughter, Miss Clementine Lunovar, of the Lunovar household."
"Yes, and the Starlight twins, Leon and Charlotte Starlight, are here too."
"Wow... All the important nobles came this year."
"Oh, look, Diana Arsene from the Arsene family is here too."
"This is going to be interesting..."
When I saw the crowd murmuring, I could hear them so clearly it was as if they were right next to me.
I looked around and thought:
"Mhm, I don't see the next Saint, Julian Reinhard, or the protagonist. The Saint is probably at the Academy; Julian might not have arrived yet... and the protagonist, well, I have no idea."
The rest are present: the third princess, Clana; Clementine; Diana; Leon; and Charlotte.
"It's a shame I can't see their faces, since all I can see is black… but oh well."
Shortly after, a loud voice caught the attention of everyone present.
"Please, be quiet for a moment."
The crowd quickly fell silent, and a sepulchral silence fell over the plaza.
Then, the person who had caught everyone's attention, the director of the Holy Academy, Bernice Ludwig, said:
"Let's open the admission for new first-year cadets."
A series of applause followed her simple words.
She cleared her throat and added:
"The entrance exam will consist of three parts."
She raised a finger and said:
"First, there will be a written exam where you will answer a series of questions and theories."
He raised a second finger.
"Second, you will be evaluated in an individual combat with a professor. This combat will determine the ten best students. Of course, you should also consider the written exam result, which complements the individual combat."
Finally, he raised his third finger.
"Lastly and most importantly, we will reveal who possesses an attribute. Those who do not have an attribute will not be able to enter the academy."
A murmur ran through the plaza before the applause erupted again.
"So, in the end, it all depends on the attribute..."
"Just as expected of the Holy Academy."
"If you don't have talent, you can't even try..."
After those words were spoken, applause spread throughout the plaza. Then, the director said:
"You will now be guided to Building A-9, where the written exam will take place. And as a final note, anyone who cheats will be disqualified and will not be allowed to enter the Academy, not even next year."
With those words, the director disappeared.
With my True Sight, I noticed that the space around her bent, and her body entered through that space.
'Wow... True Sight is much more impressive when you experience it.'
It didn't take long for several professors to start guiding all the candidates to Building A-9. Naturally, I followed them.