章 1: The Academy’s Long-Time Dunce.
"Zord"
A man with dark circles under his eyes called Zord's name. The man's thin cheeks pushed his cheekbones higher, giving off a bonier impression. He would've been considered a resident of the slums if he had been dressed poorly.
However, this man was actually a vice principal of Sky City Institute.
The skinny man, vice principal spoke in a businesslike tone, "You should know why I called you."
Zord nodded with a shadowed face. This was because he couldn't bear to open his mouth and answer the question.
He had been prepared for a while, but it felt like his heart was falling apart now that it was actually happening.
"Your written grades are brilliant. You had only deducted three points among all your subjects. Even then, they were just minor mistakes. There was no one else who could answer it except for you, so you can think of it as a perfect score."
Although it couldn't be confirmed publicly, some test questions had been 'designed to be wrong'. It was a tacit rule in the academy so that a full score wouldn't be granted easily.
Nevertheless, Zord only had points deducted for three questions. Perhaps it was a better performance than some professors. Vice principal admired the talent of this young man while feeling sad at the very same time.
It was because Zord lacked the talent to become a magician or warrior.
"However, you can't graduate because your cultivation rank is lacking" The decisive voice pressed firmly on Zord's back.
Within this world, the Dragon God Empire, warriors are separated into in-training warriors, beginner warriors, intermediate warriors, advanced warriors, Swordmasters, Grand Swordmasters, Earth Knights, Holy Knights, Sword Saints, War God – these ten levels. Starting from Swordmasters it is then divided into lower, middle, and upper levels. As for magicians, it is subdivided into in-training magicians, beginner magicians, intermediate magicians, senior magicians, Great Magicians, Mage, Arch Mages, Soul Masters, Great Soul Masters, Saint Soul Masters – these ten levels. Similarly, beginning from Great Magicians it is divided into lower, middle, and upper level.
In this academy, there was five grade, for each grade divided into classes, in total there were 6 classes, 3 for fighting, 2 for magic, 1 for magic and fighting. Zord entered magic and fighting class. When he was at 1st level and 2nd grade, he was brilliant and outstanding students, he had a photographic memory and already memorize all books in the library. But when he entered 3rd grade, Zord stayed at the 3rd grade for 3 years. He couldn't pass the bottleneck of his cultivation.
"Hu… Zord, what cultivation rank are you now?" Vice principal asked with frustration.
He had asked the same question last year and the year before that. However, the answer had never changed.
Zord once again repeated the same answer, "...Beginner Magician"
It was terrible.
Most of the academy's students usually reached the Intermediate Magician by the end of the 3rd grade and became Senior Magician when they entered the fourth grade. It wasn't uncommon for excellent students to reach the Senior Magician at fourth grade.
However, Zord had stayed at the academy for five years and still couldn't cross the wall of Beginner Magician.
Additionally, that wasn't the only problem.
"Have you mastered 3rd Tier Magics"
"...I failed."
Zord already memorized all magic in the library. He remembered all of them, from low tier (1st Tier – 3rd Tier) magic until high tier magic.
'It is a waste of Zord's brilliance, but... with low cultivation rank, he will never survive as a magician. Spending 5 years and not even mastering 3rd Tier Magics, it is hopeless.'
He looked down at Zord with a wistful expression.
Any other student would've given up sooner... Zord, who knew better than anyone else that he was without talent, had been trying for three years. That commitment was incomparable to the other students who had grown up like plants in a greenhouse.
The reality was too cruel to Zord.
The Vice Principal pulled out an envelope from the drawer and hesitated for a moment. This wasn't the first time, but it felt like the weight of the envelope had increased as the years passed.
It was a letter given to a grade repeater.
"This is my role as your teacher, but… I can't help feeling like I'm doing something wrong to you. I'm sorry."
"...No, it's fine."
"Read it once and discard it. There shouldn't be anything different from last year, but you never know."
Zord accepted the envelope calmly.
His fingers were continuously on the verge of trembling, but he managed to resist it somehow. This was his third repeater letter. Receiving it once would make someone an object of ridicule while receiving it twice would make someone the shame of their family.
Zord was the only student at Sky City Institute ever to have received it three times.
More than anything, the third repeater letter had a separate meaning.
This was the last one.
A fourth letter didn't exist.
The Vice Principal hadn't said it, but if Zord didn't Reach the 4th grade next year, he would be expelled.
It would be a scandal so disgraceful that it would be better for him to quit and defend his honor.
'Is it only up to here?'
Zord looked down at the repeater letter with empty eyes.
His eyes which had once been filled with dreams were darkening. The young man, who had stepped into the academy to become a great magician, now had to face the grim reality which would cause his knees to buckle.
'I can do it next year. I can graduate next year.'
Such hope was now devastating for him, as he stood on the precipice of ruin.
He was raised at the orphanage. Since he was a child, he had the highest talent to be a magician from other children from his orphanage, so the city gave him a sponsorship to enter the Institute.
So, Zord had wanted to become a magician. Unlike those who had to undergo harsh training since childhood, children with noble titles were able to enter the academy without much difficulty.
However, it was up to there. Zord would go to sleep later and get up earlier than anyone else. He worked enthusiastically in class and reduced his amount of sleep in order to practice his mana. Rather than blaming the scarce environment, Zord had believed he would be rewarded if he put in more effort.
'Was I too optimistic?'
His classmates had entered 5th grade now years ago, and juniors two years younger than him became his classmate already. Every day, some noble students always bullied him. Zord was so popular, even the new students knew his name.
He was the academy's long-time dunce.
'Where did it go wrong?'
He walked with the absent mind. A gank of Noble students suddenly came and cried
"Hey, dunce"
But Zord didn't respond to them.
looking this dunce didn't respond them, one of the noble students shot a low tier fire magic: fireball. This spell couldn't kill Zord, but ...
"Boom"
The fireball hit Zord, and Zord fell from the 2nd floor to 1st floor. His head hit the floor.
"Why did you hit him?"
"Ruuuuuun"
週次パワーステータス
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