A professor?' He questions. 'That's something new; I haven't taken a mission on one before. But why a professor?' He would do a hit without reason, just for money or, in this case, a mission.
This time around, he is sure that everything has a reason, and he wants to know.
[You'll have to discover that on your own.]
'How can a system treat a poor old man like this?' he thinks to himself before switching his gaze from the system back to the girl panting for needed air on the bed.
__________
[Profile]
Name: Zuri
Status: Commoner
Magic level: 3rd magic circle
Type of caster: Atomic
Possibility 90%
__________
'From what I gathered, that possibility relies on the possibility of defeating a person.'
He remembers the moment when Dragan rests his feet on his shoulder, his possibility going up from 50% to 51%.
'That solves the mystery around the possibility bar.' His fingers, his chin. 'Yet, I have no clue what exactly is happening to her; to understand that, I may have to see Ansil's profile; perhaps he's tied to this?'
"Oh, looks like you're back on your feet," A voice says beside him.
Half-glancing at her, his gaze catches on the lush green curls that brush just above her shoulders.
"Are you feeling any better?" she asks, her voice gentle.
"Indeed, I am." He answers, spotting a white fabric wrapping around her shoulders with a green plus in the middle. 'Healer.'
"The cause for your faint was Mana exhaustion. You reached the bottom of the barrel."
She turns to him as she explains, extending her fingers outward. A green magic circle forms and a gentle ray of light sweeps over his entire body, scanning him from head to toe.
"Yep, you are all better, just in time for the welcome ceremony." She smiles, but his eyes are caught on her pointed ears.
'An Elf.'
__________
[Profile]
Name: Saeris
Status: Commoner
Magic level: 4th magic circle
Type of caster: life
Possibility: 60%
__________
'She isn't showing any signs of animosity towards me.' He realizes. 'Thank goodness, dealing with another one of those pretentious brats would have gotten me a headache.'
"Thank you for your help." He turns and bows.
She flinches, flaring her hands, waving him off, red painting her cheeks and the tips of his ears. "No! No! Please don't bow!"
'Oh yeah. That's a costume from where I was from, but here it's different.'
"S–– Sorry." He scratches the back of his head, slightly embarrassed. "What is she here for?" He redirects the tension to the girl on the bed.
"Oh." Her voice deepens as she shuffles back to join him. "You wouldn't know this since you're a first-year, but lately, students have been getting sick. Strange black spots appear on their bodies, and they come terrifyingly close to death… but they never actually die."
Lux raises one eyebrow. "So what happens to them?"
"They surprisingly heal in a matter of hours, returning to normal, but they don't have any memory of how they became that way." She answers.
"Just like that? No explanation why?"
"Nope. None. The professors even hired the best life casters in the kingdom to find any answers as to why, but nothing came up." She relays.
"That is weird." He nods along. "Diseases don't just spawn out of nowhere." He voices it out loud. "Someone has to be behind it."
'Maybe that's why the mission for killing Ansil came up at the same time. He has to be behind it.'
"Exactly!" She burst to life, brown eyes lighting up as if she's finally being heard. "I've said that multiple times before, but no one listens. For a moment, I thought I was going crazy."
'In this world. Everyone is.'
"Thank you, sir, Lux." She smiles.
"No problem?" He is taken aback by her thanks. 'Plus, it's the first time since entering this academy that somebody has not been rude towards Lux. Perhaps he needed time to find his people.'
"Students! Please make your way to the grand auditorium for the first year's welcome ceremony." A voice ripples through the air.
'How is that even possible?' He thinks, looking around. 'I'm sure speakers weren't created in this era.' Then it clicks like the final piece to a puzzle. 'Magic.'
[Intellect points 1+]
'That makes it 73 points.'
"You can go on ahead. I'll join in after checking her." Saeris urges.
"Alright." He bows his head and starts toward the large double doors but pauses, eyes moving to his bare feet. Remembering his boots, he spots them beside the bed; he slips them on before finally exiting.
.
.
.
"Didn't you see his duel?" Someone scoffs. "It was so embarrassing."
"Did we even have to watch? It was obvious who was going to win from the beginning. It's a shame he had to be embarrassed once again before becoming a full-fledged academy student here." Another one hisses from the sidelines.
"Just look at him, pitiful scum." Her friend adds. "Ugh, just look at his torn uniform—no respect for the school at all, no wonder Master Dragan is so disgusted by him."
'Skinny frame, noble's daughter, 2nd circle, and small neck.' He thinks. 'Easy to kill with just my hands.'
His eyes flick to the one beside her for a split second before resuming in front of him.
'Commoner, 2nd circle, forgetful face, which means covering up her death wouldn't be much of a drag.'
He continues on his walk, ignoring all of their mockery.
He had heard them all before. Most of them were worse in his past life; before, it used to bother him, get under his skin, until he realized that they can't do anything to him.
He could kill them with one pull of his trigger.
'I may not be as powerful as before, but I know these scrawny fingers would be able to embed themselves into the dips of their throat.' He chuckles just at the thought of it.
"Freak." Someone scorned.
Reaching the open doors of the auditorium. "It's huge," he lets out.
His eyes land on the open space devoid of chairs, nothing like the conventional halls he'd seen at least once or twice as Zenji. Tall, black cobblestone walls stand around them, lined with torches that light up the air with a flickering glow. Above, a balcony overlooked the room, while below it, a stage rose a few feet off the floor, commanding attention.
"It's him..." Someone mutters behind him as he walks in, all eyes shifting to Lux once again.
'I swear these youngsters are going to be the death of me." He mumbles, moving to the far corner, his matte black hair blending in with the shadows, making it easy to hide.
A few minutes pass, and everyone awaits the ceremony to begin inside the hall.
'This should be simple. You've been chosen to join one of the esteemed families: the Violets, the Azures, the Crimsons, the Ambers, the Rosettes, the Obsidians, the Verdants, or the Aureates. After that, you have the choice to join one of the many guilds.'
He exhales, seeing Dragan smiling with his lackeys.
'I'm sure they're going to get into good families. I wonder what family I'm getting into.'
"Welcome, students!"
A powerful voice boomed from the shadows of the stage, echoing through the chamber like a summoning spell.
One by one, robed figures stepped into the torchlight, their presence commanding.
"We officially welcome you to the Academy of Heritage," one of them declared, voice steady with authority.
"How have your first two weeks been; adjusting, forming bonds, and learning the rhythms of life within these ancient walls?"
'Here it begins.'