'I remember reading a thread once, "Why transmigration would actually suck in real life." I got into a long argument with the OP, called him an idiot, told him he was overthinking it…'
Soren exhaled quietly.
'Yeah… I owe that guy an apology.'
Why was he having this thought right now?
One word: School.
Waking up before sunrise, dressing in stiff uniforms, and sitting through endless lectures until his brain melted.
To put it simply, it was hell.
Back on Earth, Isaac had been a college student.
He had gotten used to sleeping late, showing up to lectures only when necessary, and never having to wear anything resembling a uniform again.
But here, there was no such luxury.
He had to admit, for all the fantasies he had read, none of them ever mentioned how exhausting it was to live like a student again.
'And to make it worse, teenagers are even worse here.'
In his old world, high school was bad enough. But this place? This world ran on hierarchy.
A rigid, absolute system of status.
Nobles above commoners. Dukes above counts. Counts above viscounts.
The entire social pyramid was a nightmare, and as expected of a fantasy setting, arrogance came free with every title.
So, naturally, everyone looked down on someone.
And right now, everyone was looking down on him.
'Actually, scratch that. They're not even looking.'
He swallowed a sigh that threatened to escape.
It had only been an hour since he had woken up, and he was already exhausted.
Soren's lips twitched as another student caught his eye, then immediately turned away.
Every time he passed someone in the corridor, they either averted their gaze or quietly moved aside as if he carried a disease.
At first, he had been confused.
He had even wondered if his Charm stat of 8.4 meant people were shy around him.
But no, that fantasy had died fast.
They weren't shy. They were avoiding him.
'Seriously, though, what did you do, Soren?'
No one spoke to him. No one even tried. The cold avoidance was almost eerie.
It hurt a little, if he was honest, but only a little.
After thinking it over, he decided maybe it was for the best.
Sure, it was lonely, but if someone suddenly treated him like an old friend when he didn't even have Soren's memories, that would've been way worse.
'Still, it'd be nice to at least know why they're acting like I killed their pets.'
He sighed softly and leaned forward over his desk, resting his head on his arms.
"Whatever…"
With nothing better to do, he closed his eyes and pretended to nap until the professor arrived.
••✦ ♡ ✦•••
SLAM!
The classroom door burst open.
Soren's head shot up just in time to see an unfamiliar woman stride in, and for a moment, his tired brain failed to process what he was looking at.
Short, pink hair that fell neatly to her chin.
Vibrant green eyes.
Small, rounded bear ears twitching atop her head.
If "adorable" had a physical form, this was it.
'Holy crap… she's real.'
He had seen that face hundreds of times, in fan art, forum posts, character wikis, but he never imagined he would meet her in person.
At any other time, it would've been nice to see her, but right now she was a person he wasn't too happy to meet at the moment, leaving him conflicted.
He muttered a word under his breath, quiet enough so he wouldn't be noticed.
"「Information」"
.
.
[Lilliana Roseblood]
Age: 22
Gender: F
Race: Dhampir (Beastkin)
.
.
The familiar translucent window popped up, confirming what he already knew.
'I should've guessed as much…'
Upon reading the status window, Soren had noticed a key feature was missing.
The affinity bar.
He swallowed a sigh and closed the window.
The person who had just entered the classroom was Lilliana Roseblood.
A first-year professor, half-dhampir and half-bear beastkin, with both overwhelming talent and a childlike appearance that made it impossible to take her seriously.
In the forums, she was basically a mascot; cute, hardworking, flustered easily, and a goldmine for fan artists.
She was a beginner professor who had only just graduated the previous year, yet was still talented enough to earn a professorial role immediately.
The reason Lilliana was the professor of class F despite her overwhelming magical knowledge was simple: during her first year of teaching, she was assigned to class F as a way to test her abilities.
In Stellaris Academy, class F was a form of safety net for newly enrolled students.
Students who had just barely failed to reach class E.
Students who hadn't had their time to grow yet, that was who made up class F.
Stellaris Academy created class F as a means to discover these hidden sprouts, and that was also why the safety net that was class F would disappear by the second year.
And by giving them a year to develop, the academy hoped that these sprouts would blossom, even if only slightly.
The 35 students sitting in the classroom, including Soren himself, would be whittled down by the start of their second year, then merged into class E.
How many would remain?
The only people with that information would be the professors after the year ends, as there was no solid cut-off point.
So, if Lilliana could grow any of these sprouts, it would show her abilities as a professor.
Luckily, she was an outstanding professor, so next year she would be teaching class B of the second-years.
But to Soren, right now, she was a problem.
Because her presence meant one thing.
He was in the same year as the protagonist.
His chances of living a peaceful, trouble-free life had just plummeted.
Lilliana set her papers down on the desk with a cheerful smile.
"Good morning, everyone. I'll be taking attendance now, so please respond when I call your name."
Her voice was gentle, but it carried a hint of professionalism — the kind of tone that said she took her job seriously, even if she looked like she should be the one sitting at a desk.
Soren leaned back in his chair, watching her begin the roll call.
'Well… at least she's exactly like I remember her.'
That thought gave him the smallest bit of comfort.
••✦ ♡ ✦•••
Classes at Stellaris Academy weren't as magical as they sounded.
Especially not for Class F.
The lessons were basic, painfully basic, and Soren suspected it was because this class was essentially the academy's safety net for underperforming students.
Still, he had one advantage.
With his [Library of Memories] skill, he only needed to glance at a textbook once to recall every word.
Written tests would be a joke.
Unfortunately, comprehension was another matter.
Even if he remembered everything, there were subjects he couldn't fully grasp, primarily those involving the world's internal logic.
Like magic theory, or the class he was in now: Demonology.
"Does anyone know the difference between demons and monsters?" the professor asked.
Predictably, not a single hand went up.
"...The key difference," she continued, "is intelligence. Think of it as the difference between humans and animals. Demons, like humans—"
Her lecture rolled on, and Soren listened carefully.
For the other students, this was basic knowledge, but for him, a former player, every word was fascinating.
In the game, things like this were simplified to menus and tooltips.
In TKS, they never really went into any depth about the magic system, monsters or demons.
Magic was just a skill that you pressed a button for, and both monsters and demons were just enemies to be killed.
Sure, there were a variety of those enemies, but since it was an RPG, there weren't things like 'weak points' or things that would show up in real life.
Here, everything had rules, logic, texture.
Even the smallest details made him oddly excited.
Take goblins, for instance.
In TKS, they were weak, early-game mobs that barely deserved attention, but in reality, they were terrifyingly human; armed with rusty blades, smart enough to hunt in packs, and vicious enough to call for reinforcements.
It was unsettling… but also amazing.
For someone like Soren, who had spent a large chunk of his life reading wiki entries and memorising lore, learning about this world firsthand felt like discovering hidden DLC.
The bell eventually rang.
Ding- Dong-♪ Ding- Dong-♪
"And with that," the professor said with a smile, "we'll end class here. Be careful on your way out."
Soren snapped his notebook shut and stood.
'Finally.'
But he wasn't done for the day yet.
There was one last thing he needed to confirm, something that would determine how peaceful his new life would be.
••✦ ♡ ✦•••
The martial studies building loomed tall and wide, echoing with shouts and clashing metal.
Soren made his way down the corridor, blending in as best he could.
Stellaris Academy had four majors: Arcane, Martial, Divine, and Academic.
Arcane Studies trained mages.
Martial Studies trained knights.
Divine Studies trained priests and healers.
And Academic Studies… existed for nobles who didn't want to get dirty.
Although it may sound strange for there to be an academic studies major in a game like TKS, it made a fair amount of sense if you thought about it.
The world of TKS is a medieval fantasy.
The Academy's structure was complicated, politically neutral, yet intertwined with all three great kingdoms:
– The Kingdom of Fialova (The Human Kingdom)
– The Kingdom of Einhardt (The Beastkin Kingdom)
– The Kingdom of Yggdrasil (The Elven Kingdom)
Stellaris existed between them all, acting as a buffer zone, unaffiliated yet essential.
That neutrality, though, came with strings attached.
To keep funding and prestige, Stellaris had to cater to nobility.
Hence, the existence of Academic Studies.
And realistically, how many haughty, arrogant nobles would want to roll around fighting in the dirt amongst commoners?
He didn't really blame them, though.
Even with the Demon Realm getting more active, the wealthy always found ways to avoid danger.
'Honestly, that's not much different from Earth either.'
Regardless, the point is that Stellaris Academy established the academic studies majors as both a means to appease nobility and to attract more students.
After all, even if the world is in a state of constant wariness of Valefor, that doesn't necessarily mean every person is needed on the battlefield.
The academic studies major is irrelevant in-game, though.
TKS is a game about training, spending time with your characters, fighting bosses and eventually saving the world.
What room would there be for some bookworm who can't even take a step onto the battlefield?
There were fewer than five playable academic studies characters, and they were all considered garbage-tier characters that you wouldn't even glance at for combat.
'Well, some of them were cute at least'
Not that any of that mattered to Soren right now.
Soren looked up at the building in front of him.
He was here for one reason.
'Is the protagonist actually here?'
It was time to find out.
He was afraid of the answer.
If the protagonist didn't exist, then Soren would be forced into his role.
And that was the last thing he wanted.
He wasn't here to save the world; he was here to live quietly.
He had had enough stress for a lifetime.
So he waited.
Ten minutes. Fifteen.
Students passed by, chatting about practice and rankings.
Then…
Step step step
A flash of blonde caught his eye.
Soren looked up.
There he was.
Tall, blue-eyed, bright as sunlight, the protagonist himself.
.
[Alex]
Age: 18
Gender: M
Race: Human
.
Soren's knees almost buckled with relief.
"Hahhhhh..."
He slumped against the wall, grinning weakly. "Thank God."
The name was default. "Alex," with no surname, he was a commoner by origin.
But more importantly, his unique skill was unmistakable.
[Divinity].
That golden power was what made him the hero — the one chosen by the Goddess of Time herself.
In-game, every monster and demon was weak to [Divinity].
Here, Soren didn't know how it worked, but he didn't care.
It meant only one thing to him:
He didn't have to do it.
He didn't have to fight.
He didn't have to train.
He didn't have to save anyone.
'Perfect. You do you, Alex.'
A smile tugged at his lips.
'I'll just stay out of the way and enjoy the ride.'
With his worries finally gone, Soren pushed off the wall and started walking back toward the dorms, steps lighter than they'd been all day.
————「❤︎」————