A few days had passed since Isaac, now Soren, had woken up in this world.
Not much had happened, no grand adventures, no near-death encounters, no sudden power-ups.
Just school.
Classes, meals, and more classes.
Honestly, it was almost disappointing how… normal everything felt.
Still, he wasn't complaining.
A peaceful few days sounded great compared to being the protagonist of a game like ❰The Knight of Stellaris❱.
The first major event he remembered, the mock duel, wouldn't happen for weeks, and even with Soren's current stats, it probably wouldn't even be a big deal.
But that didn't mean he planned to stay weak forever.
Even if he didn't care about saving the world, there was no way he'd live the rest of his life with F-rank everything.
For now, though, he just had to survive daily lessons.
"Today, we'll be doing a joint exercise with the other first-year magic classes," Lilliana announced from the front. "You'll all form pairs, and once that's done, I'll explain the details."
Soren stifled a sigh.
'Of course it had to be group work…'
But before that particular nightmare began, his mind drifted back to what he'd discovered recently, about his status window, his skills, and magic itself.
The status window had revealed a few surprises.
One night, too bored to sleep, Soren started saying random menu commands he remembered from TKS, just to see if anything worked.
And it did.
He discovered the Quest Window, Store, and a few other minor features.
The Quest Window was still empty; he hadn't received a single quest yet, but the fact that it existed made him oddly hopeful.
He had always worked better when there was a clear goal and a reward waiting at the end.
Then there was the Store.
It used a currency called [Points], which, according to what little information he had, could only be earned through quest rewards.
[Points] could be exchanged for one of two things: Skills or Items.
Skills started at F-rank when purchased, but at least they were usable immediately.
Items came in two categories: single-use and permanent.
Simple enough.
Overall, it was a system straight out of a game, familiar, comforting, and, frankly, something he needed to stay motivated.
"Once again, please group up into pairs, and then I will explain today's lesson."
But the most interesting discovery had been his unique skill.
[Library of Memories].
At first, he'd assumed it was nothing more than perfect recall, basically a glorified memory cheat.
But the more he explored it, the more he realised that it wasn't that simple.
The skill had two parts: Passive and Active.
The passive side was what he had already been using: flawless, photographic memory.
But the active ability was… strange.
When activated, it pulled his mind into a vast circular library filled with books.
Endless shelves stretching beyond sight, the air thick with quiet energy.
Each book contained a memory, his memory, and by opening one, he could relive that moment in perfect detail: thoughts, sensations, even emotions.
A literal archive of his life.
When he first discovered it, he had immediately searched for anything related to the original Soren Arden.
There was nothing.
Only Isaac's life remained in the books.
It was both a relief and a little sad.
"Anyone without a partner will be assigned one," Lilliana called out again. "So please find someone quickly."
Finally, magic, he had learned, was nothing like the game.
In ❰The Knight of Stellaris❱, spells like [Aqua] and [Gaia] were practically useless; filler skills you used once before unlocking intermediate magic.
But here, magic required creativity, patience, and precision.
One of the other major differences is that magic in this world was notoriously tricky to master.
The process of casting a spell is as follows:
Picture the magic circle in your mind → Activate your magic circuit → Create the magic circle → Infuse mana into the magic circle → Chant → Release.
Miss a single step, and the spell collapsed.
Even keeping a spell active, like holding a water orb in the air, required constant mana control.
A single distraction, a bump, a speck of dust hitting your face, and the magic circle would be shattered.
'No wonder mages stay in one place during fights,' Soren thought. 'This is hell.'
And to make matters worse, stationary mages were expected to use high-damage or wide-area spells to make up for their vulnerability.
Soren, meanwhile, had two low-level beginner spells.
'So basically, I'm a glass cannon without the cannon part.'
He'd experimented a bit, though.
[Gaia], which altered terrain, could do more than he had expected.
By focusing carefully, he could turn solid earth into mud to slow someone's movements, or, in theory, create a small wall of dirt for cover.
Not strong, but something.
Still, it didn't change the fact that, as a magician, he was pretty much useless.
"I'll give you one more minute!" Lilliana's voice cut through his thoughts. "Anyone unpaired after that will be placed randomly!"
Soren shut his eyes and muttered.
"Nope. Didn't hear that. Not real."
Unfortunately, denial didn't stop the seconds from ticking by.
He sighed and stared blankly at the ceiling.
"...Why do group exercises exist?"
"Why do group exercises even exist?"
On Earth or here, it didn't matter; he hated them equally.
It wasn't even about being antisocial; he just didn't have the energy for forced small talk with strangers.
He hadn't spoken to anyone in days besides Lilliana during roll call.
'…I can't even remember the sound of my own voice.'
He paused.
'Actually, that's a lie. I remember too well.'
Looking around, he confirmed the obvious: everyone else already had a partner.
Figures.
He slumped in his seat.
"This A+ Charm stat is a fucking lie."
It was supposed to make him more likeable, more approachable, but here he was, radiating loneliness like an otaku in some manga.
He couldn't help but think that the world was unfair.
"Soren Arden, come here."
'Shit.'
"Yes, Miss Rose…"
"Umm.. You can pair up with him over there."
Soren followed her gaze and froze.
His soul left his body.
'No… not him.'
He swallowed hard, suddenly regretting all those kind thoughts he had about her before.
'How could you betray me like this?!'
But disobeying a professor wasn't an option.
So he walked toward his new partner, praying silently to every deity that existed.
••✦ ♡ ✦•••
The closer he got, the heavier his footsteps felt.
And when he finally stood before the other boy, his first thought was immediate and instinctive:
'He looks exactly like a walking red flag.'
'Wait, no, more like an NTR antagonist.'
"「Information」" he whispered.
.
[Felix]
Age: 18
Gender: M
Race: Half-Elf
.
Felix.
A name infamous across the TKS community.
The playerbase had given him countless nicknames: Scum, Trash, Playboy, Garbage, Womaniser, and every single one was accurate.
The guy hit on anything that breathed.
Flirted, charmed, then tossed them aside the second they got attached.
'He even went after the main heroine, Saintess Olivia, and the protagonist's childhood friend. Absolute human trash.'
Soren could already feel his reputation dropping just by standing next to him.
But what choice did he have?
Soren couldn't argue back to Lilliana.
When he had finally slogged his way over to Felix, he opened his mouth reluctantly.
"...I was told to pair up with you."
"Hmm…"
Felix looked him up and down, gaze lingering for an uncomfortable second.
Soren shivered.
'…I should clear things up to be safe.'
"Just so you know," he muttered, "I'm a guy."
He wasn't sure how he appeared to others, but with his long hair, androgynous voice, and shorter-than-average height, he was worried that he might have been mistaken for a woman.
Felix blinked, then laughed.
"What, you thought I was going to eat you alive? Relax, you're not my type anyway."
"Do I even want to ask what your type is?"
"Big boobs."
Soren's face contorted in disgust.
'Who responds like that?'
"...Gross."
Soren had nothing against people having preferences, but the way Felix said it was, as he said, gross.
Felix grinned, utterly shameless.
"Pfft! You're pretty interesting."
"Once again, I am a guy."
"You know what? I think I'm starting to realise why you weren't able to find a partner."
Throb
A vein twitched in Soren's forehead.
'Going right for the weak spot?'
He pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a deep breath to calm himself down.
Felix extended a hand, still smirking.
"Felix. Class B. But I'm sure you already knew that."
'Wow. Modesty of a saint.'
Soren reluctantly shook his hand.
"Soren Arden. Class F."
Felix's grin widened.
"Ohhh, you're that sickly-looking guy people keep whispering about."
Soren blinked.
"...Excuse me?"
Soren tilted his head in confusion at Felix's words, but before he could even ask about it, Lilliana's voice called out.
"Alright! Now that everyone's paired up, I'll explain today's lesson."
The class, as said by Lilliana, was essentially glorified target practice.
Students were to take turns casting magic on each other, carefully, of course.
There were also priests on standby in case anyone got injured, which seemed likely given that class A students were participating in the lesson.
When he and Felix reached their designated area, Felix smirked.
"Are you sure it's safe to hit you? You look like you'd crumble from a strong breeze."
'Why does he keep provoking me?'
Soren smiled back sweetly.
"Don't worry. I'll make sure you're the one needing the healers."
"Puhahaha! I guess we'll see, won't we?"
••✦ ♡ ✦•••
Ten minutes later, Soren was drenched in sweat and barely standing.
"Huff… huff…"
Needless to say, he had been thoroughly humbled.
Felix, meanwhile, looked entirely unbothered.
"You're kinda like a hedgehog," Felix mused.
Soren blinked up at him, confused and irritated.
"What are you even talking about?"
"You're small, prickly, and angry. A perfect little hedgehog."
'This bastard…'
He forced his trembling legs to stop and glared at Felix.
"Huff… I am so going to kill you."
Felix clapped his hands like a proud parent.
"That's the spirit! Come on, little hedgehog!"
Soren felt that he had to land at least one good hit before the end of the lesson.
••✦ ♡ ✦•••
Unfortunately, by the end of the lesson, the situation had not improved whatsoever.
Even until the very end, Soren was never able to leave so much as a scratch on the human trash standing in front of him.
Felix hadn't even broken a sweat.
Soren's pride was in shambles.
"Didn't you say I'd be the one needing the healers?" Felix teased. "Weird, I feel perfectly fine."
Soren glared.
"Will you please just shut up?"
Felix chuckled.
"Alright, alright. Here, I'll even do you a favour."
Woooongggg—
A soft light enveloped Soren as a magic circle flared to life.
"「Clean」"
He used [Clean] on Soren.
Soren blinked.
"Uh… thanks?"
Felix shrugged.
"No problem. Wanna grab lunch?"
Soren stared at him in disbelief.
"…Is this guy serious?"
He sighed, dragging a hand down his face.
'This world really doesn't make sense.'
————「❤︎」————