"Wow he really managed to get away from the nine of us in under a minute. Wasn't that guy supposed to be a mage?"
"It was obviously just luck. He can't hide for long. Actually it's better this way. If we find him first, it would mean all the rewards would be split between us!"
"Nonsense! The money's mine! Get out of my way!"
Nearby the clamoring three idiots was Max blending in plain sight. He was heartily chatting with a group of students, gathering information that could help him escape this situation.
Because of the welcoming ceremony approaching, there were many students participating in the fair scattered across the campus, making it difficult to locate Max in the large crowd.
However, there were three problems.
The first was that his unusual clothing stood out, and so he had to skillfully pick the right targets to camouflage in. Fortunately, his hoodie could be mistaken for a cloak or a robe.
Secondly, despite the academy housing almost a thousand students, their numbers would gradually thin out as the welcoming speech approached. The closer it got, the more unoccupied the space would become.
Lastly, there were restrictions on where he could go. For instance, entering a classroom was a bit of a hassle. While he was officially enrolled, he and the other first-years hadn't been assigned their classes yet, and some probably hadn't even settled into their dorms. As a result, there were several limitations.
Max could only enter classrooms or facilities that were open for viewing during this period, and unfortunately, most of those spots were outside, where the fair was taking place.
He bid farewell to his fellow seniors and scanned his surroundings.
Let's settle the first problem first.
Max's eyes flashed with sharp gleam.
Bingo.
"Hey senior, could that cloak be the Wind Rider's cloak? Mind if I borrow it?" Max asked, eyeing the emerald fabric that seemed to subtly sway despite the still air.
"...Huh? Mm that's right! This cloak is enchanted with wind essence from the harsh winds of the Flagra Hills in the east of the kingdom. A speciality that was difficult to acquire for most noble households."
The senior puffed up with pride.
"I haven't seen you around. Are you a junior? Your attire is also quite unique yourself—like nothing I've seen here in the Skysus Kingdom. What noble house do you hail from? I would be pleased to have an exchange of—"
"Money!! I found you!"
Max ignored the unwelcome intrusion and threw an arm around the senior's shoulder, who was too busy with his tangent to react properly. With a deft flick of his fingers, Max unlatched the collar, and the senior felt the sudden weight of the enchanted fabric lift from his back.
The nearby people erupted into screams.
The senior's robe had been taken away.
But the action itself wasn't exactly what caused people to scream. The reason people were screaming was because taking the rob left the senior almost bare naked!
Only a thin undershirt was left…
Max looked back between the robe on his hand and the senior with his eyes widened.
A brief silence fell over them.
The screams in the background not entering their ears.
There were many questions to be asked.
There was a time and place for everything.
But not now.
Max casually, but with clear disgust on his face, wore the cloak.
"...Sorry senior, I have to dip, will be borrowing this for a while. I will make sure to ask someone to wash it …thoroughly. Twice. Eh… three times."
Mistakes were made. Should have asked a pretty girl instead.
"Money!"
The money-obsessed, burly commoner finally arrived to Max. He, too, not minding the screams or let alone noticing anything about the strangeness of the situation. Fishing through his poor robes, he held out a flimsy-looking wand that no commoner would dare buy.
Max held a suspicion that this commoner's appearance was not due to having poor circumstances, but instead choosing to be extremely frugal for the sake of obsession with money.
Even the spell he was casting was glowing with a crumbling pale light!
There was more likelihood for the spell to die out any second or backfire against him!
"Be obedient and hand over the mon—I mean crystal. I happened to have learn this paralysis spell from a traveling merchant. One hit and you'll be—"
Naturally, Max did not wait for his monologue. As soon as he obtained the cloak, much to his disgust, he had been channeling his mana into the cloak. Yet, he felt insulted for being prepared against such fools. Gently, he trailed his fingers across the symbols that pulsed along its hem, feeling the fabric's surge of power.
The moment he felt it was enough, he unleashed the cloak's power.
Whooosh!
Wind essence roared through the emerald fabric, wrapping around him like a living current. His feet barely touched the ground as the cloak's magic took hold, gliding him forward.
Max spread his arms, not taut but loose—casual, as if welcoming the rush of power, as if he had always belonged in the wind.
"HAHAHAHA!"
"Is this what it feels like?"
He shouted into the wind, his voice carried far, not caring who heard.
"Is this what MAGIC truly feels like?!"
In a blink of an eye, he disappeared into the distance.
As for the money-hungry commoner…
Disaster.
The paralysis spell had gone wide, striking a student performing a minor levitation demonstration. The paralyzed student lost her control, dropping a floating globe of water crashing onto a group of noble young masters. Their outraged screams mixed with the half-naked senior's wails of despair as he hopped around clutching at his bare chest.
"You will return it, won't you?! My father will have my head!" the senior pleaded, his voice trembling as tears streaked down his face.
One of the young masters stepped forward, his expression twisted with indignation.
"Outrageous! How dare you, you mere commoner?! This will not go unpunished!"
The direction he was staring at was not at Max.
It was at the boy who was left for the dust.
The burly commoner, still shaken from his spell going astray, raised his hands in frantic denial.
"I-It wasn't intentional! I swear! I was just—"
The young master sneered, adjusting the cuffs of his embroidered sleeves.
"Spare me your excuses. You'll answer for this before the academy's enforcers."
One revenge down.
Oh so it seemed.
The burly commoner, realizing just how much trouble he was in, turned on his heel and bolted—only to latch onto the arm of one of the other two commoners assigned to capture the crystal.
"H-Help me! Tell them we were in this together!" he pleaded, his grip so strong that the lanky student found it hard to shove him off.
"Greedy pig! Get off me! Don't try to drag your mess into us. It was you that missed your shot!"
The burly commoner's other supposed 'ally,' quickly went to his defend the lanky student's protest.
"Y-Yeah! We didn't have the chance to make our move on him! It was all your fault!"
The young master's smirk widened.
"Oh Oh Oh Dear? What did my ears hear? 'You didn't have the chance…?' So I suppose I should take there is more than one culprit, hmm?"
He elegantly flicked his dashing blonde forehead hair with a newfound 'understanding.'
Behind him, the other noble scions closed in, their gazes cold and unrelenting. The three commoners huddled together, dread etched on their faces as they shrank back.
"Ohohoho Excellent. I do love seeing justice served… thoroughly."
It was not one revenge down.
It was three.
Triple kill!
***
Max perched on the branch of a tall tree. He finally had a chance to catch his breath and see what kind of System the author gave him.
Let's first check out what I am capable of.
"Status."
The information materialized before his eyes, floating in his vision.
[STATUS WINDOW]
Name: Max Draeven
Title: Extra
Magic Tier: 2 (Apprentice)
Martial Tier: 1 (Initiate)
Age: 22
Stats:
Strength: D-
Endurance: E
Agility: E
Magic: D
Aura: E-
Charm: C
"Woooo, Extra~"
Max whistled sarcastically, examining his pathetically mediocre stats.
"No surprise no surprise~ One of the stats seems to have a bug though. My Charm should be ranked at minimum A, no?"
He examined the grades carefully.
"System, what exactly do these grades mean? Obviously they're shit, but I want a better understanding."
[Grades range from F to SSS, with F representing zero aptitude and SSS being the highest achievable grade. Each successive letter represents a significant improvement in capability. The minus and plus modifiers indicate positioning within each grade bracket.]
The explanation continued to flow into his mind:
[In this world, individuals typically focus on either the Magical Path (Magic) or the Martial Path (Aura), progressing through eight tiers of mastery...]
From lowest to highest, the magical path begins with Novice, followed by Apprentice, Adept, Expert, Master, Grandmaster, Archmage, and finally, Transcendent.
As for the martial path, it starts with Initiate, then moves through Disciple, Warrior, Master Combatant, Warlord, Grandmaster, War Saint, and ultimately, Martial Deity.
So the paths are indeed the same as the novel.