After the first day, our regular classes began, along with a structured training regime. Everything moved peacefully, except for one person.
Yeah. The protagonist.
It seemed he had gotten on the nerves of the bullies from the very first day and became the primary target of every troublemaker in class.
They beat him daily like they're administering a fixed dose of medicine. I'm even tempted to go give a few kicks… but sadly, I'm too busy training.
For the next four months, life followed the same pattern.
Early mornings began with several hours of training. After that, I attended classes on time. In the afternoon, I meditated to increase my mana capacity. Late nights were for more training.
In this world, mana capacity can be increased endlessly through meditation. The only danger is overloading your body, if your physique can't handle the amount of mana you store, you could literally explode.
During these four months, my mana reserves increased considerably. My rank and skills improved as well, though the rapid growth from earlier slowed into a steady, stable pace.
Still, steady growth is better than reckless progress filled with flaws.
I had fully adapted to academy life. More importantly, my soul had completely synchronized with this body. I now possessed all the memories of the original Rio.
It turns out he had a family until the age of ten. Then came a demon attack. His hometown was annihilated in what is now known as the Drift City Massacre.
Rio was one of the few survivors. Buried beneath debris and unconscious, he escaped detection. Later, he was rescued and sent to an orphanage, where he trained hard and eventually earned a place in this academy.
I still don't know how my soul ended up in this body. It doesn't feel like a replacement… more like fusion. His will faded, but his memories remain, and I retained my sanity.
Well, this is my body now. I'll make full use of it.
Let's see the results of four months of training.
Name: Rio Flash
Class: Swordsman
Rank: D+
Max Rank Potential: No Limit (X)
HP: 1200/1200
MP: 800/800
STR: 50/100
SPE: 45/100
AGI: 43/100
DEF: 50/100
INT: 41/100
Talent: Limitless (X), Sword Aptitude (X)
Techniques: Basic Swordsmanship (D+), Elemental Sword Art (D+)
Skills: Body Strengthening (D), Lightning Sword (D)
Evaluation: You are an anomaly. Your growth rate is terrifying, and your potential is limitless.
"My Strength and Defense have both hit the major bottleneck of 50… They won't increase further until Rank B."
I stood up.
Today was important.
According to the novel, this was the day the protagonist would obtain his cheat system.
Right now, Fade was still G-rank in magic. Even after obtaining the system, it would take him a long time to grow strong enough to contend with me.
His biggest advantage? The infamous Appraisal Skill.
It could analyze people… and even show correct answers during written exams.
That's a real cheat. Good thing he can't appraise those of higher rank. Still, after midterms, I'll need a way to block it. I don't want him seeing my secrets.
Half an hour later, I was already seated in class when Anna made her announcement.
"As you all know, it's time to show what you've learned over the past months. Your midterm exams will begin in one week. Be prepared."
She left immediately.
Normally, everyone would leave too, but today, the classroom erupted.
"Oh crap! I trained so much I didn't study anything!"
"Damn it, I wasted my time in the luxury rooms!"
"Then you're an idiot. Don't tell me you want to rank lower than that trash Fade."
"At least I'll pass the physical tests. Unlike him."
Some panicked. Some cursed. Some compared themselves to Fade.
And Fade himself…
Despair was written all over his face.
Then suddenly,
He froze.
His gaze fixed on empty air in front of him.
It's starting. The show begins.
Minutes passed.
Then Fade's eyes cleared. A fierce light ignited within them. A wide grin spread across his face.
And then,
"HAHAHAHAHA… FINALLY!! HAHAHA!!"
"W-What the hell? Did stress break him?"
"Looks like this trash finally lost his mind."
"Shut up, you piece of,"
The bullies moved first.
They beat him right there in the classroom.
Even after getting a cheat, you shouldn't draw attention like that… It'll only get you into trouble.
Most students ignored it, including me. No one wanted to get involved. This had been happening for months.
But of course…
Someone finally stepped in.
"Stop! All of you! Keep this up and I'll beat you myself!" Kira shouted.
The bullies hesitated. After a moment, they backed off and left.
Fade lay unconscious, bruised black and blue.
"You there, carry him to the healer's office," Kira ordered.
As expected of the heroine… strong sense of justice.