Time passed by so quickly. Before I realized it, night had come again. Yet, even after attempting filtering 157 times, I still failed to form my mana core. It really felt incredibly difficult for me. I decided to continue my training tomorrow and hurried to bed.
Finally, the day all students had been waiting for arrived. The new academic year began today. The welcoming ceremony for new students was about to begin—a long and incredibly boring event.
After quite a while of waiting, it was finally time for the principal to give his speech. For the first time, I saw the figure of the principal.
He was an old, chubby man with brown hair and a long mustache. I had thought the principal would appear a bit more elegant and intelligent.
But then again… aren't we not supposed to judge people by their appearance? Maybe he really is a genius behind that big belly.
About an hour passed, spent listening to the principal's endless rambling.
Honestly, I didn't understand a single thing he was saying. I just hoped the ceremony would end soon.
After what felt like an eternity, the welcoming ceremony was finally over. Now, I had to take the class placement exam.
The class placements were divided into ten classes, with fifty students in each.
My goal was, of course, the special class—a class filled with talented students from prestigious families.
It would be great if I could befriend them. That would help me build a career in the future.
A large room had been prepared. That was where all five hundred students would begin their journey at the academy.
I sat in the middle, feeling nervous. It had been a long time since I last took an exam like this.
The atmosphere was intense.
Everyone looked serious about this exam.
Of course, they were also aiming for the special class.
The special class had many advantages. Besides luxurious facilities and several special privileges, what they really aimed for was the opportunity to study alongside upperclassmen from the special class.
This academy had a unique scheduling system, unlike other academies. One week would be filled with academic lessons. The following week would be free learning.
It was during that free learning period that joint classes were held—a time to build connections and gather important information to pave the way for a future career.
Whereas in an ordinary class, it would be impossible to compete with the students of the special class. They would eventually end up as low-ranking sorcerers or knights—or worse.
It was like a prince playing in a grand palace garden while a peasant child could only play in the mud. Fierce competition from an early age meant I couldn't afford to miss this golden opportunity. An opportunity to change the fate of a village boy for the better.
Thanks to the leaked questions from my friend, Iyer, I was confident the special class was within my grasp.
But… wait. Haven't I not seen him again since our first meeting?
Where could he be?
I looked around, trying to find him.
Not long after, a boy waved at me.
It was Iyer.
I waved back. He didn't seem to have changed much over the past week.
The exam soon began.
A test paper with forty questions awaited me.
Without delay, I started pouring black ink onto the paper to answer them.
But something confused me.
The questions on the paper were completely different from the leaked material Iyer had given me.
Had Iyer been tricked by upperclassmen?
Or…
Damn.
I had worked so hard for this.
But all my effort memorizing those books was now useless.
Everything had turned into a mess.
I could only sigh in disappointment.
I then continued the test with an empty feeling, choosing to just let it go.
The class placement exam officially ended.
Of course, I hadn't managed to answer a single question.
My score of zero stood out, posted on the announcement board along with everyone else's scores.
The special class I aimed for was now completely filled by other students.
All that remained were the regular classes, ranging from Class 1A to 1I.
With a zero score, of course, I was placed in Class 1I—the lowest-ranked class.
I looked around. It seemed many people were laughing at my score. I lowered my head in shame and decided to head back to the dorm.
But before I could turn around, I heard some students talking.
"Phew, thank goodness that leaked material from the upperclassmen helped, hehe."
"Memorizing it wasn't a waste at all."
"Special class, here I come!"
I was stunned.
Weren't those leaked answers supposed to be wrong?
My eyes turned to Iyer, who was checking the announcement board with his friends.
I was shocked to see his name listed in the special class.
What the hell was going on?
I ran up to Iyer and asked what was really happening.
But… his words left me speechless.
"Hey, is something wrong, Vall?"
That fake smile of his appeared right in front of me.
"Wrong? Hey, didn't you say the leaked answers would show up on the test? Then why didn't they!?"
"Ahh… sorry, Vall. I guess I gave you the wrong notes. Please forgive me."
That sly smirk appeared on his face.
That bastard was lying.
"No! You're lying, you bastard! I don't believe your bullshit!"
My anger boiled over.
I shouted.
"Hey! Just how many people did you trick? So your competition would fall and you could easily get into the special class!?"
"What?"
"I asked, how many people fell for your trap? You gave them high hopes, only to crush them afterward!"
After all the emotional words I let out, he casually responded:
"One."
"What???"
"I said just one, and that's you, idiot."
"What do you mean!?"
"You think I tricked lots of people to make it easier for me to get into the special class? No, idiot. I actually helped them by giving them the real leaked material so they could get in easily."
"Then… why did you give me the wrong one!?"
"Because I don't want a filthy village boy like you in the special class. This is a filtering process, Vall, and only the chosen ones may enter."
"YOUUUUU!!!!"
"Vall, I don't want someone lowly like you in the same class as me, understand!"
I grabbed his collar and shouted.
"YOUUU!!! Bastard! I'll destroy you!"
My fist almost landed on his face. But the punch was blocked by one of his friends beside him.
"Hey, Vall. You know the academy doesn't tolerate violence. That's only going to get you in trouble, dumbass."
I bit my lip hard.
Pain and rage surged through me.
"YOU… You'll get your karma one day, bastard!"
I glared at him, filled with uncontrollable anger.
"Karma? No… I'm not afraid of karma, Vall. I'm not afraid of anything!"
He replied to my threat casually.
Damn it… damn it… damn it…
I trusted you… but in the end, all I got was a cruel humiliation!
That bastard, upon hearing my words, only laughed loudly and mocked me.
"Vall, looks like you forgot one important piece of adult advice."
"What?"
"Never place your hopes on someone else, you fool!"
He sneered with malice.
His face made me want to punch him again.
But before I could do so, the teachers arrived and stepped in to separate us.
People around had apparently gathered to watch the entire fight.
Damn, I let my anger explode without caring about my surroundings.
Now I just wanted to run away from all this chaos.
I quickly ran away from the crowd to return to my dorm.
At that moment… I felt truly broken. I was utterly crushed by what had happened.
I felt like the biggest fool in the world.
Damn… why did all of this have to happen?