Time passed, and the first elective class began.
‘…I’m screwed.’
Enemies, enemies, enemies.
Enemies on every side.
The professor staring at him with contempt was an enemy.
The students glaring at him with open hostility were enemies.
Even this goddamn weak excuse for a body was an enemy.
『Besieged on All Sides! You have made enemies in every direction.』
『Title [Besieged on All Sides (F)] acquired.
You have received 100 Editing Points.』
『New Title Acquired
Besieged on All Sides (F): Slightly increases the chance of creating enemies. (Effect varies depending on conditions)』
『Besieged on All Sides (F): You possess a natural talent for turning everyone you meet into an enemy. Continue your struggle against all mankind.
This title may disappear or change depending on your future actions and reputation.』
Even this piece-of-shit status window was his enemy.
“I genuinely don’t know what I’m supposed to do with you, Screamweed Ex.”
Introduction to Protego Swordsmanship.
A muscular, scar-covered swordsman in his middle years looked coldly down at him.
A training sword made of iron lay abandoned at Ex’s feet.
“When I heard that a student who knew absolutely nothing about swordsmanship had enrolled in this class, do you know what I felt?”
“Wh-What did you feel…? Instructor Hans…?”
“Insulted.”
Hans Korf.
The professor responsible for Protego Swordsmanship, the sword art of the Hero.
He was also an odd man who insisted that his students call him Instructor during class.
His eccentricity aside, however, there was no questioning his ability.
Someone like Ex, who had never held a sword in his life, was no match for him.
Hans seized Ex by the collar and lifted him off the ground.
Quiet fury bled into his voice.
“If your intention was to tarnish my name and reputation, then congratulations. You have succeeded spectacularly.”
“Urk, cough…”
“What exactly do you expect to learn in this class? The only thing I can teach someone like you is how to take a beating.”
“I-I wanted to learn the Hero’s swordsmanship…”
“You think you’re even remotely qualified?!”
“Gah—!”
Hans hurled Ex aside.
Ex rolled pathetically across the ground, and only then did Hans turn away.
As though Ex was no longer worth his attention.
“Any more time or effort spent on you would be a waste. Go sit in a corner. I don’t care what you do there.”
“Th-Then what about my participation grade…?”
“An F, obviously. Do you have any objections?”
He had plenty.
Far too many, in fact.
“…No, sir.”
He simply lacked the nerve to voice them.
The other students laughed at his miserable state.
Some gazes contained scorn, others envy, and more than a few carried undisguised hostility.
There were also students who looked completely indifferent, as though he wasn’t even worth noticing.
One of them was a breathtakingly handsome young man with golden hair and golden eyes.
He had a powerful build and proportions so flawless they seemed sculpted.
Ex recognized him at a glance.
One of the story’s central villains.
Darius de Dritania.
The original protagonist’s rival and the Crown Prince of the Dritania Empire.
He stood at the absolute peak of Elyon Academy’s social hierarchy.
‘He doesn’t seem interested in me. I suppose that’s good news.’
Fortunately, the villains had chosen to ignore him.
There was no avoiding the professor’s contempt, however.
Nor could he avoid earning the collective resentment of the students.
And the real problem was that this wasn’t limited to a single class.
“What do you expect to accomplish in this class with a body like that?”
“You enrolled when you can’t even sense magic power…?”
“I can’t detect even a trace of divine power from you.”
The professors of the other popular courses reacted the same way.
One look at Ex’s abilities and background was enough to leave them appalled.
F, F, F.
His participation grades were already putting him in danger of expulsion.
“I’m screwed…”
It had only been four days since elective classes began, and he had already received fifteen Fs.
That morning, Roxwell had even given him a warning.
“Your classroom record is certainly impressive, Screamweed. Receive five more Fs, and a disciplinary committee will be convened. By all means, keep up the excellent work.”
Something had to change.
If he didn’t change, he would be swept away by the coming destruction.
He couldn’t allow himself to die like this.
‘Do I need to buy a talent?’
His next class was Arcane Truth Studies.
Seated inside the lecture hall, Ex stared at the status window.
It was the only solution he had left.
『Talent Shop
Basic Swordsmanship (F): 500 points
Basic Cultivation Method (F): 500 points
Mana Sensitivity (F): 500 points』
‘I have 2,350 Editing Points. I can afford them, but…’
He had been saving his points in the hope that he might acquire those talents through his classes.
Now, however, he had no choice but to consider buying them outright.
“Commoner! Carry these for me! Do you seriously expect the daughter of a count to carry books this heavy?”
To make matters worse, he shared this magic class with Lola.
Since Ex had enrolled in every available course, it was only natural that their schedules would overlap.
Whenever Lola caught sight of him, she rushed over while shouting “Commoner” over and over again.
“Commoner, you should consider this an honor. In case you’re too ignorant to understand what it means to attend the same class as me, listen carefully. Are you listening? Don’t ignore me!”
‘I’m this close to knocking her on the head. Calm down. She’s a noble.’
Lola naturally took the seat beside him and continued talking without pause.
She had been doing the same thing ever since the first day.
Then, once class began, she would fall asleep and leave Ex with the additional task of waking her.
‘She really is a handful…’
For some reason, however, she reminded him of his daughter.
Once that thought entered his head, he couldn’t bring himself to leave her alone.
‘Just as I expected, there aren’t many students. And she’s here too.’
Ex spotted a particularly conspicuous female student sitting in a corner.
She was an important character.
The way she looked around the room made it seem as though she found everything she saw irritating.
She had straight violet hair and sharp black eyes filled with venom.
She was undoubtedly beautiful, but her prickly demeanor warned everyone against approaching her.
The Reincarnated Sage, Circe Odyssey.
‘So that’s the infamous rabid dog… She looks exactly like the description.’
Ex renewed his determination to avoid becoming involved with her.
Just as he had with every other member of the Hero’s party, he kept his head down and made himself as inconspicuous as possible.
At least that part of his plan was proceeding smoothly.
The class began while Lola was still chattering noisily beside him.
Ex had secretly been looking forward to this course.
The professor of Arcane Truth Studies was both powerful and virtuous enough that the Reincarnated Sage would eventually accept her as a teacher.
There was only one minor issue.
“Hello, everyone. It’s my pleasure to welcome you all to Arcane Truth Studies.”
The door opened, and a soothing voice filled the lecture hall.
A beautiful woman entered, her abundant pink hair swaying gently around her.
There was an air of refinement and dignity in every quiet, measured step she took.
The woman, who appeared to be in her twenties, stood behind the lectern and greeted each student with her sky-blue eyes.
“My name is Maria Theresia, and I’ll be teaching Arcane Truth Studies. Please feel free to call me Teacher. Professor sounds so stiff, don’t you think?”
— Ooooh…
The male and female students alike brightened at Maria’s entrance.
They were instantly captivated by her radiant presence.
Most of the students in this class had failed to enroll in the popular electives and had come here merely to fill their required credits.
In truth, however, they were the lucky ones.
‘Officially, she’s a fifth-tier mage. In reality, she’s one of the few eighth-tier mages in the entire world…’
That was the kind of being standing before them.
How could anyone fortunate enough to attend her class be considered unlucky?
After finishing her greeting and introduction, Maria began the lesson.
“What do you think we study in Arcane Truth Studies?”
As in any classroom, a question directed at no one in particular was met with silence.
Maria didn’t give up.
She continued asking the same question, choosing one student after another.
None of them offered a proper answer.
Ex, of course, had no intention of answering either.
‘I need to watch how things unfold first.’
Eventually, it was Lola’s turn.
“Ah, um… Arcane Truth Studies is…”
“Don’t be frightened. I won’t eat you. Hehe.”
“Th-This commoner will answer in my place!”
Ex glared at her fiercely.
Lola immediately avoided his eyes.
Unfortunately, she had already passed the question to him.
Maria looked at Ex with gentle curiosity.
“Ah! You must be the student everyone has been talking about. The one who screamed during the entrance ceremony. Are you feeling all right? I can examine you if something hurts.”
“No, I’m fine. I’m perfectly healthy now.”
“Hehe, that’s good. Shall we have you answer the question, then?”
There was only one answer he could give.
“…I’m sorry. I don’t know.”
“That’s all right. It’s an unfamiliar subject, after all. In that case, one last person… Would the student sitting in the corner like to answer?”
Maria turned toward Circe.
Circe flinched beneath that gentle gaze, then hesitantly opened her mouth.
“…Arcane Truth Studies is an academic discipline that researches magic, the arcane, and the truths underlying their fundamental nature. It also studies the laws and principles of the world as they manifest through magic, along with the mechanisms behind those phenomena.”
“Perfect! What’s your name?”
“Aerial… Circe. My name is Circe Odyssey.”
She had nearly revealed her real name.
Why was Ex the one who felt nervous?
He let out an inward sigh.
“Circe gave us an excellent answer. To put it simply, Arcane Truth Studies asks one fundamental question: ‘Can we reach the truth of the arcane?’ That is the purpose of this field.”
Clap—
Maria brought her hands together.
Her brilliant smile seemed to illuminate the entire lecture hall.
“Now, shall we begin the lesson in earnest?”
***
What Ex needed from this class was Maria’s attention.
Her existence and knowledge would be enormously useful if he hoped to survive and gain power in the future.
What he needed to avoid was Circe’s attention.
She was a member of the Hero’s party and one of the story’s central protagonists. If he became involved with her for no reason, the main story could veer off course.
Therefore, his objective was clear.
‘I’ll draw Maria’s attention at the right moment. Just enough to make an impression.’
Until then, he would have to endure the damage to his reputation and wait.
‘That aside…’
This class was surprisingly easy for Ex.
Most of the lecture covered information that he already knew as part of the world’s setting.
Questions and answers concerning the pursuit of truth flowed continuously between Maria and the students.
“What word do we use to describe a mage’s strength? We call it their ‘tier.’ From the first tier to the tenth tier. Does anyone know what that ‘tier’ represents? Circe?”
“The ‘tier of a spell’ indicates its structural complexity and the number of stages required to manifest it.”
Maria nodded, encouraging her to continue.
“The ‘tier of a mage’ indicates the highest-tier spell that mage can cast. It also represents the minimum level of ‘Rebound’ they can withstand during spellcasting. Most commonly, it refers to the number of mana rings the mage can perceive within their mind.”
‘In plain English, it’s a magic level. Try to force out a spell above your level, and you get hurt. That’s Rebound.’
She certainly had a talent for making simple concepts sound complicated.
Ex kept that observation to himself.
Circe seemed to have taken an immediate liking to Maria, and she eagerly answered every question in an attempt to win her approval.
She looked like a lonely child starved for attention.
“…Lady Lola, wake up. Teacher is looking this way.”
The child beside him, meanwhile, was fast asleep.
Her head rested against his shoulder, and a thin line of drool trickled from her lips.
Thanks to her, Maria’s attention settled on Ex.
“Ex, would you like to answer?”
“I don’t know.”
“Hmm. It’s all right if you’re wrong, so please give it a try.”
“I don’t know.”
He answered every question the same way.
The moment he said anything useful, that rabid dog in the corner might take an interest in him.
And if that happened, he would be in serious trouble.
Unfortunately, every time Maria gave him a disappointed, sympathetic smile, guilt stabbed through his conscience like a knife.
‘I suppose she’s wondering why I enrolled in the first place…’
Thanks to the combined efforts of Circe and Maria, the lesson progressed smoothly.
It was a useful lecture that filled in many of the gaps in the world’s setting.
At one point, he even accomplished the remarkable feat of increasing his Intelligence by 0.1.
‘It barely moves at all now that I’ve reached 0.3…’
Before long, the class was nearing its end.
Maria posed one final question.
“As all of you know, martial artists, mages, and priests each wield a different kind of power. What distinguishes them from one another? A martial artist’s internal energy, a priest’s divine power, and a mage’s magic power. What is the difference between those three?”
Students throughout the room began offering answers.
Maria listened to them with visible amusement.
Circe gave another clear and precise response.
“According to the ‘Universal Mana Theory,’ all power originates from ‘mana.’ It is the primordial energy from which everything else is derived.”
“Very good. Please continue.”
“Internal energy is mana residing within the body.
Divine power is mana received from a god.
Magic power is mana drawn from nature itself.”
“An excellent answer. Then why can’t the three coexist? Why can’t magic power be used to perform sacred arts? Why can’t internal energy be used to cast magic? In the end, shouldn’t all three simply be different forms of the same ‘mana’?”
“That’s…”
Circe couldn’t answer.
Apparently, even she found the question difficult.
She lowered her head in embarrassment.
‘It can’t be helped. At this point in history, that’s still considered common knowledge.’
Ex silently organized the relevant setting information in his mind.
As he did, Maria called his name.
“Ex?”
He was the only student who hadn’t attempted an answer.
Maria had saved him for last.
“I don’t—”
“Wait.”
Just as he began his usual response, Maria cut him off.
“I won’t accept ‘I don’t know’ this time. I’ve heard that your recent participation grades have been nothing but Fs. If you continue behaving this way, I’ll have no choice but to give you an F as well.”
“Hmm…”
“It’s all right to be wrong. Everyone here is still learning. So, would you please explain ‘the difference between internal energy, divine power, and magic power,’ as well as ‘why they can’t coexist’?”
It appeared that Maria took her duties as a professor more seriously than Ex had expected.
He wouldn’t be able to escape with another claim of ignorance.
Ex considered his options for a moment.
Then he decided to guide the situation in a direction Maria would find believable.
Choosing his words with care, Ex opened his mouth.
“I’ve been developing a hypothesis on my own, but discussing it openly here would be somewhat…”
“Ah! You’ve been conducting independent research?”
To a mage, knowledge was wealth.
Demanding that someone disclose their private research was a serious breach of etiquette.
Of course, if Ex ended the conversation there, he would gain none of Maria’s goodwill.
So he took one step further.
“On that subject, could I ask you to review my research materials later? There’s only so much I can accomplish by myself.”
“I see. Certainly. Let’s look over them together after class.”
Maria turned her attention away.
Soon, she moved on and resumed the lecture with another topic.
For now, he had successfully captured Maria’s interest.
‘And Circe…’
Circe had apparently lost all interest.
She was staring elsewhere, paying him no attention at all.
True to her nature, she didn’t care about other people’s ideas.
Most of the other students reacted the same way.
Some looked at him as if to say, ‘What kind of research could someone like you possibly conduct?’ while the rest ignored him altogether.
Fortunately, that was exactly the situation Ex wanted.
Now it was time to talk his way through the next obstacle.
***
“Very well. What is your research topic?”
Time passed, and the lesson came to an end.
The other students left the lecture hall, leaving only Maria and Ex behind.
Until the moment she walked out, Circe continued shooting suspicious glances in Ex’s direction.
Ex casually ignored her.
‘How much should I tell her? I don’t even know how much of this has already been discovered.’
The information had to be important enough to catch Maria’s attention and earn her goodwill.
But if he revealed something too dangerous, his life could end right here.
‘I need to avoid the graduate-student ending…’
Unfortunately, judging the significance of the information wasn’t easy.
Ex decided to proceed cautiously.
“…Before I explain the hypothesis itself, I’d like to establish a few basic concepts.”
He approached the blackboard to organize his thoughts.
Picking up a piece of chalk, he wrote down three words.
Body, Soul, Consciousness
He underlined each term and began adding explanations.
Body = Internal Energy
“The body means exactly what it sounds like—the physical form possessed by all living creatures. Flesh and blood. Martial artists learn how to push that body to its absolute limit. Internal energy is the ultimate expression of that discipline.”
Soul = Divine Power
“The soul is a spiritual entity that exists separately from the physical body. Every soul is a unique and irreplaceable existence. Priests wield the power that resides within that soul. That power is divine power.”
Consciousness = Magic Power
“Consciousness is the totality of the mental processes involved in perception and experience. It creates the goals and intentions that guide our actions. Magic is manifested through that consciousness and intent. Magic power is consumed in the process.”
Ex paused.
Maria looked lost in thought.
A moment later, she fixed Ex with an intense gaze.
“This is a remarkably fresh approach. Please continue.”
“…For the sake of clarity, I’d like to introduce the concept of a ‘contract.’ The fundamental principle of a contract is equivalent exchange.”
Power Expended = Phenomenon Manifested
“The body enters into a contract with itself. ‘I will expend this much internal energy, so produce this much force.’ That is why martial artists must hone their control over the body to the absolute limit. The more internal energy they can offer, the stronger the body becomes, until that force can eventually be projected beyond the body.”
Body = Internal Energy = Contract with Oneself
“Divine power is a contract between an individual soul and a god. A soul refined according to divine standards—through righteous intentions, good deeds, and prayer—naturally comes to contain divine power. The god grants it. The priest then offers that divine power back to the god in exchange for a miracle.”
Soul = Divine Power = Contract with a God
“That’s a fascinating hypothesis. What about mages?”
This was the important part.
Maria sought the ultimate end of magic.
Ex needed to offer something that would truly stir her curiosity.
He took a deep breath and moved the chalk again.
Consciousness = Magic Power = Contract with the World
“Let’s assume that a mage forms a contract with some vast ‘will’ belonging to the world. Something even higher than a god… A law that is effectively indistinguishable from ‘the world itself.’”
“A will…?”
“By clarifying their consciousness, a mage requests that this ‘will’ cast a spell. That would explain why magic only manifests when the mage’s calculations are precise.”
Maria sank into serious contemplation.
Her deliberation, however, was brief.
“That premise contains a contradiction. Low-tier mages can’t cast high-tier spells. If what you’re saying were possible, ordinary people would be walking around using combat magic.”
“Strictly speaking, they can cast it. They simply suffer ‘Rebound.’ That’s why they’re prevented from trying.”
Rebound.
The backlash caused by magic.
When a mage cast a spell, the reaction struck their body.
The higher the spell’s tier, the more severe the backlash became.
As a mage’s tier increased, so did the limit of the Rebound they could endure.
That was one of the primary reasons mages were so desperate to advance through the tiers.
Mages who could no longer increase their tier searched for other ways to circumvent Rebound.
After generations of research, they discovered a method of using magic devices to withstand the backlash in the caster’s place.
“That also explains why magic devices can be mass-produced and distributed. Anyone can use a magic device as long as it contains a precise magic circle, a triggering intent, and the minimum amount of magic power. The device absorbs the Rebound for them.”
Of course, magic devices were not omnipotent.
Any Rebound the device failed to withstand would return to the caster.
That was why higher-quality magic devices were so expensive.
“Very well. It’s certainly an interesting hypothesis. However, you still haven’t answered why the three powers can’t coexist.”
“They can coexist.”
“…Excuse me?”
An unintelligent sound escaped Maria’s mouth.
Ex repeated himself as though the answer were obvious.
“They can coexist. Theoretically, at least.”
“…Explain.”
“The fundamental premise that every form of power originates from ‘mana’ is wrong. All three powers come from entirely different sources.”
He directly rejected the ‘Universal Mana Theory.’
The word ‘mana’ had been invented by scholars investigating the ultimate origin of power.
According to them, everything was reduced to aether through the passage of time, after which it transformed into mana…
It was all nonsense.
None of it was true.
‘This isn’t supposed to be revealed until the latter half of the original scenario… But Maria should be safe enough to tell.’
“Martial artists generate and accumulate internal energy within their bodies. As a result, there is no place in their bodies for magic power to reside. They’re effectively in a constant state of magic-power depletion. That’s why a martial artist can’t properly operate a magic device unless it has a separate power socket. The space where magic power would ordinarily reside has already been occupied by internal energy.”
“Yes, precisely. Isn’t that the very reason they can’t coexist?”
“Viewed from the opposite direction, all they need is a place for magic power. They could accumulate magic power the same way they accumulate internal energy. All that would be required is a cultivation method capable of doing so.”
He was talking about the Hero’s cultivation method.
Later in the scenario, after encountering a fortunate opportunity, the Hero would become capable of using both magic power and internal energy.
‘That’s the Mana Hole. Mana doesn’t actually exist in this world, but the term was adopted because people were already familiar with it…’
In martial arts terminology, the Mana Hole was essentially a dantian.
The cultivation method that allowed internal energy and magic power to coexist harmoniously within that dantian was the Hero’s unique cultivation method, unknown to the rest of the world.
“The same principle applies to divine power. All they need is to be chosen by a god. Most mages and martial artists have no interest in sacred arts… Instead of spending their time behaving piously, they devote themselves to training and scholarship. That’s why no one ever realized it was possible. It was merely a question of efficiency.”
‘Besides, with the goddess in her current state…’
The Hero was also an existence chosen by the goddess, which meant he could use divine power as well.
In the end, the Hero would wield all three forms of power.
“Ultimately… all that was necessary was a change in perspective. Of course you can’t use internal energy to cast magic or perform sacred arts. Each phenomenon requires a specific price. If you ignore the required payment and try to force the result anyway, how could the phenomenon possibly manifest?”
“…”
“…That is the subject of my research.”
He had concealed everything behind the word ‘research,’ but Maria’s mind was undoubtedly performing calculations beyond anything Ex could imagine.
‘As long as I call it ‘research,’ it shouldn’t violate plausibility… Probably.’
Maria’s expression was quite a sight.
She looked as though she had just heard something impossible.
For several moments, she stood frozen, as if struck by lightning.
“Ahem.”
Maria restored her calm smile, though a slight crack had appeared in it.
“It’s certainly an interesting research topic.”
Now came the most important stage.
If he had captured a reasonable amount of her interest, she should give him a respectable participation grade.
The danger was that he might have captured far too much of it.
Receiving excessive attention from Maria could become dangerous in its own right.
“Hmm. I see, I see…”
Maria considered something in silence.
Ex waited for her answer with the uneasy sensation of a condemned man standing on the execution platform.
At last, Maria smiled faintly and spoke.
“Very well. It appears you haven’t been ignoring the class after all. I’ll give you a reasonable participation grade.”
‘Yes!’
Fortunately, he had succeeded in earning her interest.
He no longer needed to worry about receiving a poor grade in this class.
Just as Ex relaxed, Maria continued speaking.
“Still, I’m curious. Your idea isn’t merely bold… It gives me the distinct impression that you ‘already know’ the answer. Where does that confidence come from?”
Maria slowly approached him.
Ex realized that something had gone wrong.
‘Something is very wrong.’
Only Ex and Maria remained in the lecture hall.
Maria reached out and gently placed her hands on his shoulders.
Her touch sent a shudder of revulsion and cold dread through his entire body.
At that moment, the status window erupted noisily before his eyes.
『Warning! A mere mortal has spoken words that touch upon the truth. Someone has realized that your thoughtless remarks contain a fragment of that truth.
A Plausibility Penalty will now be imposed.』
『Plausibility Penalty acquired: Scrutiny of Great Beings』
‘Did she actually figure it out?!’
Who were these great beings?
Maria’s lips curved into a greedy smile.
“Ex… Would you be interested in becoming an assistant professor?”
To Ex’s ears, her words sounded exactly like, ‘Wouldn’t you like to become my graduate student?’
There was only one possible answer!
“I’m sorry! I only enrolled in Arcane Truth Studies because I needed the credits!”
‘Become a dragon’s graduate student? I’d have to be insane!’
Maria—the dragon known as the Progenitor of Magic—grimaced.
A silent wave of Dragon Fear crawled up Ex’s spine.
–TL Notes–
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Woupdn’t it be funny if Demon Kimg or Demon God is include amongst the Great being?