High-Grader Ceremony

"Welcome, dear students! For the past ten years, you've studied this world's history, geography, Arcane foundations, and Magic Phenomena Compendium. But now that you've finally entered high school and become High-graders, It's time for you to stride on the path of Arcane!"

"Our academy…"

Inside a magnificent hall sat five hundred students on chairs facing a platform where a middle-aged old man with a dark brown beard was speaking. 

Behind the students was a gallery of seniors, teachers, and other students as the audience for what would occur in this ceremony.

After a small speech by the middle-aged man, another individual arrived on the platform and attracted everyone's attention—a beautiful woman in her thirties with long dark-cyan-colored hair. Her eyes were crystal green, and her being radiated a faint, sharp aura. 

Emerin Jade. She was the new principal of Cosmic Heritage Erudition Academy since last year, and she was unnamed till then, so nobody had information on her or about her prowess.

She was a beauty of high caliber, wearing a gorgeous V-neck dress that exposed the tempting cleavage of her big melons. Most people's eyes were attracted to her as she started speaking.

Although other students were excited and eagerly listened to their new principal, Arlott was snoring contentedly…on a front-row chair.

He turned fifteen a month ago and entered the high school section of Cosmic Heritage Erudition Academy after passing Middleschool. 

Beside him sat a beautiful blue-haired girl, the same one who saw Arlott grinning at the academy's entrance on his first day at the academy and has been his classmate ever since.

"Hey, Arlott. Wake up! This is our first day of high school. What will the new principal think if she sees you snoring, you dummy," Luna whispered in a suppressed voice as she elbowed Arlott and then glanced back at the platform, only to see the principal glance at her and Arlott.

Luna immediately sat straight and looked ahead. 'This rascal… Why do I worry about him anyway?' she puffed exhaustedly.

'But only I know about him, so I am special,' she internally thought, feeling good about it.

The principal, however, did not call out Arlott. Emerin continued her speech for a minute before she left, and another faculty member of the high school section of C.H.E Academy took over the platform as he started speaking.

"Students! We will commence a small examination to determine your class and rank! The rules…"

On the other hand, the principal was left curious about Arlott after she left the platform and headed to the third floor to her office. Though when she arrived on the second, she paused at the fence and glanced at sleeping Arlott from above.

'A fifteen-year-old dared to sleep on the entrance ceremony while sitting at a front-row seat…' Emerin thought, feeling weird. She didn't know she would encounter such a student. 

'Either he is spoiled rotten or just an idiot,' Emerin thought while shaking her head as she turned around and continued moving towards her office.

But suddenly, she felt a slight chill on her back and paused. 

Turning around, Emerin glanced back at the students in the hall from above as her gaze suddenly saw Arlott's light ruby eyes staring straight at her. Startled, Emerin blinked but then saw that Arlott was sleeping while leaning back on the seat, and his head arched upward, which was the same position he had been sleeping this whole time.

'Was it my imagination?' Emerin thought as she narrowed her eyes and then concluded a second later.

'It can't be. He indeed opened his eyes and looked at me.'

Turning around, she continued towards her office and entered before calling her secretory as a woman in her thirties entered the large office with bookshelves, an exquisite table-chair pair, and an array of decorations and paintings.

"Mia," Emerin nodded at the secretory and said, "Go to the High-grader's entrance ceremony hall and give me academic records and background information on a kid that's snoring on a front-row seat. He's the only one with black hair on the first row."

"I'll return in a minute," Mia nodded as Mana whirled into her, and she left like a gentle gust of wind.

…

'She sensed me,' Arlott internally said as he conversed with Laverna.

[Your fault. You were focused on Soul Washing and sensed her intent as she was looking at you, which prompted you to open your eyes at her.]

'En, but whatever. I doubt it would rise much suspiciously on me. After all, I am just an average student,' Arlott chuckled.

"Arlott Vorken!"

A middle-aged professor called out his name, waking him up after a good nap of ten minutes as it was finally his turn to take the rest to take the test.

'Jeez, I hate this surname of that bastard Derek, and now a lot of people heard it with my name,' Arlott smacked his lips and stood up after opening his eyes and walked towards the platform.

Instantly, a murmur started occurring in the hall as there were many who had accompanied Arlott for ten years in the academy.

"It's that bastard…"

"Yeah. I am betting he is going to get the lowest rank in the examination."

"Obviously. All he's done is sleeping and fooling around while barely passing all tests and exams."

"Now Luna will finally detach from him, hehe…"

"I don't know what she sees in him that she's always following around him like his tail."

"I heard they are dating…."

"Fuck you, don't say that. That's not true."

"That's like a flower on a dung, except that the dung is good-looking, but it doesn't change the fact that it's smelly and dung."

"It's only because he is a pretty boy. Luna will soon stop once she's fed up and realizes the truth."

'You bunch of idiots,' Luna internally scoffed as she heard murmurs. She really wanted to scold those boys, but she refrained. 

'Humph, what do they know about my prince, hehe~'

On the other hand, Arlott arrived on the platform and stood before a pedestal holding a watermelon-sized blue crystal ball with faint white sparks inside.

"Put your hand on it and infuse your mana in the sphere. Afterward, prepare to battle the monsters."

Arlott nodded and put his hand on it. 'Lave, who has to strongest Arcane Force in my class?'

[It's Luna. She has reached 2840 Arcane force, followed by James who has 2680 Arcane force. Luna got increase of 300 today, which was not there yesterday.]

'It looks like she ate some valuable resources to increase her Arcane force. Alright, I know what I need to show others now.'

The blue orb glowed as Arlott infused mana in it.

Afterward, Arlott felt as if his consciousness was connected to somewhere as he arrived in a barren ground.

Outside, everyone saw a magical blue screen conjuring three meters above that showed Arlott in a barren land facing a Grade-1 minion, Black Horned Dog—a meter tall brown-skinned dog with, an assortment of sharp black teeth and a black horn on its head.

Minions were animals and creatures naturally mutated via means like wild arcane force, natural resources and various phenomenons.

Everyone in the hall watched Arlott standing before the Black Horned Dog, eagerly waiting for him to release an attack as the Grade-1 minion rushed towards him.