Entrance Ceremony 1

After stepping out of my carriage, I took a look at the academy which lay in the distance.

Frankly speaking, calling it an academy was an insult to its beauty. It was practically a palace, its very existence radiated splendor and wealth.

With marble walls and with a blue roof, spanning hundreds of meters across, it was truly a sight to behold.

The Academy was separated into two wings, one for magic and one for swords. I intended on joining magic.

"Ah right, I almost forgot." 

I turned around and inspected the window of my carriage. When creating my character, I picked one of the premade appearances, it was slightly edited due to my choice of being the Duke's son.

I saw my reflection, and exclaimed at my appearance.

"Damn, it's not bad being hot." I grinned at my reflection.

I had silver hair with blue eyes, proving my status as a member of the Von Castellan ducal family. I had a well defined jawline and high cheekbones. Truly, I radiated nobility.

"Young Master Castellan, the staff will move all of your things to your dorm, I wish you good luck in the academy," said the carriage driver before leaving me.

'Welp, let's begin the first act, shall we?' I monologued.

I walked towards the main courtyard, in which the entrance ceremony would be held. I immediately noticed something was off.

'I guess this is the effect of [Terrible Reputation] huh?' I thought after noticing all the glares my way.

Everyone around me looked at me warily with a sense of slight hostility. Of course, nobody was brazen enough to act on it, yet it was still palpable.

Annoyed, I looked around scowling at all of them, immediately they lowered their gazes.

'I guess this is the influence of the duke's son, huh?'

'But still.. I wonder what the background of this character will be. The negative perks don't apply automatically, instead the story is crafted in a way in which I am naturally hated by many due to my backstory.'

Suddenly, I lost my train of thought after bumping into a girl with red hair.

"Ah, sorry." I apologized briefly.

The girl turned around,

"Oh no, it's fi-You? Are you trying to start a fight, you annoying bastard?!" She exclaimed after seeing who I was.

Very few people could afford to talk to me in this way as the son of a duke. And she was one of them.

'Why'd it have to be this one?' I bitterly expressed in my mind.

In front of me stood Iris Valorian, the first princess of the Valorian Empire. And more importantly, one of the main heroines of the story. 

As expected, due to my choice in perks, she was hostile towards me.

"No, I'm not, just let me be on my way," I responded curtly, trying to prevent an argument from breaking out.

"Seriously, you're the one person I hoped I wouldn't see here, you damn pervert!" She shouted before leaving in a rage.

'Ah, some information regarding the background of this guy, so he's a pervert? Well, it's better than being a bastard son or something of the sort.' I concluded after the interaction.

From the way she spoke to me, although it was full of anger, it didn't seem as if it was hopeless, I could still mend the relationship between us. 

Iris was one of the most important characters, as a member of the Royal Family, she possessed Flare magic, a magic known for its destructive capability. First created by the founding emperor, Valorian, he used it to burn down the waves of monsters that once existed in the Empire, building it from the ground up.

In other words, she's someone I'd rather have as an ally instead of an enemy. 

I made my way to the crowd in the schools courtyard, thankfully, I was no longer receiving any looks, everyone's attention was at the man at the podium atop the steps leading to the school's entrance.

Vice Principal Ataraxis.

A gaunt man with piercing gray eyes that pierce the soul.

Originally, he is a helpful character who acts as a kind mentor to students in the academy. 

But of course, I chose hell mode.

'Really, why did I have to go do that? If I chose normal mode, I'd be able to go home a lot easier. Clearing the True Ending on Hell mode... I don't even know if its possible.' I lamented.

Anyways, Ataraxis is a Necromancer who serves the Demon King, revealing himself at the end of the third act of hell mode.

'I'll have to take care of him eventually' I looked straight at him, and for a moment, felt us make eye contact.

"I imagine many of you are wondering why it is I, instead of Principal Wyzen giving this speech."

The crowed murmured in agreement. Principal Wyzen was the most famous figure of the academy. 

An SSS Rank Archmage, the highest in the entire empire and considered as one of the Five Great Powers of the Valorian Empire. 

'And he's dead.' I thought belatedly.

He had been sent on a mission to investigate the earthquakes occurring in the demonic continent. Currently, the world was unaware of the birth of the new Demon King, yet the Emperor was suspicious.

'It's a shame he had to encounter that thing.'

"Principal Wyzen is currently off on the orders of the Emperor himself, as such, it is likely I will be your principal for your tenure at this academy." He smiled as his purple robes fluttered in the wind.

"I hope you can all graduate from this academy, but I guarantee you that you will face endless struggles here. Many may drop out, but the ones that can make it through will become the Empire's finest swords. I wish you luck." Once again, he flashed a kind smile.

"Anyway, for today, you may spend your time to explore the academy as there will be no classes for you all. Although... I would recommend preparing for tomorrow, after all you'll be dueling to decide your class placements."

'Ugh... seeing that old bastard speak is sickening.' I grumbled to myself.

He had been a major threat in several of my runs. It would be best if I stopped him before the third act of the story.

Anyway, I held no interest in exploring the academy.

Over the course of 99 runs, I had explored every nook and cranny of the academy, including even forbidden areas such as the girl's washrooms and dormitories.

I swear it was to try and find treasures.

And I'm not talking about 'that kind' of treasure, you perverts.

Around the academy were several treasures for beginner players to find. I intended to monopolize all of them.

First, let's get that one.

I made my way to the back of the Academy, entering its forest.

I searched around for a couple minutes before finding a specific tree.

"Shit.. I'm this out of breath after climbing a tree?" I huffed, out of breath.

'I really need to get rid of [Cursed Affliction] as soon as I can.'

"Anyway, I found what I was looking for." 

[Forest's Heart

Rarity: Rare

An item created in the center of the Academy's forest. It was formed due to the high magical power of the Academy's grounds, caused by the concentration of talented students and teachers.

Absorbing it provides a tiny boost to all stats.

Note: This item rejects you due to your [Enemy of Nature] negative perk. Using it will give no benefits.] 

"As expected." I ignored the note.

"Inventory." I muttered under my breath.

'Great, it works!' I exclaimed.

I was unsure if the inventory I had in the game would really still exist, but I was delighted to learn that was the case.

I placed the item in my inventory and moved on to find the next three items.

[Wyzen's Pen

Rarity: Epic

An old pen of Principal Wyzen. It's quite extravagant.

No Effect.] 

As expected, it was found in the Academy's library, covered by several books. It was covered in dust, but definitely the item I needed.

I continued making my way through the Academy, eventually reaching the knight wing's training gym. 

Luckily, nobody was there yet. I was quite surprised, as I thought that they'd be training for tomorrows class placement. Maybe I was just too quick.

[Mana Bolt!]

My spell hit one of the floorboards, breaking it. Underneath it, I found another one of the items I needed.

[Old Prodigy's Headband

Rarity: Rare

An old headband belonging to a prodigious graduate of the Academy, why is it here?

Wearing gives a tiny increase to strength.]

Finally, I made my way to the dormitories. There, I found the last item.

[Failure's Test Papers

Rarity: Common

How sad, this student failed. It seems they didn't hide their papers well enough, seeing that you found it.

No effect]

To most people, the 4 items I collected would range from fairly useful to utterly useless. But these 4 items could be transformed into one. That item would be what would allow me to get to Class A tomorrow.

I entered my dormitory room, surprised how spacious and luxurious it was.

'It definitely wasn't this big in the game.' I thought, happy at the adjustment.

Whilst I was taking in my room, I noticed something. No. Someone.

"Greetings, young master. I am glad to see you have made it to your dorm. I will be joining you as a student of the academy as your attendant." A black haired girl in a maid uniform greeted me.

'Fuck, is this another death flag?' 

She was one of the girls in the main cast, Evelyn Whitewood.

Her background would change depending on the players background, always being someone close to them. If they were a commoner, then Evelyn would be their commoner friend.

And if the player chose to be a noble, then she'd join as the player's attendant.

Usually, this would be a great thing. Evelyn was a capable support character, proficient in healing and buffing spells.

But as I observed her, taking in her porcelain skin and delicate features, I looked into her emerald eyes.

'Creepy...' 

I felt like an anaconda was looking at me, waiting to strangle me.

Right, this is another effect of [Terrible Reputation] isn't it?

"Evelyn, I have something to do, leave for now." I wanted her out of my room as soon as possible.

Evelyn left my room, entering her own connected room. I felt extremely insecure after seeing her room so close to mine. 

'It was a mistake to take such a negative perk... I'll be fighting an uphill battle to rescue my reputation.'

Banishing such thoughts from my mind, I looked upon the four items I had collected throughout the day.

[Fusion]

[Fusion In Progress] 

[Lucky 7 Activated]

[Fused Item Rarity Upgraded!]

[Fusion Complete!]

[Essence of the Academy

Rarity: Epic -> Legendary (Lucky 7)

This is a little easter egg we put in the game for our most dedicated players. Surely it'll help :) ! - Developers

Effect: Very small increase to all stats -> Small increase to all stats (Lucky 7)]

"Oh?" I let out a gasp in surprise.

'So that's how [Lucky 7] works?'

'Maybe it was a good choice to make after all.'

I used the item without hesitation and took a look at my stats again. 

[Name : Ares Von Castellan

Class : The Joker

Overall Rating: C-

Stats: 

Strength : D- ---> Reduced to F+ [Cursed Affliction]

Vitality : D- ---> Reduced to F+ [Cursed Affliction]

Agility : D+ 

Intelligence: C+

Wisdom: B-

Charisma : A-

Jack : F- ]

I looked over my stats with a swelling sense of pride. It was a massive improvement, I wouldn't get a chance to increase my stats this drastically for a good amount of time.

The item I had just used was an easter egg placed in the game by the developers, only the most dedicated players would be able to find and put together all 4 of those items.

It was an extremely important item for me to get early on, as it was one of the few items that could provide an all-round stat boost. 

"Hm? Jack increased to F-?" My gaze hung on the mysterious stat.

Previously it had lingered on N/A. 

I spent some time trying to feel if there was any difference from the increase in Jack, but unlike the other stats, I felt nothing.

Strength naturally increased the physical force I could exert.

Vitality increased the strength of my body, making it more durable and less prone to injury.

Agility increased the speed of my movements, as well as how well I could perceive things.

Intelligence increased the speed and overall strength of my magic abilities.

Wisdom increased my mana pool, allowing my to fling more spells.

But Jack... it was an unknown stat, and thus I wanted to figure out what it was.

After a while, I wasn't able to come to any conclusion and decided to just sleep.

"Y-Young Master. I've come to serve you." 

I opened my eyes to see Evelyn, looking extremely nervous, her green eyes on the verge of crying.

"Why are you here?" I asked confused.

"Y-you ordered me to do this before we came to the academy." She really looked as if she'd cry now.

'Christ, this guy really is a bastard isn't he?'

The [Terrible Reputation] trait must have given me a fucked up background.

"Have you ever done this before for me?" I asked with concern.

She looked confused and answered.

"N-n-no. You said you wanted to save me till you got the academy. H-h-have you perhaps changed your mind?" She trembled as she spoke.

"Yeah, just.. go sleep. You don't have to do this." I sighed as I spoke.

[Confusion Stacks - 10/21]

"T-t-thank you, young master." She disappeared in a flash.

I slept with a bad feeling in my stomach.

[Host has entered unconsciousness. Memory Upload has begun.]