Arrival

White Divinity. Lohen Kingdom. 23rd day of the Zargis Calendar. 

Today, the capital of the Lohen Kingdom is quite lively. The marketplace is bustling with vigor and enthusiasm. Despite being the heart of the kingdom, very few nobles reside here. The reason being, the city is one of the largest marketplaces in the continent. 

However, that doesn't explain the excitement the whole city is having today. The city is named after the Second King of the Kingdom. But it has been a long time since it has been forgotten by the citizens. People today call it the 'K'-city. 

'K' is one of the seven grand portals to the core of the White Divinity. It only opens twice a year. The core of the White Divinity is a place where several powerhouses reside. 

"Hey! Get going. You ain't the only one moving to TRAY, alright?" A young man with green hair pushed the man in front of him. 

Hearing him, the other guy shouted. "Ah! Shut up! Will ya!? You won't die waiting here for a minute or two!"

In response, the green-haired man snorted and said nothing. 

Not bothering with the man any longer, the young man in the front unhurriedly showed his ID to the portal keeper. 

"Akzel Falter! Pass!" The keeper nodded to Akzel  as he stepped on the portal and disappeared in a few moments. 

TRAY. A-7 Dormitory. 

The only institution where General-tier mages, warriors and Arch-demons get to learn and study on Advanced Magic, Weaponry, Kingdom-building, etc. 

Akzel walked along in the empty park near the dorm he was staying at. 

Sitting on a bench, he wondered. "The weather sure is nice… is what I'd like to say but it doesn't fit my mood. A cold wind in autumn would fit perfectly."

Deep in thought, he suddenly took note of a guy who looked the same age as him. Wondering if he should start a conversation with him, he walked towards the guy. 

"Are you in A-7?" Akzel asked. 

For a moment, the other guy looked slightly shocked but then recollected himself. "Yup! You too?"

"Mhm. Senior?" 

"Ah. No. Type-zeta species." He said with a friendly smile. 

Hearing it, Akzel looked a bit shocked. He hurriedly got up and bowed. "My apologies."

There are several people living in the White Divinity whose races are currently unknown. They are roughly considered as "nobles" and were feared by others mainly due to their abnormal storage of mana. 

"Species" are further graded into different categories. They are admitted to the institution from the mere age of four. 

The other guy suddenly laughed. "It's okay. I'm not someone strong despite my mana capacity and I can't be considered as a noble since I don't have a family."

Hearing his story, Akzel did seem a bit interested but he figured it'd be rude to ask more questions. 

"Ah… your name is?" 

He smiled with a bit of embarrassment. "Zepry. You see, my grandfather has quite a lot of expectations from me. Anyways, yours?" 

Akzel gave an understanding look and gently smiled. "Akzel Falter. I'm certain that you will live up to his expectations."

Zepry just laughed sheepishly. After a bit of chit-chat, Akzel got up and decided to part when he noticed a certain individual in white sitting quietly on a bench reading a book. 

He looked a bit surprised and walked over to the individual with quick steps. As he started to move, Zepry closely eyed the individual.The individual was a she and was dressed in white but her outfit didn't look particularly eye-catching. Rather it was her aura that was extraordinary. 

"W-who is she…?" 

In response, Akzel put on a thoughtful expression while walking. "She's someone I know from the University I graduated."

Zepry, while lost in thoughts looking at her, nodded. 

Perhaps 'feeling' them approach, she looked up. For a moment, her face looked perplexed. "Aren't you… the son of Falter? Akzel, I presume?"

Akzel quickly acknowledged. "It is indeed so. Quite a coincidence, I must say, Miss Preslica."

She nodded her head quietly with a confused look. "Mhm. But what are you doing here? I mean, aren't your degree and achievements more than necessary for your aim?" 

Akzel scratched his cheek and sighed. "It seems that my achievements were indeed 'more than necessary'. Seeing my reports, my pops admitted me here without batting an eye on me."

Preslica lightly laughed before asking. "That reminds me. Are you the only one among our faction who is here? Besides me, of course."

Taking a deep look, Akzel sighed. "Unfortunately, yes. I think it would be rather odd if they waste three years of business management and come here to be a good-for-nothing Advanced Mage or Warriors."

Preslica dropped her shoulders. "That makes sense… ah, who might you be?" Noticing Zerpy, she asked. 

Zerpy, surprised by the sudden question, was about to answer when Akzel himself introduced Zerpy. "He's the first acquaintance of mine after coming here."

Zerpy and Preslica greeted each other. Preslica looked at him for a while, then opened her mouth. "You are an odd one…"

Zerpy, confused by her words, replied. "Um… what does that mean?"

"It's strange. Why are you pretending to be a zeta-type while you aren't one?" With a neutral expression, Preslica asked. 

Even though it was only for a second or two, Akzel noticed Zerpy flinch. Recovering his composure, Zerpy requested. "This is a personal matter. Can I request you to keep it confidential?"

Zerpy was a smart person. He figured out pretension and deceit probably won't work against the person he was facing. So instead of taking the hard way round, he took a lighter approach. Preslica acknowledged this approach. 

With a gentle smile, Preslica said. "You can rest assured. I'm sure you must have your reasons."

Zerpy stood there, petrified like a stone, until Akzel slapped his back. "Don't worry about it. My lips are sealed as well."

To this, Zerpy gave a helpless smile. 

… 

.. 

Pouncing down on his bed lazily, he took out his smartphone and looked through the first year curriculum. 

The curriculum of the first years is divided into three parts - Four theory, three practicals and one Explore/Help.

Akzel scowled at the last one. Although it might sound pretty lame, it is the hardest of the three. The meaning of it is pretty simple - Explore an ancient ground/Helping a given fief either by protecting it from monsters or by raising funds. 

Graduating from his university with a high rank, he is now twenty-two years old. Before graduating, he always used to look forward to his business life. Being a noble, he would inherit his father's fief and live his life without any hindrance. 

But all his expectations were broken apart when he proudly showed his reports, which were over his expectations, to his father. 

"Haa… do I seriously have to live here for three fucking years!?"

Grumbling to himself for a minute or two, he got up and prepared his dinner. The temperature is below 13°C today, so Akzel decided to make something hot. 

… 

.. 

Akzel leisurely made his way to the department he was appointed to. Eyeing some of the notable people here and there, he finally arrived at the class he was assigned to. The name of the class was pretty simple - 1G.

Akzel suddenly remembered his days in high school and smiled subconsciously. There were quite a few people in the class as Akzel arrived quite early. Looking around, he soon found a suitable spot to sit. 

He soon made friends with few of his classmates and chatted with them. 

Trent, a tall and decent-looking guy, slapped Akzel's shoulders. "Woah. Dude, you got it rough. I originally practiced and trained to be a S-class candidate but the S-class is far out of my reach…"

"What are you getting disappointed for? It's better here. The people in S-class are all workaholics! Do you think you can compete with them even if you somehow got into the class and got amazing talent?" A blonde-haired guy named Wadel asked. 

In response, Trent simply shook his head and smiled. 

A few minutes later, the professor entered the room and it suddenly became quiet. The professor walked with unhurried steps, stepped on the platform and looked at the students. 

The professor was middle-aged with a proud mustache hanging below his nose. With a rough voice, he said. "I'm going to be teaching you Theory for the next three years. It's pointless to give boring lectures. Advanced spells are not complicated aside from a few space spells. Just read the books I will recommend before the exams."