Training

" Julius! Can we ask who you chose as your mentor? "As expected, the moment I walked outside of the auditorium, almost every single reporter and journalist in the vicinity called out for my attention. Eyes that were filled with interest surrounded me. They were looking for a great scoop, as although I wasn't the strongest in the rankings, I was still one of the few who had the benefit of being announced throughout the whole school.

What happened inside the auditorium? They could only wonder. A man of unknown backgrounds suddenly rises up from nowhere and takes the academy by storm.

Many assumptions filled their heads, and they were already excited about what to write in their respective works.

Well, let's help these hard-working journalists, shall we? 

"Are you under Mr. Krill? Our sources seem to be saying such. "

"Of course not. " 

It seems like they didn't expect me to reply at all, as all the loud shouting from earlier turned quiet.

It was reasonable, as replying here is already a scoop in itself.

I wasn't really interacting with others, so no one knew what my personality actually was. They just think of me as some random, mysterious guy who is quite good.

Thus, the moment I started speaking, almost everyone in my surroundings shifted their attention to me.

"Then who? Is it the Fist Head Instructor? "The surge of questions increased the moment they realized I was answering them.

" Guess. "I replied with a smile on my face. Now that I had the backing of one of the strongest humans in the world, I could finally let loose somewhat or another.

"Wha—Is it the Palm Head Instructor? " 

A bunch of names came up from the crowd, causing the sound from the surrounding area to intensify even more.

Even Joey was mentioned, that I couldn't help but scoff the moment they said his name.

" What? Didn't we already tell them all now? Could it be… "

"Is it the President? "

I stayed quiet.

"The vice?" "Someone finally managed to guess amongst the crowd.

" Bingo. " With the same playful smile on my face,

As I said so, the noise continued to grow, leading people to question whether what they heard was right. Multiple years had already passed since Miss Scarlet took an apprentice, so the fact that she was accepting someone had garnered the immediate attention of everyone.

Unknown to them yet, however, that there would be two others who would fall under her jurisdiction. 

"Isn't Miss Scarlet a mage? " It wasn't just because of that that they were so shocked; however, as for all they know, Miss Scarlet's specialization was very far from mine, so how come I went under her?

They were all confused. What made him make such a decision?

Well, I'll leave that to their creative little minds.

You can take that however you like it. Make it an agenda or anything you want. At the end, people will know I'm under Miss Scarlet, and that's enough. The Witch of Inferno's Apprentice is quite an incredible title, if I can say so myself.

" [Examinee # 12643] Please proceed to the main hall. " The same speakers that called out for me, announce. They seem to be resuming the interviews now. All I can say is good luck to whoever is next, as I'm sure the mood inside there will be like a whirlpool in the middle of a storm.

With that, I decided to focus on other matters I needed to handle. Although my blessing was a clear fit for illusion, magic wasn't something I dabbled in at all. Nor even have a clue of how it works in terms of theory. I mean, it's not like I could've practiced. Magic back on earth is just some sleight of hand that is more useful to dexterity and thieves, after all.

Regardless, everything could be learned, and I already know the feeling of Mana. I'm lucky that my blessing utilized the said energy. That I had some experience with it here and there. Well, it's the reason why I focused on mage in the first place. I'm kind of lucky, as if it were something that utilized Aura, it would've been impossible to think of a fighting style that works well with my blessing.

Mana and aura work just like energy does. Your body keeps fuel, such as calories, and it will use said material to exert energy and perform other functions.

The two new energies are the same but work like blood. Mana just flows through the entire body, and you collect it from the surroundings to make the flow denser and bigger.

As for magic, it will just use some type of command to manifest in real time. Like you're running a program on a computer, but instead of typing hello world, you form flames from your hands.

Aura, on the other hand, already comes from the inside of the body, mainly due to the influence of mana on our bodies, causing a wild energy to develop deep within us. The longer or more you use your muscles, the more they will collect and produce an aura. They are connected in such a sense, yet different, that you can't use aura for magic, and you can't use mana for physical augmentation.

I understand that part, and it's because I understand it that I'm worried.

Mages had been gathering mana as early as they could. It's also no different for martial artists. They already have such a clear amount of energy in their bodies that I'd be like a toddler if I were to be compared with them.

They've had a lot of years to gather mana, and although this body has history in this world, it clearly didn't dwell much on becoming stronger.

But that's why I have to get that item.

The artifact that will trigger a certain encounter with a mini-boss.

The Chalice of Collection

An artifact that provides an entire blessing to its user.

I need it.

And I need it soon...

" Can't believe someone like this is only a single rank below me. " As I was walking through the Main Hall, a certain individual suddenly whispered as he walked past me, heading straight towards where I came from. It seems like he didn't even want to talk to me, as he just continued walking without looking back at me once.

From what he was wearing, it was obvious that he was of noble blood. He also had a well kept appearance, wherein his darkish blue hair was swiped to the size with some hair wax. I couldn't really make out his face, but his intentions were clear enough just from his words. Besides, I didn't have to see his face to know what he looked like, as I already knew who he was the moment some of the reporters said his name.

" Young master Jun! I heard you've mastered your axe arts at a very young age. Will you still go under the Axe Head Instructor then? "

Jun Mino.

The 25th-placed student and the future apprentice of Joey. A very fitting apprenticeship, if I may so myself. Both are asshole extremists that will go to annoying lengths just to get rid of Magnus in the story.

I wrote them thinking of giving Magnus a challenge, but it seems like it has come to bite me in the back.

It seems like I've annoyed someone by simply existing. Isn't that great?

I'm sure I'll have a lot of encounters with that guy.

…

With the interview finished, there's nothing left to do until the start of classes next week. I've built an image of a strong individual. I need to start working on making that title of mine a reality.

Although I might look great from others perspectives, I was but a mere ant in front of actual talents like Magnus. Besides, I'm sure my enemies will only continue to rise as time passes. I'm sure there's going to be a few people who will be digging for my information soon, and my lowly background is for sure going to bite me.

This is why I always find it weird for those main characters who think being weak will make their presence invisible. Being so absolutely normal and average that no one but a small circle cares for you is the best option for that. Otherwise, I'd rather be famous for being strong than weak.

Anyway, I have about four days of free time before the official classes start.

I decided to go back to my room and bring out a small textbook for some important matters.

Although I'm the main author of The Incarnation of Will, I'm still human.

There might be factors and things I can forget about in the future, so it's best to jot down some ideas on how the main story will flow.

I didn't make the words obvious, however, as there's a chance that the book might leak. The information contained here is not only my biggest weapon, but it's also my strongest weakness.

But, of course, being stronger than anything is still the best defense. With that being said, I have about four more days of trying to somehow fit the lowest possible standards of Front.

It's time to start training. As for the artifact... It doesn't really appear until the classes officially start, so all I can do is wait...

Miss Scarlet is still busy with the interviews, so I can only ask for help later in the evening, most likely. Regardless, I should familiarize myself with the school, so it's better this way.

So just like that, I went towards a building as big as the others, where the training arena should be.

There's a bunch of individuals inside, mainly at higher grade levels than I was, but it's just like a gym in real life. No one cared to look as they immersed themselves in their own training.

There's a bunch of facilities and equipment inside, ranging from the regular weights up to training rooms that had dummies and the tablet that I used during the entrance exams.

So, without wasting another second, I immediately started to focus on improving my mana yield and storage, as well as my physical traits, as they are still important for my survival.

With the same schedule every single time, the four days that I had for free passed in a blink of an eye.

I received some materials from Miss Scarlet, mainly potions that helped me with my growth, and I managed to break through one ranking to E-Low in the span of four days.

"Class will start soon. "