Mana Evaluation (1)
[Congratulations! You've defeated the demon [Trevion the Evil (Lv 80)] and gained EXP!] [Level Up!! Your level has increased to 25!] [You have unlocked the achievement ❰Beginning of a Legend❱! You have gained an additional 15 bonus stat points!]
"Oh."
A sudden increase of 5 levels all at once.
Also, along with every level up, each of my stats were increased by 2. The rewards for achievements appear to have been awarded as it normally would.
By the way, the overly-high level of the enemy just now was because of this scenario being on the Hell-level difficulty setting. In other words, even if the level difference between us was extreme, a wild explosion in levels would not occur.
[Status] Name: Isaac
Lv: 25
Gender: Male
Year: 1st
Title: Freshman
Mana: 305/320– Mana Recovery Speed (D-)
– Stamina (D-)
– Strength (D)
– Intelligence (D)
– Willpower (B)
'Looks like my mana has increased by 20—. Meanwhile, all of my other stats are the same as before.'
A unique characteristic of ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱ was that, unlike most fantasy games, the player's level-up didn't have any kind of direct effect to their stats.
Sure, the higher the level, the higher the limit of the character's stats were, but it was not a mechanic for me to concern myself with.
In the end, you needed to start training desperately if you wanted to actually raise your stats.
The stat points that were accumulated from a level up can be invested in a character's 'growth efficiency', so as the game progressed, the stat level began to curve upward.
Therefore, it could be said that Isaac's stats would start to see a sudden rise.
Putting that aside, another game mechanic was that the higher the opponent's level was, the less damage it would end up taking. However, seeing as Trevion was only level 80 while I was level 120 at the time, the damage I had given him seemed to have been fully applied.
'Oh, does it also give party experience?'
I glanced at Ian, who was still knocked out on the ground.
[Ian Fairytale] Lv: 31
Race: Human
Elements: Light
Danger: X
A sudden increase of 1 level.
In ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, allies who fought together in battle received experience points according to their performance.
If the character was a damage dealer, it would be based on how much damage they dealt, if the character was a healer, it would be based on how much health they restored, and so on.
Additionally, the more characters in a party, the higher the total amount of experience would be. Therefore, it wasn't the type of system where the experience points were split between party members.
It looks like the party experience system was the same as before, even after the unpredictable event where I had gotten myself transmigrated into this game.
'The first bad ending has been prevented, and now–'
I should hurry up and head to the entrance ceremony.
The fact that I was still stuck in this world after three days no longer fazed me. It was a necessity for me to properly face all of the events that are going to happen in the future and to sort out each of them myself.
'–Oh, right. Kaya.'
Come to think of it, Kaya Astrean hadn't shown up yet. Plot-wise, Kaya Astrean was supposed to appear while Ian was in the middle of holding out against Trevion.
I tried looking around but couldn't sense or see her anywhere.
However—
When I thought about it more, it made sense. In the game, Kaya had only appeared after Ian held on for a while.
But I had already killed Trevion in an instant. In other words, Kaya must not have arrived here just yet.
'I'm glad.'
I felt relieved that I didn't get caught in the middle of the fight.
Had Kaya, the second seat of the entire freshman class, seen me obliterate a level 80 demon in one attack– I couldn't even imagine how things would've turned out.
If I were to continue living within this world, I would have to prevent any possible bad endings in the future. I shouldn't have such a setback in my plans this early on as a result of accidentally revealing my true abilities.
First of all, I had ended up making a lot of noise when casting [Frost Explosion]–, so it would be better to quickly get away from the scene before I get noticed.
After sorting out my thoughts, I began walking back towards the Academy for the entrance ceremony.
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'Wait, what?'
Kaya Astrean, who was currently hiding behind a tree, couldn't keep her mouth shut from shock.
While wandering around Josena Forest, she had suddenly sensed a dense source of mana and quickly flew over with her wind magic.
Once she arrived, she saw that there was a confrontation between a strange-looking demon and a single man.
To begin with, the random appearance of demons is normally considered to be a natural disaster. There was nothing all that strange about the sudden appearance of demons in a remote place like this.
Feeling the amount of mana he was emitting, it was clear that he was quite a dangerous demon. But in that case, just what the hell was that man who had slaughtered such a demon in an instant?
His appearance was that of a young male student with silver-blue hair and a pair of crimson eyes which had a bluish aura attached. His height seemed to be about average, and the overall impression he gave was cute.
However, the moment he fought, his eyes turned cold. It was a dramatic shift in his atmosphere, akin to flipping one's palm. It looked as if the air surrounding him became freezing cold.
Sure enough, it was quite an impressive attack. [Frost Explosion], a 5-star ice spell. With that much power, it was clear that his skill level was extremely high as well. Rather than feeling jealous, his skill was at a level worthy of admiration.
Furthermore, at the moment when that man cast [Frost Explosion], Kaya had sensed from him an amount of mana far greater than her own.
The amount of her mana was something that Kaya was particularly confident in. She was so talented in that regard that she was admitted to the Magic Department of the prestigious Märchen Academy as the second seat in her class.
But that guy— who the hell is he?
'Looking at his uniform, it looks like he's a freshman like me—?'
He was clearly wearing the academy uniform. A silver-rimmed navy blue cape was neatly draped over his shoulders, and the small brooch attached to his tie was scattering the red light that symbolized the first grade.
At a glance, you could tell that he was a freshman like herself.
'Could he be the 'Top Seat'?'
Seeing the clear difference between them, Kaya suddenly realized that she was a frog in a well.
The days when the people around her praised her while saying that she was a genius born with magical talents flashed through her mind.
—A strong skepticism regarding those claims now engulfed her.
"Breathe-!"
She let out a gasp when she saw that the silver-haired man began to move.
Kaya Astrean quickly turned around and crept behind a tree.
Her light green hair, tied to both sides into a twin-tail, fluttered for a moment.
She had been holding her breath. Kaya found the man's strength to be terrifying.
The silver-haired man, on the other hand, leisurely left the glade, as if he had never noticed her in the first place.
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The entrance ceremony in reality was similar to the one in the game.
It took place in the middle of a sunny day after the heavy rain had finally cleared up, while having the students gather up in an outdoor plaza.
I took a seat among the other students on an ordinary chair. Thanks to the faculty preparing the venue and installing a light barrier in advance, the plaza was left untouched by the morning rain.
Standing behind the podium was Luce Eltania, the top seat holder of the Magic Department's freshman class, and Kaya Astrean, the second seat beside her, who were currently in the middle of receiving their awards together.
For some odd reason, Kaya was looking back and forth between the second seat and the students sitting in the audience, wearing a suspicious expression on her face. Was she still in shock from being in the second seat rather than the first?
It was impossible to tell if that was originally the case, because the faces of the first and the second seat were hidden in this cutscene, but I never knew they could have that kind of expression. It felt fresh, in a way.
Fortunately enough, The main character, Ian Fairytale, was able to arrive at the entrance ceremony on time. Seeing how his physical condition was intact, it was clear that Kaya Astrean had quickly healed him with healing magic after I left the scene.
Thanks to his unique constitution, Ian could be healed to peak condition just by casting a little bit of healing magic on him.
Then, after casually talking about this and that with his savior, he would suddenly exclaim that he needs to get to the entrance ceremony as soon as possible.
By the way…
'I can't believe that the main character is having this much trouble from the get-go.'
An ominous feeling slowly crept down my spine–.
Although the main story hadn't even started yet, Ian Fairytale had already gotten his ass beat by Trevion the Evil.
In other words, it's impossible to know whether he would be capable enough to beat any of the numerous enemies that will appear in the future.
With my soul having been transmigrated into this world, I have no idea what kind of disastrous fate would befall me if Ian Fairytale were to die and cause a bad ending to occur.
With all of this in mind, the most certain way for me to avoid an untimely death is to go ahead and clear the main story of ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, while struggling through this hellish difficulty level to prevent a bad ending.
'It's a bit of a complicated feeling, though–'
Alongside a feeling of anticipation, the fear of the unknown crept up as well.
The feeling I had right now was similar to what I felt back when I had bought up all of the stocks of a certain electronic company, in the hopes that the stock price would end up rising to 100,000, all while the price chart gradually continued to drop.
It was the kind of feeling that made me feel both anticipation and anxiety at the same time, the kind that made me feel unable to move on as I told myself things like, 'It will rise again someday.'
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The orientation for freshmen was scheduled to take place directly after the entrance ceremony.
After checking the bulletin board inside the building's entrance and finding my name, 'Isaac', listed underneath the provisional 3rd class, I began heading over to the lecture hall for the provisional 3rd class.
After playing through this game a countless number of times, I had already become more than familiar with the layout of this vast and sprawling Märchen Academy. Thanks to that, I was able to find the lecture hall designated for the provisional 3rd class without any issues.
It was a terraced lecture hall reminiscent of what you would find in a university. Looking around, there were about 50 students who had already taken their seats. Even then, around ten more seats will be filled in the future as well. The Magic Department in this academy had a maximum capacity of 300 students per grade, with a total of 5 provisional classes each.
I roughly pushed my way through the crowd and sat down in one of the seats in the center.
Ian Fairytale, the main character, still hadn't arrived just yet, but even then there were a couple of familiar faces I could spot.
[Mateo Jordana] Lv: 75
Race: Human
Elements: Rock
Danger: X
Mateo Jordana, who would end up playing the role of an early villain in the story, acting as a stepping stone for Ian Fairytale's development. His brown bangs were greased back, revealing his clenched forehead, which he paired with his muscular physique to make for an intimidating figure.
[Tristan Humphrey] Lv: 71
Race: Human
Elements:
Wind
Danger: X
Then there was Tristan Humphrey, a vain aristocrat who had a hobby of looking down on those he considered weak as well as the commoners he saw as inferior. He was the typical blond-haired aristocrat who wore an arrogant smirk on his lips at all times.
[Kaya Astrean] Lv: 90
Race: Human
Elements: Wind, Ice
Danger: X
The second seat of the freshman and one of the game's heroines, Kaya Astrean, was here as well. She gave a cute impression with two black ribbons tied to her light green hair in the style of pigtails.
– Wait, just why am I getting embarrassed now that we're actually face-to-face? Am I shy?
Anyways, Kaya Astrean had the personality of a kind-hearted and broad-minded individual. Sure, there were some edges to her personality here and there, but they were more like defense mechanisms she used to hide her shyness and embarrassment.
She also tended to follow those she admired, like a lost puppy. She is the number one type of girl who should be protected from pseudo-religion propagandists at all cost.
She is also very good at making a mountain out of a molehill. She was a cute heroine who would attach a deeper meaning to each and every action Ian would make without putting much thought into them and would often get excited on her own.
'Woah.'
Having seen all of the characters from the game I always used to enjoy in the flesh, my heart was strangely feeling overwhelmed all of a sudden.
"Welcome, prospective wizards."
Eventually, the front door of the lecture hall was opened and our professor entered the room.
As he appeared, many of the female students started making various exclamations like "Oh my–", "Oh my God—", and "So handsome–".
The professor finally arrived in front of the podium amidst the commotion, staring at the students with a chilling glare as he stood in silence.
[Fernando Frost] Lv: 98
Race: Human
Elements: Ice, Water
Danger: X
Unlike the silver-rimmed student uniform, the gold-rimmed navy blue uniform was the attire that the academy professors would wear. His well-groomed silver hair, blue eyes, and tall stature exuded the aura of a professional.
Fernando Frost.
He was a cold individual who wore an emotionless poker face at all times, as if not even a single drop of blood or tears existed within his body.
In reality, however, he was a selfless humanitarian whose mind was always on the safety of and concern for his students.
Thanks to this appealing character trait, he was ranked 5th in the character popularity ranking of ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱.
Level 98. Although he was definitely at a higher level than most of his students, as a wizard, it was around average. For reference, the level of the characters in this setting was determined based on their direct combat power. The level of their knowledge is also involved to a certain extent, but in the end, the most important factor was their ability to use magic well.
If the setting of the criteria for a character's level was to be theory-oriented instead, Fernando's level would have been much higher. In fact, that would be the case for most of the professors here.
"I am Professor Fernando Frost. I am the professor in charge of the provisional 3rd class for this week."
Professor Fernando said as such in a smooth, calm tone. The girls in the class seemed to be dying because of the slick charm he possessed.
I'm sure he was aware of how handsome he was. This kind of reaction would be normal for someone like him.
– I envy him.
"Let's stop talking about any unrelated personal matters and just get straight to the point. Orientation will be held over the course of the next week. Then, when the class placement evaluation is completed and the classes have been properly divided, the lessons will finally start in earnest depending on the level of each class from then on."
Professor Fernando continued to speak with the same impassive attitude as before.
"With that said, for the sake of the future evaluation and to make sure that you are aware of your current level, I will be measuring the amount of everybody's mana from this point forward."
"Our mana?"
Oh, right. The amount of everybody's mana gets measured during the first orientation class. It's a minor part of the story, so I always skimmed through the event whenever I played through the whole episode later on, which caused me to forget about it entirely.
Either way, the results of the mana evaluation will end up being useful for my future tests.
When the story begins, the main character, Ian Fairytale, is rated in the test as an 'E' rank, the absolute lowest level when it comes to mana, so he ended up becoming an outcast among the students.
But later on, as Ian grows rapidly over the course of the story, the students increasingly start to reevaluate him.
"Alright, come out one at a time when your name is called."
Following the guidance of Professor Fernando, the students of the provisional 3rd class were able to safely arrive at the training ground along with everybody else.
It was a spacious training ground lined with seats for spectators and fine sand making up the floor.
In addition to the provisional 3rd class I belong to, several provisional classes all came out to the field as well. Ian and the heroines had caught my eye in particular.
"Here, I will be measuring the mana of each and every freshman belonging to the Magic Department."
Professor Fernando used a small stick with a loudspeaker enchantment cast on it to explain the rules to the crowd of freshmen enrolled in the Magic Department, all of whom were standing together in an orderly manner. Simply put, he was basically using a microphone, although it was called a 'loudspeaker' spell here.
Meanwhile, the other professors of the provisional classes were sitting in the stands in order to observe their potential students.
"First of all, take this."
At his words, the assistants began handing out objects to the students that had an appearance similar to hand grippers.
Of course, I accepted it as well. The translucent grip felt firm when I held it.
"This particular magic instrument is a tool that measures the maximum amount of mana of the user by looking at the concentration of their mana. All you have to do is hold it with a firm grip while allowing the mana within you to flow, and then your grade will automatically be displayed before you. That grade is what your current position will be within the academy, so this will be an important reference for any future evaluations."
As usual, Professor Fernando gave his speech in a perfect deadpan.
"Whenever you let your mana flow while trying to measure the amount of your mana, magic commonly tends to come out as a result. With that said, for the sake of the student's safety, I will be doing the measurements in an open space where there are no people for this evaluation. In each class, five people should come out, one group at a time in order from the lowest number."
Thus began our first mana evaluation.