Pros and Cons I

"This can't be…"

Kai's voice barely made it past his lips, his hands trembling as he held the envelope.

"I'm afraid so, Sir Draven...You've been selected."

He couldn't believe what his eyes were seeing. It was an invitation. Not just any invitation. It was from the Sorcery Association. A summons to the Sorcery Academy.

The Sorcery Academy was an elite institution governed by the Sorcery Association- achieving admission into such a school was every young sorcerers dream.

It was more than just a school; it was a proving ground, a place where only the best and most talented sorcerers were trained. Admission was strictly limited, and number of admitted students varied by class but for the Seeker Class, only the top 100 seekers in the entire world were accepted.

And yet, despite his well-known weakness, despite never even applying to be enrolled, Kai had been chosen.

'…It's gotta be a mistake... it has to be...if not, then I'm among the top 100 seekers in the entire world?' he muttered under his breath.

Kai's eyes flickered upward to Mr. Farrell.

"Is this some kind of prank? I'll have you know, I don't take pranks very kindly."

Mr. Farrell's voice cut through his disbelief as he stood with a calm smile etched on his face.

"I'll have you know, Sir Draven, the Association insisted you join the academy—for your own good as well."

Kai lowered his head, scanning the letter again, as if rereading it would somehow make sense of everything. Finally, he spoke.

"But… why? Why give me a spot?"

Mr. Farrell paused for a moment, as though he was considering his words carefully. Then, in a measured tone, he replied.

"You said you wanted to spite those who resented you. Well, now's your chance… It's your decision to make, Sir Draven."

With that said, Mr. Farrell turned away.

"If you decide to accept the invitation, I'll be waiting for you in the lobby tonight. The orientation begins at 8 p.m. There isn't really much to say. Just don't keep me waiting."

And then he left.

The hallway fell into silence.

Kai stood frozen in his doorway, still gripping the letter. His chest rose and fell in deep, steady breaths as he tried to gather himself.

Slowly, he stepped back into his room and shut the door behind him. But his eyes remained locked on the letter.

'I can't believe this… I made it into the sorcery academy?' He ran his thumb along his chin, lost in thought.

'But I didn't even apply… So, should I be worried, or glad?'

It might have seemed a tad bit suspicious that he got an admission so easily, but still, it was a golden opportunity—one that most sorcerers would kill for.

However that didn't mean it came without risks. For all he knew, the association might be trying to use him since he was the only survivor in an Eternal class raid. Still, that didn't mean he couldn't squeeze out as much gain as he could.

'Hmm...I suppose if I'm going to make a decision, I need to weigh the pros and cons first.'

Silence stretched between him and the letter.

As always, every situation had its pros and cons, and his next decision would be more than important for his near future. So, after a moment, he exhaled sharply, ready to weigh his options.

"…I'm going."

.....Well, he didn't weigh anything but maybe that was okay.

"The Sorcery Academy can help me develop my mana core… If I have one." His gaze darkened slightly.

"If I do, I'll be closer to gaining mana points through the system… and getting stronger." he muttered as he rubbed his jaw with his thumb.

"Meh… Let's see how it goes, I guess."

With a soft sigh, he tossed the letter onto his desk, walked over to his bed, and fell onto it.

"Until then… sleep."

***

Time passed quicker than Kai expected. Before he knew it, it was very near to 8 p.m.

He had spent the last few hours getting ready—not that there was much to prepare. Now, he stood in front of his mirror, dressed in a simple white t-shirt, dark blue jeans, a red hat and the same pair of sneakers he had always used for his jogs.

He adjusted the cap slightly while admiring himself in the mirror- for the first time in his life, he found himself attractive.

'Damn, I look like fine wine!'

Releasing a soft sigh, he strengthened his posture.

'...Well enough of that, no turning back now.'

With that, he left his room and made his way down to the lobby.

Down at the lobby, Mr. Farrell was already waiting for him near the receptionist's desk. The moment their eyes met, a warm smile spread across the man's face.

Kai hesitated, then stepped forward.

"Sir Draven." Mr. Farrell greeted him smoothly.

"You made the right decision."

Kai simply looked away, offering no reply. To him, this was more or less the boring part of his expendition, so he just wanted to get it done with.

Mr. Farrell chuckled lightly before turning toward a nearby hallway.

"This way."

Without waiting, he walked forward and then Kai followed.

The hallway stretched longer than expected. The walls bore intricate carvings of ancient runes, illuminated faintly by bright wall lights lining the path.

At the end of the corridor, a massive wooden door loomed ahead. On the door, A sigil was carved into its surface—an image of a snarling wolf surrounded by raging flames- The emblem of the Sorcery Academy.

As they approached the door, Kai gulped as anxiety closed in on him.

'This is it…'

Taking quite breathes, he continuously attempted to keep himself as calm as he could.

'Play it cool, Kai… First impressions matter. They don't know your level of strength. Just keep your head down, stay out of trouble, and everything will be fine. How hard can that be?'

Right then, Mr. Farrell's voice snapped him back to reality.

"Here."

Kai turned his head to Mr. Farrell just in time to see a wristband being held out to him. The band was sleek, made of smooth black material with a glass-like panel at the front.

"Wear this. It's mandatory for all students."

Kai hesitated only for a moment, eyeing it warily.

"Uhh…"

Still, he reached out, taking the band and slipping it onto his wrist.

Before he could ask any questions, Mr. Farrell gestured toward the door.

"They await you, Sir Draven."

Kai's breath caught in his throat.

A single glance at Mr. Farrell, then back at the door.

Finally, he exhaled.

Steeling himself, he stepped forward and pushed the heavy door open after a short tug with the door.

The creak of the door echoed through the hall as it swung inward.

And the sight before Kai made his breath hitch.

A vast hall stretched before him, lined with towering pillars and polished marble floors. A grand podium stood at the far end, and scattered throughout the space were the other admitted seekers—young men and women, all engaged in conversation with their various friend groups.

No one even turned to acknowledge his entrance. Not that he wanted attention anyway, so atleast something was going his way.

'Umm... I guess blending in isn't gonna be that hard.'

His eyes flicked around, scanning the crowd. He wasn't interested in mingling. He just needed a quiet spot to settle in, keep to himself, and maintain his "cool" demeanor.

Kai never had a cool demeanor.

He weaved through the minor clusters of students, searching for a good corner to disappear into.

However, along the way, his gaze swept over the people around him. The seekers or rather his competitions all had something in common- They were physically gifted—strong, well-built, confident, rich, beautiful, basically everything Kai had ever wanted.

'Lucky bastards… they had it all handed to them...'

He paused for a moment as a secondary thought crept into his conscience.

'...well, I did get a system, so getting stronger was basically handed to me as well.'

He paused his steps and his eyes flickered to his own hands, his slightly refined palm as his thoughts went on.

'But still...my stats aren't that bad anymore. I should be closer to their level at this point, right?'

Almost instinctively, the system's interface appeared before him, displaying his personal stats.

[Player: Kai Draven]

[Strength: 30]

[Skill: 29]

[Stamina: 26]

[Endurance: 29]

[Mana: 1]

[Player Level: Seeker]

'Hmm...' He hummed inwardly.

'I just have to keep working. I'll get stronger. And when I do… I'll find out the truth about this system... and why it chose to shorten my life span of all things.'

At last, he reached the far end of the hall and with a sigh, he leaned against the wall, crossing his arms.

'Finally. Now I just have to wait and play cool until the orientation star—'

A sigh came from beside him, cutting off his thoughts.

"Ahhh… I'm so tired. I just need to rest for a minute."

The voice was soft. Feminine.

And this quickly left Kai stiffened.

'I-It-It's a girl. Stay cool mehn. Don't mess this up...Do your cool pose!'

He straightened his posture, immediately commencing his cool pose which was him looking aimlessly at the roof with his arms and legs crossed as he attempted to radiate a "bad boy" vibe with unmatched confidence.

If confidence had a physical form, this definitely wasn't it.

"…Hey..." The voice muttered once more.

"...do you know how much longer it's gonna be before—" However, before he could even speak, the girl's voice fell silent, and he was left with nothing but the feeling of her dumbfounded gaze.

'W-Why'd she stop talking?…Is there something on my face?'

He swallowed, feeling a flicker of paranoia.

'No, I trimmed, shaved my beards- not that I have any- and did everything else before coming out. I looked fine. Right?'

After a few moments, finally, he mustered the courage and glanced at her.

However, the moment he did, he felt as though his soul had been suctioned from his body.

'No...it can't be...look closer..it...can't.'

His mind went blank.

The girl standing beside him was the same before from before. She was the same purple-haired girl from the gripper incident.