First lesson
After the top ten ascended the podium, Ahmed glanced at the crowd of students.
"I won't prolong my speech. You'll find everything you need to know about the Academy on your tu devices."
"Now, you may go attend your first class at the Academy."
"Is that all...?"
"Shouldn't the welcoming ceremony be more extravagant?"
Seeing the students begin to chatter, Ahmed spoke softly—yet his voice carried clearly to everyone in the hall:
"I forgot to mention: anyone late to their first class will be punished."
Hearing this, the students scattered like a flock of terrified sheep.
Of course, I took advantage of the chaos to slip away from Ludwig.
After leaving the hall, I transferred a portion of my Mana to my *tu*, and a map leading to my classroom materialized.
When I saw the classroom I'd been assigned to, I didn't know whether to rejoice or despair.
I was in the same class Edward had attended in the original story—the class where the main cast of characters would gather.
But suddenly, a young man's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
"Seems we're in the same class."
Turning toward the voice, I found a boy with brown hair and black eyes. His appearance was utterly ordinary. This was Jess Earth, the fifth-ranked student. He was walking leisurely behind me.
"Yes. We're both in Class A-7."
Jess nodded, eyeing me with a strange look, as if he wanted to say something but didn't know how to broach the subject.
Seeing his expression, I sighed inwardly. *It's time.*
I turned to Jess and asked quietly,
"What do you want from me, Jess Earth?"
Truthfully, I already knew what he wanted. I'd even pondered deeply how to handle his request, as my approach here would set the tone for how I'd interact with the rest of the main cast.
When I first entered this world, one of the earliest things I'd considered was how to make the main characters' team far stronger than in the original story.
Because I knew that no matter how strong I became, it would be impossible for me to defeat the Demon King alone.
So, I'd simply decided to follow the same method as the original story:
*Strength is born from suffering.*
If the original trials weren't enough to make the heroes strong enough to save the world, I'd just raise the difficulty.
As I lost myself in thought, Jess's voice pulled me back. He seemed to have finally formulated his request:
"I want you to get someone out of the Lower City."
Hearing this, I smiled faintly before replying,
"I can extract someone from the Lower City and send them to the Care District—but I have a condition."
Jess tensed.
"What do you want?"
"It's simple. Maintain your fifth rank. If you lose it, I'll send that person back to the Lower City."
Jess's eyes widened in shock. He'd clearly expected me to demand servitude or something similar—and he wasn't wrong. The original Edward had asked him to become a subordinate.
"Are you serious?"
At his question, I smirked lightly and channeled Mana into the runes on my wrist, contacting one of the original Edward's acquaintances.
After a moment, a hologram of a middle-aged man's face appeared.
Seeing me, the man paled like a corpse and spoke with forced respect and thinly veiled fear:
"What do you require, Young Master?"
"I need you to extract someone from the Lower City and take them to the Care District."
Relief washed over the man's face, as if he'd narrowly escaped execution.
"Of course, Young Master. What is the target's serial number?"
I turned to Jess.
"What's the serial number?"
Jess hesitated, still struggling to process the situation.
"Ahem. The number, Jess?"
Finally snapping out of his daze, he answered hurriedly:
"B3578916."
"Did you catch that?"
"Yes, Young Master. I'll locate B3578916 and relocate them to the finest facility in the Care District."
Ending the call, I turned back to Jess.
"It's done."
Jess nodded solemnly.
"Thank you. I owe you one."
I smiled dismissively.
"Save your gratitude. Just keep your rank in the top five."
Truthfully, he didn't need to thank me. Edward's favor was far easier to repay than maintaining fifth place.
Sigh.
"Regardless, I'm indebted. But there's one thing I don't understand... Why help me?"
I answered simply:
"Curiosity. I wonder how far an A-class talent like you can go."
"Now hurry. We'll be late."
---
Moments later, we finally reached Class A-7.**
The classroom was vast yet starkly simple, resembling an ordinary university lecture hall—save for the unspoken divide between commoners and nobles.
The exception was the front row, where a single student lay sprawled across the seats like a bed. His massive frame and short black hair made him unmistakable: Alexander. No one dared disturb his nap.
As we entered, a booming voice called out:
"Edward!"
Turning, I saw a giant seated in the second row. Unlike Alexander, this boy was rotund, with childlike fair skin and short blond hair. This was Nick Darkstar, ninth rank, and one of Edward's original lackeys—his family being vassals to the Lightstars.
Beside him sat a lean boy with short black hair and abyss-like eyes: eighth-ranked William Shadowmoon.
Seeing Nick and William holding court among the noble students, I smirked. Time to initiate the first phase of making this world harder for the main cast.
But first, I needed to confirm something. My gaze drifted to the back of the class.
There, alone in the corner, sat a student with golden-blond hair and eyes that glowed like twin suns.
This was the hero of this world—or rather, the protagonist of *Endgame Chronicles*: Solaire Earth.
His presence was utterly distinct from the others. After all, he was the one I'd written about most, the one I'd spent the most time with.
But I didn't stare long, moving instead to join Nick and William. Jess split off to sit with the commoners.
As I approached, noble students hastily cleared a path.
Sitting beside Nick, I gestured at the sleeping Alexander.
"What's his deal?"
Nick grimaced.
"Would you believe he stormed in, kicked everyone out of the front row—including William and me—and just... slept?"
"And you... didn't try to stop him?"
Nick forced a tense smile, but William cut in sharply:
"If you're complaining, why don't *you* wake him?"
Meeting William's challenging glare, I snorted.
"Thanks, but I'm not an idiot."
"Hmph."
Observing William's textbook bully act and Nick's strained smile, I couldn't help but feel uneasy. Are these fools really who I have to rely on for my plans?
But as I debated how to explain my schemes to them, a new figure entered—not a student, but a professor in immaculate black robes. His jet-black hair, pale gray eyes, and scholarly glasses gave him an air of detached intrigue.
His gaze first landed on the sleeping Alexander.
Instead of anger, the professor smiled—amused.
"It seems this class will be... interesting."
---
This is yesterday's chapter; I couldn't publish it due to the internet. Today's chapter will be published shortly.