The Road to Class S Begins

The classroom buzzed with tension as Professor Aldric stepped to the front. His sharp eyes scanned the room, and the air grew heavy with expectation. Then, in his usual no-nonsense tone, he made the announcement that would change everything.

"The Class Rearrangement Test will begin in three days."

Lucien's stomach immediately twisted into a knot.

"The test will consist of two parts," Aldric continued. "A written exam on Basic Magic Theory and Advanced Magic Theory, followed by a survival combat trial. In the combat test, you will enter the Ebonshade Forest, survive against the monsters within… and you must defeat an A-rank monster to pass."

The entire class broke into murmurs of shock and fear — except for one person. Lucien was completely frozen in his seat.

[A-rank?! An A-rank monster?! ARE THEY TRYING TO GET YOU KILLED?!]

Lucien gulped. "I… I think they might be…"

Lucien see it as the perfect motivation to work harder — not just to improve his strength but to escape the bullying and hostility in Class A.

[Forget Class S! You're about to enroll in Class D — as in DECEASED!]

But it got worse. The written exam was on magic theory — something Lucien had completely neglected thanks to his intense focus on summoning and combat training. The thought of failing the theory exam and getting expelled — which, in this world, meant certain death — made him break out in a cold sweat.

Once class ended, Lucien rushed straight to the training grounds for his daily session with Professor Aldric. The training was brutal as always, pushing his fire magic and control of Ignis to the limit. By the time it ended, his body felt like it had been through a furnace.

But there was no time to rest. After training, he immediately went to find Aeris. She stood near the edge of the field, her silver hair gleaming in the sunlight as she practiced graceful sword swings.

"Aeris!" he called out, jogging over. "I… I won't be able to spar for the next three days."

She tilted her head, her cool blue eyes studying him. "Why?"

"The Class Rearrangement Test is coming up," he explained. "I… I need to prepare."

For a second, she just blinked at him — then her expression softened into something almost amused. "Oh. Right. I forgot you're still in Class A."

Lucien winced. The reminder stung more than it should have. "Wait… you're already in Class S?"

"Of course," she said simply. "I'm one of the top-ranked students."

[Oh great. Your sparring partner's an S-class prodigy. And you've been getting beaten up by her this whole time. What does that make you, Lucien? An F-class punching bag?]

"Shut up," Lucien muttered under his breath. "Anyway, I'll see you after the test."

Aeris just gave him a nod before returning to her sword practice, completely unfazed.

Lucien headed straight to the academy's massive library. As always, his heart soared at the sight of the endless rows of books — thousands upon thousands of them, promising knowledge and power.

[Focus, bookworm. We're on a time crunch here.]

"Right, right," Lucien said, hurrying to the shelves labeled Magic Theory. After a bit of searching, his fingers brushed against the worn spine of a book titled "Basic Magic Theory: Foundations and Applications."

But when he pulled the book out and opened it… his eyes went wide in shock.

"What… what the hell is this?!"

[Uh… Lucien? Why does this look like a five-volume encyclopedia written in the language of nightmares?]

The sheer thickness of the book. The complex diagrams. The walls of text that stretched on endlessly. It wasn't just a textbook — it was an ancient tome of suffering.

Lucien's trembling hands flipped through the pages. He felt his spirit leave his body.

[Good luck, champ. You're gonna need it.]

— To Be Continued.