Class Selection

The Ringless Mage Is Actually the Strongest Chapter 4: Class Selection

In a small, brightly lit room with an oval-shaped desk, the Headmaster sat alongside a few select teachers, including Meredith. The air was thick with tension as the headmaster carefully read through several parchments, which seemed to contain information on this year's students.

 A bespectacled man with dark hair and a slender frame, named William, broke the silence.

 "This year's students seem promising. We even have six prodigies in total. I wonder if this is an Omen."

 The headmaster nodded. "Yes, we have quite a few interesting ones. But that is not why I've called you here today."

 A sudden snore interrupted the discussion.

 Meredith scowled. "Hey fatso! This isn't the place to sleep, do you want me to fry you?"

 A stout dwarf jumped awake. "Ah! Apologies, Headmaster."

 The headmaster, unfazed, placed a set of parchment on the large desk and pushed them towards Meredith, who sat closest to him.

 Meredith, holding the parchment, read aloud, "Selene Ravencourt… Richard Vaelmont… Elena Wintervale… Roderick Lianhart… Liam Selrott."

 The Headmaster clasped his hands, his elbows resting on the desk. "Out of the six prodigies, I am recommending these five students for the S -class. Any objections?"

 At Velkia Magic Academy, classes were ranked from F rank to S rank, with F being the lowest and S reserved for the Elites.

 None of the teachers spoke, as though agreeing with the headmaster's decision.

 William finally broke the silence. "Forgive me, Headmaster, but what about the sixth prodigy? The dual caster? "

The Headmaster, stroked his beard, thinking for a moment, before responding, "Ah! young Inomi… She performed exceptionally well on the written exam but, her mana capacity is only slightly above average and she failed the combat exam. I believe it is best to place her in B-class for now—at least until we see more from her."

William opened his mouth to speak but decided against it.

 The headmaster continued, "There is one more student I'd like your opinions on."

 He picked up another parchment from the pile, and handed it to Meredith.

 "Orin Valcrest"

 William's face lit up. "Ah, that boy had interesting swordsmanship, I'd like to teach him myself."

 Meredith scoffed. "Tch… This is a magic academy. If you want to swing sticks around go and become a knight"

 The dwarf clearly irritated, chimed in, "You call yourself a battle mage? You're just all brawn and no brains, you brute"

 Meredith slammed a fist on the desk. "Hmmm? You got a death wish? Come here and say that to my face, fatso!"

 "Enough! You two!" The headmaster's voice boomed, silencing them instantly. He sighed, then continued, "Despite failing the magic analysis exam, Orin passed both the combat and written exams. I am also recommending him for S-class."

 The door swung open.

 As though they had been eavesdropping, a tall, slender man sporting a monocle and a fine suit, followed by a stout man, walked in proudly.

 The tall man spoke first, with a loud, commanding voice. "You can't possibly be considering a ringless mage for the S-class."

 The stout man nodded, puffing his chest out. "Headmaster, the mere fact that this academy admitted someone without a ring is an insult to all the nobles who did not make the cut. I implore you to reconsider."

 Meredith muttered under her breath, "The Fox and the Pig."

 The tall man shot her a sharp glare, "Tch…"

 An argument ensued, voices rising, but the Headmaster quickly shut it down with a single raised hand.

 "Enough! You've all made valid points. I will take this into consideration. You are dismissed.

 The teachers exchanged glances, but they knew better than to argue further. One by one, they filed out. 

***

In the academy cafeteria, Orin and Rod sat together with their roommates, Ray and Gunther. The sounds of chatter from the students filled the air.

 "This cafeteria is quite large," Rod said, breaking the silence.

 Gunther nodded. "I heard it's just for the first and second years."

 A tall, muscular boy, holding a tray of food walked passed them, making eye contact with Rod. He sat alone at a distant table, eating his meal.

 Rod, curious, asked. "Who's that?"

 Ray lit up. "That's Liam Selrott. The second son of House Selrott. They hold a lot of power in the kingdom. Liam is one of this years prodigies—a four-ring mage."

 Rod nodded. "Hmm, I can tell he's strong." He looks at Ray. "You seem very knowledgeable"

 Ray smiled. "Well, I study a lot. There aren't many Light battle mages. Most Light mages work in the church or as healers. But me? I wanted something different. I had to learn how to use it for battle."

 Orin exchanged glances with Rod.

 Rod, still curious, asked, "Why do you want to become a battle mage?"

 Before Ray could respond, a large set of crystals on the walls glimmered, and a feminine voice spoke out of it.

 "Attention, Students! The results of the entrance exams have been posted on the notice boards across the academy, and outside your dormitories. Additionally, you have all been assigned ranks and classes, which will take effect starting tomorrow. That is all."

 Rod jumped up, "Orin! I'm going ahead."

 Orin, Ray and Gunther stood up and followed, but couldn't keep up —Rod had already vanished from sight.

 As they approached the notice board, Rod stood with his hands on his waist, with his grin as wide as ever.

 "How did you get here so fast?" Orin said before turning to face the board.

 Three large parchments were pinned to the board side by side, each displaying a ranked list of examinees based on the three exams.

 The parchments read:

 Written exam:

1. Inomi Dalestra— B-class

2. Richard Vaelmont— S-class

3. Orin Valcrest —B-class

4. Elena Wintervale— S-class

5. Ray Cravert— A-class

6. Liam Selrott— S-class

8. Selene Ravencourt— S-class

62. Roderick Lianhart— S-class

Magic Analysis Exam:

1. Selene Ravencourt —S-class

2. Richard Vaelmont— S-class

3. Elena Wintervale— S-class

4. Liam Selrott —S-class

9. Roderick Lianhart— S-class

18. Inomi Dalestra —B-class

300. Orin Valcrest — B-class

Combat Exam:

1. Selene Ravencourt — S-class

2. Richard Vaelmont — S-class

3. Roderick Lianhart — S-class

4. Elena Wintervale — S-class

5. Liam Selrott— S-class

8. Orin Valcrest —B-class

299. Inomi Dalestra — B-class

The air filled with murmurs and cheers.

Rod, puffed out his chest, flashing a confident grin at Orin. "Looks like I'll be going ahead. You better catch up soon Orin."

Orin smiled. "Yeah."

Liam Selrott, who arrived later, stood at the back, staring at the results with an angry expression. "Tch…" He turned and walked away.

Orin glanced at the result one more time and muttered, "B-class huh."

***

At the dorms, Orin sat on his bed, staring at a piece of parchment in his hands. The list of available classes felt heavier than it should. His entire future was riding on his choice.

Across the room, Ray sat on his own bed, lost in thought. His finger tapped against the wooden frame, his brows furrowed.

The room door swung open, breaking the silence.

"Are you still selecting classes?"

Rod walked in, grinning as if selecting classes was a competition—and he'd won.

Orin sighed, not bothering to look up. "Rod, have you never heard of knocking?"

Rod, ignored him, stepping further inside. "Orin! You better join the swordsmanship class."

Orin glanced at him. "Yeah… I don't have much of choice. My magic is only useful for mild distractions after all. My attack power lies in my sword."

Ray suddenly perked up. "Finally! I'm done."

Rod crossed his arms. "What's the big deal?"

Orin, visibly irritated, stood up. "You really are all brawn and no brains! You can't just pick random classes, stupid."

Rod clenched his fist, flames flickering around it. "Huh! What did you say to me, you ringless bastard?"

The two grabbed each other by the scruff of their shirts, their foreheads nearly colliding. A short but heated argument ensues, their voices overlapping.

Ray's loud laughter broke the tension. "You two really are close huh," He chuckled.

"Hmph"

Orin huffed and sat back down, picking up his quill. The faint scratching on parchment filled the room as Rod watched, arms crossed.

A few minutes later, Orin set down his quill and handed his parchment to Rod.

Rod raised an eyebrow and read aloud. "Magic theory—Elemental magic—Swordsmanship—Alchemy—Enchantment—Magic Engineering."

Rod blinked. "Magic Engineering? What's that?"

Orin leaned back on his bed. "You know those light crystals around campus? Or the announcement crystals that carry voices? That's Magic Engineering. They take magic and make it useful for everyday use. Maybe one day, even commoners without magic will be able to use it."

Ray surprised, looked at Orin with a bit of respect.

Rod stared at him for a moment, then scoffed, tossing the parchment back. "Hah! That's not gonna help me get stronger."

Orin caught the paper midair. "Strength alone won't always win, Rod."

Rod grinned. "Oh Yeah? Tell that to the guy who placed third in the Combat Exam."

Orin sighed, shaking his head. "Whatever, Rod. We have the Opening Ceremony before classes tomorrow, try not to oversleep."

***