The Ultimate Elemental Trio

After concluding the rest of the important class details outlining curriculum, basic rules, and expectations, Aurora finally delivered the most anticipated news.

With a dismissive wave of her hand, she announced, "And remember, actual classes will begin next week. You are dismissed for the day."

Kaito, still processing the sheer anomaly of his situation, didn't linger.

As students began to trickle out, a mix of relief and anticipation on their faces, he made his way back to his assigned dorm room.

The quiet space offered a welcome respite from the chaos of the grand hall and the unexpected twists of Class Alpha.

He closed the door behind him and took a deep breath, trying to gather his scattered thoughts.

"System," he called out, his voice a low murmur.

The familiar blue interface flickered into existence before him.

"Show Player Stats," he commanded.

He looked at the unallocated stat points. He had two.

One from completing the welcome ceremony, and two from resisting the Grand Master's mental attack, but he used the one from the welcome ceremony during the attack itself to boost his resolve.

So he still had two from the mental attack quest.

He quickly navigated the menu.

"Add 2 Stat Point to Strength," he instructed, his finger hovering over the glowing icon.

"Confirm."

A subtle warmth spread through his limbs as his Strength stat visibly increased.

"Just like every other player must start with strength to make fighting easier in the beginning," he mused, nodding to himself.

A flicker of frustration crossed his face.

"If that Magnus had not used that mental attack... I could have had 3 Strength stats added now, instead of just one plus having to use one for Resolve."

The boost that could have brought would have been massive for early game progression.

He sighed, pushing the thought away. He had another pressing matter.

"System," he asked, a touch of urgency in his voice.

"What is the quest about making a friend have a time limit?"

The blue interface before him shimmered, and a new line of text appeared:

Time Remaining: 23h 53m 04s

"Hm, this deadline," Kaito murmured, a touch of surprise in his tone.

"Just a day left? That's not good. If today is Monday, then I only have a day or two to do this weird quest."

He leaned back on his bed, hands tucked behind his head, and stared at the ceiling, thoughts beginning to churn.

"Who can I be friends with?"

The question, so simple in his previous life, was now loaded with meta-game knowledge.

"Should I go for a main character?" He considered the possibilities.

There were several boys in the cast, and even women, but those women were mostly villains or deeply interested with the main character, Eric.

"Hmm, I have to think about this for a minute."

He mused over the pros and cons.

Befriending a main character would surely lead to more quests and faster power progression, tying him even tighter into the central plot.

But it also meant more danger, more drama, and potentially getting caught up in their pre-written conflicts.

"Maybe I'll just observe the class tomorrow, he decided," a pragmatic approach settling over him.

"I might even be able to just get an easy friend like a nerd or a background character as well."

That would fulfill the quest requirement with minimal fuss, allowing him to focus on maximizing his own power without necessarily stepping on the toes of the main cast.

"System," Kaito called out again, shifting slightly on his bed.

"Any new quests for me?"

The blue interface flickered in response, displaying a new notification.

New Quest!

Side Quest:

Choose a weapon in the practical training class.

Rewards:

Stat Points +2

Market Coins +100

A small smile touched Kaito's lips as he read it.

"Ah, right, I do have to choose a weapon this soon," he murmured to himself.

His eyes glinted with a familiar, calculating spark.

"Hmm, I have something I'd like to test in that class."

Kaito's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. This wasn't just about picking a weapon, it was about laying the groundwork for his entire progression.

If his theory held true, this "test" could potentially unlock power faster than mere stat allocation.

Every choice, every quest, every interaction now felt like a strategic move on a grand chessboard, pushing him closer to the strength he'd need to survive and thrive in this new reality, beyond the fixed paths of the game.

With a clear objective for the next day, Kaito stretched, a wave of exhaustion washing over him from the day's overwhelming events.

He was in a new world, a new body, with new rules and unexpected opportunities. It was a lot to take in.

He decided to call it a day, settling into the unfamiliar bed in his new room, ready to rest and recharge for whatever challenges tomorrow would bring.

---

Kaito woke with the first rays of dawn, a stark contrast to his usual late-morning hospital routines.

He went through the motions of a normal student morning, a quick wash, donning the standard academy uniform, and grabbing a light breakfast from the common dining hall before heading towards his designated homeroom, Class Alpha.

As usual, he slipped into a seat at the back, preferring the vantage point for observation.

The classroom was already buzzing, and some of the students who had been mere blurry faces yesterday were now more noticeable, their personalities beginning to emerge.

Kaito scanned the room, committing faces and auras to memory, when his gaze snagged on a particular figure near the front.

Of course, he thought, a dry amusement mixing with a fresh wave of meta-game recognition.

He immediately recognized another main character.

Darius Grimm, the protagonist's rival.

If Eric Lionheart was the embodiment of sunshine and boundless positivity, Darius Grimm was his exact antithesis.

He had a natural aura of simmering frustration, the kind of character who, as Kaito knew from game lore, possessed a very short fuse and a deeply ingrained complex involving father issues.

If Eric boasted a vibrant, fiery red hair, Darius was his complete opposite, his hair was a striking, almost ethereal cyan, a cool, piercing blue-green that seemed to absorb and distort the light around it, creating a dramatic and unusual contrast to Eric's radiant crimson.

*Illustration

His posture was stiff, his eyes sharp and wary, giving off an intense, almost volatile energy.

Kaito also knew Darius harbored a deep crush on Catherina Montaigne, the female main character who was destined to win Eric over.

A classic rival plot, Kaito mused internally, observing Darius. It's all so painfully generic and by-the-book.

Eric, the fiery hero, Darius, the brooding, short-tempered rival with the opposite look.

He continued his thought, recalling more game lore.

And, naturally, their powers are also perfectly opposed.

Eric has his powerful fire magic, bright and destructive.

Darius, on the other hand, controls ice magic, cold and precise, capable of chilling everything around him, even wielding cold aura mental attacks that drain the will.

It's the most basic, classic rivalry setup you could ask for in this genre.

As his gaze drifted around the room, taking in the full cast of characters, Kaito suddenly frowned.

He scanned the faces again, then once more, a prickle of confusion rising.

"Wait a minute... where's Catherina?"

He looked for the female lead, specifically searching for the regal air and delicate features he remembered from the game, but she was nowhere to be found.

Just as kaito realized it, the classroom door creaked open.

Professor Aurora Sinclair, still alluring as always, walked inside. And to Kaito's surprise, a girl followed closely behind her.

"Huh?" Kaito thought, utterly confused.

Aurora paused at the front of the class, her crimson eyes sweeping over the assembled students before settling on the new arrival beside her.

"Please meet your new classmate, Catherina," she announced, her voice carrying clearly through the now-silent room.

Kaito's jaw nearly dropped.

"What is going on? This wasn't how it happened in the game."

"Catherina was always present from the first day, holding court with a group of admirers.

As Professor Aurora Sinclair introduced her, Kaito finally got a clear look at the girl.

She possessed strikingly beautiful features, but her expression was strangely blank, almost ethereal.

What stood out most was her hair, a deep, shimmering dark blue, the color of a midnight ocean, flowing down her back in gentle waves.

*Illustration

It was a breathtakingly unique color, unlike anything he'd seen in the game or in his previous life.

"Water magic?" Kaito's mind raced, piecing together this unexpected development.

"Dark blue ocean hair... water magic... sandwiched between the annoying fire guy and the moody ice guy."

A wry, almost exasperated laugh bubbled up inside him.

"Seriously? It's even more absurd than I remember."

"The original game's plot was already so conveniently generic, but seeing it play out in 'real life' like this, with perfect elemental opposition, is just… too much."

"A fire hero, an ice rival, and now a water heroine? The ultimate elemental trio."

"It's so painfully classic and convenient, it's almost comical."

The sheer predictability of the setup, even with the bizarre changes to his own situation, made him shake his head slightly.