It was a dilemma. Staring at the soup in front of me, I looked back at Aoife and Kiera, who seemed strangely stiff.

'Did they really do nothing to the soup....?'

I brought the spoon to my mouth and closed my eyes. My tonsils danced at the rich taste that invaded my tongue, and I found myself quietly nodding.

It tasted phenomenal.

To the point where I couldn't help but mumble to myself.

".....Since when was I such a good cook?"

While I didn't think I was bad, I had never made something so good.

Could it be because of the ingredients?

Was that what it was?

"Y-you think it's really good...?"

Kiera stuttered from the side, and I frowned. What's wrong with her? Perhaps noticing my expression, she forced a smile and turned back.

"Ah, anyway. Thanks for the salt."

She proceeded to head back to her station. That was when I felt another gaze.

"...."

I turned to look at Aoife, who was staring back at me. Her expression was hard to read, but for a brief moment, I thought I saw 'disbelief' in her gaze.

What sort of...

"...."

Picking up her trays, she left without saying another word. I stared at her back for a brief moment before shrugging my shoulders.

I really couldn't understand her.

Staring at her back for a brief moment, I turned my attention back to my pot and had another taste.

"Hmm."

I smacked my lips together and frowned.

"....It's good."

But...

"It's missing something."

What exactly? I thought for a moment before coming to a conclusion.

"It needs more salt."

The taste was a little too mild. Possibly sweet. It needed a little bit more salt.

I reached to my left, where the salt was, but I grasped nothing but air. I was confused at first, but then I remembered.

"Ah, right."

Kiera had taken the salt.

I turned to look at her, and our eyes met. She raised her brow.

"What?"

".....The salt."

I pointed at the one she had on her desk.

"...!"

"Can I have i

Clank, Clank, Clank!

I was interrupted by a loud noise. When I turned to look, I saw Aoife standing with all the trays on the floor. Her otherwise blank expression showed signs of breaking as her eyes widened.

What...?

She wasn't the only one who was behaving oddly.

Just as I turned my head, I heard Kiera's low mutter.

"...Lunatic."

She was also looking at me with wide eyes.

"Fucking lunatic."

***

When I woke up, it was Saturday morning. In a daze, I remained on the bed and stared at the ceiling. I finally had a day to myself...

It was hard to describe how I currently felt. The days had been so hectic that every single day felt like they lasted a year.

But today was different...

There was nothing on my schedule today.

Finally, I could take a much-needed break.

Let's take a shower.

Shaaa

I needed something to wake my groggy mind. The cold water was especially useful, as I felt refreshed coming out of the shower.

There was nothing better than a cold shower in the morning to refresh my mind.

"...."

I looked at my wet body in the mirror.

It was chiselled to perfection, and there seemed to be no scars or imperfections. My shoulders and biceps were quite large, while my abdominal muscles were finely sculpted, and my thighs felt as solid as rock.

I had always wanted this type of body in my previous life. I would always tell myself to go to the gym on a daily basis, but I would stop with some sort of nonsensical excuse. The longest I had ever lasted at the gym was two months.

Seeing no progress in the mirror, I lost all motivation and just gave up.

But things were different now.

I touched my body.

With how hard I was training at the moment, I could easily maintain this body. Not only that, but it could probably get even better in the future.

"A pity it isn't my real body."

It was still hard for me to fully associate myself with this body. However, I was slowly getting there.

Even so...

"When I return, I'll get my old body back..."

I was merely rumbling at this point. The reality was that I wasn't sure if I could go back or not. No sign pointed out to that fact.

However...

I had to cling to this idea. It was the only thing that kept me going. If I were to learn that I couldn't go back, then...

"...."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

Opening them again, I leaned forward to stare at my reflection.

".....I will be going back."

After drying my body, I went on to sit on the couch. Basking the sun's glow, I mumbled,

"Status."

[Julien D. Evenus]

Level :17 [Tier 1 Magician]

Exp : [0%[34%]100%]

Profession : Magician

Type : Elemental [Curse]

Type : Mind [Emotive]

Spells :

Beginner type spell [Emotive] : Anger

Intermediate type spell [Emotive] : Sadness

Beginner type spell [Emotive] : Fear

Beginner type spell [Emotive] : Happiness

Beginner type spell [Emotive] : Disgust

Beginner type spell [Emotive] : Surprise

Beginner type spell [Curse] : Chains of Alakantria

Beginner type spell [Curse] : Hands of Malady

Skills :

[Innate] - Foresight

[Julien D. Evenus]

There was some progress, but it was still too slow. In the days that had passed since the 'quest', I had only grown by about 6%. And this was taking into account that I was now using a Blue-ranked [Mana Synthesis].

"I need to find a way to get a better manual."

From what I had learned, there were multiple ways one could get stronger. The first one was through the scriptures and manuals. The second one was through resources gathered from the mirror dimension, and the last was through the implantation of 'bones'.

I was still unsure of how the last one worked, but from what I read, certain monsters in the Mirror Dimension had special bones that one could implant in their bodies to gain skills.

[Innate] skills.

They had different grades, which mostly depended on the rank of the monster, and there were apparently a few in our class who already had a bone implanted in them.

".....I'll get there when the chance comes."

It was still a little too early for me.

I was just planning to start training again when...

Wiiing

Wiiing

My communication device, a small white orb, flickered. Confused, I turned it on and loaded the message.

[Julien Evenus, Leon Ellert, Aoife Megrail... May the following cadets show up at the entrance of the Institute in an hour.]

It was a message from the Institute board.

"....."

[Congratulations. You have all been selected for the upcoming Draft Selection inauguration. An instructor will guide the following students to the ceremony that will take place in Lens. Kindly make yourself available.]

"....."

I continued to stare at the message with a blank look before turning off the device and sitting down.

I opened my mouth, but no words came out.

"....."

Eventually, I lowered my head and stayed silent.

In the silence that took over the room, I closed my eyes and pursed my lips.

Lvl 2. [Sadness] EXP + 0.01%

*

When I came out of my room, I found Leon already waiting for me.

"Oh."

I didn't even bother greeting him and just continued forward. I was in no mood for anything. But that seemed to be the case for him as well.

In the silence, we walked towards the entrance of the Academy.

When we reached the place, ten people were already waiting for us at the entrance.

...With eleven names on the list, we were essentially the last to arrive.

"You two are finally here."

At the forefront stood someone I found somewhat familiar. With a thick, long red beard and a muscular physique, he was Professor Chambers, one of the examiners from my examination day and a High-Wizard.

"Hurry up, you two. The train to Lens will depart in ten minutes. You will be held responsible if we miss the train."

His rough voice echoed throughout as I picked up the pace, slightly...

Honestly, I wouldn't mind missing it.

The Professor continued,

"As many of you know, there will be a Draft at the end of the year. The six best cadets from each year will be chosen to represent the Institute at such an event. You all must take this seriously."

Squinting his eyes, I felt his gaze pause on me.

"The ten of you are the most promising cadets that we currently have in our first years. Some of the most promising we've had in decades, and it is therefore extremely important that you carry yourself in a manner fitting of your status."

I then finally realized why he was looking at me. Taking a step closer, we were only a few steps away from each other. Placing his hand on my shoulder, he looked at me seriously.

"As the Black Star, you will be the center of all attention and the group's leader. I need you to carry yourself as such. Is that understood?"

"....."

I stood in silence without saying a single word.

"Cadet?"

Only when he called me again did I raise my head. Closing my eyes, I silently cursed.

Fuck

[ Side Quest Activated : Unmask the Fraud.]

: Character Progression + 5%

: Game Progression + 1%

Failure

: Calamity 3 + 5%