By Zephyria 
That must mean I should use ‘this method’…. If I receive help from others in this regard, I could be expelled as soon as I enter the school. It was a more brutal place than I thought.
Anyway, for that reason, my family was just watching me quietly.
I soon used ‘the easiest and fastest way to get there’ written on the notice.
‘Hold the admission notice and forcefully draw out the Mana in your body and release it out of the Energy Aperture.’
I took a deep breath and opened my eyes.
Whoosh!
The Mana forcefully released from my body was revealed in the form of ‘Magical Energy’. The Black Mana that came out through the Energy Aperture flickered ominously like a snake’s tongue, then scattered into the air and lost its color.
It looked like energy was evaporating like steam.
Someone watching took a small gasp.
Soon after I finished releasing it, the Black Mana suddenly disappeared. In the meantime, the letters on the admission notice, which recognized the Mana of the holder, were burning brightly.
‘Is it done?’
I held my breath and watched for a moment. Suddenly, the letters that had fallen off the paper flew into the air. The letters gathered together to create a figure similar to a Spirit.
However, judging from the somewhat blurry shape, it was not a living creature… It seemed to be an illusion made of Mana.
[You little brat! You chose the easiest and fastest way to go! Very good. Welcome to Merzel Academy!]
As soon as the illusion appeared, it started acting up.
I glanced at my family.
They nodded as if telling me to continue.
[Now! I’m going to proceed with a simple verification process. You mustn’t lie. Let’s see, what’s your name? Full name!]
“…Raymond Den Valencia.”
[Yes, Raymond! You’re twenty years old, born in March, right?]
“That’s right.”
[Hmm hmm.]
The illusion flapped its two small pairs of wings and scribbled something diligently on a piece of paper it took out from somewhere.
It’s just a Mana mass created to react appropriately to the situation, but it’s not awkward at all, as if it were a real living creature. Whoever sculpted it must have been a considerable expert.
[Lastly! Do you remember what your student ID was?]
“8101-A710.”
[Perfect! The verification is complete, kid. Good things will happen to you in the future. Now, let’s go to school! Be careful, it might be a little dizzy when you move.]
The illusion winked one eye and disappeared with a swoosh, and the scene in front of me turned white. It was instantaneous. I blinked once and was already standing in front of the school building.
‘…They wove Magic that goes through dimensions.’
I checked my appearance and belongings once and looked around.
The roads in the school were paved flat and clean, and in the middle, there was a large fountain and benches, making it well-maintained.
The clothes were the same… Realizing once again that everything in this world was much more advanced than I remembered, I felt a strange feeling as I felt the 500-year gap.
Well, it’s been long enough for human languages to evolve from Runic to Fusark Language.
“Ray.”
Then someone called my name from behind.
When I turned around, there was the ruffian from last time.
His name was definitely… Herman den Müller.
Herman, who recognized me, relaxed his expression for some reason. Then he strode over and grabbed my wrist. How dare he touch my body without permission. He was still rude.
“Let go.”
“Didn’t you come because you made up your mind? Don’t grumble and follow me. We have to go to the banquet hall. The entrance ceremony will start soon.”
His behavior, as if he were my parent, made my eyebrows twitch.
I just realized that this ruffian recognizes me… or rather, this body, as someone he has to take care of.
For a human.
I was displeased, but it was only for a moment. I raised one corner of my mouth into a cool smile. Because I could now repay him for the humiliation he inflicted on me last time.
As I quietly started the Magic, Herman, sensing the sign, stopped walking with a flinch. Then he clicked his tongue and tried to nullify my Magic like last time.
Waiting for that, I reversed the nullification with a nullification.
Pazzzik!
The colliding Magic sparked like lightning.
“What….”
As the flustered ruffian widened his eyes… I completed the next Formula as smoothly as water, and his body began to float slightly into the air.
“……!”
Soon, Herman, who lost his balance, staggered upside down in the air and fell to the ground, landing on his butt. As he groaned, small exclamations were heard from around.
When I turned around, there were humans who had stopped to watch.
“What is it? Are they fighting?”
“Oh no. That must hurt.”
The muttering of the humans who had gathered to enjoy the misfortune of others was annoying, so I stared at them intently, and Herman looked up at me with a face distorted by shame and embarrassment.
“Your Magic… How…. I thought it would misfire.”
Then he suddenly frowned.
“Don’t tell me you broke through your Mana Circuit on your own?”
It seemed he had only just realized that fact.
“That’s right. I’ve also achieved the rank of 2-Star in the meantime.”
He seemed quite shocked.
“You didn’t… tell me anything.”
“Why should I report my condition to you in detail?”
I tilted my head because I couldn’t understand. Herman’s pupils trembled greatly. He bit his lip with a shadowed face, as if forcibly suppressing an unbearable emotion.
Why is he doing that? I don’t know.
Well, anyway.
I’ve retaliated, and there’s no reason to deal with him anymore. So, I was about to move towards the banquet hall.
“…Ray. Are you really ‘the Ray I know’?”
Herman spouted something quite sharp.
I didn’t answer.
I just stood there in silence for a while, then turned around again and hurried on my way.
‘Hmm. Is this it?’
I headed left, with the fountain in the middle, and went straight into the banquet hall lobby. It was also used as a dining hall, so humans wearing the same clothes were sitting around long tables like dining tables, chattering away.
They all seemed to be this year’s freshmen.
‘It’ll start soon.’
It was almost time.
I found an empty seat and sat down, and an elderly man who was standing in front of the stage, anxiously checking the time, clicked his tongue.
Did something go wrong?
As I was watching, he soon lightly touched his neck, and at the same time, a Magic Circle appeared. It was Instant Cast, and the casting speed of the Magic was quite fast and skillful.
‘He’s a decent expert.’
Not only that.
Among the adult humans sitting in chairs in front of the stage, about three or four had a particularly large amount of Mana compared to the others. It was similar to the level of this body’s father, Maximun.
‘If you only consider achievement, it would be about 7-Star.’
Are there humans with that much Mana roaming around here? It was interesting. Well, I’ll have to see what the reality is like in the future.
《Ah. Now, we will begin the entrance ceremony, freshmen. Thank you for coming all the way here. I am Iclus, the vice-principal of Merzel Academy.》
A loud and large voice flowed from the throat of the elderly man who had Amplification magic cast on him. The noise that had been chattering away subsided at the voice that overwhelmed the banquet hall.
《Well, originally, the headmaster was supposed to give the admission declaration and congratulatory speech… But since he’s absent again this time, we’ll skip that procedure appropriately.》
The word ‘again’ was emphasized. The adult humans sighed as if it was expected, and the young humans laughed quietly, saying it was as rumored.
The headmaster of this school seemed to be quite free-spirited.
《Then, we will introduce our school’s proud faculty, the homeroom professors of each class, and the dormitory proctors.》
When the vice-principal finished his declaration, the humans sitting in the chairs in front of the stage stood up one by one and began to introduce themselves.
I didn’t keep most of them in my head, but I definitely remembered the names of the ‘three or four’ who had a large amount of Mana.
Professor Polajigen, the homeroom professor of Magic Department Class A.
Professor Marien, the homeroom professor of Magic Department Class B.
Professor Sigras, the homeroom professor of Swordsmanship Department Class A.
Professor Martin, the homeroom professor of Swordsmanship Department Class B.
Especially since the department I applied for was the Magic Department, my eyes went to Polajigen and Marien.
《Lastly… I will give you information about class assignments, so please listen carefully.》
The vice-principal continued.
《Some students may have noticed, and some may not have. Class assignments have already been confirmed through the Apocalypse Exam. Class A of each department is the upper class. Class B is the lower class. And, among the students who chose the shortcut written on this admission notice, only those who have measured a certain level of Mana are assigned to Class A.》
At that moment, the murmuring among the children grew louder.
《From now on, the homeroom professors of Class A will call out the names of the corresponding students. If you have any objections to this, you can visit each Class A homeroom professor.》
The vice-principal paused for a moment and looked around the students. The children, already in confusion, were half-listening to the vice-principal’s words.
《Well, then, we will conclude the entrance ceremony here. The dormitory proctors will guide you to the dormitories of each department after the class assignments are called out. Thank you for your hard work.》
The vice-principal finished speaking and went down from the stage. While the children were unable to calm down, a dignified voice continued from the mouth of Polajigen, who had risen from his seat.
《Those whose names are called, raise your hands to confirm.》
Then, as if they were afraid of missing the call, the children quickly became quiet. As a spy, I honestly didn’t care which side I was on….
《Raymond Den Valencia.》
He called my name first.
When I quietly raised my hand, the attention gathered. There was a murmur that he was from that famous Necromancer family.
Polajigen also looked at me for a moment, and his gaze was quite suspicious. I don’t know the details, but he seemed to have something in mind.
So, I snorted softly.
《Herman den Müller.》
Immediately after, a familiar name was called. The moment I raised my head, I met Herman’s eyes, who was raising his hand over there.