"Next! Student No. 138!"
The number cracks through the air like a whip, overriding the shouts of students as Isaac. His gaze snaps back to the training grounds, and the breath dies in his throat.
What was more important than himself?
The Dramatis Personae.
Four Modular hues erupt in an elegant waltz, a sharp contrast to Isaac's Thaumitonic Zone.
Red burning,
Green rushing,
Blue flowing,
All outlined in molten bronze, a searing 12/2 polygram where the intersections between each color displayed varying hues of yellow, cyan, and purple. In the middle, binding the chaos of Thaumitonic Physics into form, Caelum stood on the nexus of white, similar to how Isaac did.
The difference was that he was perfect.
A perfect demonstration of a perfect Out-Threading, which completely contrasts with Isaac's imperfect Zone.
???
How?!
Yo… I swear he didn't have any elements, aside from that, his Mana reserves should be capped at 250 MP, barely enough to conjure a 2-3 meter Projection.
Yet the monstrous Projection circle dwarfs every royal and noble present. The shouts for an explanation that once overwhelmed Isaac had now all been directed towards Caelum Veldt.
It's just like the original game…
But, I am SURE his stats deviated…The numbers of the System haven't lied ONCE.
So what the hell is this shit now???
Wait…
"Topological Anchor, Inhabitant ID Caelum Veldt"
…
Bro… How convenient that the stat viewing ability is removed before the one time I need it.
Think… How? Did the | Plot Armour | Attribute kick in?
Fuck nah, that's bullshit!
It stated that 'in unfavourable circumstances', not out of fucking nowhere.
Overnight, he Star Upgrades his entire Elemental Affinity stat sheet?
No bloody way, right?
What kind of back-alley divine intervention is this? Who's Magic Dick did this Clanker suck to gain these buffs?
Archivist Orlan's voice resounds through the hall with stunned reverence, again, like he's trying to one-up the shock from Isaac earlier.
"Caelum Veldt… To call this 'outstanding' would be an insult. Perfect stability and perfect resonance. 5 meters radius on the dot with barely any fluctuation down to what I'm assuming is the micrometer. Switch from Unmolded to Mold 1."
A rainbow rectangle forms.
"Length of Mold 1 is 78.54 meters. Perfectly stable again. Switch to Mold 2."
…
He's too unnervingly calm about this; it's fucking creepy, and he's also doing all the molds a fraction of a second before Orlan finishes his sentence.
"Radius of Mold 2 is 10 meters with an arc length of 15.7 meters. Switch to Mold 3."
…
On second thought… His Mana Zone is so gay… It's like he has a pride flag for a zone.
"Radius of Mold 3 is 7.07 meters with an arc length of 22.21 meters. Just… Perfect… Excellent job, Caelum. As of today's test, it's the most stable Mold. Proceed to the In-Threading test."
Wow… This fucker really is the antithesis of me. I'm the most unstable, he's the most stable.
What a damn Aura farmer…
Once the Out-Threading test ended, Caelum returned to his awkward self, but now every step he takes implied a lie of a false identity. The entire student body leans in and questions this now 'timid' boy.
Okay… But~ It's perfect. Just like the original script.
Caelum, you beautiful bastard. God only knows how the hell you got your Elements back, but so long as you don't deviate from the story like a bitch I don't give a shit.
As long as you just hit 5 PSI with your four Elements, I'll suck you off like those princesses in the future. It saves me SOOOOO much trouble if the main story and protagonist stay the same, that way the game theory of my entry into the narrative is so much more predictable and plannable.
So…
PLEASE DO ME A FAVOUR.
The princesses' gazes lock onto him, whereas they were on Isaac.
Caelum raises his arms, and Thaumitons begins to swirl, brown and green first.
Earth and Wind.
The Archivist has a bead of sweat dropping from his face as the history of this world holds its breath, a Dual In-Thread by a First Year that has shown a Quadramodular Resonance Archetype.
"stone shot… wind slash…"
The Clause-Constructs launch in rapid succession. One rock flies at tremendous speeds, or to be specific, is carried by the crescent arc of wind. Thus, both propel each other further, increasing the final impact force.
The assistant's voice cracks.
"U-uhm... 'Stone Shot' at 5.1 Pascals and 'Wind Slash' at 4.8 Pascals, Archivist…"
It ain't that hard when you get the hang of it.
Calm down, jeez…
How could the Archivist not be happy with the result? He had just witnessed two above ordinary level students back to back.
"HAHAHAHA! TO THINK THERE WOULD BE TWO ANOMALIES IN THE FIRST YEARS!" Archivist Orlan shouted. "Ahem… Sorry… To say I'm impressed, Mr. Veldt! It would be—"
"a-ah, archivist orlan… i-i have two more…"
Tsk… Back to that pussy ass voice… Everyone knows you're faking it, you generic shit.
"water pulse… fireball…"
The air shatters as two more Clause-Constructs burst forth.
"4.5 pascals on 'Water Pulse'... 4.1 on 'Fireball'..."
"Adept-Class!" A beat of stunned silence. "I have nothing less to give you, nor will any other Institute or invigilator. Next! Student No.139! Give it your best shot like Student 137 and 138 have!"
A common boy. A Quadramodular Wave Binder.
The Institute's foundations and its students trembled and returned the Archivist's energy. All of them. Roared in celebration and in confusion. For the Genius amongst Geniuses and Prodigies had been in the same cohort as them.
By technicality, students would feel envious of this star. But the First Years saw something different. Having a role model and teacher-of-a-friend like Caelum means that everyone can mimic and improve their own Noësis.
Overall, it was a positive uproar by the majority of students and faculty.
A sharp contrast to Isaac, who now only garnered the interest of those who truly wanted to investigate him and scientifically explain his nature.
The reason for the difference in attitude by the students towards Caelum and Isaac?
It was much easier to relate to an In-The-Box Genius than a potential Out-of-The-Box Alien Defier of Law.
At least Caelum's Thaumitonic Zone followed the Order of Nature; Isaac was a complete violation of everything that the history of Humanity had built up.
But did Isaac care?
THANK YOU, YOU ROBOT CLANKER!
THAT'S WHY I GAVE YOU THE HAREM ENDING IN EVERY ROUTE!
Not only did you stick to the original plot, but you also took some burden of curiosity off my shoulders. Keep this up, and you'll have the princesses utterly smothered up by sundown, jeez, even I'm turned on for you right now.
Jokes, of course.
I wish you ALL the best and ALL the stamina you need to keep thrusting in the later Acts.
Oh~ Thank goodness.
That's a flawless start. With this, at least Act I is rolling out like the original script. For now… Nothing major in terms of the main story, except the 3 new Professors, has derailed yet.
Exactly as it should be.
I'll ponder on how you increased your stats so fast another time, but at LEAST something is going my way in this world.
.
.
.
No way what I heard was true, right? There were so many coincidences that pointed to it. Moreover, when I take these steps forward, the voices stop…
Wind Slash… Wind Slash…
It really did seem like he said it.
The girl stops before a gaunt upperclassman. The sun glaring down censors the name tag that she briefly makes out as M.K, abbreviated.
"Excuse me. You're a senior assistant, right?"
"Huh? Ah yeah. Good work by the way."
"Thank you, I'm just asking people around to confirm something. I noticed that Student 137 incanted 'Wind Slash' when he In-Threaded. I thought that was quite odd. According to my reading, that terminology was standardized away years ago." A beat. "Did you too? Nevermind… I probably misheard. please ignor—."
"I knew it… I heard it too."
.
.
.
Ah… I'm so friggin tired…
Isaac yawned.
The only thing that was missing was a sincere apology to all the other Prodigies who had to take their NCAT right after Caelum and Isaac. They were all brilliant in their own right.
However, against the Dramatis Personae and the First Anomaly of the Generation (FAG)?
Yeah, fuck nah. All these bums are so boring… If they wanna shine, they'd better hope they get their own spin-off one day or smth.
The harsh truth was that Archivist Orlan declared, most of them fell squarely in the Intermediate-to-Apprentice Class range with a deadbeat voice. Of course, there was still a vast amount of time for them to reach the pinnacle, but one's potential is only limited by one's effort to work hard.
Whereas the Geniuses have it all at birth.
Hmmm… Prodigies and Geniuses…
I've heard that debate before…
Oh well. The curse of being NPCs in a hero's story, I suppose.
Hell. Am I even an extra?
Ewww… Fuck no. I don't want to be the generic 'Reincarnated into A Cursed Game as an Extra'. Never mind that, I don't even know my identity yet. I'll try to ask around in the future, but for the first week of school, I really gotta study up about this world in general first.
But, I also have a lot on my plate… my food staring back at me hungrily, per se…
In the most literal sense. As he moved across the NCAT grounds, separate lines of intent had converged upon him.
The FAG;
.
.
.
Isaac Mun…
"Do you have it?"
"Yes, Headmaster. This is the anonymous note sent to you last night, as per your request."
Headmaster Orthellius Sol Tharis graciously dismisses his servant whilst opening the note, his hands trembling for once in a long, long time.
The note was as follows:
——————————————————————————————————————————
Written: 15th Spetember 2024
Date of Expected Arrival: 16th September 2024
Topic: Student 137
Headmaster Orthellius,
I write to formally bring to your attention an irregularity observed in relation to Student 137 during preparations for the forthcoming NCAT assessment.
During preliminary observation, I recorded the student generating a Thaumitonic Zone exhibiting QCD Charge Doublets that appear to contravene established laws of Thaumitonic Physics. Viz-à-vis, the configuration and stability of the construct do not align with any recognized theoretical physics, including Thaumitonic.
Further, the student employed the Clause-Construct designation "Wind Slash" in his In-Threading, rather than the standardized A.M.A. nomenclature. As documented in the Institute's Historical Noësis Archive (Reference: Crane, H — Reformative Standardization of Noësical Nomenclature), the term "Wind Slash" has been pedagogically deprecated for approximately 212 years. No accredited instructional body operating subsequent to this reform includes it within its curriculum.
If Student 137's foundational Noësis training indeed predates this standardization, such a circumstance implies an origin inconsistent with his apparent age, which I estimate to be no greater than seventeen years. This temporal discrepancy, when considered alongside the anomalous Thaumitonic behavior observed, warrants immediate administrative scrutiny.
On behalf of [REDACTED], I advise that all subsequent engagement with this student be conducted with discretion. While I do not presently recommend suspension or cessation of his academic activities, I strongly suggest the assignment of select faculty members and student ambassadors to maintain structured oversight of his interactions and development.
Most critically, I recommend that this matter be withheld from the Monarch at this stage. Given the potential implications of these findings, there exists a credible risk that premature disclosure may provoke a response detrimental to the well-being of Student 137.
I remain at your disposal for further clarification or formal documentation of these observations.
Respectfully,
C.D
——————————————————————————————————————————
A letter that has predicted the future. Not only that, but one that uses non-existent language and is aware of my relationship with Rayyan.
How concerning… Their handwriting is perfect as well…
Just who is C.D?
Perhaps… Another K̷̡̗̤̘͇̜̼̦̂a̵̲͉͓̤̺̻̺͚̔̈́̓̊̈́̈́̐̎͝ͅt̵̜͉̪̞̦̻̯̄̎͝͝a̷̺̥̗̞͎̥̅͐̔p̷̨͍̙̝̣̤̮̎̇̍̒̄͝l̸̰̜̥̠͌̓͘—
"Headmaster Orthellius, all students have now returned to the auditorium."
For a brief moment, Orthellius remained still before his expression smoothed back to normal.
"Very well. Thank you."