I woke up feeling... not exactly one hundred percent. Wait, is there actually anyone who wakes up and functions at a full 100% immediately? Whatever. I got up, brushed my teeth, stripped off my clothes, showered, and put on my school uniform. Before leaving, I made sure to do my laundry. Today's first period is Magical Creatures, and the second is Magic Theory. I grabbed my books and headed out. And then, dammit...
I'm so used to waking up at 4 AM and commuting to school every day that I forgot I'm now living in the dorms. I don't have to walk that far anymore. Why the hell did I wake up this early? Oh well, I headed to the Magical Creatures classroom anyway. I arrived at 4:30 AM, and naturally, I picked a seat at the back of the room and passed out.
When I woke up, it was 6 AM. The professor had already arrived and was standing there, staring right at me.
"Good morning, Professor Aretus," I said.
"You're quite early, Student Phukan," he replied.
As soon as he finished talking, I went straight back to sleep. I was just so drowsy. When I woke up again at 7 AM, people had started to trickle in. A girl came and sat next to me. She looked familiar... but I couldn't remember who she was. One thing was for sure, though: she wasn't one of my old friends. None of them were capable of making it into the Ignis class. I didn't say a word to her; I just sat there reading my textbook on magical creatures.
Once the class began, the professor taught as usual. But one creature caught my eye: the Frost Fox. Interesting, I thought. But then again, I didn't care that much... Wait, I opened my eyes again. I fell asleep? How?
After that, I headed straight to the Magic Theory class. There wasn't much to it; the professor just went over the different types of magic.
Once the classes were over, I headed straight back to my dorm and sat down to read. Today was a pretty uneventful day, probably because it was the first day of school. I just sat there, staring at my books.
I woke up on the second day feeling less than optimal. But then again, does anyone actually function at 100% right after waking up? Whatever. I brushed my teeth, showered, and put on my uniform. Of course, I did my laundry before leaving. Period one: Combat Training. Period two: Magic Theory again. I grabbed my sword and headed out.
I'm still stuck in the habit of waking up at 4 AM for my old commute, forgetting that the dorm is just a short walk away. Why do I keep doing this to myself? Anyway, I reached the training grounds at 4:30 AM, sat in the back, and passed out.
In Combat class, we were supposed to pair up. I was paired with someone named Fortimos, but since he was a no-show, I won by default. Who even is this Fortimos guy? Whatever. Then I remembered something bothersome: we have to join a club within a month. Great. It seems avoiding social interaction is going to be impossible.
Then came the Magic class with Professor Demilizus (man, the names here are so over-the-top).
"Today will be one-on-one magic dueling. Magic only," he announced.
I started to stress out, wondering who I'd have to fight. After the random draw, I ended up against Zephyr, the Lightning element user who ranked 1st in the entrance exam. Just my luck... and we were the first pair.
As I stepped onto the stage, the crowd chanted: "Zephyr! Zephyr! Zephyr!"
Everyone was cheering for him. Not surprising, considering he's the top student and a total heartthrob among the girls. He's got the looks, the talent, and...
"Begin!"
The Professor's voice echoed. I raised my hand immediately to construct a magic circle, but—damn it! It took way too long. I've never practiced doing this under pressure. It was too late. His lightning bolted straight at me, blasting me across the stage.
I struggled to my feet and finished my circle. A tiny, nearly invisible ice needle formed and shot toward him with relentless speed. Zephyr didn't even seem to see it. A smirk crept onto my face—I thought I had won.
Fwooosh...
The smile vanished. Zephyr had created a lightning cloak around himself. The moment my needle touched the electricity, it evaporated instantly. Crap! I tried to manifest an ice spear without a circle, but without the mathematical structure, the efficiency was pathetic. The spear shattered in my hand before I could even throw it. I froze.
Zephyr had finished charging his lightning spear. If I didn't block this, I was done. I quickly conjured a sheet of ice and threw it. The lightning struck the ice, but the residual current surged through, slamming into me. I flew off the stage and hit the ground.
"Zephyr wins!" the Professor shouted.
The room erupted in cheers. In that second, I realized something I had overlooked: Experience matters more than intelligence. I dragged myself up, sat back down, and watched the next match: Ariana vs. Sebastian.
Ariana used Light, a Level 1 Unclassified element. Sebastian used Mist, a Level 2 hybrid of Aqua and Ventus.
"Begin!"
Mist instantly filled the stage. A blinding light flashed from within, but light alone doesn't do much in a thick fog. When the mist cleared, Ariana was lying unconscious. She probably got punched while she was blinded by her own light. Careless, I thought.
After that, none of the other matches were particularly interesting. I stayed and watched anyway, hoping to identify everyone's elements so I could devise counter-strategies. Wait, why am I even doing this? I'm not Batman or anything... Once class ended, I headed straight to the club bulletin board. One club caught my eye: the Duo Combat Club. The founder was none other than Zephyr. Whatever, I'll take this one. I'm too lazy to read the other flyers. I signed up immediately.
When I entered the clubroom, I found a handful of people already there, including Zephyr. Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder from behind. I turned around to find a girl standing there.
"Um, hello... do you remember me?" she asked.
Who is this????? I racked my brain for a second before taking a wild guess. "I remember. You're the one I bumped into while you were carrying all those books, right?"
"Oh, yes! That's right."
Huh? I actually got it right. Well, that's a relief. I followed up with, "Are you in this club too?"
"Yes. I just joined recently and don't know anyone yet. Could you... introduce me to the others?"
"Uh, probably not. I just joined today myself."
I had a feeling she wasn't talking about 'others' in general. Her eyes were practically glued to Zephyr. Not surprising, I guess.
"Oh, I see. Then... you probably don't have a partner yet, right?"
"Uh, yeah?" I replied, confused. What partner?
I looked to the side and noticed a notice board. Ah, I see. This club promotes training in pairs to support each other's weaknesses. Moreover, the school mandates that everyone must have a fixed partner by the second semester—regardless of gender. Perfect. If gender isn't a restriction, I can focus solely on finding someone with the maximum efficiency.
"I see. Well, good luck finding a partner!" she said before walking straight toward Zephyr.
I didn't even get her name, but that's fine—less clutter in my brain. I walked over to a corner of the room and sat down, practicing manifesting different geometric shapes to speed up my magic circle construction.
I glanced over at Zephyr. As expected, he was surrounded by a swarm of girls. Good for him. It keeps the attention away from me. However, my eyes caught someone else—a girl with purple hair sitting in the opposite corner. I noticed faint sparks of electricity flickering from her hands. Another Lightning user, huh? I stood up and slowly began walking toward her....