Chapter 9: The Underachiever of Class S (2)
The main attractions of Stella Academy were its two major events.
The Familiar Contract Ceremony was one, and the Staff Inheritance Ceremony was another.
The Staff Inheritance Ceremony was especially extraordinary since Stella Academy was a prestigious school.
“From now on, you will inherit a staff that you will use at the academy.”
Stella Academy had a lot of money, so they did not lend you a staff. They would just give you one for free.
“However, once you choose, the process of changing it is very complicated, so make your decision carefully.”
Lee Han-Wol stated this, but the irony was that the staff chose its owner, not the other way around.
The staff would react to a deserving owner, resulting in a resonance phenomenon.
Classes F to S would choose a staff according to their level during this process, so the first contender matter was crucial.
Each staff had different grades, and Stella Academy had staffs of low, intermediate, and high grades, beginning with the lowest.
In Class F, the majority of the staff were of the lowest grade, with only a few being of the low-intermediate grade.
On the other hand, the staff chosen by Classes A and S students started at the low-intermediate grade.
Was it unjust? No. That was just how a magical society operated.
Choose it and work on becoming a better mage. That was the only option.
As all the senior mages stated, becoming a high-ranking mage was the main aim.
‘That’s cool.’
Some staffs were hovering mid-air, while others were stuck on the floor, piled up in drawers, or flying around.
Each had its own personality and ego, and an aura of mystery was stuck around them.
When Baek Yu-Seol saw them with his own eyes, they appeared even prettier than he’d imagined.
“Which staff do you intend to use?”
“That’s the one I’ll go with. Even before I entered the academy, I knew this staff was the one for me.”
“That’s a low-grade staff. Didn’t you say you were going to choose an intermediate one?”
“I realize my limits. My father bought a staff, so I tried it, but despite many efforts, I couldn’t resonate with the intermediate-grade staff. I have to be content with only a low grade.”
On average, the staffs chosen by Classes A and S were excellent. As a result, Baek Yu-Seol was a little nervous.
It was the Staff Inheritance Ceremony.
Actually, this event proceeded in a fixed order depending on the character the player chose.
Therefore, he was already anticipating what the main characters, such as Flame, Ma Yu-Seong, Jeremy, Eisel, and Hong Bi-Yeon, would choose.
Baek Yu-Seol, however, did not know what he was going to choose.
Unlike other characters who began in class S, Baek Yu-Seol started from Class F in the first place.
‘If I have to choose one, I’d rather just go with a wand.’
The short ones were called wands, while the long ones were called staffs.
Wands were mostly used by knight-type magic warriors who specialized in close combat with incredible movement speed. They specialized in penetrating enemies' formations and rapid-fire magic.
To briefly summarize a wand, consider it an object similar to an assault rifle.
Staffs, on the other hand, were used by priest-type magic warriors. These warriors were known for casting powerful magic over a wide range, requiring a long casting time.
To briefly summarize the staff, consider them a bazooka or sniper rifle.
However, neither of these suited Baek Yu-Seol. To begin with, he was not a staff user because he used a cold weapon.
“Hey, what will he choose?”
“Well, since he’s in Class S, wouldn’t he pick something amazing?”
Baek Yu-Seol was also the center of attention here.
“You’re in Class S, but you can’t even resonate with any staff, right?” said the gazes aimed at him.
He did not want anything too extraordinary. It was not like the academy had great staffs. Going out to farm in a familiar dungeon would give him better gear.
Still, Baek Yu-Seol had to decide, and as he pondered his options, a boy approached him from behind.
“Hey.”
“Yes?”
When he turned around, a boy who had already untied his cloak was staring at him with a boisterous expression.
An unknown face.
“Who…?”
Hearing that, the guy's face stiffened momentarily, but he quickly smiled.
“Me? It’s Yuslek.”
“Aha!” he said, pretending to recognize him.
However, he saw right through the facade.
“This is… You…”
Yuslek was about to get angry, but he soon regained his calm expression. While he wanted Baek Yu-Seol to know him, there was no way he would force it.
“You. What staff are you going to choose?”
His calm, cold voice made the oblivious Baek Yu-Seol realize that Yuslek probably did not have a good opinion of him.
Baek Yu-Seol glanced at his name tag which read Class A.
‘Is he upset because I’m in Class S and he isn’t?’
Moreover, it seemed like he was an easy target compared to the other students in Class S.
“Anyone.”
“I don’t understand why you’re in Class S. You have no aspirations, no aggression.”
He scanned Baek Yu-Seol’s entire body from top to bottom and laughed.
“If you’re a commoner, choose a staff that suits your level like a commoner. It’ll be difficult if you cause trouble and the professors have to suffer for it, right?”
“Yeah. Don’t make any trouble.”
“You punk…!”
'Why are you yelling at me?'
Baek Yu-Seol was curious about him, so he put on his Sentient Specs and checked his information.
[Yuslek Chekobeilen]
[Marquis Chekobeilen’s son]
[Crown Prince Jeremy’s lackey]
[A third-rate bully]
It was concise information. Just looking at this, Baek Yu-Seol could tell how insignificant he was. The only meaningful record here was lackey…
‘Pitiful guy, huh? Next time he talks to me, I have to treat him better.'
“Tsk, I’m going to pick that one, so watch carefully.”
The object Yuslek pointed at was a black colored wand. It was moderately curved, slim, and old-fashioned for a wand.
‘Oh, look at this bastard?’
Baek Yu-Seol did not know who he was, but he was ambitious.
The wand’s name was Edmary Etemiri, and it was the highest level available, almost touching the upper-intermediate grade.
‘It’s upper-intermediate grade… Normally, it’s at the level where only professional magic warriors can use it.’
There were up to two upper-intermediate grade wands present. They were only there to motivate the students, putting a spark inside them so that when they grow up, it would fill them with the strong passion to hold a wand this strong.
The other ones were not as high-ranked as this, but many intermediate-grade wands were difficult to tame unless you were a veteran mage, which made one wonder why they were even here in the first place.
Low-intermediate grades would be the limit for students, no matter how talented they were. Even those with a professional magic warrior license could barely tame the low-intermediate grade ones.
However, this was Stella Academy.
This was where the best students from all over the world gathered.
“Everyone, go and stand with the staff that resonates with you.”
As soon as Lee Han-Wol’s words fell, each student moved to the front of the staff they desired. As expected, most of the elite Class A and S students resonated with their chosen staff immediately. Trembling sounds could be heard from all directions.
And among them, there were exceptional students.
“Wow, the staff tamed by Hae Won-Ryang… Isn’t that Heden Amicoton?”
“It’s an intermediate-level staff, isn’t it? I can’t believe it.”
“That’s amazing.”
The main characters were starting to grab the intermediate-grade staffs that could only be tamed after years of training!
“Hey, I think you picked an intermediate-grade staff too?”
“Did Prince Jeremy also choose an intermediate-grade staff?”
“Princess Hong Bi-Yeon chose Suavitera Lapon, intermediate grade!”
“Many mages who have already obtained their official licenses would barely be able to pick the intermediate staff that she chose?”
“This year has been crazy.”
The eyes of the students shone brightly as tremendous exclamations erupted around them.
‘Can I do it too? No, maybe I can choose a better wand!’ some students thought.
If they picked a staff of a higher grade than those geniuses, the magic tower and archmage professors would naturally focus on them!
Thinking like that, several students flocked to Edmary Etemiri, an upper-intermediate grade wand spinning on its axis while floating in mid-air.
Of course, most were extras and not main characters. They were coveting a wand they could not handle because they did not know their limitations well.
“Move.”
The students gathered around the wand turned their attention to one who spoke, and upon finding the arrogant Yuslek, they immediately gave way.
This was because he belonged to Prince Jeremy’s faction and his aura seemed quite strong.
With a confident expression, he reached out to the staff.
A strong vibration resounded throughout the auditorium.
“Oh, oh…”
“No way. Is he going to succeed in resonating with an upper-intermediate grade staff?”
No way.
Yuslek, sweating profusely while wrestling Edmary Etemiri, soon closed his eyes tightly.
Paang!
A small mana explosion occurred, and a light breeze blew throughout the auditorium.
“Cough!”
Yuslek, hurling backward from the impact, looked at the wand blankly.
“Uh, what…?”
He never thought he would be rejected. The stupid expression on his face revealed his crumbling pride. A person should also be able to recognize and accept their own limitations.
“Oh my god…”
Yuslek sat motionless on the floor while the other students peered in and tried to form a connection with the staff.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Shortly after, the sound of explosions was heard repeatedly, and it was not until most students went out and failed that they realized the staff had not resonated even once. As a result, more and more students started giving up.
Indeed, giving up would be quicker.
Because the owner of that staff was predetermined from the start.
Ma Yu-Seong approached the staff, and his twinkling eyes revealed rare enthusiasm.
The other students soon began to agitate.
“Hey, it’s Ma Yu-Seong.”
“Is Ma Yu-Seong trying to resonate with that staff, too?”
“Even though it's Ma Yu-Seong, Edmary Etemiri looks difficult…”
However, the next scene slapped down their concerns.
Ma Yu-Seong succeeded in resonating with Edmary Etemiri almost immediately.
The students’ jaws dropped open as Ma Yu-Seong pulled out the wand and held it.
Despite seeing the existence of genius with both eyes, it was still unbelievable.
'As expected of him.'
While everyone was focusing on Ma Yu-Seong, Baek Yu-Seol observed Flame.
According to the game’s storyline, the owner of another high-grade wand, Teripon, was Flame.
Here, however, it diverged.
If Flame conquered Teripon, it would trigger the Ma Yu-Seong plotline. He would become intrigued by her and the existence of another genius, prompting him to take an interest in her. If she acted otherwise, there would be other possibilities.
‘What are you going to do, Flame?'
That woman was not a part of the game. He had to keep in mind the possibility of her navigating in a different direction than she was destined to since the real Flame was nowhere to be found.
Again.
Flame moved.
‘Come on, pick up the Teripon. Come on!’
Ma Yu-Seong was the hope of this world, and if Flame comforted him well and brought him to the righteous faction, the future development would be easier. That said, there was a high probability of a happy ending, too.
'But why?'
‘She doesn’t seem to be very interested in Teripon…?’
Seeing the frown on Flame's face as she walked amongst the strange wands, it seemed she had no interest in Teripon at all. Or maybe she was unaware of its existence.
‘That can’t be…’
Since she was the ‘protagonist’ of this world with endless possibilities, she could resonate with any wand. If she resonated with a strange wand for nothing, it would create difficulty if the Ma Yu-Seong arc was erased.
‘Should I give her a hint?’
But since she had read the original novel, she ought to have a rough idea early on.
She knew that she could choose a mysterious staff named Igolakov, which proved disadvantageous initially but showed its true power later on, or she could choose Tumultus, which Eisel chose in the original novel. She took the reverse harem route.
‘Since this is happening, I have no choice but to sneak up towards the Teripon.’
[Flash]
Sneakily, pretending not to, Baek Yu-Seol approached Flame.
“Huh?”
She seemed surprised when he suddenly appeared from behind. He did not want to be seen by the heroine, but he could not help it.
Baek Yu-Seol spoke in a voice that was as friendly as possible.
“What wand are you going to choose?”
Then, Flame took a step backward with a slightly wary attitude.
“Hey, why are you curious about that?”
“Huh? No, I was just wandering alone, so I wanted to help.”
“Shouldn't you stay out of others’ business and choose your own staff?”
'What? Something’s off.'
Baek Yu-Seol knew that Flame was very sociable since she got along well with the nobles and commoners alike.
But why did she seem to draw a line with him? He did not think he had done anything particularly noticeable.
However, he could not back away now since he had already spoken.
“I was just trying to help you pick out a staff. Why are you being so mean?”
“Choose your staff instead of meddling.”
No matter what he said, Flame continued to respond with a harsh attitude.
'What should I do?'
“It’s just, I think there's a staff that suits you…”
“What would you know?”
Flame showed a petty expression, but it wasn’t very fitting because she had a cute face.
‘That’s crazy. Did I make a mistake? Or perhaps she’s not interested in an extra, someone who’s not a lead male character?’
Baek Yu-Seol did not know why she was wary of him, but he had to say something anyway. He pointed at Teripon with his finger.
“I heard a lot of rumors about you. Since it’s you, shouldn’t you be able to hold a staff like that?”
A silver wand that was not flashy, but there was something special about it regardless, something royal. When he pointed at it, Flame's eyes widened.
“… Teripon?”
“Yeah, that one.”
However, Flame’s expression turned strange. Something was bothering him, so he decided to take his hand back.
A heavy feeling.
Something gently caressed Baek Yu-Seol’s hand.
“… What?”
He checked his outstretched left hand.
A silver staff lay silently under his grip.
It was not flashy, but its royalty was hidden in its simplicity…
'… Teripon?’
'Why is this in my hand?'
Before Baek Yu-Seol could even grasp the situation, Teripon took action first.
Shoo!
A resonant sound as loud as Ma Yu-Seong’s Edmary Etemiri resounded throughout the auditorium.
“…”
“...”
Silence fell throughout the auditorium in an instant, and everyone’s eyes were fixed on his left hand.
Baek Yu-Seol sobbed in his heart and sweated profusely.
‘This is supposed to be Flame’s…?’
Baek Yu-Seol was doomed.
And very badly, at that.