The practical training for the first-year Class A and S was carried out with the assistance of teaching assistants (TAs).
The TAs were composed of class 4 or higher mages who had graduated from Stella Academy or were currently enrolled in the Stella Graduate School, as well as second- and third-year seniors.
These senior TAs accompanied the first-year freshmen on their missions.
"Lu Deric, here is the list of students you'll be overseeing."
Second-year Class A, Lu Deric.
An honors student who shone as a 39th ranker in his grade.
He came from a prestigious magic family of the Pung Empire and followed the elite path without any hindrance, receiving special treatment even within the nation as a highly valuable talent.
'Talent? I'm on a different level.'
There were countless talents in the kingdom, but Lu Deric was a current student at Stella Academy.
Stella Academy admitted everyone equally, whether they were commoners or royalty.
Regardless of any preliminary or early education before admission, Stella purely evaluated and admitted students based on their magical talent and abilities. Therefore, being accepted into this academy granted one the title of genius.
Given that the country was divided into multiple factions, each vying for even a single talented individual, the Pung Empire had no choice but to lavishly treat Stella graduates.
His dream was not yet fully realized. It wasn't just about graduating from Stella, but reaching Class A... No, Class S.
'This tedious TA work is just a stepping stone for that.'
With few connections, Lu Deric had no choice but to endure such tedious work to get on the professors' good side, earn some rewards, and rack up points.
'I'm putting in this much effort...'
Lu Deric pretended to read the list of students while subtly glancing to the side.
Second-year Class S, Deok Cheol-Gwang.
The lunatic who turned the academy upside down with his brute-force martial arts the moment he enrolled.
Unlike other magic warriors, he fought by wrapping his fists with magic circles and direct confrontation, a style that ordinary students couldn't counter.
In one-on-one duels, Deok Cheol-Gwang always emerged as the victor.
He was a genius among geniuses.
Although Deok Cheol-Gwang was nothing more than a street urchin from the Pung Empire, not even an equal noble, the moment he was given the Class S label at Stella, his entire fate changed.
Being in Stella's Class S granted him treatment superior to that of most nobles.
'To think he's from such a lowly background...'
It was infuriating to see him standing proudly in the Class S, the very rank Lu Deric had aimed for, equal to or even above himself, who had been educated by a prestigious magic family.
Class S students received special attention not only from the Stella faculty but also from the World Magic Tower and the Magic Society. They didn't have to bother with such tedious TA duties.
If there had been some profound reason behind it, Lu Deric might have admired him, thinking geniuses were different and worth learning from...
"Mm. This looks fun!"
Fun!
Watching Deok Cheol-Gwang volunteer as a TA just because it seemed fun made his blood boil.
"What's so fun about it, you lunatic?"
With a foolish grin on his face, Deok Cheol-Gwang was reading the mission application when someone suddenly smacked him hard on the back with a loud thwack!
It was Ban Di-Yeon from the second-year Class S.
"This is a real mission, so take good care of the students. But don’t interfere with their mission too much. Got it? This is their mission, not yours."
"That doesn't sound fun."
When she spoke with a stern expression, Deok Cheol-Gwang’s enthusiasm visibly deflated.
The only woman who could control the stubborn and headstrong Deok Cheol-Gwang.
‘... I just don't understand why someone like her sticks around with that foolish commoner.’
Lu Deric frowned deeply.
Ban Di-Yeon came from a very special family in the Pung Empire. Although she wasn’t nobility, she was a woman whose world was entirely different from that of Deok Cheol-Gwang, who was a mere street urchin.
Her family was outstanding, her talent as a mage was unmatched, and her beauty was exceptional.
She was undoubtedly the brightest star among the second-year students.
Why on earth would someone like her hang around with Deok Cheol-Gwang?
‘Rather than that guy...’
As he was glaring at Deok Cheol-Gwang, it was inevitable that he would meet eyes with Ban Di-Yeon, who was standing right next to him.
She softened her former stern expression used for Deok Cheol-Gwang, casually waved her hand, and greeted him.
"Oh, are you the guy who’s coming with me to the Persona Gate as a TA this time?"
"... I'm not 'the guy,' my name is Lu Deric."
"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, nice to meet you. Hm? Have we met before?"
Of course they had.
As members of one of the Seven Wind Houses of the Pung in the Pung Empire, Luderic and Ban Bi-Yeon inevitably encountered each other once a year during the council meetings.
From the moment he first saw Ban Di-Yeon at the age of ten, Lu Deric remembered her clearly, but did she not remember him?
Even after spending a whole year at the same academy, she couldn’t even recall his name.
Sure, there were nearly a thousand students in the whole academy, and they might never cross paths if their classes didn't overlap...
But still, it felt a bit too much.
"Haah, we've met before. Lu Deric from the Pung Empire. Don't you remember?"
"Oh... Ah! Oh, right. Good to see you. You were so tiny back then, but you've grown a lot now?"
"I was taller than you even back then."
"Ah, well... Anyway, let's do our best in this mission. We’ve ended up with the most annoying task, the Persona Gate."
With that, Ban Di-Yeon let out a deep sigh.
It might have been bad luck for her, but it was fortune for Lu Deric.
Ban Di-Yeon had intended to take on the mission with Deok Cheol-Gwang, but they were split up by the professors, and she ended up taking on the Persona Gate mission with Lu Deric.
Given that it was adjusted to a level appropriate for first-year students, the mission was only at Danger Level 3. For Lu Deric, who had completely mastered Class 3 magic and had ample field experience, it wasn't a particularly difficult mission.
"Wow, lucky you. The mission location just happens to be the Pung Empire. You get to visit your hometown, huh? Hmm..."
While scanning the list of students for their mission, Ban Di-Yeon licked her lips with interest.
[Class S First-Year: Baek Yu-Seol]
She was slightly annoyed about being separated from Deok Cheol-Gwang, but perhaps it was a stroke of luck that she got to carry out the mission with a student she had been observing with great interest.
Unusually, Ban Di-Yeon gave a faint smile.
"Well then, shall we go check on our little ones?"
First-year students in Class A and Class S received different orientations depending on their assigned missions.
It was a place to give a simple mission briefing and to decide how they would carry out the operation, so attendance was mandatory.
To carry out the Persona Gate mission, Lu Deric headed to the lecture room where the first-year students were gathered.
Bang! Thud!
Ban Di-Yeon dramatically flung the door open and walked in, glancing around the interior of the lecture room. Lu Deric, who followed her inside a bit later, also checked out the members and his expression hardened slightly.
Among the roughly ten students, two stood out.
He had seen them on the list, but to actually have the big-shot freshmen, Hong Bi-Yeon and Baek Yu-Seol, on his mission was quite intimidating for Lu Deric.
'... So that's Baek Yu-Seol.'
Because the academy grounds were so vast, even though they attended Stella together, this was almost the first time he had seen him up close.
He had seen him from a distance during occasional competitions, but now, meeting eyes like this felt even more absurd.
'Wasn't he the one causing a stir by hunting dark mages as he pleased?'
Impressive.
Even Lu Deric hadn't had proper combat experience with dark mages during his first year.
But honestly, back then, if Lu Deric had really set his mind to it, he could have easily taken down a few dark mages.
The reason he hadn't done so was that the first year was still a period of passionate learning, and he didn't want to step out of the framework set by the professors.
'It's not that we're quiet because we can't do it, kid.'
Lu Deric fixed his gaze on Baek Yu-Seol, then turned to look at Hong Bi-Yeon.
Contrary to the rumors of her being a spoiled princess, she was sitting upright and stared back at him intently.
Considering that the other arrogant first-year Class S freshmen were either sprawled out sleeping or arriving late, she was at least relatively well-behaved.
"Nice to meet you. I’m Ban Di-Yeon from the second-year Class S, and I’ll be accompanying you on the Persona Gate mission this time. This here is a second-year... Uh, what class are you in again?"
"Class A."
"Right, Class A. This is Lu Deric."
"It's Lu Deric."
"Anyway, that's not what's important."
‘It is important.’
"You may have practiced with the Persona Gate before, but the real thing is entirely different."
Ban Di-Yeon’s expression turned serious.
"During practice, everything is set up to make it as easy as possible for you, guiding you in the right direction. However, the real Persona Gate will disorient you, making you lose your way."
No one knew why the Persona Gates suddenly began to appear in this world.
A completely different world, the descent of an existence beyond.
Why did the dark mages kept summoning the Persona Gates into the present world?
What secrets were hidden in that world?
And why did they keep trying to assimilate mages into their world?
"One thing is certain: the Persona Gate is not friendly to you. The sky, the earth, the water, even the air—all things in that place will be hostile to you and will try to consume you."
The sound of a few first-year students gulping nervously could be heard.
'How cute.'
Lu Deric had already tackled the Persona Gate twice, so the newcomers who were just about to enter it now seemed only cute and naive to him.
"Preparation for the Persona Gate is extremely lengthy, and the time to complete it can be immense as well. Although it's ranked as the lowest among the gates, a Danger Level 3 could still take up to a week. You all knew this when you signed up, right?"
All the students nodded except for Baek Yu-Seol.
'Damn! A week...'
He wanted to return to the time when he could just sit quietly at his school desk with his textbook in front of him, nodding off.
No. He would rather study.
Why hadn't he realized back then how comfortable and enjoyable studying was?
Now, he felt like he could devour all the textbooks and become the top student.
Or maybe not?
"Departure is tomorrow at 6 AM. Although a graduate TA will accompany us, they won't enter the Persona Gate with us."
In other missions like monster hunting or dungeon exploration, veteran magic warrior TAs accompanied them quietly and stayed out of sight.
However, that was not possible with the Persona Gate.
From the beginning, some Persona Gates had a restriction on the number of people who could enter, and once inside, everyone was assigned a role.
If the TAs did not fulfill their roles, they could become engulfed by the Persona. However, if they tried too hard, there were often cases where the TA ended up handling the entire mission alone, leaving no choice.
"Even though we are your seniors and have real-world experience, unlike dungeons or monster hunting, we can't handle every crisis inside the Persona Gate. We might all get separated inside, or we might even become hostile to each other. But there's one thing that's certain."
Ban Di-Yeon said with a confident smile.
"As mages of Stella, we have never failed, and this time won't be an exception."
At her words, the first-year students' expressions finally brightened a little, as if some of their tension had eased.
It was Ban Di-Yeon’s way of deliberately inducing tension and then reassuring them to boost their mission performance to 100%.
Afterward, Ban Di-Yeon explained in detail the supplies and plans needed to tackle the Persona Gate, while Lu Deric quietly observed Baek Yu-Seol.
"Yawn..."
He appeared to be listening to the explanation, but his attitude was quite insolent. He yawned widely in utter boredom.
'Tsk!! Freshman these days.'
When Lu Deric was a first-year, he couldn't even dare to lift his head in front of his seniors. It appeared like these students had been raised with poor manners.
Come to think of it, wasn't there an incident at the beginning of the semester where he got into a dispute with some fool from the second-year Class C?
It was wrong from the start for a first-year to challenge a second-year, and didn't Baek Yu-Seol even avoid defeat back then?
In the end, that indicated Baek Yu-Seol’s true level.
'We'll see how he acts this time.'
If Baek Yu-Seol behaved inappropriately as a student of Stella, Lu Deric, as a second-year senior, was ready to show him the right path.
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