Chapter 19: Thorne Academy

The journey back was smooth.

The three arrived in Helsing City that evening.

After saying goodbye to the coachman, they found an inn in the city to spend the night.

Xi Ya had wanted to go straight back to the academy, but Feili had exhausted her Mana showing off during the day and needed rest.

There was only one commission letter, and it was in Feili’s hands.

He couldn’t get through the Teleportation Array inspection on his own, so he had to go along with them and pay for a room at the inn.

Inn prices in the city were steep.

Feili and Dailina weren’t short on money, so staying there didn’t bother them.

But Xi Ya didn’t have much cash.

He only had the small amount the Lord had given him.

Spending it made his heart bleed.

‘Feili, you show off too much and drag me into paying for it, huh?’

‘No, I need to lower her Affection Level even more.’

***

The next morning, the three got up quickly and rushed to the city’s Teleport Hall.

Dailina showed the academy’s commission letter to the stationed mage.

After verifying it with the academy’s mentor via magical communication, the mage approved the teleportation.

They stepped into the Teleportation Portal.

A flash of blue light.

The next second, they were standing inside Thorn Academy’s Teleport Hall.

“You three are first-year Elite Class students, right?”

The mentor responsible for reception reminded them after they came out.

“Today is the final submission deadline for the Entrance Exam. Hurry up and turn it in. If you miss it, you’ll lose your Elite Class qualification.”

“Mm, thank you for the reminder, Teacher. We’ll go right away.”

The three thanked the mentor and left the Teleport Hall, heading toward the inner gate of the academy.

Thorn Academy’s layout was unique.

The entire academy was circular, built around the central Teleport Hall.

There were gates on both the outer and inner sides of the academy.

The inner gate opened toward the central Teleport Hall.

Although this Teleport Hall belonged to Thorn Academy, it was not within the campus area.

Many guards were stationed at the inner gate.

This design was also meant to prevent enemies from invading the academy from other cities.

Even if enemies did get in, the academy could serve as a buffer zone for the Royal Capital against invasions.

Xi Ya entered the academy with them.

He knew that from the moment he returned to the academy, the game had entered Chapter 2: Academy Arc.

Thorn Academy was jointly established by the Imperial Royal Family and the Magic Association.

The academy not only taught swordsmanship, magic, and various other academic disciplines but also trained countless students.

Citizens of the Sorn Empire could enroll at Thorn Academy after turning 15.

Before entering the academy, they had to take a Placement Exam.

The top 40 in overall scores would be placed in the Elite Class, while the rest would enter the Regular Class.

The Regular Class was no different from ordinary academies.

Students could choose between swordsmanship or magic as an elective.

Academic pressure was light, and after graduation, they would generally work in their chosen field.

The Elite Class, however, was different.

Graduates from here would someday go to the frontline battlefield to fight the Demon Race.

The assessment requirements were especially strict—it was practically a pure grind class.

All Elite Class students had to master both swordsmanship and magic.

Exams were frequent—a small test every week and a big test every month.

Those who failed would be dropped from the Elite Class.

The assessments emphasized practical combat, mostly various field commissions.

When Xi Ya took the Placement Exam, his practical score barely passed, but his written exam was a perfect score.

Theory was a piece of cake for him.

He could flip through a book and instantly understand everything.

If this were his past life on Blue Star, he would be a total prodigy.

If he had been placed in the Regular Class, he could have chosen Magic Theory as an elective.

With his outstanding theoretical scores, he could easily graduate and then go to the Magic Association as a scholar to do theoretical research.

How wonderful would that be?

But now, Xi Ya was stuck in the Elite Class.

His greatest strength—theory—had no advantage.

Out of the four monthly exams, three were practical assessments.

The only written exam had very low credit weight.

Just thinking about it gave Xi Ya a headache.

You might ask, how did he get into the Elite Class with such poor practical scores?

Well, that’s a story worth telling.

Originally, Xi Ya’s overall score was 41st place—just short of the Elite Class.

He could have been first in the Regular Class.

But during the Prelude of the game, during the Entrance Exam, two noble students tried to frame Feili.

They cheated themselves and then tried to pin it on her.

As expected, Feili caught evidence and reported them, directly revoking their enrollment qualifications.

Then came the key point.

Of those two, one had a score within the top 40.

As soon as his qualification was revoked, the 40th position opened up.

What a coincidence!

Xi Ya was 41st, so he got to fill the spot.

‘Feili, I really thank you for that!’

‘What does it mean to fall from heaven to hell in a second? I’ve experienced it now.’

He could have been a top student in the Regular Class, dominating as a genius.

Now he was the bottom of the Elite Class, tormented daily by practical exams—pure suffering.

To drop out of the Elite Class, he would have to wait until the end of the semester for credit settlements, or be directly expelled.

Of course, getting himself expelled wasn’t an option—that would be too stupid.

Dropping out of the Elite Class would be recorded in his file.

When he graduated and looked for a job, people would point at that “life stain” and criticize him, labeling him “lazy,” “unambitious,” or “incompetent,” slamming the door in his face.

From that perspective, he had no way out.

In his past life, he suffered in the game.

After reincarnation, he suffered in the slums.

After turning 15, he was suffering in the academy.

He was a legendary warden, a professional sufferer.

But come to think of it, being in the Elite Class wasn’t without benefits.

First, the treatment was much better than the Regular Class.

Scholarships and financial aid were doubled.

That was really kind to him, a penniless commoner.

He didn’t have to worry about tuition or living expenses.

He even got a single dorm room.

The library and training grounds were prioritized for use.

Everywhere in the academy, he got preferential treatment—it was fantastic.

Second, the frequent practical exams weren’t all bad.

He urgently needed to gain Experience to improve his abilities, and the practical missions gave him plenty of opportunities to level up.

The most important point was actually Feili.

Although she had been reborn so many times, from Xi Ya’s observations over the past two days, this protagonist was very unreliable and didn’t take things seriously.

The game was a yuri game, but the main plot was about the protagonist developing and defeating the Demon King to save the world.

Romancing the heroines was just secondary.

If the world was destroyed and everyone was dead, what use was romancing them?

Dying together?

Originally, even achieving a good ending in this game was extremely difficult.

In his past life, he had to reload countless times even with a walkthrough, let alone in reality.

Now, he wasn’t even controlling the protagonist.

Even if he were, he wasn’t sure he could defeat the Demon King.

Entrusting humanity’s fate to Feili like this—he felt humanity was doomed.

Although Feili had been reborn with rich experience, theoretically she wouldn’t repeat past mistakes.

But why was she reborn?

Wasn’t it because she failed and then was reborn?

She had been reborn countless times and failed countless times.

Even with the experience of rebirth, she might not succeed.

When she fails again, Feili can just restart.

But what about him, Xi Ya?

Stay here and wait to die?

Running away was even more impossible.

If the Demon Race conquered the world and turned humans into slaves, even if he wasn’t captured, he’d have to flee everywhere.

That would be worse than death.

So he had to stay in the Elite Class.

Keep a close eye on this Feili and not let her go down the wrong path again.