Daily Life At Magic Academy

l test? Is it like a written exam?

A: Nah, you go and you duke it out with some monsters.

Q: Is this one of those test that can kill you?

A: It is one of those. Thats why Im telling you to be careful. You
e going up against monsters, not people.

Monsters…

I imagined that meant they were going to drop me off into some monster-infested forest, and say Good luck as they throw me a stick to fend for myself.

”Humph, surely you don think thats all there is? If it really were just a bunch of measly monsters, then even an old hag like me could pass. ” Said the landlord, whom I wasn even aware was here until just now. She sat in the corner table with her wrinkled arms and legs crossed all edgy-like as if playing a mysterious character in some detective drama.

”There are certain monsters you need to look out for – Tier 4 monsters. This school is notorious for putting those on the sorting exams. ” She continued.

”Lets see- What does that mean again… ” I mumbled.

There were different ways to officially categorize monsters, one common way is by using tier levels. I knew that, at least.

Matsukai-san heard me mumble those ignorant words and pulled out a thick book from one of the cupboards.

~~~~Monster Encyclopedia, about Tier Levels~~~~

Tier 1: The most common and weakest types, often no more than pests to your garden and, despite being called monsters, they don possess enough power to actually kill someone.

Tier 2: Very common monsters such as goblins or slimes. Beginner adventurers target these as they are relatively safe to fight. However, they are dangerous enough to kill a person.

Tier 3: Relatively powerful monsters. Experienced adventurers primarily target these. They can easily overpower an adult human.

*Disclaimer before reading further: Most early deaths are caused by Tier 4 monsters and above. Adventurers ranked C or below are not to engage in combat with them under any circumstance*

Tier 4 monsters: Powerful monsters. They can cast spells of their own and/or are extremely strong physically. Veteran adventurers take caution targeting these.

Tier 5: Very powerful monsters. Veteran adventurers can defeat one of these with great difficulty and strength in numbers. In power, they are equivalent to five A-ranked adventurers.

*Any monsters stronger than Tier 5 are called Fables. To learn more about Fables, go to page 251. *

~~~~Pg.34/321~~~~

”Well thats that – but really – you can just pass the exam without fighting anything. ” Said Matsukai-san.

”In other words – just run away from the monsters? ”

He nodded with his arms crossed. ”If you want to survive, that is. ”

Of course I wanted to survive; Its basically the only thing on my agenda. Being put in classes A or F mattered less to me than fresh meat to a little sheep.

”Well, *heh* not to brag, but my STAMINA is a staggering 124. Running is practically all I was born to do. ” I said, shit-eating grin on my face.

Everybody clapped out of sympathy; maybe the words came out sadder than I wanted them to.

The test would begin in a couple hours from now, but it couldn hurt to arrive earlier. I finished eating quickly and went back to my room to prepare some things. Everyone wished me Goodluck.

***

”Ma, you think hell be alright? ”

”Hard to say… All we can do is pray. ”

The air in Natsusou grew thick enough to cut with a knife. No one could utter a word; they all knew what would likely happen to him.

”Seeing new faces come and go every year, Its sad… But its not like we can change anything. ” Said the old Haruka, whos never grown numb to that feeling.

Manzakis face contorted in guilt; if only hed been able to convince Jin to quit earlier. Best-case scenario hed come back with a limb or two still attached, but even that might not be likely.

That was just how weak a commoner was.

***

In this world, the terms Commoner and Noble didn just refer to a persons wealth or political power. Rather, It referred to a persons natural affinity for the MAGIC stat.

Much like that of gender, It was another binary characteristic humans were born with. You were either male or female, and you were either a commoner or a noble. There was nothing else to it, nor was there anything to complain about; It was this clear-cut system that made the world move in a circle.

If, per se, someone wanted to identify as the other gender – That would be fine by me, they can go ahead and call themselves anything they want to. But at the end of the day, can they really fight against the biological programming theyve been born with? That dick in their skirts for example, It doesn become a vagina overnight if they simply elieved.

Same story, different things. A commoner doesn learn MAGIC overnight, nor will he ever be able to. Ive grown to accept that fact, that Im weak.

But there were some things that only the weak could accomplish.

”There it is. ”

It was a sickle with a crescent-shaped edge. Ive had it with me for the longest time, yet it still hasn rusted one bit. I took a white cloth out of my pocket and wrapped it around the sickle, then tied it together with string.

This sickle was the only thing I held on to during my time as a homeless, and to say it was useful would be an understatement. Ive been using It primarily as a hunting tool, and if it works on wild animals, it must also work on monsters.

I took a bath for the first time in ages. Upon looking at myself in the mirror, I recoiled at how much my face had changed.

As I left, the face of the girl I met in todays dream sprung into my mind.