The week had passed in a blur.
Julius had spent most of his time relaxing and preparing, though he couldn't say his preparation had amounted to much. In a desperate attempt to improve in a short period of time he had called upon the services of a Master Fighter.
Julius had hired a so-called Master Fighter to train him. Unfortunately, the only thing the man mastered was the art of talking.
"The secret to a perfect punch," the man said, stroking his nonexistent beard, "is to hit your opponent before they hit you. And to make sure the punch makes perfect contact."
Julius blinked. "So... like, attacking first and not missing?"
The man nodded sagely. "Ah, you catch on quickly."
Julius sighed. "How much did I pay you again?"
Still, he had learned a bit—mostly by watching actual warriors train in Linia.
Now, standing before the gates of Ruloy Academy, Julius found himself in a sea of hundreds of students.
Some looked nervous. Some were bursting with confidence.
Most were around his age.
A few younger, maybe 12 or 13 years old.
Others older, some even 17 or 18.
Julius had already learned how the academy was structured due to the way the students were ordered into groups.
Sixth Year Students (18-19) – The oldest and most experienced.
Fifth Year Students (17-18)
Fourth Year Students (16-17)
Third Year Students (15-16) → Julius' category
Second Year Students (14-15)
First Year Students (13) – The youngest entrants.
Despite the difference in age, all students took the same exam—and it was said to be brutal.
The air was thick with anticipation.
Some students were whispering among themselves.
Others sized each other up, already trying to gauge their competition.
Then, a loud voice rang out.
"Silence!"
A man in long navy robes stood before them, flanked by several academy staff. His deep, commanding tone immediately quieted the crowd. His gorgeous silver hair caught everyone's attention.
"I am Professor Silver, and I welcome you all to Ruloy Academy."
His eyes swept over the crowd like a predator studying prey.
"You have all come here seeking greatness. You have all come here to prove yourselves worthy of this institution. But let me be clear—not all of you will make it."
A hush fell over the students.
Silver continued.
"The Entrance Exam is not a simple test. It will push you beyond your limits. Many of you will fail. Some of you may even suffer serious injuries. If you are weak—if you are unprepared—you may not walk away from this with your life."
Julius could feel the tension rising among the students.
Silver's gaze sharpened.
"If you lack the resolve to risk your body and mind—leave now. There will be no reperations for failure."
Silence.
No one moved.
"Good," he said. "That means I don't have to waste my time."
He gestured toward the academy behind him.
"The exam will take place the day after tomorrow. Until then, you are free to explore the campus. Familiarize yourselves with the grounds, because once the exam begins—your life is on the line. The least we can do is offer some of our facilities before that time comes. Good luck, all of you. May the best students pass."
With that, the briefing ended.
Students began murmuring again, some discussing what Ravel had meant by serious injuries, others speculating about the nature of the exam.
Julius took a deep breath.
Two more days.
Someone tapped his shoulder, it was a strong tap. The kind that made him flinch instinctively and wonder if his time had come.
"Hah?" He turned around, confused as to who had damaged his right shoulder.
Behind him stood a girl assorted into his group (the 3rd years).
"Psst. Hero."
Julius blinked at the girl in front of him.
Is she flirting?
She had medium-length grey hair, piercing amber eyes, and a sharp expression that made her look way too serious for a 15-year-old. Her uniform was neat, her posture wonky, and she had the air of someone who took things way too lightly. She's cute.
"Psst. Hero," she repeated in a hushed voice, leaning in slightly. "What's your name? I'm Silleto."
"I'm Julius-. Wait what did you call me?"
"A hero."
Julius coughed awkwardly. "What? Do I really just give off that-."
She narrowed her eyes. "You're the one who used appraisal in the town square. You're a hero, aren't you?"
Julius felt his stomach drop. What now?
Heroes were legendary figures, granted immense power and expected to save the world. They were all high level. If people thought he was one, he'd probably be dragged into something ridiculous, or perhaps humiliated once they found his real level.
Julius forced a nervous laugh. "Haha, no, must've been someone else. You must be imagining things. If I was a hero I definately wouldn't be here... I'd be out saving the world or... Something."
The girl didn't budge. "I know what I saw. Only heroes are born with Appraisal as a skill. Normal people have to get their level appraised every month or so and it's not very cheap."
Julius felt a headache coming.
"Look," he tried again, "I think there's some misunderstanding. I'm just a regular person trying to attend Ruloy academy."
Her expression didn't change. "Then why do you have Appraisal?"
Julius felt like screaming.
He could feel her intense stare drilling into him. If he kept denying it, she'd just get more suspicious.
Julius sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Fine," he muttered. "You got me. I'm a hero. But keep your voice down, alright?"
Silleto's eyes widened slightly.
"I knew it," she whispered, eyes flickering around to make sure no one was listening. "Why are you hiding it?"
Julius groaned internally.
"Because I don't want people asking me a ton of questions," he said. "I just want to live quietly. Power is responsibility. I don't want to cause chaos around me by revealing I'm a great hero..."
The girl looked thoughtful. Then, with a sudden spark of excitement, she leaned forward.
"Then tell me—what heroic deeds have you accomplished?"
Julius froze. Old memories flooded back in.
Julius stood at the mouth of the alley, watching some pink haired girl hurry home. He had noticed it for a few minutes now—another set of footsteps always trailing behind hers, just far enough not to be obvious, but just close enough to be sinister. The real stalker. He kept snapping pictures of her.
Tonight, Julius was going to fix that. "Not on my watch..." Will she give me her number if I solve the problem?
Instead of confronting the guy outright—something that could spook him into disappearing only to return later—Julius opted for a different approach. He would make himself the problem.
The moment the girl turned the corner, Julius followed. He didn't try to hide it; he made it awkwardly obvious. Not in a terrifying way—just enough to be weird.
The real stalker hesitated. Julius could feel the guy's confusion. Who was this? Another stalker? Competition? A boyfriend?
He looked at Julius strangely. "Respect the grind, brother. I'll find a differnet person."
"Right. Right." Julius muttered, still focused intently on the girl.
The girl, now uncomfortable, quickened her pace. Julius matched it. She glanced over her shoulder.
"Ugh," she muttered under her breath.
Perfect.
The real stalker hesitated longer this time. Then, after another block of watching Julius clumsily "follow" her, the man gave up. He ducked into another street, unwilling to get tangled in whatever bizarre situation this was turning into.
Julius exhaled. Mission accomplished.
He followed her home to make sure she felt safe and no other guys decided to stalk her.
Feeling the girl's growing panic, he peeled off in the opposite direction before she could call the cops on him.
Uh-oh.
Wait, that story makes me sound kind of weird though.
"Er… I can't say," he blurted. "Top secret. Surely you must know how these things work."
She frowned. "Why?"
"It's… classified," Julius said, praying she'd buy it.
She studied him for a long moment before nodding seriously. "I see. You must have been sent here under a special mission. A hero attending Ruloy in disguise… I should've expected something like this."
She completely made that up on her own. Works for me...
Julius simply nodded along. "Uh, yeah. Exactly."
She put a hand on her chin, deep in thought. "I won't tell anyone. But I'll be watching. If you're really a hero, then sooner or later… you'll show your true strength."
Julius resisted the urge to break down in despair.
"Uh-huh," he said weakly.
"Also I think I can tell you something..."
"What?"
"I'm also really powerful..."
"You must be." Julius said tiredly. Even the rats in the sewers here are powerful figures.
The girl gave him a final nod before turning on her heel and walking away.
"See you later, hero."
Julius let out a breath.
What the hell just happened?
Exploring Ruloy
Now that the misunderstanding was over (or maybe just postponed), Julius decided to make the most of his free time.
I might as well see what Ruloy is about.
Ruloy Academy was huge.
Walking through the campus felt like stepping into a miniature kingdom.
There were massive training fields, alchemy workshops, grand halls, and even a dedicated dueling arena. It was designed like a fortress, with high walls and even magical barriers protecting its perimeter.
He wasn't the only one exploring, many of the hundred were scattered across the campus. The current students were probably on holiday because none were to be seen around the campus.
Julius wandered through some of the most notable areas.
The Combat Training Grounds: Here, students sparred against each other or practiced weapon techniques on enchanted dummies in preperation for the exam. Some even fought against summoned beasts. Julius watched from the sidelines, feeling massively outclassed.
"So even the students preparing for the next exam are superhuman... Is it too late for me to start doing push ups?"
The Magic Research Hall: A giant building dedicated to magic studies. There were students practicing spell formations, some trying out elemental magic, and others working on spellcraft theories. Julius peeked inside and immediately felt overwhelmed by the complexity.
"Surely it's not meant to be this difficult..."
The Beast Taming Zone: A place where students trained magical creatures. Julius saw a group of students struggling to control a three-eyed wolf while another group tried taming a fire lizard the size of a horse.
"Maybe I could try and time something-."
"You need at least 10 years of experience to even get started." A black haired student muttered.
"That doesn't even make sense!" Julius left in outrage. So what am I meant to do then? Just wither away in this exam and do nothing?
As Julius explored, he noticed something important, something he already had expected.
Everyone here is strong.
Even the youngest students had some level of talent. Many had high levels, trained bodies, or strong magical abilities.
Meanwhile, Julius was Level 1. He used appraisal when he was alone and often found their levels were around 30-40.
If I don't figure something out, I'm gonna get destroyed in this exam.
Then Julius remembered...
"Wait. It's a team exam. Surely I can just roll good teammates and get carried to the finish line."
It takes a strong person to put their ego aside and let themselves get carried...
Julius frowned. Magic, weapons, combat experience… he needed something to keep up.
The entrance exam was the day after tomorrow.
He had two nights left to prepare.
If he failed, he would have to deal with Vielli and the kidnappers...
"God... Anyone but them..."
He shivered just at the thought of them.
"But I should take a look around, maybe I'll find something useful."