How To Survive Clichés

Chapter 5

Aethis Magic School adhered to the principle of ‘equality,’ so the dormitories were divided based on the type of magic used during the test.

– Tower of the Blue Abyss
– Tower of White Guardianship
– Tower of the Black Abyss
– Tower of Red Judgment

However, that was just a nominal justification.

‘In reality, it’s different.’

Outside of the magic school, society still strictly followed a class system, so it was impossible for students of various statuses to share the same dormitory.

If they did, there would be protests from all sides, as there were overwhelmingly more noble students, even with the principle of equality in place.

‘They were being clever.’

Here’s how it worked:

First, the Tower of the Blue Abyss.

‘A dormitory for those who gaze into the deepest depths.’ This dorm was for those who used elemental magic like fire, water, wind, and spirit magic. Most students here were royalty and nobility because it was difficult for students from other classes to learn elemental magic before admission. Occasionally, a talented commoner would end up here, but they were extremely rare, and because nobles dominated this dorm, the few commoners were treated poorly.

Next, the Tower of White Guardianship.

‘A dormitory for those who guard the brightest light.’ Students who used magic to wield swords were assigned here. Most students came from renowned magic swordsman families or were commoners who had awakened mana. The protagonist, Yoo Suho, also belonged to this dorm, as he had been using swords since the first dimension.

Third, the Tower of the Black Abyss.

‘A dormitory for those chosen by the most sacred.’ Despite its name, students who used holy magic were assigned here. This place had priests who trained to learn dark-related magic while preventing themselves from falling into darkness, honing their mental strength and holy magic. Sometimes, students with unusual mindsets appeared here.

Lastly, the Tower of Red Judgment.

‘A dormitory for those who judge most righteously.’ Students who used purely mana-based magic without mastering any elemental or other magic yet belonged here. This dorm had the most diverse range of statuses, from commoners to slaves, excluding nobles.

So, where was I assigned? To get to the point, I was assigned to the Tower of the Blue Abyss.

– “Student Damian’s dormitory is… the Tower of the Blue Abyss!”

I briefly wondered what it would have been like to be assigned to a different dorm, but since the original Damian was also in the Abyss Tower, it was better to be assigned to the same place to keep the plot development consistent.

Clap, clap, clap—

As my dorm was decided, awkward applause filled the hall. Thanks to the principal’s explanation about the box, there were no more complaints, but the atmosphere wasn’t exactly welcoming either. It felt a bit bitter to be treated like this even in a new world.

‘Well… I wasn’t exactly living a welcoming life on Earth either.’

– “Here, take this robe! And this mana core too! I had put it in the box as a reward for the student who retrieved it, so take it.”

“Thank you.”

I bowed my head and received the blue robe and the fragmented mana core, then headed toward the seats where the Tower of the Blue Abyss students were sitting.

– “Now, Professor Morax will explain this semester’s curriculum.”

From behind, I heard Professor Morax’s voice. I moved to an empty seat in the corner. Every step I took, I felt the second princess’s gaze on me.

‘…Hmmm.’

I had a rough idea why she didn’t look kindly upon Damian. The ‘guilt of harassing the princess’ noted in the notice of expulsion was related. But the problem was, I didn’t know everything about Damian. In other words, I didn’t know what, where, how, and why he harassed her at the Calathio Magic School. Knowing her personality, it was clear she wouldn’t easily let go of her hostility toward Damian. Her bringing up the test on the first day of transfer was more personal than a matter of principle.

‘She probably wanted to get me expelled from the magic school.’

If the princess kept behaving like this, it would be troublesome. I needed to eliminate all the clichés I could accomplish in this school without interference.

‘…Hmmm.’

In that case, I had to divert her attention elsewhere. After all, I wasn’t the one she should be really concerned about. As I organized my thoughts and sat down, a notification popped up, indicating the quest was completed.

[Hidden Quest Completed]
[Reward: Obtained 1 QP.]

‘I’ll invest the points after I get to my room.’

Professor Morax’s explanation continued from the podium. Just as I was about to look away from the quest window, I made eye contact with a student sitting opposite me. He had brown curly hair and brown eyes, wearing a blue robe. He whispered to me softly.

“Hi. I’m a first-year too. You were really amazing!”

“…Thanks.”

Caught off guard, I responded as calmly as I could.

‘…Who is he?’

No matter how much I thought about it, there wasn’t anyone who would specifically want to talk to Damian. Given the rumors and his family background, it seemed unlikely.

…In any case, it worked out well. I didn’t know everything about the other characters or Aethis Magic School. It wouldn’t hurt to get to know a few students.

Just as I became curious about this boy’s name, he introduced himself.

“I’m Theo Expurgo. Nice to meet you.”

“…Damian Draco. Nice to meet you too.”

Hearing his name, I almost missed my timing to respond. I replied as naturally as possible.

“The rumors are true—”

As he began to whisper something else, fortunately, a professor frowned at Theo Expurgo and warned him, cutting off the conversation.

“Ha ha…”

He gave an embarrassed laugh and quickly turned his gaze to the podium. I also looked at the podium but thought about the noble family ‘Expurgo’.

‘If it’s the Expurgo family…’

A fallen noble family in the northern part of the continent. They were executed mid-story for creating demons in a secret basement. Numerous ancient dark magic traces and related artifacts were discovered in their basement, leading to the execution of everyone involved.

It even made the front page of the wizard-only newspaper, Wizard Paper.

“Expurgo Family, ‘Demon Creation Allegations’ Result in Their Demise.”

I quickly drew my conclusion.

…Avoid getting involved with him.

After all, most of the enemies Yoo Suho had to fight in this dimension were demons. It was best to avoid anything related to them.

– “Since classes will start in earnest from tomorrow, you may return to your respective towers for today—”

While I was recalling the history of his family, Principal Wenemir wrapped up the meeting. The auditorium became noisy as students began exchanging greetings they had missed earlier.

‘…It’d be awkward if someone tried to talk to me.’

I saw some students moving toward the portals leading to their respective towers. I quickly got up and moved, managing to enter the portal without running into the demon-related boy.

“Dami—”

I heard someone calling out behind me, but I didn’t turn around. In such a crowded place, it might not even be me they were calling.

I acted a bit shamelessly.

“To my personal room.”

A blue light emerged from the floor, swiftly enveloping my body, and in the blink of an eye, I was in my room.

“…Oh.”

The room had everything: a bed, desk, chair, bathroom, wardrobe, side table, and terrace. It didn’t feel cramped at all. The interior was suitably luxurious, fitting for a dorm primarily inhabited by royalty and nobles.

Damian’s belongings were neatly organized. There was a simple guidebook about the tower on the desk, and a uniform hung in the wardrobe. I hung my robe next to the uniform and sat on the bed with the mana core.

Thud—

Sitting on a proper bed after a few days felt incredibly comfortable. I couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. The mattress was so soft that I felt like lying down immediately.

“I want to sleep.”

I was exhausted and my eyes were dry, feeling like I could fall asleep any moment. But I knew that if I lay down now, I might not get back up, so I forced myself to stay upright.

“Item information.”

A pop-up window appeared.

[Shattered Mana Core]

– A fragment of the mana core of the ancient dragon ‘Kairuleum’. By releasing and absorbing the mana remaining in the fragment, the user’s mana will double for a week.

I breathed a sigh of relief. The duration of the upcoming practical training in a month was a week.

For now, I didn’t have to worry about mana deficiency for the practical training. I was fortunate.

Principal Wenemir likely didn’t know that the Shattered Mana Core was from an ancient dragon and that it doubled the user’s mana. She probably only thought it would slightly enhance magic effects by releasing remaining mana, as she already had plenty of mana herself.

Even though it was shattered, it was still valuable for first-years without practical experience.

I had to manage it well until the practical training began.

Next was point distribution. Since combat training was also scheduled before the practical training, I needed to increase other stats as well.

“Status window.”

[Status Window]
– Name: Damian Draco (Possessor)
– Mana: C (Deficient)
– Endurance: F
– Strength: F
– Agility: F
– Intelligence: D
– Talent: –
– Trait: Possessor
– Achievements: None

The stats were still unimpressive. I propped my chin on my hand and stared into space.

‘…Mana will be put on hold for now.’

Raising the level of mana use suddenly would be suspicious. It was better to let others think of me as a typical magic user until the practical training began. It would be more effective in breaking clichés.

“Hmm…”

That left endurance, strength, agility, and intelligence. I decided to invest one point in endurance.

Due to the mana deficiency, my endurance was incredibly low. I looked weak, with no muscle or flesh.

“1 point to endurance.”

Endurance immediately improved to F+. The grade was still F, so there wasn’t a huge difference, but I felt a bit lighter.

“Now, let’s go.”

There were other ways to increase stats besides quest points. Achievements or intense training could also work. Since I couldn’t achieve anything right now, I chose the latter.

“How many floors is the training room on?”

I pulled out the tower guide from the desk. Each dorm tower had slightly different facility locations based on the characteristics of its students. Besides, what I knew was mostly about the White Guardian’s Tower.

‘It’s better than wandering around.’

As I unfolded the guide, the entire tower appeared like a hologram on the paper. The Deep Sea Tower, with 30 floors, had male dormitories from the 2nd to the 15th floors, a lounge on the 16th floor, a dining hall on the 17th, and a training room on the 18th. The floors above were all female dormitories.

‘…It’s marked too.’

For reference, my current floor was marked as the 15th floor. I checked the time and saw it was 9 PM. Students could freely move around until midnight, so they would probably be in the lounge or their rooms by now. Late-night wandering wasn’t favored by nobles who lived like greenhouse plants.

I wanted to avoid any unfortunate encounters with the demon family members or the princess.

I changed into comfortable clothes and left the room. Since portals were only in designated places like the auditorium, I had to take the elevator from here.

The elevator doors closed, and as soon as I pressed the button, it arrived quickly. As expected, there were no students in sight when I arrived.

It was the dining hall, after all.

‘…Let’s eat first.’

It was my first meal after possessing this body.