I Became the Academy’s Munchkin Sniper

The next day, the orientation for the Magic Department was scheduled again. 

I woke up at the crack of dawn to get ready to head to the academy. 

After keeping the fire going, gathering some herbs, and taking a shower, I left the house.

“Phew—phew—”

I jogged lightly on my way to the academy. The cool and fresh morning breeze helped wake me up.

Thirty minutes later, I arrived at the Mage Tower. A building towering like Babel with the desire to pierce the heavens. I took the elevator up to the 20th-floor lecture room.

‘Everyone’s already here.’

The entire floor was just one large lecture hall. Hundreds of students were seated, starting from the front rows. They were hoping to catch the professor’s eye.

Getting noticed by the professor not only helped with grades but also provided a chance to join their tutelage, much like a graduate student.

But my goal was to not stand out.

Tap!

I quietly sat on the outskirts. It wasn’t entirely empty here either; there were some students who failed to grab seats at the front.

“W-Wow! Everyone’s already here…”

“It’s fine! We can get seats next time!”

For example, Cedric and Roden. Also, students who didn’t care about getting the professor’s attention.

Lumina was also sitting with a group of female students. She had her hair neatly tied back with a ribbon. Noticing my gaze, she glanced my way and gave a nod.

‘Hello, Kyle!’ was the message that rang in my head. I quickly looked away.

In the front, Ciel, Elena, and Lien were all present. And I could occasionally see characters who played significant supporting roles.

Seeing those who I had only known from their character sheets in person brought a strange feeling of nostalgia.

I closed my eyes, waiting for the lecture to begin. Running all the way here had made me a bit tired.

“Hey. You look familiar.”

Just then, a male student who had just entered the lecture hall spoke to me. He had a typical delinquent look with red hair slicked back.

He seemed to recognize me.

“How did you manage to get into the academy? Been a while since you got expelled, huh. How’s life as a commoner?”

Ah! He’s here to pick a fight.

This is the kind of thing that happens to extras.

However, having run here for nearly half an hour, I didn’t have the energy to deal with him, so I gave a half-hearted reply.

“Surprisingly, it’s not bad.”

“Sure it isn’t. Since you’ll be living as a commoner for the rest of your life. Who would’ve thought that the great Kyle would end up like this? Haha!”

He began blabbering right in front of me.

“I’m really looking forward to this. Now, you’ll have to show your ‘true’ abilities. No more tricks like last time…”

Since the orientation was about to begin, I straightened my posture and thought about him. He wasn’t even mentioned in the character sheets.

But judging from his obvious inferiority complex toward Kyle, he appeared like someone who had been humiliated by him before. There’s a good way to handle this.

“Sorry. But I don’t know who you are.”

Feign ignorance.

Done.

“W-What?!”

His expression was priceless. He trembled with anger and shouted loudly.

“How dare you say you don’t know me! Listen well! My name is Lucas!”

At that moment, a shadow fell over Lucas.

Click!

“Who might that be?”

It was Professor Mason. He looked coldly at the student blocking his way.

“Should I know who you are?”

With that biting remark, the students around burst into laughter. Lucas’s face turned beet red. He groaned and moved to his seat.

Professor Mason stepped up to the podium and got straight to the point.

“Today is orientation. Due to an unfortunate incident, it was delayed by a day, but the academy will take appropriate measures, so there’s no need to worry too much. Today, we will introduce the curriculum and liberal arts subjects of the Magic Department, along with the details on test scores and attendance points. Then, we will continue with the lesson.”

Normally, the first lesson follows the routine of an orientation. And that’s exactly what we were doing here.

However, this was the Magic Department.

“But before that, there’s something we need to do.”

Professor Mason placed some equipment on the lectern and pulled back a cloth, revealing a transparent crystal orb that reflected the light.

“We will be measuring mana perception. Before learning the field of study, it’s important to know the level of your abilities and what areas you are lacking in. A wagtail won’t improve its flying ability by trying to follow a stork; it will only fall behind. You need learning suited to your level.”

The surroundings buzzed with murmurs. Being told to study according to one’s talent right from the start was a bit jarring.

Artena Academy was known for its strict meritocracy, so this wasn’t unusual. However, it was quite effective at bursting the hopeful dreams of the freshmen.

Professor Mason pointed to the crystal.

“This crystal is a high-grade processed mana stone. It contains an enormous amount of condensed mana, and drawing out all that mana is impossible without the power of magitech. But that’s okay. All you need to do is draw out a handful of mana. The quality is more important than the quantity. Think of it as drawing out the purest form of mana you can.”

A high-grade processed mana stone. It was the same type used to subtly reveal the strength of the protagonist when they awaken—only to shatter soon after.

The key to this mana perception test was to draw out the best possible mana from a reservoir that far exceeded your own.

In simple terms, it was like being asked to find the most valuable item from a beach full of sand. 

If your mana perception was poor, you’d just bring back a handful of sand. But if it was exceptional, you could retrieve a diamond fragment hidden within the sand.

“When your name is called, come up in order. We will proceed according to the entrance exam results. Ciel Dunhart.”

With those words, the mana perception test began.

The first in line was the top student of the Magic Department—Ciel Dunhart. She was a prodigy who was believed to be born once in a thousand years.

A treasured daughter of the distinguished magical family, the Dunharts.

Her impression was like that of an ice crystal, seemingly fragile and breakable with a touch, but her mentality and demeanor were strong.

She walked up to the podium, her ponytail swaying like freshly fallen snow. The confident expression that said she was undoubtedly number one was characteristic of Ciel.

“Let’s begin.”

Ciel slowly reached out her hand to the crystal. Instantly, a blue aura surged out of the crystal.

The aura gathered around the crystal, then turned a golden hue. Seeing this, Professor Mason quickly gave his assessment.

“Top student, Ciel Dunhart. A+”

The surrounding students gaped in awe. An A+ was a perfect score.

She was on par with practicing mages despite only having just entered the Magic Department. She was already near perfection.

‘If she’s this strong now, once she awakens…’

Act 1, Scene 4: The Underground Cavern.

That event was designed for Ciel. It would allow her to cure her incurable disease.

By that time, Ciel would become a great asset.

Please just grow steadily without any issues.

The mana perception test continued.

“Elena Valencia, B+.”

Princess Elena’s score was slightly lower than Ciel’s but still respectable. However, she didn’t seem satisfied with her result.

“Lien Lodran, B.”

Lien was a step below Elena. Nevertheless, she wore a soft smile. To her, her trading guild was more important than grades.

“Lumina Halloway, B-.”

For a spiritist like Lumina, that was a fairly good result.

After that, the testing proceeded quickly.

“Ruby Fron, C+.”

“Lucas Mirun, C.”

“Cedric, D.”

“Roden, D.”

Each student’s test ended in less than 30 seconds. Unlike the higher-ranked students who tried to draw out as much mana as possible, the lower-ranked students had clear limitations. 

They wore expressions of despair, having realized that no matter how hard they tried to sense mana, it wasn’t going to work.

“And now, the last student—Kyle.”

It was my turn.

I walked up to the podium and placed my hand on the crystal. I sensed the mana.

“Hm.”

Professor Mason gave his evaluation.

“Kyle, F.”

Sadly, there was no reaction at all. Currently, my mana perception was 10. It was on par with an average person who could use a bit of magic.

If this were an intermediate mana stone, there might have been some change. However, this was a high-grade stone, and it required more than average mana perception to draw anything from it.

I knew this already. Even learning basic magic would be a fortunate step for me.

However, the fact that there was an F grade in the Magic Department seemed to have shocked the students, who began to chatter noisily.

“No way. Did he really get an F?”

“How did that guy pass the exam?”

“He’s a commoner, right? And it’s not like he has connections!”

“Did he cheat or something?!”

Well, I suppose it was reasonable for them to be suspicious. A student with F-grade mana perception enrolling in the Magic Department at the continent’s top institution, Artena Academy, was indeed an anomaly.

It was natural to wonder if I used some underhanded methods to get in. But what does it matter? I passed, after all.

As I was waiting for Professor Mason to continue speaking, a male student burst out laughing.

“Haha! F grade? That Kyle who was exiled? How did you even manage to get in?”

It was Lucas. His mention of ‘exiled Kyle’ made the hall grow even louder.

“Kyle…?” 

“I feel like I’ve heard that name before…” 

“Isn’t he that notorious rogue?” 

“Whoa! It really is him!”

Ah! Kyle… What a past you have.

I looked at my pesky trait.

[The Most Notorious Scoundrel]  

[There is no scoundrel like you in the empire. When intimidating others, you instill 300% fear.]

‘Wow! That’s insane.’

I hadn’t paid much attention to this before, but it was quite the title. It was practically the same as turning from a demon slayer to a demon exterminator.

It really hit home just how infamous Kyle was.

“Everyone, quiet down.”

At Professor Mason’s words, the noisy hall quickly fell silent.

“Even if Kyle has F-grade mana perception, passing the entrance exam means he has other exceptional abilities. Whether that’s exploiting fights between students, capturing magical beasts, or laying traps, he must have had a good understanding of the rules of survival to be admitted. Though his talent is lacking, with effort, who knows what might happen? So keep improving.”

Keep improving.

That phrase came out of Professor Mason’s mouth. Wow! That was a first. He had never been one to offer kind words to students since he was quite cold-hearted.

It appeared that having an F in mana perception even moved him to pity.

{TN:- LOL}

“Now that we’ve completed the mana perception test, I trust you all understand where you stand.”

Professor Mason continued by discussing matters related to the curriculum. Since this was information not covered in the game’s settings, I listened carefully.

And thus, the orientation came to an end.

“Now then, let’s begin. Get the textbooks later. Today, we start with Chapter 1 of Introduction to Magic.”

Professor Mason began the class using the textbook projected on the blackboard. 

And on the very first day, we plunged straight into three hours of a full lecture marathon.

“…”

… But throughout the lecture, for some reason, I felt like Ciel kept glancing over at me from time to time.

Was it just my imagination…?