The Academy’s Grand Library was as massive as it was intimidating. Towering shelves stretched high above, filled with books bound in everything from simple leather to enchanted metal. Soft light from floating orbs illuminated the vast space, casting long shadows over the students gathered near the entrance.

  At the center of the main hall stood an enormous bulletin board, its surface covered in parchment listings of every available course. Dozens of students crowded around it, murmuring as they scanned the options. Some were already marking their choices, while others debated in hushed voices.

  Ren, Leo, and a handful of other first-years stepped closer, their gazes sweeping over the board. The list was overwhelming—hundreds of classes covering different magical disciplines, combat training, theoretical studies, and specialized fields.

  “Damn,” Leo muttered. “I didn’t expect this many choices.”

  Before Ren could reply, a haughty voice cut through the chatter.

  “Not that it matters for you lot.”

  A blond noble with a sharp, arrogant smirk stood just to their right, arms crossed. His robes were embroidered with the sigil of House Veldren, a mid-ranking noble family. Several other nobles stood behind him, smirking in amusement.

  Ren already disliked him.

  The noble continued, his tone mockingly slow. “See, class selection isn’t as simple as just writing your name down. There are limited spots, and priority goes to those of higher standing. The better the class, the harder it is to get in. First picks go to royals, then high nobles, then mid-tier nobles… and commoners? Well.” He gave them a pitying glance. “You’ll be lucky to get anything worthwhile.”

  Leo tensed beside Ren. “And who decided that?”

  The noble shrugged. “Tradition. If you want better spots, maybe you should’ve been born into a better family.” He turned away with a smirk. “Just thought you should know before you waste your time.”

  Ren exhaled slowly. He could already hear some of the commoners behind him whispering in worry. If class selection was truly based on status, then most of them would be locked out of important courses before they even started.

  “Guess that means we have to be fast,” Leo muttered.

  “Faster than nobles who’ve already had their choices lined up for years?” Ren said dryly.

  Leo grinned. “That just means we have to be smarter.”

  A familiar voice spoke up behind them.

  “Enjoying yourselves?”

  Ren turned to see Davian leaning against a bookshelf, arms crossed, his usual unimpressed expression in place.

  “You again,” Leo said, but there was no real bite to it.

  Davian rolled his eyes. “Don’t sound so thrilled.” He nodded toward the bulletin board. “If you’re done wasting time, we should grab our choices before the nobles fill everything.”

  Ren stared at the massive board, his eyes scanning the hundreds of parchment slips pinned across its surface. The class options stretched from the obvious—Elemental Magic, Runic Theory, and Combat Training—to the obscure, like Curse Manipulation and Etheric Channeling. Some classes had clear prerequisites, demanding prior knowledge in specific fields, while others were open to anyone daring enough to attempt them.

  Leo let out a long whistle beside him. “Okay. Yeah. This is a lot.”

  Davian, already a step ahead, smirked. “That’s an understatement. Half these classes might as well be death sentences for anyone without a noble family’s backing.” He gestured toward a slip labeled War Mage Tactics. “Bet you anything it’s filled with heirs of knightly houses.”

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  He took a slow breath and started narrowing down his options.

  Magic Fundamentals was mandatory, so there was no need to dwell on it. It would cover basic spell construction, mana theory, and structured casting—things he already had a strong grasp of, but he wasn’t arrogant enough to think he could skip the foundations considering his self-learned knowledge was nothing compared to the extensive tutoring nobles got since birth.

  Runic Theory & Application caught his eye next. This was the foundation of crafting magical objects, from enchanted weapons to intricate mana-infused artifacts. It was a field dominated by noble families who had passed down perfected sigils for generations, giving them a massive head start. But the ability to craft his own enchanted tools was too valuable to ignore.

  More than that, studying runes would bring him closer to creating his own sigils. He still couldn’t form them yet, but mastering their construction was a crucial step. With his photographic memory, he could already analyze and recall sigils with ease—if he could also learn to design them, he might finally start catching up to the nobles.

  Elemental Control & Channeling was another necessary step. Even if it wasn’t his primary focus, elemental magic was too widely used to ignore. It was also one of the easiest ways to manipulate the environment in combat. He’d read that even mages with weaker mana reserves could use elemental techniques effectively if they had precise control. Given that his own mana pool was small compared to nobles, refining his control could help offset that disadvantage.

  Body Enhancement & Combat Training gave him more pause. He had never focused much on physical combat, and the idea of reinforcing his body with magic was something that felt secondary compared to pure spellcasting. But the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. He was at a disadvantage in raw magical output, which meant he couldn’t afford to rely purely on offensive spells. If he could strengthen his body, even just a little, he could last longer in a fight. Besides, knowing how to defend himself was never a bad thing.

  Summoning Arts & Constructs was a wildcard. It was a field that fascinated him—mages who specialized in summoning could call forth familiars, create magical constructs, and even bind spirits to their will. It was one of the more complex magical disciplines, requiring intricate sigil work and strong mental control. The problem was that it was mana-intensive, and Ren wasn’t sure if his reserves would be enough to make it viable. But the potential advantages were too good to ignore. If he could figure out how to summon something useful without overexerting himself, it could act as a force multiplier.

  He glanced around and noticed Leo watching him, arms crossed.

  “You’re thinking too hard,” Leo said.

  “I’d rather not regret my choices later.”

  Leo smirked. “I mean, yeah, but you’ve been staring at that board for ten minutes. Just pick what feels right.”

  Ren shook his head. “Easy for you to say. You’re just going to pick whatever sounds fun.”

  “And I’ll still be fine,” Leo said, completely confident. “We both know I’m going Combat Training and Elemental Magic first.”

  Davian scoffed from beside them. “Figured as much. But you might want to think ahead. Most first-years burn themselves out trying to do too much at once.”

  Ren exhaled. He had already narrowed it down to five classes, but even that felt like a gamble. Too few, and he’d fall behind. Too many, and he risked stretching himself too thin. But there was no perfect answer. The only way forward was to commit.

  He reached for one of the empty parchments on the nearby desk, picking up a quill. Carefully, he wrote down his choices, feeling the weight of each one as the ink dried on the page.

  When he was finished, he followed Leo and Davian toward the librarian’s desk.

  The man waiting for them was nothing like Ren had expected.

  He was old, his wrinkled hands folded neatly over the desk, but his eyes held a sharpness that didn’t match his frail appearance. His robe was simple, free of the elaborate embroidery that noble instructors wore, and his demeanor lacked the arrogance Ren had grown accustomed to. He adjusted his glasses as they approached, giving them a slow, knowing look.

  “First-years,” the librarian mused, taking their parchments. “Always the most interesting part of the year.”

  He glanced over their selections, humming softly. When his gaze flicked up to Ren’s, there was something unreadable in it.

  “You have an ambitious schedule.”

  Ren didn’t look away. “I can handle it.”

  The librarian chuckled. “I suppose we’ll see.” He turned to Leo and Davian, scanning their choices with the same level of scrutiny. Then, with a slow, deliberate movement, he pressed his seal onto each parchment.

  Something was off.

  Ren saw it immediately—his name, along with Leo’s and Davian’s, had been shifted higher in the selection order. Not by much. Just enough to push them above where they should have been.

  His eyes flicked back to the librarian.

  The old man smiled, a glint of amusement in his gaze. “You didn’t see anything, of course.”

  Ren hesitated, then gave a slight nod.

  Leo grinned. “I like this guy.”

  Davian smirked. “At least someone in this place has common sense.”

  The librarian chuckled. “Just don’t waste the opportunity. The Academy isn’t kind to those who fall behind.”

  Ren knew that better than anyone.

  As they turned to leave, he exhaled slowly, feeling the weight of his choices settle on him again.

  The classes were just the beginning. The real challenge was still ahead.