1.
The dormitory room provided by the White Magic Academy was in the west annex of the main building.
A bed, a desk, and a wardrobe.
A small sofa sat by the window, and there was even a bathroom attached to one side of the room.
“Am I getting this all to myself?”
The staff member guiding me nodded.
“This is the standard lodging provided to new Climbers.”
“Nobody else will come in or anything?”
“This room is assigned to you, so no one will enter without your permission.”
Only after hearing that did I step inside.
For twenty years, I’d never had a space I could call my own.
Back at the orphanage where I spent my early years, eight kids shared one room, and after I got kicked out, I wandered through alleys and abandoned buildings.
Even when I got lucky and found an empty warehouse, another beggar would usually show up within a few days.
If I was even less lucky, the building owner or a guard would find me first.
But this place was different.
Nobody would come and tell me to vacate, and no one would steal my things while I slept.
“My own room….”
It had a nice ring to it.
After my reincarnation, I thought I’d never get to say those words again.
“Well, live long enough and you’ll see everything.”
[Negation. The user’s body is currently 17 years old.]
“Shut it.”
I laid out the issued items on the bed.
Two sets of new clothes.
Toiletries.
An identification badge engraved with the emblem of the White Magic Academy.
My name was written on the badge too.
[Leon.]
Below it, my affiliation was inscribed.
[White Magic Academy Climber]
I hadn’t even set foot in the Tower yet, but apparently I was already an Climber.
I flipped the badge over a few times before hanging it around my neck.
“Not bad at all, is it? This is a real turnaround.”
[Negation. The user’s current total assets are 2 copper coins.]
“I’ve got a job now.”
[The identification badge is the property of the White Magic Academy.]
“I’ve got a room too.”
[The lodging is also temporarily provided property.]
The AI didn’t seem to understand what I meant by a turnaround.
Just because my wealth didn’t increase didn’t mean my life hadn’t improved.
“Listen, AI. Having a place where you won’t get wet when it rains, having three meals guaranteed, and having somewhere to go when you wake up tomorrow—that’s clearly worth far more than two copper coins. You get it?”
[Analyzing the user’s logic……]
[Understood.]
[The user has moved from a sinking ship to a lifeboat.]
“Is that really the right analogy?”
I waited for a while, but there was no answer.
What a pain in the neck.
If I’d known it’d be like this, I should’ve bought a more expensive version back when I was alive.
“Anyway….”
I placed my hand on the bed.
My palm sank right in.
“Ohh.”
I threw myself down, and my back buried into the mattress.
No uneven stones pressing into my back, and no need to curl up to avoid a spot someone else had already claimed.
The blanket was clean too.
I brought my nose close to it, but there was no smell of mildew or sweat.
“Life’s turned around!”
[It is difficult to make a judgment based on the current situation alone.]
“It’s turned around.”
[Congratulations.]
“So lacking in enthusiasm.”
Just two days ago, I was counting copper coins on the street, and now I was using a clean bed in a Magic Academy dormitory.
Wasn’t this vertical ascent a little too fast?
Come to think of it, that person named Herman or whatever had called me a genius earlier.
“……Maybe I could just live as a genius like this?”
[Negation. It is simply that the AI’s performance is good.]
[Self-evaluation is rising rapidly.]
“Shut up.”
Later that evening, I ate two bowls of soup and four loaves of bread at the restaurant.
Oh, and there was meat in it too!
Meat that tasted completely different from what I’d had that morning.
It was really delicious.
So I went back for seconds three times, and the staff member did glare at my face once.
But they still served me.
They said snacks were unlimited too, so three bowls of soup must’ve been within the allowed range.
After returning to my room, I went into the bathroom.
My body smelled, and I needed a bit of a ceremony to mark the end of my beggar life.
And above all.
‘Hot water is free……!’
I turned the handle, and warm water poured out.
They’d explained something about magic tools heating the underground water and purification spells on the drainage pipes, but I only half-listened.
What did it matter.
People bathe fine without knowing that stuff.
I scrubbed my body a few times before changing into the new clothes.
Just that alone made me feel like a different person.
“……Heh heh.”
Breakfast would be served tomorrow morning too.
Lunch as well.
Even dinner.
So this was what having a job felt like.
Suddenly, I missed my mom.
“Mom, I got a job.”
[A target must be specified.]
[Which mother are you referring to—the one from your previous world or the one from this world?]
“This damn thing always ruins the mood at the best moments.”
Come to think of it, I was curious.
What did the person who gave birth to me in this world actually look like?
2.
The next morning.
After finishing my meal, I headed to the training grounds behind the main building following the instructions of the staff member I’d seen yesterday.
They said that before entering the Tower tomorrow, they needed to confirm what attack magic each of us could use.
Something about how it’d be a problem if we ran into monsters without knowing what the person next to us could do.
‘That makes sense enough.’
In simple terms, they wanted to check whether the person next to you was fire-element or water-element.
When I arrived at the training grounds, twelve people including myself had gathered.
Since many of us were seeing each other for the first time, only brief greetings were exchanged.
Asking which family someone was from and what type of magic they mainly used.
Fortunately, no one pried into my past.
What family? I’d been a beggar until yesterday, and I didn’t exactly want to announce that anyway.
“Everyone’s here.”
An instructor in a white robe came out holding a roster.
Behind him, stone targets as tall as a person stood in a row.
“Today, we’ll confirm what attack magic you can use. Each of you will state your magic, then demonstrate one of them.”
The first newcomer stepped forward.
“I can use Fire Spear, Explosive Flame Orb, and Flame Wall.”
He swung his staff, and a crimson spear embedded itself in the target.
With a booming sound, half the stone block flew off.
The next person split a target apart with an Ice Spear, and someone using Wind Blade sliced a thick stone diagonally.
There was even magic that linked lightning like a chain and burned three targets at once.
Everyone seemed to know at least four attack spells.
They’d all said they were graduates of magic schools.
To memorize all of that, calculate it, and actually use it.
I guess a Magic School wasn’t a place just anyone could graduate from.
“Next, Iris.”
“Yes.”
A woman with long, pale blonde hair stepped forward.
Her uniform, a mix of white and blue, had more decorations than the others’.
Judging by how people naturally stepped aside for her, she seemed to be someone fairly well-known.
Up close, her face was quite pretty too.
Well-defined features, fair skin, and just standing there, she exuded the feel of a noble lady.
Living on the streets, I’d never had the chance to see someone like that up close, so it was a bit fascinating.
Well, being pretty doesn’t put food on the table.
“What attack magic can you use?”
“Ice Spear, Frost Blade, Mana Bullet, Storm Orb, and Fireball are my mainstays.”
A few more followed after that, but I stopped listening halfway through.
It wasn’t like I could use any of them anyway.
“Demonstrate one of them.”
“I’ll demonstrate Ice Spear.”
Iris raised her staff.
Blue mana gathered at the tip, then transformed into eight ice spears in midair.
When the instructor lowered his hand, the ice spears shot forward simultaneously.
One embedded in each target—bang, bang, bang—the sounds rang out in succession.
Cold mist blanketed the training ground floor, and when it cleared, not a single target was left standing.
The instructor nodded in satisfaction.
“Your mana distribution is precise and your casting speed is quick. Excellent.”
“Thank you.”
The training continued.
Flames rose, stone pillars shot up, and sharp winds scraped their targets.
Watching targets get destroyed the moment they were restored, my two known spells felt a little shabby somehow.
“Leon.”
Finally, my name was called.
The instructor looked down at the roster and asked.
“What attack magic can you use?”
“Fireball and Homing Bullet.”
“Is that all?”
“Yes.”
A few people turned to look at me, but no one said anything.
Some people spent their whole lives mastering just one spell, or so they said.
They probably thought I was that type too.
In reality, I’d learned both less than two days ago.
“Which one will you use?”
“I’ll use Homing Bullet.”
The instructor gestured, and the stone targets were lowered while eight round iron plates were raised.
They were all at different heights and faced different directions.
I slowly raised my hand.
Come to think of it, that person named Herman or whatever had called me a genius earlier too.
Heh heh.
Alright.
Then let me show you.
What a genius’s skill looks like.
“AI. Show me the path.”
[Target positions confirmed.]
Red lines connected between the iron plates.
[Constructing continuous trajectory formula.]
Compared to hitting thirty yesterday, this was simple.
“Go.”
Bang!
The Homing Bullet shot out from my hand.
The light that pierced the first iron plate changed direction without slowing down.
After passing the second target, it curved again, threading through the plates scattered front and back in sequence.
There was no forced bending or wavering mid-flight.
It was as smooth as if it had been following a single path from the very start.
Swoosh.
The Homing Bullet, having pierced the final plate, vanished upon hitting the protective barrier.
All eight targets had fist-sized holes left in them.
“He hit them all.”
“Incredible accuracy.”
“But the destructive power is pretty weak.”
“……”
Uh.
Right.
Other people were bursting flames and shattering stone blocks left and right, but my Homing Bullet had just poked holes in the iron plates.
It looked considerably less impressive than I’d imagined.
Heh heh, I’ll show you a genius’s skill.
……That’s what I thought not even ten seconds ago.
“Instructor. Can I try once more?”
The instructor didn’t answer.
He walked up to the first iron plate, checked the hole, then examined each one up to the last target.
“Instructor?”
After pacing between the targets several times, he looked at me with a stiff expression.
“……You……”
Even Iris had gotten up from her seat without me noticing.
“……What exactly was that……”
Why are they reacting like that?
Could it be that it was even worse than I thought?
The instructor wet his lips once, then asked.
“……You said you could use Fireball as well.”
“Huh? Yes. Right.”
The stone targets were raised again.
The same kind that the other newcomers had shattered into pieces just moments ago.
“Can you demonstrate it?”
“Yes. Understood.”
This time, let me do it properly.
Homing Bullet was a piercing spell by nature, so maybe it looked like that.
Fireball would be different.
I extended my palm forward.
“AI. Prepare Fireball.”
[Analyzing stone target.]
A red dot appeared in the center of the target.
[Adjusting the magic formula to focus output.]
Alright.
This time, let’s smash it to pieces cleanly.
“Go.”
Poom!
A fist-sized ball of fire flew toward the target.
And then.
Thunk.
“……”
There was no explosion.
The Fireball passed straight through, leaving only a round hole in the center of the stone target.
Almost no stone dust scattered, and the target remained standing intact, undestroyed.
“It didn’t break.”
“I guess its firepower really is weak.”
“Is it because they don’t have enough mana?”
“……”
They were right.
The Homing Bullet had only poked holes in the iron plates, and this time, the Fireball couldn’t even properly destroy a stone block.
I subtly glanced down at my palm.
‘I guess I’m not a genius after all.’
Thinking about it, it was only natural.
No matter how convenient the AI was, it couldn’t create mana out of nothing, and I hadn’t suddenly become an amazing mage.
In the end, the AI wasn’t all-powerful either.
I felt a little embarrassed about having thought I’d show off a genius’s skill just moments ago.
“AI. Can you increase the destructive power?”
[Possible.]
Well, at least it could do that.
I immediately looked at the instructor.
“Instructor. That last one was a failure. Could I try just one more time?”
“………”
The instructor didn’t answer.
He walked up to the stone target, peered inside the hole, and slowly traced the edge with his hand.
“……This is remarkable.”
Iris was also staring at the target with an expression similar to before.
“……Heh.”
She was even sneering at me.
With a face that pretty, she must have a pretty nasty personality.
So what if my destructive power was weak? Why did she have to crush my spirit like that?
“……Can’t I try one more time? I can really do it right this time.”
“No. This is enough.”
The instructor’s answer was quick.
And just like that, my attack magic confirmation ended without a single more attempt.
It was a little disappointing.
But oh well.
Just two days ago, I couldn’t properly use a single spell.
Now I could pierce eight iron plates at once and punch holes through stone blocks.
Even if I wasn’t a genius.
“……This is already plenty.”
I could just practice on my own later.
The instructor stared at the holed stone target for a while before turning back to the newcomers.
“Confirmation ends here. Next, we’ll hold a tactics meeting for conquering the 30th floor.”
He pointed to an exit on the side of the training grounds.
“Everyone, move to the Second Conference Room.”
The newcomers filed out of the training grounds one by one.
I followed behind them into the hallway.
As I walked, footsteps quickly approached from behind.
“You’re Leon, right?”
I turned my head, and Iris was standing next to me.
Up close, she was even prettier than before.
Her expression, however, was far from pretty.
“Yes, that’s right.”
Iris bit her lip for a moment, then looked straight at me.
“……Just you wait. I absolutely won’t lose next time.”
“What?”
She spun around and walked ahead of me.
I stared blankly at her receding figure.
“……What exactly did I lose?”