Ernst Institute

Winter in Fenlai City was cold enough to make people shiver.

Haoyue sat by a window on the inn's second floor, turning a red letter over and over in his hands.

Three days earlier, he had accepted an invitation from an admissions instructor at the Ernst Institute on the spot at the magic testing center.

There had been nothing to hesitate about.

The Ernst Institute was the best magic academy on the Yulan Continent, without equal. It admitted only a hundred students each year, and none of those who got in were ordinary. For him, not only was tuition completely waived, but he would also receive gold coins as an annual reward, and its teaching staff surpassed those of every other academy.

In his previous life, an offer like that would have been equivalent to Tsinghua University and Peking University coming to him with admissions offers, a full scholarship, and a living allowance on top. Only a fool would turn it down.

The only problem was that he had to wait three months to enroll.

Knock, knock, knock-

Someone knocked on the door.

"Little Brother Haoyue, time to eat!"

The innkeeper's wife's hearty voice came through the door.

Haoyue put the envelope away and stepped outside.

The inn was called the Old Oak. It stood in an alley in Fenlai City's southern district and wasn't very large, but it was kept clean. The little three-story building had a dozen or so guest rooms, occupied by traveling merchants who had come to do business in Fenlai City and travelers passing through.

When he and his mother, Martha, had come from the countryside to Fenlai City for his magic test, they'd had very little money between them. This inn was the cheapest in the entire southern district, at three copper coins a night, with breakfast included.

Martha's hands had trembled when she paid.

"Son, this money... will it be enough?"

"It's enough, Mom. Don't worry."

That was what Haoyue had said, but he knew perfectly well that the money would last them a month at most.

Fortunately, after the test results came out, the Ernst Institute's admissions instructor had given him a settlement allowance on the spot.

It wasn't much, but it was enough for mother and son to settle down in Fenlai City.

What had really surprised him was the change in the innkeeper's attitude.

The day after the test results came out, Haoyue had gone downstairs for breakfast as usual.

As soon as he reached the stairs, he saw Herman, the innkeeper, standing in the lobby, boasting animatedly to several guests.

"I'm telling you, that little fellow with supreme affinity for three elements is staying right here! On the second floor! News came out of the testing center yesterday, and the whole southern district of Fenlai City is buzzing!"

"Supreme affinity for three elements? Really?"

"Absolutely! Water, fire, and earth, all three supreme, and his spiritual force is nineteen times that of others his age! Nineteen times! The admissions instructor gave him an invitation to the Ernst Institute right then and there! He'll be a great mage someday."

"Good heavens..."

Herman noticed Haoyue coming downstairs, and his expression instantly changed from boastful to ingratiating.

"Oh, Little Brother Haoyue-no, Mr. Haoyue! You're up? Come, sit down! I've added two eggs to your breakfast today!"

Haoyue's mouth twitched.

Mr. Herman hadn't had this attitude when they first checked in two days ago. Back then, seeing how shabbily mother and son were dressed, he'd practically stuck his nose in the air. He'd given them the room furthest inside, with a window facing the garbage heap in the back alley.

Now, though, he called him "little brother" and "mister" more warmly than anyone.

"Mr. Herman," Haoyue said evenly as he sat down, "there's no need to be so polite."

"Why shouldn't I be? You're a new student at the Ernst Institute, which makes you an honored guest at our Old Oak Inn!" Herman rubbed his hands, his little eyes darting about. "Mr. Haoyue, I have a proposal-"

He lowered his voice and leaned closer:

"Don't you have to wait another three months to enroll? Your lodging for those three months is free!"

Haoyue looked up at him.

"Free?"

"Completely free! All three meals included, too!" Herman thumped his chest. "And your mother's as well!"

Martha came out of the room just in time to hear that and froze where she stood.

"Th-this is too much..."

"Not at all!" Herman waved a large hand. "Having a student from the Ernst Institute stay at my inn brings honor to the Old Oak! And I'll have something to brag about later-'See that? That genius with supreme affinity for three elements stayed right here back in the day!'"

He started laughing as he spoke, his laughter coarse and genuine.

Haoyue glanced at him.

He might be mercenary, but he wasn't a bad person.

Haoyue had spent so many years working within the system in his previous life. What kind of person hadn't he seen? A small businessman like Herman was fundamentally after profit and eager to avoid harm, but as long as you didn't have a falling-out with him, he wouldn't cheat you.

"Then thank you very much, Mr. Herman," Haoyue said with a nod.

Herman grinned from ear to ear, then turned and shouted toward the kitchen, "Extra dishes! Extra dishes for room nine! Stew a pot of meat!"

Martha stood in the corridor, watching Herman bustle about, her eyes growing a little misty again.

"Son..." she said quietly. "Look, now that you've made something of yourself, people treat us differently."

Haoyue said nothing.

He knew his mother was telling the truth, but he knew even better that in this world, the respect others showed you was always based on your value.

Once you lost that value, those smiles and attentions would vanish faster than a shadow.

So he had to become stronger.

Three months was neither a long time nor a short one.

Haoyue didn't waste it.

Every morning, he got up and ran through the streets of Fenlai City's southern district. At first, he was panting after only two or three kilometers. Later, he could run ten kilometers in one go without stopping, then return to his lodging to practice his battle-qi secret canon.

In the mornings, he studied introductory magic books his mother had found at secondhand bookstalls. Most were cheap street-stall fare, but the basic theories in them were still somewhat useful.

In the afternoons, he practiced sensing the three elements.

The three elements' vastly different temperaments gave Haoyue no end of headaches. But he had played thousands of ranked matches in League of Legends in his previous life, so patience was the one thing he had in abundance.

For someone who had kept playing ranked even after reaching Challenger, what was sensing a few elements?

Martha hadn't been idle during those three months, either.

The settlement allowance from the Ernst Institute was a fair sum, and she found work washing clothes at a market in Fenlai City's southern district. It was hard work, but at least it provided a steady income.

"Haoyue, study hard at the institute. You don't need to worry about things at home," Martha would say every night.

Early February, Yulan Calendar 9983.

The Ernst Institute's new-student enrollment day.

Morning sunlight spilled across the campus, gilding its iconic white spires with a faint golden edge. The Ernst Institute occupied a vast tract of land in the wooded hills more than twenty li south of Fenlai City. There were seven main teaching buildings alone, each dozens of meters tall and reaching straight into the clouds.

Haoyue stood before the institute entrance, looking up at the enormous iron gate, which stood a full ten meters high.

Two lifelike stone sculptures stood on either side of the gate: a silver dragon spreading its wings to take flight on the left, and a world tree that blotted out the sky on the right. The silver dragon's scales glittered in the sunlight, as though it might break free of the stone at any moment. The shadows of various magical creatures could just be made out among the world tree's branches and leaves.

Restaurants, service shops, bars, and other establishments were located inside the institute. The Ernst Institute could be called a small city in its own right.

"What a grand undertaking..."

Haoyue murmured to himself.

He had known how impressive the Ernst Institute was from reading the novel in his previous life. Even so, seeing it with his own eyes left him stunned.

Other new students had come to register as well. They gathered in twos and threes around him, some looking around excitedly, some so nervous their palms were sweating, and others putting on an air of maturity as they boasted to those around them about their family backgrounds.

Haoyue glanced around and paid no one any attention.

He knew his situation all too well: a poor boy with no background or influence, whose only advantage was his supreme talent in three elements.

Here, keeping a low profile was the best course.

Especially since he had that secret: his identity as a descendant of the Bolei Family absolutely could not be revealed casually.

Bolei was such a common surname on the Yulan Continent that no one would connect it to the Tiger-Striped Warrior clan from two thousand years ago. That was also his greatest cover.

If anyone learned he was a descendant of the Tiger-Striped Warriors, heaven knew what trouble it might bring.

"Attention, new students-" a powerful voice called from the institute entrance. "Please bring your admission credentials to me to complete your enrollment!"

Haoyue felt for the admission letter and proof of identity tucked inside his clothes, then strode toward the Ernst Institute's gate.

The testing staff tested Haoyue once again.

"High-grade spiritual force, supreme elemental affinity in three elements."

The enrollment process went unexpectedly smoothly.

The staff had clearly been notified in advance, and their attitude toward Haoyue was almost excessively enthusiastic. Signing, stamping, collecting his uniform, student ID, and dormitory key... the entire process was finished in less than half an hour.

"Here's your dormitory key. Your room is number 1688 in Zone D," a staff member said, handing him a copper key and a set of dark-blue robes. "There are three sets of uniforms in total. You can collect the others from the logistics office when you need a change."

"The class schedule officially takes effect tomorrow. Your first class is basic magic theory, at seven o'clock on the third floor of Teaching Building One in Zone A."

Haoyue put the key and uniform away, thanked the staff member, and left the entrance.

The dormitory district was in the northeastern corner of the institute, a neat array of separate residences, each with its own gate and courtyard.

Each building was three stories tall. Haoyue found room 1688 and pushed open the gate to its courtyard.

Someone was already in the courtyard.

A red-haired boy was leaning against a pillar beneath the main building's porch. He grinned when he saw Haoyue enter.

"New roommate? I'm Kaluo Dunstan, from the O'Brien Empire."

He was around eleven or twelve, with a stocky build and baby fat still on his face. His eyes curved into crescents when he spoke, and he looked like the carefree sort at a glance.

"Reyn Hawke, from the Yulan Empire." The door to a side room stood open, and a black-haired boy stepped out and nodded politely.

Lei'en looked fourteen or fifteen, with delicate features, a calm bearing, and a hint of scholarly refinement about his brow.

"Last one. I'm Ron Baker." A head poked out from behind the door of the side room on the other side, with curly brown hair and eyes that darted about. "I'm a Holy Union local."

Luo'en was a little older than Haoyue and was dressed in fine clothes. He was clearly a young master from a wealthy family.

The four sized one another up.

Kaluo clapped Haoyue on the shoulder. "Brother, what's your name? You look pretty young."

"Haoyue Bolei," he said, giving his name. "I'm a Holy Union local too."

"Bolei?" Luo'en blinked. "I've never heard of any major family by that name."

"Just an ordinary family." Haoyue smiled and didn't explain further.

After settling their luggage, the four chatted in the courtyard.

Kaluo came from a branch of the Dunstan Family in the O'Brien Empire and had come to the Ernst Institute to add prestige to his name. He was outgoing and soon became fast friends with Luo'en.

Lei'en's family was of modest means. He was the illegitimate son of a minor noble in the Yulan Empire and had traveled all the way to the Holy Union to study because he wanted to get away from the squabbles among his family's younger generation.

Luo'en, meanwhile, was the son of a wealthy local merchant in the Holy Union. His family lacked nothing in the way of money; all they lacked was the title of mage.

"By the way, what talents did you guys have on your entrance tests?" Kaluo asked casually.

"Fire Element and earth, high affinity in both." Kaluo answered first, without hiding a thing. "Dual-element affinity isn't that rare in O'Brien, but it's enough to brag to my dad about."

Lei'en nodded. "Supreme affinity for water, and twelve times the normal spiritual force."

Luo'en curled his lip. "High affinity for Wind Element, average for water. Barely enough to meet the institute's entrance requirements. My family spent a lot of money to get me in."

All three looked at Haoyue.

He knew he couldn't hide it. Supreme affinity in three elements and nineteen times the normal spiritual force were there in his entrance test records for anyone to check. Pretending to keep a low profile would only look fake.

"Water, Fire Element, and earth. Supreme affinity in all three, and nineteen times the normal spiritual force."

The courtyard fell silent for two seconds.

"...Three elements?" Kaluo's eyes widened. "Supreme affinity in all three?!"

"Nineteen times the normal spiritual force?" Luo'en's mouth fell open in an O. "Are you sure you're not bragging?"

"It's all in my enrollment records. If you don't believe me, go check," Haoyue said evenly.

The way Lei'en looked at him changed. He said nothing, but his lips pressed together slightly—a sign of envy he couldn't conceal.

Kaluo slapped his thigh. "Good heavens! Supreme affinity in three elements! We've got a monster in our dorm!"

"Don't go shouting it everywhere," Haoyue said, glancing at him.

"I know, I know!" Kaluo agreed, but he couldn't suppress the excitement on his face at all.

That evening, the four toured the institute together.

The Ernst Institute was far larger than they had imagined. Teaching buildings, magic towers, the library, the main dining hall... students came and went everywhere they looked.

Each element in the magic department had one class a day, and attendance was voluntary; no one cared if a student didn't go. But there were assessments at the end of every year, and anyone who failed to become a Sixth-level Magus within sixty years would be expelled.

"I hear there are lots of rare magic books in the library." Luo'en's eyes lit up. "I'm planning to borrow a few when I have time."

"Can you understand them?" Kaluo scoffed.

"Even if I can't, I have to pretend I can. Otherwise, how am I going to pick up... uh, improve myself?"

Lei'en shook his head helplessly.

Haoyue silently noted the library's location.

After nightfall, his three roommates returned to their rooms to rest.

Haoyue sat cross-legged on his bed and began practicing the Tiger Pattern Secret Canon.