The Nameless Extra: I Proofread This World

The next day came.

From his seat beside the long mullioned windows of the academy hall, the morning seemed slightly off than usual.

The glass should have emanated winter’s bite, yet the light diffusing through it arrived softened, its pallor warmed to a restrained gold.

’The winter is almost over.’

Ruvian thought. And yet, the room somehow felt colder than usual, all due to the man standing at the front.

Instructor Edvoss entered precisely on time.

”Alright, listen carefully.”

”Here, at Velthia, education is a foundation. It is not glory, it is not safety, and obviously, it is not imaginary powerful strength that you’re chasing. It is just a floor below your feet. And if you think that’s enough to keep you alive out there—”

He gestured vaguely toward the window, toward the world waiting beyond these walls.

”—then, I suggest you start digging your own grave now.”

At this academy, education was a foundation, but mastery remained a personal choice.

”Anyway, back to our main topic.” Edvoss said.

”You will study five mandatory subjects this semester, that is what it is supposed to be.”

He continued, slowly walking between the aisles of desks.

”Basic Magic Theory. Voidspawn Studies. History. Basic Rune Language and Dungeon Studies.” These are the minimum for you first year scholars.”

Edvoss scanned the entire room.

”But this minimum is never enough.” He said in a harsh tone.

”The fundamentals are essential, but survival demands more than just that. Flexibility, specialization, creativity... those were the things that filled the gaps when your textbook failed to prepare you for.”

”Hence, which is why electives exist apart from those five mandatory subjects. And Velthia offered a lot of them, far more than any scholar could take.”

Unlike the mandatory subjects, which follow a fixed weekly schedule and are repeated, electives are more, and more chaotic.

They were scattered throughout the week, sometimes overlapping, sometimes vanishing for days at a time, as they moved with the availability and the whim of the instructors who were in charge of it.

Some instructors were consistent... and some were not.

Edvoss continued.

”Listen, there are no limits on how many electives you can take. The freedom is generous, too generous, but it is not without its cost.”

”You could enroll in as many electives as you wish. The academy wouldn’t stop you. But every choice takes a piece of your time and energy. More electives mean more exams. More lectures to attend. And more risk of collisions in the schedule.”

His expression remained austere.

”But here is the important part.”

Edvoss turned on the manaboard and projected visual images.

”The structure is simple, so I hope I don’t have to repeat it a second time. Each of the five mandatory subjects carried a maximum of 100 Points. So, a perfect score across the five subjects granted 500 Points.”

”That is the baseline. The core of the ranking system that every scholar is measured against. With electives, it will add another layer. 30 Points each. And while they offer less than the core subjects, they made up for it with flexibility.”

”But again,” He sighed. ”Do not take more than what you couldn’t handle. It isn’t uncommon for bright scholars to fall behind after they misjudged the weight of what they carried.”

Ruvian leisurely laid his back against the body of the benches.

He agreed with most of what the man said.

Most scholars would also play it safe. Two or three electives. Enough to widen their margins without burning out.

But Ruvian had already considered his electives even before he had arrived here.

The lecture ended with murmurs spreading across the hall.

Edvoss had passed through the rows and left behind a single sheet of parchment for each scholar.

It was time to decide what sort of elective class he should go for.

*****

Ruvian let his eyes drift over the parchment, absorbing the list of each choice.

——————

1)Intermediate Magic Theory

2)Intermediate Runes Studies

3)Illusion Magic

4)Enchantment

5)Runic Inscriptions

6)Elemental Magic

——————

7)Artifacts Crafting

8)Smithing

9)Calligraphy & Sigil Design

10)Cooking & Alchemical Cuisine

11)Noble Etiquette

12)Leatherworking & Tailoring

——————

13)Mathematics

14)Science

15)Cultural & Racial Studies

16)Linguistics Studies

17)Engineering

18)Trade & Economics

19)Wilderness Survival

20)Dungeon Field Trip

21)Navigation & Cartography

22)Astronomy Studies

23)Archeology

24)Herbalogy

25)Agricultural

26)Alchemy

——————

27)Magic Combat

28)Swordsmanship

29)Spearsmanship

30)Archery

31)Stealth

32)Martial Arts

33)Voidspawns Hunting

For a fleeting moment, Ruvian entertained the reckless thought of signing up for all 33 electives, a full-course buffet of academic masochism.

But who in their right mind would even attempt such a thing?

What kind of lunatic looked at that number and thought, they were all manageable?

Thankfully, sanity returned before he could seriously entertain the idea.

Even for him, such a feat was absolutely madness.

By the time the sun began its slow crawl down the windows of the academy’s western wing, the lecture hall had transformed into a hive of noisy indecision.

Groups formed and re-formed and friends bartered for matching schedules.

Some scholars spoke with bright, overconfident grins as they declared they could handle advanced alchemy and magic combat at the same time.

Others kept their voices low, discussing which professors were likely to actually show up and which classes were notorious for quietly wrecking Academic Points.

Ruvian remained where he was, seated near the edge of the hall where the noise washed over him without asking anything in return.

He had to be meticulous as there was no room for impulse.

Ruvian remembered every choice of all the named characters in this story with the help of [Omniscient Review]. (-500)

In the original storyline, Zian Herga had chosen {Swordsmanship} to refine the way he wielded his blade, {Elemental Magic}, {Magic Combat} to expand his options in battle, and {Wilderness Survival}, and {Voidspawns Hunting} to sharpen his instincts against the unknown.

Julian Rozenberg had made his selections with the arrogance of someone born into a bloodline that had never seen the bottom of a ladder.

He had opted for {Noble Etiquette} to secure easy points, but aware of his weaknesses, he had also taken {Magic Combat}, {Swordsmanship}, {Voidspawn Hunting} and {Dungeon Trip} to cover his shortcomings.

Loden had picked {Archery}, {Martial Arts}, {Voidspawns Hunting}, {Dungeon Trip} and {Magic Combat}, forging himself into a fighter through and through.

Calyra had chosen the path of scholars, buried herself into complexity, delving into {Intermediate Runes Studies}, {Enchantment}, {Runic Inscriptions}, {Dungeon Trip} and {Science}.

Rosalin had built her electives around balance. {Swordsmanship}, {Noble Etiquette}, {Dungeon Trip}, {Voidspawns Hunting} and {Wilderness Survival}, seeking refinement in both combat and adaptability. She wanted to be capable in every sense.

And then there was Silvena...

Ruvian doesn’t know what her choices were because she wasn’t from this academy to begin with.

But he could easily guess it.

She would probably enrol into one of these: {Mathematics}, {Dungeon Trip}, {Trade & Economics}, {Cultural & Racial Studies}, and {Agriculture}.

As the daughter of a merchant guild that handled more wealth than some nations, she wasn’t here to play at being a hero or chase fleeting glory in the academy halls.

She was studying for the real world.

”Each of them had their reasons...” he muttered slowly.

But one thing was clear: Ruvian had to track the progress of these named characters, to understand where their paths were leading.

And to accomplish that, Ruvian needed to...

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[Chapter 53: Stay Close to Them]

PP= 10990