"Ceremony?"
"The welcome party for the first years, sir I apologize, I forgot to remind you."
Arthur stared at the man in the limousine for a moment, his expression unreadable.
He walked in his direction, the sound of the engine breaking through the silence as he entered.
"Adrian?"
"Sir?"
"What date is it?"
"Excuse me, sir."
"I mean what year is it? Which day? Which time? I think it slipped my mind."
Arthur was desperate for answers, but he knew better than to tell his butler that there was something wrong with him.
In this world of magic, where sorcery was common it was would be weird if he didn't remember his identity.
He couldn't risk exposing himself, he couldn't risk letting even his closest butler know that he had been inactive for three whole years, that all the actions that he had supposedly taken weren't truly his.
That was his current predicament.
"The year? It's 2028. April."
Arthur nodded, but it was more to himself than to his butler.
'Its true. The spectacles aren't lying.'
To say the least, Arthur didn't know how to feel about this. He was definitely sad, but aside from that he held no other emotions.
Instead, he went through the memory of the boy's body.
Johnny Carter,
Someone who had always been addicted to games, playing them frequently throughout his childhood.
After the VR game came out he saved money to buy it.
And as a dedicated no-lifer he was one of the game's top players.
Only for him to unfortunately meet his end.
'That's pretty bad.'
He was able to recall everything about the game before when his soul destroyed the boy's own, only extracting the memories from it before ending it.
'A draconic main character.'
He was hesitant to meet such a person and he doubted if he could stay without trying to pierce the boy's heart.
He didn't specifically hate dragons, however they had a "kill on sight" on them.
"Adrian, when we get home can you give me a list of everything I've done in the past three years?"
"The last three years?"
Adrian, the head butler, repeated.
The last three years were oddly specific, it was about that time that changes began to show in the man in the backseat.
Three years ago, after the war was over.
"Yes. And if possible also provide some details of a month before the three years."
"Alright sir, I'll have it done in a few days."
The road was well paved, with no pot holes, only the occasional speed bumps.
'The game... The game that this boy played.'
It was an uncomfortable thought to have.
'That game was my world, turned into an escape where ordinary people could go to.'
Arthur, even without the memories of Johnny Carter could understand why people would want to be extraordinary.
He wasn't normal.
There was a reason he had many titles under his name.
The Versatile mage, the body flicker, the forbidden magic maker.
Those were just few of his many titles, titles he had gained during the war.
It was all thanks to one thing...
Even among mages he was an exception. Among mages he was extraordinary...
He had awakened the mage class and the assassin class simultaneously.
Something never seen before in this world of magic.
The mage class gave the awakener access to use mana consciously, the awakener could control its circulation throughout their body, channeling it to a specific body part to use what was known as spells.
It was an ability exclusive to their class and no other class except healers could do it.
The assassin class strengthened the body, but not as much as other physical classes did. The body used mana unconsciously, allowing them to perform simple movements that were impossible to the average human.
But, both classes had their disadvantages.
Mages could barely move when using a spell, otherwise they would lose consciousness and it would fail. It was only those with the strongest minds that could run while charging spells, and those were legendary ranks and above.
Assassins generally couldn't tank hits, not even as much as mages or healers because they were a "kill and run" class.
For Arthur who had awakened both classes, the weaknesses of both classes did not apply to him.
He could tank hits quite well, and he could move quickly when casting a spell, he moved as fast as he did without casting a spell.
For Arthur both classes canceled their weaknesses out, leaving him with only their combined strength.
That was why three years ago he was the closest to ascending...
'But now I'm weaker.'
The spirit that had possessed his body drained his strength. Currently he wasn't at his best, he was strong but not as strong as he formerly was in his prime.
"When will we get there?"
Arthur questioned as he stared outside.
"In some minutes or so sir, traffic seems to be good today."
The blonde man glanced outside.
He took in the site in front of him, the people on the sidewalk, the large buildings that stretched towards the sky, and the occasional show on the road where someone used magic.
"Adrian, make the list a little detailed for me."
"Alright, sir."
They knew what each other was talking about.
The journey was smooth and they eventually reached the place.
"Sir, we're here."
The butler parked the car.
Arthur snapped out of his thoughts.
'This place looks new.'
He mused as he opened the door.
'Or at least, I haven't seen it before.'
He certainly had never seen such a place before.
The academy was established when the war was nearing its end, and it gained quite a bit of a reputation after it ended.
Arthur had decided to apply as a professor for the academy because of one reason; he saw the potential the place had, it was practically brimming with it. He knew that in a matter of years the value of the place would definitely soar.
Now, as he stared at the place in front of him he couldn't help but believe it.
'I wonder how much this place will cost now.'
The academy had lived up to its potential.
"Sir, we best be going."
Arthur was snapped out of his daze again. He nodded and both began walking.
They were stopped by two mages, however they quickly verified themselves and were allowed in.
But he had noticed something peculiar.
'Why was he showing discomfort when I was speaking?'
He wondered.
'Is it because of my breath?'
He brought his hand up and breathed into his palm.
*Cough
He burst out into a fit of coughs.
"Sir, are you alright?"
His butler, Adrian, was genuinely concerned and rushed to his side.
However, he stopped the man before he got any closer.
"I'm fine."
He murmured before letting out another cough.
"But sir-"
"I said I'm fine, you don't have to worry about it."
Arthur straightened himself.
"Just, give me a napkin or something."
Adrian was able to provide one for him, quite easily at that.
"Thank you."
He graciously took the napkin and covered his mouth with it.
"Sir, is anything the matter?"
"No, it's just that I discovered something, it isn't important actually. It's just as it is... trivial."
Arthur quickly dismissed it.
'My breath smells so bad.'
'I almost thought it was a stink spell when I smelt it.'
'I knew it was bad but I didn't know it was this bad.'
His footsteps were hurried, the sound of his shoes against the polished ground resounding throughout the hall.
When they finally arrived.
However, Arthur ignored everything.
"Don't wait for me, I'll be back in a short while."
His voice was muffled.
He went in a random direction. It wasn't just any direction, it was where he believed the rest room would be.
He pushed past several people.
Finally, he arrived.
And the first thing he did was glance at the mirror, studying his face as if he was planning on which part to dissect in a specimen, except there was no specimen.
'My face is still good, at least that's okay.'
But there was a part he dreaded the most.
For the first time in his life he was hesitant to do something, considering how he had ruthlessly taken down enemies in the war this should have been a piece of cake.
But it required courage, courage that he would have to muster.
Finally, Arthur finally grinned widely, his teeth exposed.
His grin vanished in a split-second.
He sighed.
"Shit, is this I turn out?"