Emil remained immobile in the middle of the crowded street, his hands clenched tightly around the letter as if it would disappear into thin air at any second if he let go of it for even a second. The words scribbled on it didn't make sense
Empire Academy Admission Letter
His name was written in fancy golden letters, as plain as day:
Recipient: Emil Valcrest
His thoughts were wild at that moment
"This, this has to be a mistake. I'm sure it's a joke. Or maybe is it a trap?"
He looked about, anticipating that someone would burst forth and laugh in his face and he also hoped for that too, but the world simply continued as it had been. Merchants shouted out their wares, blacksmiths rang out steel, and nobles strolled by, they all were too engrossed in their own lives to pay any attention to the foolish commoner standing like an idiot in the middle of the road
Why him? Why had he received a letter to the Empire's greatest academy and why out of nowhere?
Emil knew exactly what he was, he was just a nobody. He wasn't some covert mastermind, not even a prodigy who was secretly favored by destiny. He was just a talentless little whelp with the worst possible stats ever
His hands trembled a little as he struggled to breathe
"Okay, okay, let me think this through. Let's not be crazy. Let's think rationally for a moment. If I did manage to get into the Empire Academy, then"
His voice trailed off as one thing crossed his mind
"I need to check my stats first. Then I'll figure out what to do next, I already know what the stats would look but still let's give it a go"
If something had been altered, if something was altering, his status window would let him know
Taking a final deep breath, he curled his fists and spoke quietly "System"
A faint glow started to glow before him, and an ethereal window opened up before his eyes.
He smiled.
"Okay, this works fine"
[STATUS WINDOW]
Name: Emil Valcrest
Race: Human
Age: 15
Title: None
Rank: F-
— Attributes —
Strength: 3 (Pathetic)
Agility: 4 (Snail-like)
Endurance: 3 (Weak)
Intelligence: 6 (Slightly Above Average)
Mana: 0 (Non-existent)
Luck: 2 (Cursed)
— Skills —
[None]
— Special Abilities —
[??????] – Sealed (Requires Condition to Unlock)
[??????] – Sealed (Requires Condition to Unlock)
Emil gazed at the window for some time, totally unfazed. Then, he emitted a soft chuckle.
"As predicted. I'm not even surprised. This little shit is nothing but a worthless piece of crap, and my fate is already doomed. With these crap stats, I can do nothing in this world."
Strength? Weak
Agility? Garbage
Mana? Zero
Skills? None
And his luck?
"Even fate itself considers me a joke, well why will it not? I am into the body of a nobody" he let out a sigh
But then, his eyes fell on something unusual, there were two sealed abilities.
His breath was taken away
"Wait a minute. Sealed abilities?"
He tried to think of anything similar from Gods' Final Requiem. Then, he remembered
"This occurred previously, the right-hand man of the protagonist possessed a sealed ability at the start of the novel. He was once so weak, but after he opened it, he became one of the strongest of all time and he became one of the main characters too"
That character had started weak, similar to Emil. But by opening his sealed skill, he became one of the world's strongest warriors
But he only had one sealed ability "I have two? Who the fuck is this kid?"
An odd feeling rumbled in his chest. It was not hope. Not excitement. It was more like the feeling of despair
"Okay… perhaps I can do something in this world. I don't know how, or why, but, I shouldn't lose hope, not yet at least"
He tightened his fists
"Not at least. Not now. Not when I'm living in this world. I have to try. I have to live. Perhaps even improve this world and save this world from fall"
Shutting the status window, he went back to the letter
The envelope was made of thin parchment, its edges bordered with gold. The wax seal had the crest of the Empire Academy an image of a flying phoenix surrounded by runes.
He carefully broke the seal and opened the letter
[Empire Academy Admission Notice]
Dear Emil Valcrest,
Congratulations. You have been accepted to the Empire Academy. Your presence is required at the Imperial Capital in seven days for the enrollment process. All is arranged. This is a non-transferable and non-rejectable offer
We look forward to your presence
—Empire Academy Administration—
Emil read it twice. And then a third time too
"This is crazy. I never even applied to this hellish academy. So why the fuck do I have this goddamn invitation"
His guts roiled. There was no sense for this. The Empire Academy would only take in beasts and people who could hit around a punk like him like he was a piece of trash
So why would he be offered a place?
"Something ain't right. Someone needs me there, this is way too fishy"
The letter included the note that the acceptance wasn't transferable and could not be declined
"Does that mean I don't even have a choice? Well, fine by me. I'll go and see what this is all about and I will get to know that why I got this letter in the first place"
The notion gave him the jitters. Already residing in the post-apocalyptic world, he was being drawn straight into the lion's den
He breathed deeply and slid the letter back into the envelope
"Well, pacing back and forth here isn't going to solve anything. If I'm about to die, at least I'll die trying"
With that, he began walking through the town
The Road to the Capital
His initial action was to locate a means to the Imperial Capital. It was too great a distance to walk. His best option was to catch a ride with a merchant caravan or pay for carriage space
Emil had walked nearly an hour when he came upon an inn. The scent of roasted meat and fresh bread drifted through the air, and his stomach growled in return
"Perhaps I should get a little rest before I go on"
He was just about to enter when a sharp noise stopped him in his tracks
A thud
A second thud
Then a soft, agonized whimper
Emil's head jerked toward the alleyway to the side of the inn
His blood turned icy
A semicircle of men with their backs to him. One of them kicked out, viciously
Another thud
A small, thin body huddled on the ground, arms over his head. It was A child
His clothes were torn and filthy. His face was already bruised. He couldn't have been more than thirteen years old
"Tch. Idiot kid. You think you can get away from us?" One of the men said in a taunting way
The kid said nothing. He just whimpered he was too sick to fight back
The leader cracked his knuckles and grinned
"Heh. Guess we gotta teach you a lesson, you seem like you are forgetting your place, you piece of trash"
Emil's fingers twitched. His heart thudded in his chest
He knew this scene
Not literally. But he had read scenes like this before multiple times
This was a world where the strong preyed upon the weak. Where individuals such as him-useless nobodies-were disregarded at best, annihilated at worst
He knew that he should turn back
He knew that he should leave
But his legs wouldn't budge from there at all
His hands curled into fists
His mouth ran dry
"Damn it, I know I'm weak, but I want to save that helpless child"
He was powerless. Weak. A low-rank nobody
But something in him wouldn't turn back towards the shadow.
And then
One of the men stretched out to grab the boy by the collar, and he was ready to strike him again
Emil's body acted of its own accord
"Oi"
The word escaped his lips before he even considered saying it
The men stopped. Then, slowly, they turned to face him
Cold, smiling eyes locked onto his
The leader leaned in
"Oh? And who the devil are you supposed to be?"
Emil swallowed
He thought "Shit"
He had no clue. No strength. No plan. He had Nothing
But the words had been said
And now there was no turning back
He knew that bow he had to fight