Einaris is a world populated by numerous races with endless territories where mortal beings live alongside divine ones.

  In a small part of this world lies the empire called Mornelt. Mostly, this empire is dominated by humans. However, there are also many other races; some are extremely powerful by birth, while others may become slaves for life.

  Fortunately for me, I found myself in the body of a human, not just any human but one of the heirs of the Verhat family. According to memories, this was an ancient family with many powerful members. Even now, this family holds the highest positions in this empire.

  Although Neron was a direct heir of the family, the fact that he was disowned and ignored was kept secret.

  This was not news, as the rules of the Verhat family dictated that useless heirs unworthy of remaining in the family are discarded.

  Thus, after Neuro turned 16 and his talent was assessed, he was expelled from the family, compensated with a small amount of gold coins.

  Afterward, Neuro studied and simply wanted to live, but his mother's friend came to him. According to her, she owed his mother for saving her life long ago.

  With her help, Neuro was able to enroll in the Aurelis Academy, the largest and most prestigious academy in the empire. People from all around flocked to take the entrance exam and finally start their education at the academy.

  Realizing the difference between him and others, Neron took a wrong step, dispersing his mana and dying, after which I ended up in his body.

  Standing by the window, I was mesmerized by the distant landscape.

  "This world is vast, and so are the structures; here's the difference between magic and technology."

  Carefully observing the enormous structures reminiscent of a medieval European style, I pondered.

  "This world, though seemingly peaceful at first glance, is very dangerous..."

  Slowly, Neron's memories merged with mine, but it was more like watching a movie from the sidelines.

  Childhood, growing up, and finally expulsion.

  All this was vividly presented before me.

  "In my past life, I had no relatives; in this one, my own parents rejected me. I began to think that no one equals me, and this was confirmed now."

  I took a deep breath; the clean air filled my nostrils and passed through my lungs.

  "But in such a world, freedom is more important, and I am glad for it."

  Since childhood, I was attracted to various fantasy stories, but being in such a world is a completely different matter.

  I distinctly feel the growing excitement in my chest now. Not only that, but there's also anticipation for the unexplored world before me.

  These thoughts brought a smile to my face, but suddenly, I remembered something, and my mood began to stabilize.

  "And so, in terms of talent, I'm at the bottom, but this is a magical world. And magic can be compared to a miracle in some sense, meaning there's always a way out."

  Now that I finally understood my situation, the first thing that came to my mind was how to improve my talent.

  However, as I was thinking, a notification sound came from the device on my wrist. Using it with ease, the message about the gathering reminded me of yesterday's notification.

  That is, the ceremony was about to begin.

  Quickly getting myself presentable, I left the dormitory and headed to the assembly point.

  Using the device on my wrist, getting to Hall 7 was not difficult.

  Like me, there were many teenagers there, dressed similarly. However, one could notice minor differences among some.

  The collars of some teenagers were of corresponding colors; it turned out that those with average or higher talent were marked with specific colors.

  While most had white collars, many had blue or red ones. No purple was visible anywhere.

  Standing amidst the crowd, I blended in with those who also had white collars like mine.

  While we stood, some teenagers started talking to their neighbors, and some even began flirting with girls.

  What could be noted was that the appearance of the girls, and not just them but also the boys, was superior to that on Earth. However, among all, Neuro's face remained quite plain, with silver hair making the situation slightly better.

  While chaos reigned in the hall, suddenly, there were several loud claps. The sound came from the podium where a middle-aged man now stood.

  The loud claps came from him; if you looked closely, you could see a layer of energy swirling around his hands.

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  After the claps, everyone understood and stopped talking.

  "Good! Welcome to the Aurelis Academy, where you will learn much. However, you must understand that our academy is also one of the defenders of our empire. In some way, you are now also defenders of our empire; in the future, you might stand with a sword in hand, using magic to protect our great empire..."

  Listening to his words, it wasn't hard to guess that this place was somewhat of a military academy rather than just a school.

  From Neuro's memories, I also know that frequent conflicts occur at the empire's borders with various races. Sometimes, even disasters happen within the empire.

  His speech went on for almost half an hour before he stopped.

  "And so, from today, you are part of the Aurelis Academy; remember that with hard work, you can achieve anything."

  "Nonsense..."

  Hearing his last words, I muttered to myself since I knew exactly what he meant. These words were more like motivation than truth; the truth has always been that no one can surpass geniuses, only keep pace with them but never overtake them.

  The ceremony ended, and special documents were sent to everyone's devices for selecting their specializations and courses.

  One needed to choose no fewer than five subjects.

  The list was long; looking through it in detail, I also saw some paid subjects.

  "Money does hold some power in this world..."

  Scrolling back and forth, I mainly looked at the free subjects. Finally, I made my choice.

  "Sword fencing, alchemy, potion-making, runic magic, combat magic."

  Just as I thought about adding a few more, other subjects turned grey, and a confirmation icon or an option to add more slots appeared at the bottom of the screen. Clicking it, I learned you needed money for that.

  For some reason, this reminded me very much of those free-to-play games with tons of paid content.

  "Well, since my talent is low, I should just try these first and then decide what to do next."

  Deciding, I confirmed my choice and headed towards the cafeteria.

  Entering, there were many students, but like in my past life and here, I didn't want unnecessary connections unless absolutely necessary.

  Taking a free lunch, I found a secluded spot and sat down.

  While eating, a notification suddenly came.

  It turned out my chosen subjects were approved. After that, a schedule of classes with their times appeared before my eyes.

  The first fencing class was tomorrow morning, with the rest mostly in the afternoon.

  "It feels like I'm back in university."

  Finishing the last of my meal, I returned to my room since I didn't feel like doing anything else. Starting tomorrow, I will need to study a lot.

  The morning was surprisingly pleasant; I didn't have to roll around in bed to finally get up.

  Following the directions on my device, I arrived at the classroom.

  Like me, many others seemed to have enrolled in the fencing class.

  Everyone took their seats; even on the first day, one could see many groups forming.

  Loners like me were few and far between.

  A couple of times, someone passing by tried to strike up a conversation with the obvious intent to make friends, but I paid no attention.

  For now, the academy was safe, so there was no need to make an effort.

  Finally, after some time, the teacher entered the classroom.

  She wore a slim sword at her waist.

  Soon, she stood before us all with a calm and seemingly emotionless gaze fixed on the students.

  "It seems only a few students here are worthy of attention; the rest are questionable."

  A haughty voice grumbled in the classroom, silencing everyone. Observing everyone, I understood what she meant.

  Among all those enrolled in fencing were dozens with blue collars, two with red, and one with a purple one.

  This was the first time I saw that color; it seemed she had very high talent.

  It was a girl with golden hair, but her face was not visible as she sat in front, looking at the teacher.

  "My name is Irena Gailhart, and from the very beginning, I will tell you this. I will only pay attention to those who are talented and those who work hard."

  Her words were still haughty and cold.

  "One of the universal ways of combat, as you know, is fencing. Some of you might say that firearms can destroy a fencer. However, that only confirms one thing: you haven't seen a true fencer who moves so fast that the average person can't catch the movements.

  And so, today, I won't delve into this topic; now, I want to see what you are made of."

  Speaking, she stepped back and pressed something on the stage in front of the students.

  The wall began to rise slowly, revealing a training area behind it.

  This was surprising; it must have been done with magic.

  "And so, go out and pick a sword to your liking from the shelves. But if you're unsure, you can ask me, and I'll show you the most suitable sword for you."

  Speaking, she walked onto the training area.

  Standing in front of the shelves with swords.

  Following everyone, I also approached the shelves and saw various types of swords lying there.

  Gradually, the students began to choose, although some asked the teacher for a more accurate selection.

  The teacher, seemingly based on physical characteristics, began recommending one sword or another. However, when a student with a red collar came to her, the response was that the student should choose based on their feelings.

  Watching for a while as everyone started choosing, my choice finally fell on a simple sword with a slightly thin blade.

  A little time later, everyone finished choosing.

  "Now, stand on the square drawn on the floor."

  Following her instructions, we all stood one by one inside the square.

  It seemed this was done so everyone had space to swing their swords.

  However, the room was still large enough, so there was plenty of space.

  "And so, we will start with the basics of fencing. Although each of you has different swords, fundamentally, everything stems from the simplest techniques of swinging a sword. Then, we can adjust some movements for specific swords."

  Beginning to explain, she also took a simple sword from the shelf instead of drawing her own.

  "Stand in the same pose as I am."

  Speaking, she stood straight with the sword in both hands before her, the center of gravity slightly back while she leaned forward with legs widely spread.

  "This is the basic stance, and some of you know this very well."

  Following her words, I glanced around, and indeed, some had already taken the pose. These were probably those who had practiced fencing before.

  "Now, lift your sword and swing from top to bottom..."

  Everyone followed her example, though not precisely.

  "Now, a horizontal attack..."

  "Diagonal attack..."

  "Upward attack..."

  Following her, I repeated, albeit clumsily.

  Finally, when she raised the sword high and slashed downward.

  "These are the most basic techniques of fencing; from this, you begin the path of a fencer..."

  Raising the sword high above my head, I also slashed downward.

  And then, something stunned me.

  [Congratulations, you have obtained the skill “Fencing”]

  [Host status initialization]

  [Initialization complete]

  [====Status====

  Character Name: Neuro

  =Physical Characteristics=

  Strength: 7

  Dexterity: 5

  Vitality: 8

  =Spiritual Characteristics=

  Mana: 1

  Spirituality: 5

  ====Skills====

  Fencing Level 0 [0/10]

  ========================]

  “Uh, is this a game status?”

  “Don't fall asleep, keep going.”

  While I was trying to regain consciousness, a cold voice suddenly sounded.

  I immediately regained my senses and swung my sword again.

  [Swordsmanship +1*1000]

  [Congratulations, your Swordsmanship skill has increased in confidence]

  Translated with DeepL.com (free version)