[Tried keeping chapter to bare minimum...(It went well over 2k words) :)]
The transport carriage wound its way up a mountain path that seemed to defy basic physics with turns that should have sent them tumbling into valleys below but somehow remained perfectly stable, and William spent the journey trying to ignore the increasingly intense stares from the other passengers while pretending to read one of his magical theory books.
"Is it true you challenged Instructor Valence to a duel last year and got hospitalized for three weeks," asked a girl sitting diagonally from him with curiosity that bordered on morbid fascination, and William realized she was expecting confirmation of some story about the original William Cross being an idiot.
"I don't remember," William said diplomatically because he had no idea what the original had done but challenging an instructor to a duel sounded exactly like something an arrogant noble brat would do, "but if I did something that stupid, I probably deserved whatever hospitalization resulted from it."
The girl blinked in surprise and exchanged glances with the other passengers who all seemed equally confused by his response, and William went back to his book before anyone could ask more questions about a past he didn't remember.
[Warning: Curse influence strengthening with proximity to academy grounds]
[Multiple targets detected ahead]
[Recommendation: Prepare mental defenses against emotional manipulation]
The carriage finally crested the mountain and William looked up from his book to see Celestial Heights Academy spread across the peak like something out of a fantasy painting, with towers that pierced the clouds, courtyards large enough to hold thousands of students, and magical barriers shimmering in the air that probably kept the whole place from sliding down the mountain during storms.
"First time seeing it," asked the curious girl whose name William still didn't know, and when he nodded she smiled slightly, "it's impressive until you realize those towers are designed to withstand combat between S-tier cultivators which means the academy expects students to cause that level of destruction regularly."
William processed that information and felt his anxiety spike because he could barely control enough essence to enhance his physical abilities and apparently the academy's architecture was built to handle magical warfare as a routine occurrence.
The carriage pulled through the main gates where dozens of other transports were already unloading students who all looked far more confident and prepared than William felt, and he stepped out into organized chaos with servants directing traffic and academy officials checking names against lists while more experienced students helped newcomers find their way.
"All first-year students proceed to the central courtyard for orientation," shouted someone with a voice magically amplified to carry over the noise, "second through fourth years report to your respective house dormitories, and anyone causing problems before orientation ends will spend their first week in detention learning why we have rules."
William followed the flow of first-years toward what he assumed was the central courtyard, his bag slung over his shoulder and his mind racing through everything his mother had drilled into him about maintaining composure and not revealing his true potential until absolutely necessary.
The courtyard was massive with a raised platform at one end where faculty members stood watching the gathering students, and William found a spot near the middle of the crowd where he could observe without drawing attention while trying to identify the main characters from the novel he'd read.
That was when he saw her standing near the front with silver hair that caught the sunlight and crimson eyes that scanned the crowd with predatory focus, and William felt his stomach drop because he recognized Seraphina Ashenheart immediately as the first heroine and the one character who solved most problems by stabbing them.
[Target Identified: Seraphina Ashenheart]
[Rank: A-Tier Cultivator]
[Novel Role: First Heroine - Sword Prodigy with Tragic Past]
[Curse Status: Not Yet Activated - Requires Direct Interaction]
[Warning: Extremely dangerous even without curse influence]
William made a mental note to avoid her entirely because the novel had made it very clear that Seraphina's idea of flirting involved threatening violence and her response to romantic rivals was to challenge them to duels that frequently resulted in hospitalization.
"Attention first-years," called an elderly woman from the platform whose voice carried effortlessly across the courtyard despite not seeming to shout, "I am Headmistress Elara Nectaris and I welcome you to Celestial Heights Academy where we turn talented children into legends or we bury them in the memorial garden, and statistics suggest both outcomes are equally likely."
The courtyard went silent as everyone processed that cheerful greeting, and William decided he liked the Headmistress immediately because at least she was honest about the mortality rate.
"This academy accepts only the best from across the realm which means everyone here has been judged worthy of training that will push you beyond your limits," Headmistress Nectaris continued while her eyes swept across the gathered students, "some of you come from ancient families with bloodlines that grant power from birth, some of you are prodigies who developed abilities that defied expectations, and some of you are here because your parents donated enough gold to overlook your obvious inadequacies."
Several students shifted uncomfortably at that last part, and William felt multiple eyes slide toward him because apparently his reputation had preceded him even here.
"Regardless of how you arrived, you will all be judged by the same standards," the Headmistress said with a smile that was equal parts encouraging and threatening, "combat ability, academic excellence, strategic thinking, and most importantly, your capacity to survive situations designed to kill you, because the world beyond these walls does not care about your family name or your potential, it only cares whether you can stand when everything is trying to knock you down."
She gestured and several faculty members stepped forward with crystal tablets that glowed with information visible even from William's position in the crowd.
"You will now be sorted into one of four houses based on your entrance exam results and aptitude assessments," the Headmistress explained while the tablets floated above the crowd projecting images of four different symbols, "House Arcturus for those with exceptional combat abilities, House Luminara for those with strong magical aptitude, House Valoris for those who balance multiple disciplines, and House Ascendant for those with unique abilities or circumstances that don't fit traditional categories."
William watched names appear on the floating tablets as students were called forward to receive their house assignments and dormitory information, and he tried to remember which house the protagonist had been sorted into from the novel.
"Seraphina Ashenheart - House Arcturus," announced one of the faculty members, and the silver-haired girl walked forward to receive her house crest with movements that were graceful and deadly in equal measure.
More names were called and William saw other students he vaguely recognized from his reading, including what appeared to be the second heroine based on her distinctive violet hair and the way reality seemed to shimmer around her suggesting powerful magic.
[Target Identified: Lyanna Stormweaver]
[Rank: A-Tier Cultivator]
[Novel Role: Second Heroine - Magic Prodigy with Political Complications]
[Curse Status: Not Yet Activated]
"William Cross - House Ascendant," called the faculty member, and William felt his heart sink because of course he'd been sorted into the house for misfits and special cases rather than any of the prestigious ones.
He walked forward to collect his house crest which was a stylized phoenix rising from flames, and he could hear whispers following him about how appropriate it was that the waste who bought his way in got sorted into the reject house.
"House Ascendant dormitory is in the east tower," explained the faculty member who handed him the crest along with a key and a folded map, "your roommate assignment and class schedule will be waiting in your room, orientation continues in one hour at the main amphitheater and attendance is mandatory."
William nodded and retreated from the platform as quickly as possible while trying to ignore the stares that seemed to have multiplied since his house assignment, and he followed the map toward the east tower through corridors that were far too confusing for someone who'd only been in this world for three days.
The east tower turned out to be slightly separated from the main academy buildings with a bridge connecting it across a gap that looked down into mist-shrouded valleys far below, and William crossed it while trying not to think about what would happen if he fell.
The dormitory building was smaller than the others he'd seen but somehow more interesting with architecture that seemed to shift slightly when he wasn't looking directly at it, and the interior was decorated in a style that mixed multiple cultural influences like someone had thrown aesthetic coherence out a window.
William found his assigned room on the third floor and used the key to unlock a door that opened into a surprisingly spacious suite with two bedrooms connected to a shared common area, and he could see that his roommate had already arrived based on the bags piled in one of the bedrooms.
He chose the empty bedroom and started unpacking his things while his mind raced through everything that had happened since arriving, from Damien's confrontation to the house sorting to the increasingly concerning system notifications about curse activation.
"You're the new roommate," said a flat voice from the doorway, and William turned to see a young man with messy black hair and dark circles under his eyes that suggested he hadn't slept properly in weeks, currently sprawled across the common room couch like he'd been there for hours.
The guy didn't bother getting up or introducing himself, just stared at the ceiling with the kind of expression that suggested he'd rather be literally anywhere else.
[Character Identified: Kai Wraith - Minor Character]
[Rank: C-Tier Cultivator]
[Novel Role: Background Character with No Plot Relevance]
[Note: Dies off-screen in Chapter 89]
William looked at his roommate who seemed about as enthusiastic about social interaction as he felt, and he decided that maybe having an apathetic roommate was actually ideal for someone trying to keep a low profile.
"William Cross," he said while continuing to unpack, and his roommate grunted something that might have been acknowledgement.
"Kai," the guy said without moving from his position on the couch, "your stuff is leaking essence everywhere, it's giving me a headache."
William looked at his unpacked bags and realized his mother must have put some kind of protective enchantments on his belongings that were apparently visible to people with better essence sensing than him.
"Sorry, I'll deal with it," William said while trying to figure out which items were causing the problem, and Kai waved one hand dismissively.
"Don't care, just keep it in your room," he muttered before rolling over to face the back of the couch, effectively ending the conversation.
William finished unpacking in silence and checked the time to see he had thirty minutes before mandatory orientation, which gave him just enough time to review his class schedule that had been left on his desk.
Combat Training - Instructor Valdris - Arena Complex - Daily at Dawn
Magical Theory - Professor Ashcroft - North Tower - Tuesdays and Thursdays
Essence Cultivation - Master Erian - Meditation Gardens - Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays
Survival Tactics - Instructor Reeves - Variable Locations - Weekends
Elective: Advanced Swordsmanship OR Elemental Manipulation OR Strategic Warfare
William stared at the schedule and felt his stress levels climb because every single class sounded designed to expose his inadequate training, especially the daily combat sessions at dawn that would put him in direct competition with students who actually knew what they were doing.
A bell chimed somewhere in the distance and William grabbed his house crest before heading toward the door, glancing back to see that Kai hadn't moved from the couch.
"Aren't you coming to orientation," William asked, and his roommate made a sound that might have been a laugh.
"I already went through it last year before I had to retake first year courses," Kai said without opening his eyes, "trust me, you're not missing anything important, just the Headmistress telling you that most of you will fail or die."
William left his apathetic roommate behind and made his way back through the confusing corridors toward the amphitheater, joining streams of other first-years who all looked far more excited or nervous than he felt.
The amphitheater was carved into the mountainside with seating that descended in terraced levels toward a central arena floor, and William found himself sitting near the back where he could observe without being noticed, surrounded by students who were already forming social groups and alliances.
Headmistress Nectaris appeared at the center of the arena with a presence that demanded attention despite her elderly appearance, and the entire amphitheater fell silent as she began speaking.
"Welcome to your first official gathering as students of Celestial Heights Academy," she said while her voice carried perfectly to every seat, "over the next four years you will be pushed beyond your limits, you will face challenges that seem impossible, you will watch classmates fail or die or simply give up, and through all of this you will either become stronger or you will be consumed by your own inadequacy."
She paused to let that sink in before continuing with slightly more warmth.
"Your first month will consist of evaluation exercises designed to assess your current abilities and identify areas requiring improvement," she explained while images appeared in the air showing various training scenarios, "combat tournaments, magical theory examinations, survival exercises in hostile environments, and team-based missions that will test your ability to work with others despite personal conflicts."
William felt his anxiety spike because everything she was describing sounded designed to expose his lack of control and inadequate training, and he could already imagine the humiliation of failing publicly in front of students who actually deserved to be here.
"Additionally," the Headmistress continued with a smile that suggested she was enjoying this, "we have implemented a new ranking system this year where students will be sorted into tiers based on their performance across all evaluation categories, with higher-tier students receiving better resources, training opportunities, and privileges while lower-tier students will need to prove themselves worthy of advancement."
The amphitheater erupted in whispers as students discussed this new system, and William felt his stomach sink because a public ranking system meant failure would be visible to everyone.
"Rankings will be updated monthly based on performance," Headmistress Nectaris said over the noise, "and students who consistently rank in the bottom tier will be subject to remedial training or potential expulsion depending on their progress, because this academy does not waste resources on those unwilling or unable to meet our standards."
She dismissed them with instructions to review their class schedules and report to their first sessions tomorrow morning, and William made his way back to the dormitory while his mind raced through possible strategies for surviving the evaluation period.
When he returned to his room, Kai was still on the couch in exactly the same position, and William collapsed onto his bed while pulling up the system interface.
[Welcome to Celestial Heights Academy]
[Current Objectives Updated]
[Primary Goal: Survive First Month Evaluation Period]
[Secondary Goal: Avoid Curse Activation Until Combat Ability Improves]
[Tertiary Goal: Reach D+ Combat Capability Before First Tournament]
[Warning: First Combat Tournament Scheduled in 48 Hours]
William stared at the notifications and knew he had two days to prepare for a tournament that would likely expose exactly how unprepared he was for this academy, and his only real option was to train as intensively as possible and hope that his D+ ranking was enough to avoid complete humiliation.
He spent the rest of the evening in his room practicing the basic essence manipulation exercises his mother had drilled into him, feeling the strain of pushing his limited control while knowing it wasn't nearly enough but having no other choice.