A year.
A full fucking year I've spent in this hellish place they call an Academy.
If I could go back to my original world, I'd beg every teacher for forgiveness on my knees. They were saints—actual angels. How did I ever think they were bad? I was such a naive idiot.
But finally, freedom is within reach. All I have to do is pass the {Mage Becoming Test}, and I can leave this cursed floating prison forever.
You have no idea how many times I considered just running away. The only problem? This academy is on a goddamn flying island in the sky.
Once, I seriously stood at the edge, staring down at the clouds, wondering if I'd survive the fall. Anything seemed better than another lecture.
Thankfully, my one and only friend in this world—Kaylin—talked me out of it.
Kaylin is the only person I've befriended all year, and there's a very simple reason: he's the only normal guy here. Everyone else is a complete lunatic obsessed with studying magic 24/7.
I had to study too, of course, but believe me—not a single second was enjoyable. I thought learning magic would be fun, like in the stories. Turns out it's just quantum physics on steroids, with a dash of biology and chemistry thrown in for extra pain. Truly a hellish combination.
Not everything about magic sucks, though. It's divided into three categories:
Innate Skills: Powers you're born with. Mostly random, though some bloodlines specialise (like fire-related abilities).
Skills: Stuff you learn—basic things like fireball or levitation.
Applied Magic: The absolute worst. This is the science of understanding how skills actually work so you can apply them to objects or people other than yourself. It's how poisons, enchantments, and magical items are made.
You're probably wondering what my innate skill is. Go ahead, laugh. It's [Fast Recovery]. I recover stamina a little faster than average. Completely useless—anyone can do the same with a decent potion, and it works better.
Anyway, back to the point: the Mage Becoming Test.
I've been dreading this thing all year. Fail it, and I repeat the final year. If that happened, I'd probably jump off the island for real.
And no, it's not some epic trial like slaying a dragon or raiding a dungeon.
It's an insanely difficult written exam. That's it. Pass the paper, become a mage.
Now we were all crowded in front of the notice board, waiting for the teacher to finish posting the results. The second he stepped aside, everyone rushed forward.
I frantically scanned the list for my name.
"Please, please, please—oh dear Truck-kun, let me pass…"
There it was.
I jumped so high I nearly hit the ceiling. Freedom! Finally out of this shithole!
Then a loud, dramatic wail snapped me out of my celebration. I turned to see Kaylin sobbing uncontrollably, snot bubbling from his nose. He looked at me with teary eyes and cried:
"Han… sniffsniff… We did it! We passed!"
He lunged forward, arms wide for a hug, face dripping.
I shoved him away with both hands. "Don't you dare come near me with that snotty face!"
"I take back everything I said about you being normal—you absolute moron!"
"Don't say that, Han! I know you're just as happy as I am!"
He tackled me anyway, smearing tears and snot all over my shoulder.
"Nooooooooooooo!"
Now that I'm officially a male mage, I get a monthly salary of 1,000 ow (the currency here), and I get to choose where I live.
Location didn't matter much—I picked a city called Hola because the region has nice weather.
But the real prize? The part I'd been dreaming about for a whole year?
Maid selection.
Every new mage gets assigned one personal maidservant. She handles all the housework—because no one expects a man to do that himself.
For women, becoming a maid is the dream job. Why? Roughly 50% of maids eventually marry their masters. (I have no idea how that statistic is so low, but I'm not complaining.)
Finally… the first member of my harem.
I knocked on the teacher's office door.
"Come in."
I stepped inside and spoke as politely as possible.
"Hello, sir. I've already chosen where I want to live. Now I just need to select my maid."
He gave me a strange look. "You picked your city already? That was fast."
In reality, I just wanted to choose my maid before the other guys got the good ones—but I wasn't about to admit that.
"Well, sir, I'm just eager to see the outside world."
He clearly didn't buy it, but he slid a thick book across the desk anyway.
"Whatever. Here's the list. Pick one and get out of my office."
A little aggressive, I thought, but the moment I opened the book, all complaints vanished.
Every single woman was drop-dead gorgeous.
For a whole year I'd been terrified that men here ignored women because they were ugly. This book destroyed that fear instantly. Each maid was more beautiful than the last. How is any guy supposed to choose?
The pages included photos, scores from maid training school, and their innate abilities.
I flipped through, completely mesmerised… until I landed on one profile and froze.
Long, silky black hair. Massive breasts straining against the fabric of her maid uniform.
But her face—her name.
{Nico Robin}
I rubbed my eyes and looked again. Same face. Same name.
How? I didn't get isekai'd into One Piece—so how the hell is she here?
Then I read her innate ability:
[Flower-Flower] – Allows the user to sprout extra limbs and hands from any surface, anywhere.
My pants tightened instantly.
Without a second of hesitation, I jabbed my finger at her photo.
"Sir. I want this one."
(To be continued…)