I felt a great pressure on me.
I was a nobody and yet the only one who knew everything was me.
I needed to save what the protagonist and his companions failed to save.
"Only a few billion people." A long sigh escaped my lips.
After staying outside for a few minutes my headache lightened slightly.
"The show should have started right?" I thought remembering the first event of the novel.
A cliché of slaps in the face a classic of Chinese novels that the author however wanted to insert in this first event.
I had only taken a few steps towards the exit when the world seemed to collapse on itself.
As soon as I stepped inside I noticed that the music had lowered almost to the point of disappearing.
The festive atmosphere had vanished replaced by an electric tension that made the hair on my arms stand up.
I stopped for a moment to observe the room with different eyes.
This world was a living paradox a bizarre mix of advanced modernity and brutal middle ages.
Students checked their holographic bracelets but carried real swords at their side.
The skyscrapers in the distance and the castle forest created an almost funny contrast.
It felt like living in a modern digitalized world but the laws governing the Empire were still feudal and based on blood.
The empire was divided into territories managed by a rigid diplomatic system.
At the top of the social pyramid just below the Emperor were the Five Great Ducal Families.
The Glaciel Family the Lune Family the Dracus Family the Muuse Family and the Farfalla Family.
Every student in that room knew they had to bow their head in front of the members of these five families.
It was a perfect and suffocating diplomatic system where the last name mattered more than talent.
All the students had formed a wide circle in the center of the hall leaving an empty space in the middle.
I made my way through the crowd being careful to stay in the back so as not to be noticed.
At the center of the circle was Amis Vator with a bored and almost sleepy expression.
In front of him was a blond boy dressed in a white suit that was too gaudy trying to imitate the style of the Dukes without having their class.
I recognized him immediately thanks to the descriptions in the book.
He was Mark of the Baronial West family.
In the complex hierarchical scale that went from Dukes to Marquises then to Counts and Viscounts a Baron was little more than a wealthy citizen.
Yet Mark was screaming with his face red with anger and the veins in his neck swollen as if he were the master of the world.
"How dare you speak to me in this way filthy commoner."
"Your Rank 1 is just a system error and my family will appeal to the Academy Council."
Mark voice trembled not with fear but with pure noble indignation.
He was a noble even if of low rank and could not accept being humiliated by a commoner who did not even have a family crest.
In this world titles still counted for a lot but Amis was the modern exception that broke the ancient rule.
Amis did not answer immediately and just looked at him as one looks at a dog that barks too loud.
Rachel Lore watched the scene from a few steps away with a slight interest in her cold eyes.
Mark was violating diplomatic etiquette proving himself unworthy of his title in front of the truly powerful.
"Move you are blocking my view" Amis said in a calm voice but audible to everyone.
That sentence was the spark that made the powder keg explode.
Mark gritted his teeth and charged mana into his right hand activating the magic circuits of his technological glove.
A small unstable sphere of fire began to form on his palm crackling threateningly.
It was a slow attack full of openings and technically horrible.
Mark took a step forward ready to strike Amis face. "I will teach you your place scum."
Amis did not move and did not even assume a traditional combat stance.
He only moved his hand with a speed that the human eye struggled to follow.
Slap.
The sound of skin against skin echoed like a gunshot in the silent room.
Mark flew backwards like a rag doll rolling on the shiny floor for several meters.
His sphere of fire dissipated into nothingness before it could even do any damage.
Silence fell in the room heavy and absolute.
Ives had hidden even more behind a sofa trembling from the sudden violence.
The twins Ester and Violet exchanged an almost imperceptible look of approval.
All the other students looked at Amis with a mix of admiration and awe.
He adjusted the sleeve of his synthetic jacket as if he had just brushed away a pesky fly.
"If you want to fight learn how to stand up first" Amis said coldly looking at the noble on the ground who was holding his swollen cheek.
It was a perfect scene designed by the author to exalt the greatness of the protagonist who crushed old traditions with brute force.
Everyone applauded mentally or physically at that demonstration of strength, but I did not smile.
From my position in the shadows I only saw a waste of mana to humiliate an opponent who was worth nothing.
That arrogance that need to prove one superiority was exactly what would condemn them in the future.
As Mark was taken away by some doctors and the music resumed I turned to leave.
I had seen enough.
The real enemy would not stop with a slap and Amis still had to understand that.
I took out my phone and looked at the time.
21.17.
It was still early.
I should also collect the mission reward.
________________________________________
[MISSION COMPLETED!!!]
-Enroll in the Exas Institute.
[Rewards]: 300 SP, Universal Language.
________________________________________
I did not feel any physical change after obtaining Universal Language.
I took my phone and searched for some text in a language I did not know.
My gaze landed on a text written in Elvish and I was amazed by the fact that I could read it perfectly.
The Elvish language was not rare indeed with the arrival of elves and other races in Leras the linguistic landscape had shifted.
Among the various optional subjects taught at Exas Academy the Elvish language is one of the most popular.
Since Elvish is the most effective language for understanding the intricacies of magic many students strive to master it.
This was a truly broken skill.
With it my life would become significantly easier.
[Universal Language lvl. Max]
It seemed this skill did not have levels so the system automatically recognized it at its maximum potential.
The cold evening air filled my lungs.
The landscape visible from the Academy was spectacular one could not help but marvel at it.
On Earth this kind of lush vegetation had become a rarity.
In this world however nature is protected and maintains its pristine beauty.
My footsteps echoed near one of the Academy's wide open gates.
Exas Academy had no curfew because most of the students were nobles and the administration decided it was not wise to antagonize those families.
This did not mean the Academy was to be taken lightly though.
Hundreds of professional Exas guards supervise and work around the clock to ensure the smooth operation of the entire school system.
After scanning my bracelet at the gate exit I headed toward the main forest path.
It was lit by mana powered streetlamps leading down to a large road where several cars likely drivers were waiting.
In the distance stood a medium sized structure the Artoria Station.
Artoria is the city that along with Kalos represents the economic and commercial power of the Empire.
While not as large as Kalos Artoria is still an immense city.
The skyscrapers in the distance recalled the urbanization of Kalos but the abundant greenery created a sharp diversity and contrast.
I signaled to one of the drivers opened the car door and sat in the back seat.
"Where to?" The driver's voice echoed from inside the black car.
"To Bar Plantis." At my answer the driver froze for a second before pulling away.
The landscape shifted from lush vegetation to a more developed urban environment.
I looked at the car's screen which displayed the route to the bar.
29 minutes remaining.
The trip was fairly long but nothing excessive.
"Hey kid what is your name?" The driver asked.
I shifted my gaze to him.
I did not mind talking a bit after all I had nothing else to do and a bit of conversation would not hurt.
"Rain. You?"
At my answer the driver's expression lightened slightly. "Jack."
The man was in his thirties, but I could see white hairs starting to emerge among the black a clear sign of his age and his hard work.
"You are an Academy student right?" Jack asked glancing at me through the rearview mirror.
"Yes, I am a freshman." I replied looking out the window.
The city lights grew more intense as we approached the center.
"My daughter dreams of getting in there one day." The man said with a melancholy smile.
"She has a talent for water magic but the tuition fees are too high for a family like ours."
I felt a knot in my stomach.
In this world talent without money was often wasted.
If she has talent she will find a way I said trying to be encouraging.
The Academy offers scholarships for the best.
Jack laughed softly shaking his head.
"Let us hope kid. Let us hope."
Silence returned to the cabin but it was a comfortable silence.
This world was not so different from Earth after all.
The strong and the wealthy prosper while the poor and the weak are overshadowed simply dismissed as unlucky.