On the next day, as expected, I was promoted.
D rank.
From next week onward, my academy credit income would increase significantly. That was good news. It meant I could start allocating resources more freely.
I had two options in mind.
Either purchase a defensive earth-style combat technique, or invest in cultivation resources.
However, most resources for people who Rank 1 and Rank 2 were not worth their price.
The limiting factor was not availability, but absorption efficiency.
Without sufficient mana control, most external enhancements were either wasted or only partially integrated into the body.
In that regard, my control was average.
Not weak. Not exceptional either.
So I decided to wait until Rank 3.
At that level, resource efficiency would improve significantly.
With that decision made, I chose to focus on training instead of immediate spending.
I headed toward the training grounds.
---
The week passed in an instant.
Routine became repetition.
Training. Study. Recovery. Training again.
There were no major disturbances, and that in itself was notable.
Before I realized it, Saturday arrived.
The day of the mission that would eventually lead me toward Erital.
---
I approached the mission board and selected the assigned task.
Rank: D
A group of bandits had been systematically targeting small caravans.
In some cases, the caravans themselves disappeared entirely.
Main objective: eliminate the bandit group.
Secondary objective: investigate the missing caravans. If possible, rescue survivors.
Team size: 1/2.
As I read the details, I felt a faint sense of familiarity.
It was too similar.
This was not just coincidence.
It resembled an event I remembered from the original novel.
Until now.
In the original storyline, Adam had taken this mission alongside Mia Solarin.
So why was the assignment partner system different now?
Had someone already taken the other slot?
Or had the timeline already shifted further than expected?
I closed the thought.
It did not matter for now.
---
I continued reading.
Among the bandits, there were five Rank 2 aura users and approximately thirty Rank 1 users.
There was also a high probability of enchanted weapons.
Enchanted weapons were not officially widespread.
However, in practice, they existed.
Due to lack of funding, some early-stage rune craftsmen sold imperfect products on the black market.
They were unstable, incomplete, and often dangerous to the user.
But even flawed enchantments could still provide a significant advantage.
---
The mission briefing concluded with additional instructions.
Join the escort of the next caravan.
Protect it.
Investigate if possible.
---
This was almost exactly as expected.
I accepted the mission without hesitation.
Now that I was officially D rank, there were no restrictions preventing assignment.
The clerk informed me that my partner would be waiting in the designated area.
A waiting zone existed inside the mission department for pairing students or selecting random partners.
I headed there.
---
If I understood correctly, academy badges resonated when two assigned individuals came close.
Magical engineering once again proved its efficiency.
This world was more technologically advanced than I had initially assumed.
There were not only trains, but also early analogs of computational systems.
---
A thought crossed my mind.
If such infrastructure existed, why were there no flying machines?
Perhaps it was due to material limitations.
Or perhaps no engineer had yet attempted to solve the problem of sustained aerial stability under mana interference.
Unlike Earth, where physics alone dictated design, here everything depended on magical integration.
Even transportation systems relied on mana circulation frameworks.
---
While I was thinking, my academy badge suddenly vibrated.
So the system was correct.
I was already matched.
---
I looked up.
And froze slightly.
Seraphina Aureliss stood in front of me.
Saint.
Top rank of this year's intake.
For a moment, I did not react.
That was unusual.
I realized only afterward that I had been staring.
Fortunately, she ignored it completely.
---
"Hello, Viren, right?" she said.
Her tone was calm.
Measured.
There was no hostility.
Only recognition.
---
"Hello, Seraphina. Is it fine if I address you that way?" I replied.
"Yes, that is fine."
Her answer was immediate.
No hesitation.
---
"So it seems we are assigned together for this mission," she continued. "It should not be particularly difficult for you."
Her evaluation was straightforward.
Not insulting.
Not flattering.
Just factual.
---
"Yes," I replied simply.
The conversation ended there.
---
Seraphina was an unknown variable.
In the original novel, she was not fully developed as a character.
I could not accurately predict her behavioral model.
However, based on known information, several conclusions were possible.
1. She held strong hostility toward demons.
2. She was highly focused on training, rarely participating in missions.
3. She was stronger than me, though not overwhelmingly so.
Under ideal conditions, the difference was approximately 30 to 70 in my favor.
Or rather, her favor.
That was the realistic assessment.
---
These thoughts processed rapidly while we walked toward the exit of the academy.
No preparation was required.
Both of us had already brought our equipment.
---
Outside, we moved toward the railway station.
The journey ahead would be long.
Several hours at minimum.
Neither of us spoke during the walk.
The silence was not uncomfortable.
It was simply efficient.
---
And so the mission began.