Chapter 1 – Stats, Skills, Gifts, System?
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Hmm. Still a bit slow, but I wanted to give some time for him to navigate through his situation. Next chapter it should pick up. How is it so far?

[ Main Scenario ] 

Enter Exia Academy.

Exia Academy was the stage where the game was set in the beginning. 

As the player, you would control the main protagonist, Faust Alzares. According to the details revealed as you progressed through the game, Faust was an orphan who came to the Academy at his master's suggestion.

During his time at the Academy, he would encounter comrades and enemies alike. And there would even be several main heroines he would interact with. And because of this, the Academy became the focal point for several significant events. All these trials and tribulations he would face would push him to become stronger and eventually prepare him for what was to come.

It was safe to say I was guilty of being a sucker for the plot.

But this only applied when I was the player controlling the main protagonist.

There was one thing I understood after playing through two instalments of Chronicles of the Sovereign. 

This was a world where even at the end of two games, the main protagonist had only begun to chase the tailcoats of those deemed the strongest.

Even with his protagonist status and plot armour, he was not 100% safe. 

Numerous characters would appear that could quite literally stomp him out of existence.

What did that mean for me, someone who became a mob character?

Was I not doomed?

Even mob characters had their rankings. 

I would've taken being one of those template spoilt noble characters whose only purpose was to antagonise the protagonist with their blinding arrogance.

Instead, I was Kainis Drayfar, a character doomed to be swept off the stage within the first few game events.

To top it off, Kainis' background was the lowest of the low.

From the brief information that described him in the game, he was a child from the streets picked up by a shady man who sought to use children for his own benefit.

Somehow, this bottom of the rungs of society individual managed to enrol into the most prestigious institute in the Empire.

The lack of parents was not new to me, so I felt nothing at this realisation.

As a side character, the Academy was a place of absolute danger.

That's why the message the simple message that instructed me to enter the Academy was akin to a death sentence. 

"Can I just... not go?" I said to no one in particular. If it was certain death, then surely, by avoiding the primary causes of what was dangerous, I would be able to survive?

[Notice]

There will be repercussions if the user does not follow the Main Scenario.

But my hopes were dashed.

An emotionless voice echoed in my head. It was highly off-putting, considering it almost felt like the voice was omnidirectional. Was that the system? 

I tried asking one more time,

"What will happen if I do not go?"

[Notice]

There will be repercussions if the user does not follow the Main Scenario.

I felt the urge to facepalm. Was I really trying to talk to a system?

So I tried asking something else, "What are these repercussions?"

[Notice]

Should the user intentionally avoid the Main Scenario and the individuals involved, the user will be punished accordingly:

Death from unknown sources

Death from [? ? ?]

Death by [ ? ? ? ]

Killed by [? ? ?]

What the hell was with all these question marks? And didn't all of that amount to me dying in the end?! 

Would it not have been more effective to only use the word 'Death' a single time in big, large writing?

It would provide for more impact and I'm sure as hell it would've got the point across to me. 

But I guess it was effective in its own right. All in all, avoiding the main characters and the main plot would result in certain death.

It would be nice to know the other sources of death, so I asked, "What are these question marks?"

[Notice]

The user does not have the authority to know. You have yet to meet the required conditions.

Conditions? Authority? Did it mean I was not yet qualified to know?

"What are the conditions that have to be met?"

[Notice]

The exact details of the conditions cannot be disclosed to the user as the user needs the appropriate authority.

Irritation was beginning to bubble forth from within me. Wasn't the system typically something that aided the user? Why was mine so useless?!

If the user progresses through the Main Scenarios, the user will likely gain what he wants.

I rubbed my temples in an attempt to soothe the headache assaulting me.

I was hit with a conundrum. In the end, it all boiled down to one thing. If I go to the Academy, I risk dying, but if I don't go to the Academy, I also risk dying. The only difference being I would know the time and place of my potential causes of death, meaning I could prepare measures to prevent it.

The fact that I would experience it first-hand made my hair stand on end.

Following the plot closely, dangerous as it was, would ensure that I always had a degree of guarantee in my actions and would know what was going on in my surroundings.

Normally this would be an easy-to-make decision, but there was one crucial thing I was worried about.

< Status >

「Kainis Drayfar」

[Strength: 3.0 (F)]

[Agility: 3.2 (F)]

[Endurance: 3.1 (F)]

[Magic Power: 2.5 (F-)]

[Luck: 2.0 (F-)]

< Skills >

[N/A]

< Gift >

[? ? ?]

<? ? ?>

<? ? ?>

[ ? ? ? ]

Overall Combat Potential: F

Looking over my new status page, I nodded.

With a sudden outburst, I screamed, "There is no way in hell that I will be able to survive in this hell-like world with these stats!"

I mean, just look at this atrocious stat page. I was sure it was worse than the average human in Chronicles! Combat Potential: F? Didn't that mean I would struggle to fend off a goblin?

Follow the main plot? That was a pipe dream!

I laughed hysterically. I wasn't amused, of course. It was a coping mechanism.

Never mind the stats. I had no skills!

"Why bother trying?"

[Notice]

Apologies, there has been a mistake. The user does indeed have some skills. Please check again.

A thread of hope was dangled before me, but I should've known better than to expect something good by now.

<Skills>

Shoddy Swordsmanship (F-)

Non-existent Mana Manipulation (F-)

What were these weird skills that looked like they were the names of some second-hand product?

Just to make sure, I asked with caution, "Mistake?"

[Notice]

Indeed. A mistake was made when initially displaying the user's status page. As for why this was the case, the user's proficiency in said skills was so minuscule it was hard to correctly qualify it as a skill.

"Oi."

I wanted to punch something but I shoved the annoyance into the deepest depths of my heart.

Again, I would've preferred it if you had just left it empty.

[Notice]

Would the user like to read the skill description?

"Sure, why not..."

The harm was already done. At this point, nothing could add to the despair I was already feeling.

[Non-existent Mana Manipulation (F-)]

The art of manipulation of all things mana-related. This is the most inferior form of the skill and can be attributed to someone with almost no experience in wielding it.

As a standard fantasy setting, the magical energy in this world was mana, it fuelled everything in the world, from magic to sword techniques to technology etc. 

You name it. It would probably use mana.

[Shoddy Swordsmanship (F-)]

Can this really be called swordsmanship? A child waving a stick would be more pleasant to look at.

My heart of steel did not waver one bit in the face of these biting descriptions.

This really was the status page of a mob character. It baffled me how Kainis had managed to get into the Academy. Did someone rig something? I shook my head in denial. There's no way someone would abuse their powers to put in a trash-like character, right?

I quickly moved on.

So, I had skills. What about gifts?

Gifts were essentially a kind of innate talent that the individual had. It was not ordinarily obtainable through typical means. For example, skills could be attained through training, but most of the time, no amount of effort would net you a gift. 

Befitting the status of being the main characters, the main cast all had insanely overpowered gifts. 

Faust alone had multiple gifts, each rule-breaking in their own right. 

When I read the relevant section, I was ecstatic to see that it wasn't empty. But there was one thing that ruined it, there were more question marks...

With a weak voice, I questioned, "Whats with the gifts and hidden things? No, wait, let me guess..."

The question was inane. I already knew the answer.

[Notice]

The user does not have the authority to know

"The user does not have the authority to know."

In sync with the system, I blurted out the answer.

I let out a deep sigh.

[Notice]

Congratulations! It appears the user's brain has finally started to understand.

It gave a slightly different message, as if it approved of me now being able to figure things out on my own. I squinted my eyes at the new message that popped up in disbelief. Did this thing just insult me?

"Say that again, I dare you!". I waved my fist at it menacingly, but with my scrawny body, that probably did not make for an intimidating sight,

There was no response from the system.

So I had gifts, but I didn't know what they were. It was basically the same as not having anything because I wouldn't know how to use it.

With only these skills and gifts, forget easy, normal and hard mode, it was like someone had cranked the difficulty up to Purgatory mode.

"If I follow the main scenario, there will be a fitting reward?". 

[Notice]

Yes. Depending on the degree of completion of the Scenario, the User will gain corresponding rewards.

"What will these rewards be?"

[Notice]

The rewards will vary, but they can take the form of gifts and skills.

Hearing this, I stood up, relieved. There was hope!

I did not know what had caused me to be transmigrated into the game, whether it be because I died or some other cause, and I certainly did not want to find out what would happen if I died here.

I searched around for a clock or device which would tell me the current time.

Fumbling around the bed, I found something which resembled a phone. It was an older model than the ones the protagonists would use in the game. It was cracked and had obviously been used for a very long time.

Somewhat doubtful it would still work, I pressed the power button on the side. The device turned on. The UI of the device was extremely similar to what I was used to, so there was no problem operating it. Chronicles had a modern fantasy setting. Aside from the more unique and magical means of communication through magic, these devices were unmistakably the most convenient.

The time was 7:53AM, 1st March, Year 997.

This was a week before the beginning of the Academic Year, meaning it was also a week before the start of the Main Scenario.

I had a week to carry out any preliminary preparations.

I navigated through the phone and took a look at the contacts saved. Besides the single name saved, 'Rujia Sarkis', there was no one else.

This guy... really had no friends, huh...?

It was something I could relate to, but I suppose it was more difficult for the person known as Kainis, given his background.

If I wasn't wrong, Rujia Sarkis should be the guy who took Kainis in from the streets. In a sense, he was Kainis' guardian.

Scrolling through the messages the two had exchanged, I cringed in annoyance. Rather than a loving familial conversation, it was more like the conversation between a loan shark and their victim.

The next thing I looked at was my bank balance. 

It was almost entirely empty.

Great. One more thing to add to the list of misery.

I switched off the device and looked down at what I was wearing. It was a simple shirt and bottoms that were undersized and discoloured from continuous wash and usage. 

I got up and changed into the extravagant uniform on the wall.

While I was not averse to going out as is, looking clean and fresh was ideal.

And I couldn't stay in this room all day after all.

I considered taking the sword next to it, but after attempting to lift it, I instantly gave that idea up. Something needs to be done about this strength.

I looked at the Main Scenario notification one last time,

Enter Exia Academy.

Again, it was an institute that raised the upcoming talents of the world. It was the dream of all the youngsters in this world to attend this place. However, as someone who had played through the game, I could only view it as a maelstrom of chaos.

Chronicles of the Sovereign was a long series that had an expansive world. However, as the game followed the protagonist, most of the time in the first parts of the game was spent at Exia Academy. This meant that my knowledge of future events was severely limited to things Faust would personally experience. Everything else was from a second-hand source or was unknown.

There was no choice. I slapped my cheeks and resolved myself. I opened the door, and the bright sunlight enveloped me as if welcoming me to the outside.

I stepped forward. I would head to the cluster fuck known as the main story.

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