Malcolm had started to get used to life in this new world. He had been summoned here one week ago along with his class and had learned much about it since. They were [Heroes]. This world had levels and classes and monsters. It was all crazy to Malcolm. He had gained the class his first night here, right as he was falling asleep. He still was only level one. No one in his class had managed to level up the class.

Emperor Vitelius had assigned them to take lessons, about the continents of the world and the different races that inhabited them. For example, Draele, which was the continent they were on was inhabited by mostly Humans and Dwarves, but there were Elves too.

Malcolm was on his way to one of his lessons. Today was a particularly exciting day for everyone since they were going to learn about their main foe, the Demons. And later in the day, they were finally going to get tested for magical ability. The people with exceptional magic were going to become [Mages], which was apparently a class that could later be specialized into many other ones, like [Pyromancer], or [Healer]. These specializations usually happened around level 20.

Life in the castle was luxurious. It was located in the capital of the Empire, Ankrea. It reminded Malcolm of the Red Keep from Game of thrones, but much grander. The city was on the southwestern coast of the continent, where the land was flat and full of arable land. The city had over a million people living in it, and it showed. Malcolm liked to observe it from the different balconies of the castle. It had long expanded past the original walls, and new ones had to be built every few decades.

Like usual, Malcolm was the first one in class. Some of the others probably overslept, while some others were probably just having fun. Most of the kids weren't taking anything that seriously. They probably thought this was like a game. Malcolm didn't blame them too much. After all, there were levels.

"Ah, Malcolm. On-time as always."

It wasn't the emperor teaching them. He had stopped after the first day. Running an empire spanning continents must require much work after all. The man teaching them was one of his [Advisors]. His name was Albert Smith, and he was not only a high level [Advisor], but he was also an [Historian] as a hobby. He was in his forties, like the emperor. They were apparently childhood friends, who had known each other since their childhood. His dad was a [Smith] who came from a long line of [Smiths], which was indicated by his last name. He had been disowned and kicked out after his dad had found out that he was not planning on becoming a [Smith]. He had then been taken in by Vitelius' dad.

"Good morning, mister Smith"

"Please, call me Albert."

Malcolm smiled and nodded, then sat down. On the wall was a map of Kistror, the Demon continent.

Slowly, the class began to fill out. Malcolm still hadn't memorized all their names, but he knew the popular kids. They were a group of five, three girls and two guys. The two guys were called Steven and Blake. The three girls were Monica, Sarah and Skye. Sarah had the same name as their teacher, who also had the [Hero] class. These five "ran" the class. They were leaders, and they had kept their position even in another world. Malcolm had a small crush on Sarah, but she obviously had no interest in it. But the class was starting, now wasn't the time for petty self-deprecation. He had to pay attention. Albert started talking.

"Okay, settle down, class is starting"

The noise all stopped instantly. Everyone knew this was important.

"Well, today, we learn about the Demons. And Kistror, of course."

He put his hands on the map. Kistror didn't have a particular shape. It was the smallest of the five continents, and it was split down the middle by a huge mountain range.

"You were summoned to help the people of the world against the Demons. But what are Demons? They are a humanoid species, with purple skin and one or multiple horns on their head. Their lifespan is expected to be around one hundred and fifty years. Demons don't reproduce, they kidnap people of other races, mostly Humans, and corrupt them using their magic. After a few days of exposure, you become one. This is why Demons usually try to spare as many [Soldiers] as possible during a battle. They also run Human "farms", as despicable as it is, to sustain their population."

Multiple faces paled at the mention of Human farms, including Malcolm's. But the class stayed silent. Albert continued.

"The Demons are ruled by the Demon Queen. She is rumored to be immortal, and to have over 90 levels in her [Demon Queen] class. The class is mostly combat-focused, which makes her an unstoppable force in battle. No other person in recorded history has ever surpassed level 79. Ten years ago, the [Demon Queen] Ordered the invasion of the western part of Kistror. That part of the continent had been successfully invaded three hundred years ago, by our legendary [Emperor] Esmund, founder of the empire, the one who took our country from a small city-state to a continent-wide force during his life. He himself fought on the front lines during the conquest, He drove past the Kistror mountains and the Demons came close to extinction. But times of strife make individuals level, and as the last Demon cities were falling, A demon fulfilled an unknown criteria and become a [Demon Queen]. She slew our dear [Emperor] herself. From there, we were pushed back on all fronts, and the frontier was established on the Kistror mountains. From that moment on multiple forts were built on the mountains, by both sides. Our defense was thought impenetrable, but..."

His face changed into a frown. Malcolm was taking in the information like a sponge.

"Ten years ago, [Emperor] Vitelius had given his oldest son, Arthur, the task of ruling what was then the Human part of Kistror. Almost three hundred years of relative peace, other than a few naval and land skirmishes near the border, broken in one day. A few hundred high leveled Demon [Mages] attacked our fortifications. The demons had hired Arachnid mercenary companies. The Arachnids are masters of the seas, the Demons managed to invade us from the seas and from the land. [Prince] Arthur was slain during one of the numerous battles that took place. [Emperor] Vitelius begged for him to escape. He was the heir to the empire. But he would not. He died in battle."

Albert had tears welling up in his eyes, he waited a few moments to compose himself before continuing.

"Forgive me, [Heroes], I was very close to Arthur and I saw him grow up... continuing our lesson, ever since then, [Emperor] Vitelius has focused his reign on defeating the Demons once more. And that is where you come in. Today, each one of you will be tested for magical ability. If you show potential, you will become a [Mage], if not there are many other fighting classes available for you, so don't be too worried. Please follow me."

Albert led the class into a series of large corridors that led to a grand room. The room was like the inside of a cathedral, and it had a fancy-looking podium in the center. Here, the Grand [Mage] was waiting. The [Emperor]'s most powerful mage. He would use a skill on the students to analyze their inner mana. It was called [Assess Magic].

One by one the students went on the podium. Skye, Monica, Sarah, Steven, and Blake all had an incredible magical ability. Soon enough, it was Malcolm's turn. He stepped on the podium.

"[Assess Magic]."

Malcolm was prepared to feel something, a soft tug, maybe. But he didn't.

"Hm, your mana amount is... lower than average, but fear not. There are other classes available."

Malcolm nodded and went back down silently. He felt bad, but not crushed. He could still do magic after all, even if it was just a tiny bit. There was probably a [Magical Hero] class or something like that. He smiled while he sat down.

"Watcha smilin' at loner boy?"

Malcolm froze. He had forgotten that his entire class had heard that he had little mana reserves. He heard giggles and small snickers around him. They knew he was weak. And so, he became a target.

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It had been two days since the Magic assessment. Malcolm was locked in his room, reading a Magical tome. It was called Introduction to Magic. The class had each received the book. The class had also gotten fighting lessons, with a weapon of their choice. Most people had chosen a sword. It was simple and effective. Though some had picked the most unique weapons, like daggers, or a halberd. Some had chosen to just use a staff instead. Though none of the weapons they got were enchanted. They were too dangerous according to Albert.

Malcolm was stuck on the spell that everyone learned first. A [Light] spell. Malcolm had learned how to theoretically use his mana. The book had said to clear your mind, which was hard as first, and then you would "feel" it. He could feel it. The world was full of it. But to go to the next step? To manifest your mana into a ball of light? It felt impossible. The book had said to try to focus a small part of your mana into your hand, and then push it outwards. But it didn't say how to focus it in one place or how to push it outwards. He had asked the Grand [Mage]. He said it was impossible to explain. It was just something you did. It was like trying to tell someone how to breathe. It was knowledge you were born with.

None of his classmates had this problem. He would have asked them, but their behavior towards him was becoming worse and worse as the days went by. Malcolm cursed and closed his book. He got up and started pacing around the room. Why did he have to be so bad at this? Why couldn't it be simple! He laid down on his bed and sighed.

And got back on his desk.

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Claus was one [Emperor] Vitelius' sons. He was a [Prince], a low leveled one for his age, and he was nineteen years old. He was eating dinner along with his family and the [Heroes] his father had summoned.

Eating at the table was his older brother Jonas, his younger sister Cathrine, his mother Ella, and of course, his father. The [Heroes] were scattered in the room, at different tables.

"So, Jonas, how are things on Irasal? No suspicious Drake activities, I presume."

"Yes, father. After the recent war, they have been quiet. I suppose the Lizards know their place now. I gave them quite a beating. I leveled up in my [Strategist] class three times from the war!"

"Good, good. A boy's first war always makes them level. Don't underestimate them, son. They're probably biding their time. The [Spies] I've sent haven't reported anything either."

Claus watched his father and his brother speak about Irasal. Jonas had been put in charge of human affairs there since his twentieth birthday to make him level. His father usually made his sons gain experience with this method on the various place the Empire controlled. Though he hesitated to do so after what had happened to Arthur.

It took months of begging for Jonas to finally get their father to send him to Irasal. Claus used to want to do the same. But he had seen his father's reaction to Arthur's death. He had heard of the horrors the Demons created. He had thought his eldest brother to be invincible. He had looked up to him his entire life.

And they killed him.

Claus was a [Knight]. A high leveled once for his age. He had sworn revenge on the Demons when his brother died. He would kill them all. One by one. And in the end, he would take their Queen's life.

"Claus? How is your training going? I've heard that you've taken a liking to our [Heroes]. It's good that you're socializing. You've been quiet since..."

His father spoke to him. Claus' frown left his face. He looked at Vitelius and smiled.

"Yes father, I apologize, I was deep in thought. My training is going well, I have befriended the [Heroes]. I hope you know I plan on going with them when we invade Kistror."

His father's face grew grim.

"Yes, I know son. Well, I hope the food is to your liking. I know how picky you can be. I've also seen how you look at this Sarah girl."

Claus blushed. It was true, he liked Sarah, and they had spoken every day since she had arrived with her companions. About her world. Earth, as they called it. It seemed fascinating. Regardless, he tried to change the subject.

"Ahem. It seems like one of them is missing though. I wonder why."

"Right, the one with the small mana pool? His name was Malcolm. I heard he was focusing on learning magic from the Grand [Mage]. Though he has made little progress."

Claus nodded. It seemed stupid to him to try to learn magic if you couldn't learn a simple [Light] spell, something that he had learned in one hour.

He looked at Sarah. Her pretty light brown smooth skin. Her beautiful voice. The intensity in her eyes. He sighed softly. She was talking with her group and a few others. That Blake. He felt jealousy welling up in him. He had to act before it was too late. It would be after dinner. 

Dinner ended, and Claus had wanted to wait for Sarah to be alone but he froze when the opportunity came.

Maybe tomorrow then.