Suddenly, a floating, fluffy mascot hovered above the central stage and clapped its paws to gather everyone's attention. Students moved forward in a long line to drop their invitations into a glowing box for Evaluation Day.
The mascot's voice boomed through hidden speakers. "Welcome! Inside these walls, everyone stands on completely equal ground. Your family wealth and social status mean absolutely nothing here. Your talents, powers, bloodlines, and races no longer dictate your worth."
'So I am safe from that princess?' Solomon wondered.
A tall boy near the front raised his hand. "How exactly will this work?"
The mascot twirled in the air. "Your ranks will be based purely on points. You earn these points from your viewers and fans. Soon, you will all walk up to this stage one by one. You will stand before the dragon, and it will tell you which of the four houses you belong to. Each house has its own dorms and unique facilities."
Solomon stared at the massive stone stage. 'Dragons? Four houses? He rubbed his temples. Did I crawl straight into the wrong novel setting? I mean, yeah, they do exist, but what's with this theme? It's just an academy.'
The mascot pointed a fuzzy stub toward a stack of floating silver crates. "Every student will receive a magical drone. This camera creature will follow you around the clock. You will be live twenty-four hours a day, no matter what you do."
A girl bit her lower lip and raised a shaking hand. "What about taking a bath or using the toilet? That shouldn't legally be allowed to stream."
The mascot giggled and wagged its finger. "The camera will automatically angle itself to protect your modesty. It will only capture your back or switch to appropriate viewpoints. There are exactly three situations where your stream will go completely black. You first-years do not need to know about those specific conditions yet. This applies equally to everyone, so you have absolutely no reason for concern."
Solomon crossed his arms and glanced at the girls standing nearby in the crowd. 'Wait a minute. Wouldn't female streamers still have a huge advantage over the guys?' he thought. 'A little bit of fanservice, and they could easily rake in more viewers, donations, and gifts.'
"Once you activate your device, you must choose your live-stream name," the mascot continued. "You cannot use inappropriate words. You also cannot use a wordplay of similar names that are already taken, like Veronica and Veronika. Most importantly, you cannot use your real name. Once your name is officially selected, you will receive a random beginner's reward."
A boy shouted from the back of the crowd. "What if we change our minds and want to leave the academy?"
The mascot stopped floating and stared directly at the crowd. "That is not possible. Once you enter the gates, you can never leave."
Students instantly screamed and pushed against the invisible barriers blocking the exits. People shoved each other in a desperate bid to escape the courtyard.
Solomon planted his feet firmly on the ground while the panicked crowd surged around him. 'Why are they acting like little kids getting dropped to kindergarten for the first time?'
The mascot's sharp whistle cut through the panic and drew everyone's eyes back to the central stage. Students lowered their arms and stopped pushing against the invisible barriers blocking the exits.
"You will still be able to talk to your family and friends," the mascot announced, floating slightly higher to ensure everyone could see. "You get to make a phone call once in a while. However, your personal devices from the outside world will simply fail to turn on inside the academy grounds."
Solomon patted his jacket pocket and felt the dead weight of his smartphone. 'At least I can still check on Mom and the others,' he thought. 'I just need to figure out the schedule for these calls.'
"Your viewers hold the power to give you gifts, challenges, and missions," the mascot continued. "Every gift translates directly into points. A Bronze Idol gives you fifty points. A Copper Dagger brings in one hundred points. A Silver Sword is worth five hundred points. The Golden Throne grants two thousand points, and a Diamond Crown sits at the top with a massive five thousand points."
A massive holographic screen materialized behind the mascot, displaying a glowing catalog of items.
"You can spend these individual points at the magic shop," the mascot explained, pointing at a dark, swirling sphere on the screen. "For example, a Null Orb temporarily pauses your live stream for exactly five minutes. All shop items are categorized into various grades and tiers depending on their time duration and overall effect. Furthermore, keep in mind that your individual points remain completely separate from House Points. You only earn House Points by completing group missions for your assigned house."
The mascot paused while the students murmured among themselves. "You can also obtain points and special rewards by completing missions given to you by your fans, external organizations, major guilds, or individual parties. Both private citizens and government officials can sponsor your tasks."
A muscular boy near the front row crossed his massive arms. "What if someone hands us an impossible mission? What happens if a viewer tells us to slay an S-rank calamity?"
"The system automatically levels the difficulty of your missions based on your current streamer rank," the mascot replied. "An A-rank streamer only receives A-rank missions. You will never face a challenge completely outside your designated tier."
Another student raised a hand high in the air. "How exactly do we increase our rank, and who decides it?"
"Two main factors decide your standing," the mascot said. "The system constantly tracks your viewer satisfaction ratings alongside your mission success rates. Rankings start from F and go all the way up to SSS. Every time you climb to a higher rank, your streaming device unlocks new features and functions."
A girl wearing pointed robes frowned and stepped forward. "Why should someone like me learn swordsmanship when I am a dedicated mage?"
A tall professor standing near the edge of the stage stepped into the light. He carried a wooden training sword casually resting over his shoulder.
"There will be countless times where your magic completely fails you," the professor stated. "What happens when your mana simply runs out? What if you step into a strict no-mana zone, or an enemy hits you with a mana blocker? What if your opponent wields an anti-magic artifact, or you run the risk of harming your own comrades with a destructive spell?"
The girl lowered her gaze and clutched the fabric of her robes.
"Your opponents will never hold back," the professor continued. "You must learn at least the basics of every single skill available. No skill in this world is useless. You must immediately stop depending entirely on your magic, your talents, and your bloodlines. A time will definitely come when all of those things become entirely worthless on the battlefield."
Silence swept over the massive courtyard. A skinny boy with trembling hands spoke up from the middle of the crowd. "What happens if we fail a mission or simply cannot complete it?"
"Your rankings will instantly plummet," the mascot answered, hovering back to the center of the stage. "If your overall rating falls into the negatives, the academy officially expels you. That expulsion serves as a permanent punishment. The academy will strip your talent away from you forever."
Students gasped and exchanged horrified glances. Losing their awakened talent essentially meant losing their sole means of survival in the modern world. Solomon swallowed hard and wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. He already knew the pain of possessing a useless talent, and he completely refused to end up powerless again.
"Are there any more questions?" the mascot asked, scanning the completely quiet crowd. "Excellent. We will now begin the house sorting. Step forward one by one and stand before the dragon."
A massive shadow swept over the courtyard, instantly blocking out the sunlight. A towering dragon covered in crimson scales descended from the sky. The sheer force of its wings sent a powerful gust of wind through the crowd of students. The beast landed on the central stone stage with a loud thud and folded its leathery wings against its back.
The tall professor stepped to the front of the stage and raised a hand. "We will now divide you into four houses. The Vanguard, Apex, Zenith, and Nova houses possess no actual meaning or hierarchy. We simply use them to separate the student body into smaller groups for easier handling and scheduling."
Students began approaching the stage one by one. They handed their invitations to the professor. The crimson dragon leaned forward, inspected each student, and announced their names, talents, and ranks in a booming voice.
The boy with thick glasses adjusted his frames and walked up the stone steps. He handed a perfectly crisp invitation to the professor.
"Arthur Vance," the dragon rumbled, exhaling a plume of white smoke. "A-rank talent, Telekinesis. House Nova."
Arthur smiled and walked down the opposite side of the stage. Solomon stepped up next. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the crumpled, slimy coupon from the beggar. He extended his hand and offered the disgusting paper to the professor.
The professor wrinkled his nose and pinched the very corner of the ticket with two fingers. He glared at Solomon with narrowed eyes and a curled lip. He looked entirely ready to expel the boy right on the spot.
Solomon ignored the glaring man and stood directly beneath the towering dragon. The giant beast lowered its massive head and sniffed his damp jacket.
"Solomon," the dragon announced, its voice echoing across the entire courtyard. "SSS-rank talent, Convergence. House Nova."
Total silence fell over the thousands of students. A moment later, jaws dropped and eyes widened across the entire courtyard. Wild whispers erupted from every direction. The previously disgusted professor completely changed his posture. He leaned forward with a bright, welcoming smile and gently patted Solomon on the shoulder.
'Fuck, I have a bad feeling about this. The more excited they are, the more disappointed they will be.'
Solomon turned around and walked down the steps toward the Nova house gathering area. A massive crowd of students instantly swarmed him. Girls twirled their hair and thrust their hands out to introduce themselves. Boys slapped his back and eagerly asked to hang out with him after orientation. The other students assigned to House Nova cheered loudly and waved him over to their specific group.
The professor struck a large bronze gong on the stage to cut through the commotion. "Everyone must head to their respective house dorms and then proceed directly to your first class! Your initial lecture begins in exactly fifteen minutes. Anyone who arrives late will face immediate expulsion from the academy!"