Chapter 260: Probationary student

The next six days went by in a flash. Percy skipped both the Geography and Affinities classes, deciding his time was better spent preparing for the next term.

Technically, it might have been a good idea to prioritize Pre-casting, as he knew nothing about the topic. However, he chose to invest more than 80% of his waking hours into Alchemy instead, for a very simple reason.

‘My most urgent goal is to be allowed into the course in the first place…’

No matter how bad he was at Pre-casting, nobody would object to him taking the fourth part after having just completed the third one. However, he knew he’d inevitably be subjected to a lot of scrutiny when he tried to skip nine Alchemy courses at once.

When that happened, he couldn’t afford to make any mistakes. He needed to be able to answer any questions they asked. Consequently, he focused on familiarizing himself with the natives’ tools, techniques and ingredients, to make the transition smoother.

Still…

***

“What you’re asking of me is unprecedented.” the clerk responsible for course registration said. “Obviously, it’s not uncommon for students to skip a course. In fact, I’ve just allowed someone to jump two levels of History a couple days ago. But everything has to be within reason.”

“Sir, I understand how odd this is… But I’m telling you, I’ve studied the prerequisites in my own time. I honestly don’t think I’ll be at a disadvantage compared to the other students.”

The clerk shook his head, unconvinced.

“Kid, Alchemy is one of the toughest subjects in the academy. Even the introductory courses are hellishly difficult. Very few students take the exams, and only a fraction of them pass. I promise you, if core-cleansing pills weren’t a gold mine and downright integral to our world’s survival, nobody would bother with it.”

The man allowed his words to sink in as he adjusted his glasses. He wasn’t very old – looking in his early thirties, an Orange core thrumming in his chest.

A Red-born, most likely.

No wonder his eyesight hadn’t improved yet.

“Not to mention… Half the classes are practical. Do you expect me to believe you’ve turned yourself into an experienced alchemist simply by reading a few books?”

Percy sighed.

“I understand your misgivings, but I’m not lying. Are you seriously going to make me waste nine terms to climb to my current level step-by-step?”

The man shrugged.

“It doesn’t have to be nine. How about you start with Alchemy 4 directly? If you’re as good as you claim, it should be a breeze. You can pick 8 next term, and then 10 after that. I know it’s not exactly what you’ve asked for, but you’re still blitzing through one of the hardest courses in the academy in record speed.”

Truth be told, the clerk’s suggestion was more than reasonable. Unfortunately, Percy couldn’t possibly accept this, given his circumstances.

“Sir, with all due respect, why does the academy even care? I’ve never heard of anyone’s course selection being rejected like this. Worst-case scenario, I just embarrass myself. If that happens, I’ll simply avoid taking the exam. No harm done.”

Admittedly, this was a bit of a bluff. While it was true he’d never heard of any such rumours – he’d only even been around a few days. Though he really hoped situations like this were truly rare, or he was about to get called out…

“Normally, we don’t care.” the man admitted, much to Percy’s relief. “But Alchemy is an exception, because the ingredients consumed in the practical classes are expensive and paid for by the academy. We’re very careful about who we let in, to prevent waste.”

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Another valid point. Percy knew first-hand how precious such resources were. But he wasn’t going to back down so easily.

“Is there any way to prove my qualifications then? Perhaps if I can take a test, or speak to one of the teachers in charge?”

The clerk grunted something illegible, rubbing his temples. Evidently, Percy had given him quite a headache.

“I can’t even remember the last time we had to deal with a case like this.” the clerk said, not bothering to hide his irritation.

Getting up, he opened a cabinet behind him, sifting through a bunch of old documents.

“There.” he spat, blowing the dust off a piece of paper. “Fill this in. I’ll register you as a probationary student. It’ll be up to the teacher’s discretion whether you get to stay there, after the first two classes. You’ll also need to put in a replacement course, to automatically join if you get rejected.”

Percy nodded, his heart skipping a beat. Grabbing the document, he filled in all of Leo’s details, writing Affinities 6 as an alternative. He’d already decided that Runecrafting wouldn’t help him much, so if it came to it, he’d have to make do with that.

‘Let’s not even entertain that possibility. I need to make sure I get accepted.’

***

Percy practically ran out of the office, to not give the clerk a chance to change his mind.

‘It’s done! One of the hardest parts is over! Now I just have to convince the teacher to keep me there.’

Well, actually staying on top of his courses would also be one hell of a challenge, but he had a whole month to deal with that.

Returning to his room, he found Klatz and Lyn waiting outside the door.

‘Geez, they never give up, do they?’

he wrinkled his nose.

Following their lunch a few days ago, Percy’s “friends” had continued to visit him daily. Most of the time, he came up with various excuses to push them away. It helped that he was genuinely behind in his studies and had a lot of catching up to do.

That said, he knew he couldn’t always turn them down, lest they realized something was wrong. This put him in a difficult spot, as alienating his friends too much was just as risky as spending a lot of time with them. Consequently, he had to balance things out, agreeing to hang out once every few days, just to get them off his back.

Not that he disliked their company, per se. They were good kids. Fun to be around. But continuing to deceive them like this was not only distasteful, but a pointless drain on his limited time.

“Hey, Leo! Where were you? We’ve been waiting here for ages!” Lyn said.

Percy shrugged.

“I submitted my course selection.”

The girl raised an eyebrow upon hearing that.

“Are you changing courses?”

He nodded. From what he’d learned, students didn’t need to visit the registration office otherwise. They were automatically registered for the next part of their current courses – assuming they all had one.

“I’m dropping Geography and Affinities for Cosmic Studies and Alchemy.”

“Seriously?!” Klatz jumped in. “I thought you liked Affinities!”

He looked a little annoyed about it. Probably because he was also taking that course.

“I do. I might pick it up again later.” Percy lied through his teeth, scrambling to come up with a believable excuse. “I’ve always wanted to learn more about the cosmos. As for Alchemy… Well, everyone knows how lucrative it is. I thought it’d be nice to leave some doors open, for after we graduate…”

The others looked at each other, apparently finding his reasons a little strange.

Did he say something out of character?

Maybe the boy had come from a rich family, making his worries about money redundant… Or maybe he’d never shown any interest in the broader universe before. The possibilities were endless.

‘I need to be more careful...’

Alas, he couldn’t always dodge their questions. Besides, his courses weren’t exactly a secret. They would have found out about them, sooner or later.

“Fine.” Klatz spat. “Then, I’ll pick Cosmic Studies too. I was thinking of dropping Painting anyway.”

Percy smiled wryly, unsure what to say to that.

The guy was clingy as fuck!

In the end, he just chuckled along, telling him he looked forward to seeing him there. With Lyn also moving on to Pre-casting 4, it would be just as difficult to avoid them next term…

‘At least they can’t follow me into Alchemy 10.’

he sighed, unlocking his door.

“Are you sure you don’t want to grab dinner?” Lyn asked.

“Sorry. I really need to get some more work done before classes start.” he said, waving them off without even turning back. He knew they’d guilt trip him into going if he did.

Resting on the door, he allowed his weight to seal it shut.

‘Lying to them is getting harder by the day…’

Alas, the part about having to study was true. Sitting at his desk, he picked up one of the alchemy books he’d borrowed from the library, resuming his work. Luckily, his first Alchemy class was on Sword Day, so he still had some time for that.

That said, the term was officially starting tomorrow. As for the subject?

It was finally time to learn more about the stars above, as well as the myriad races living among them…