Triple A

Jason just transmigrated into the body of Ethan Nox after falling into that abyss in the Alternate Realm, and now, he was right in Triple A, an arcane academy where young Arcanists are trained and guided to succeed in the path of magic.

The name "Triple A" was just some kind of abbreviation form with the name "Aetherum Arcanum Academy". Due to having three starting letters as "A", they best called it Triple A.

The Aetherum Arcanum Academy was the only academy for Arcanists in Albany, and thus, despite the fact that this world was ten times larger than Earth, every youngster who manages to awaken their Mana Core and possessed an affinity for arcane magic must be enrolled into the academy at any cost.

The people believed that the mages were the only source of peace and safety in the society and had made sure that everything needed to make these youngsters grow in the path of magic was provided.

Although not only Arcanists are mages in this world... In this world, Arcanists, Elementalists, and Spiritualists exist.

These are the branches of magic, other aspects are likely to be enemies, just like a set of deadly mutants called The Changed.

Right now, Jason — now Ethan — was right in his dorm room staring at his roommate who had just woken him up from his deep slumber.

"I told you to stop drinking Kenom Liquor, now look... You have slept for 21 hours and still aren't okay with it. Now I'm going to be late for the orientation because of you!" Ethan's roommate, Jeff, complained, slightly angered.

However, Ethan only stared at him expressionlessly, wondering what he really meant.

'Ah, shit! Does this side character guy really drink liquor?! That's too bad for a start.'

He cursed inwardly, placing his right hand on his upper head.

'Argh, My head hurts so much.'

Ethan sighed repeatedly.

"Anyways, just go prepare let's go to the orientation. I'm sure you don't want Principal Bernard to make you go in search of some rare elixir ingredients in the Woodlands," Jeff warned, and upon hearing this, Ethan was called back from his clueless knowledge, as he really knew what he was actually talking about.

Principal Bernard was a Magus-level Arcanist, and due to his high order and discipline, he was feared by many... He would never tolerate any form of indiscipline and at most, his usual punishment was to send a student to search for a rare elixir ingredient in a magical mountain forest called the Woodlands.

To every student, having to suffer his punishment was their greatest nightmare in the academy, and to prevent being punished, the Adepts had made sure not to mess things up.

Ethan quickly got himself prepared in no time and was good to go. Jeff had been waiting for him outside the dorm room, impatiently...

"I swear to God, this is the last time I will be waiting for you to get prepared for important things like this," Jeff said with a slight frown, taking the lead.

"Sorry... It wasn't really my fault," Ethan tried to convince him.

"It would always be your fault as long as you continue spending your hard-earned bucks on Kenom Liquor..."

Ethan shrugged.

'I'm just somehow addicted to that thing. But... What the fuck! I'm still too young to take a highly alcoholic liquor like Kenom's... What the hell am I doing to myself?'

Slowly, Ethan began wondering, coming to a realization.

"Faster," Jeff spoke as he walked... Ethan was too slow at walking, so he had to raise an alarm like always.

Soon, they were out of the boarding area of the school and had approached the Educational District. At this location, one could clearly notice the great structure of the Aetherum Arcanum Academy.

The academy was a combination of large towering buildings constructed by highly skilled engineers... Mostly, these engineers are Earth Elemental mages, and just with the flow of mana, they could create buildings in the blink of an eye. Triple A's building was a clear indication of their handwork at its best.

Twelve lofty buildings stood tall in the heart of the academy, about four belonging to the 1st Year Adepts, four for the 2nd Years, and the other four for the staff board. All buildings were tinted in bold silver, except for that of the highest building — visibly for the staff with the highest order — which had a golden hue.

Luckily, Ethan and Jeff came across other students on the route to the General Hall... Although most of these students were 2nd-year Adepts who usually wore black academy shirt uniforms, black jackets, and white trousers made from thick fabrics.

The 1st Year Adepts, just like Ethan and Jeff, would wear white shirt uniforms, a white jacket with black trims on the chest and upper arms region with black trousers.

This was the pattern of dressing between the two, and for girls, only the fact that they wore skirts made a slight difference... The color pattern was still the same.

"I guess we aren't too late," Jeff said after heaving a sigh of relief upon seeing some 1st Year students ahead and behind them.

"Oh maybe," Ethan hesitated and said.

It took a few minutes before they got to the general hall, and it didn't take long before the principal arrived after Ethan and Jeff entered the hall.

Since three months ago when they entered the Aetherum Arcanum Academy, the 1st Years had been promised an orientation from the principal, but due to some controversies, the principal hadn't had enough time for that.

But today, as promised, he would make sure he give them the best orientation they need... Vice Principal Karl's orientation on the first day in the academy wasn't really clear, so today, the students were ready for a long formal orientation from the head of the academy.

Upon arrival, Principal Bernard progressed forward to the stage, cleared his throat, and began his speech.

"Ahem... Dear students of the Aetherum Arcanum Academy, it's my honor to be in front of great youngsters like you. This orientation should have been done three months ago, but due to the current looming conflicts with The Changed around the Near East, we have been unable to have full focus on academy duties."

The principal paused and continued.

"Of course, you all might have heard stories about these mysterious beings. The Changed. No doubt, they were once human like us, but after the great seizure, unbelievable occurrences began to happen."

"Trust me, The Changed would be the greatest misery in your life if you ever go close to them. They are evil, cruel, and merciless. They aim to destroy the whole of humanity, and perhaps, take down the whole universe."

"This is why we are trying our best to stop them from achieving their deadly goals. Thanks to the fact that they couldn't reproduce, this had really been a saving and advantageous factor in our conflicts with these mutants, and yeah, this is why we aren't being overwhelmed up till now."

After this speech session, the hall was shrouded in pointless murmurs... However, Ethan who was having full concentration was suddenly distracted by a mysterious screen that appeared in front of him.

[Sidekick Assistant System has successfully been directed to its host].

[System merging in progress...]

[System merging completed].

[Congrats, Side character Ethan Nox, you just attained a Double Reward System].

[You have been granted The Sidekick Assistant System].