It would be great, if somebody is willing to do the proofreading. Suggestions are welcomed, too. Especially suggestions for full names (I will need a lot of them when class starts).

Enjoy!

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“Raising your level takes a lot of effort and time, but there is a shortcut. By killing a creature, its life-force will vanish. If you are in its vicinity when it dies, you can absorb some of it. The life-force you can absorb is called experience and depends on the strength of your and the creature's life-force, which is measured in levels.

You get the best efficiency, if the creature has a few levels more than you. If its level is much higher, it will give more experience on death, but your life-force won't be strong enough to absorb much of it. If the creature's level is much lower, it will of course give less experience, but you can absorb more of it. The downside is, that it's too weak and can't be used to strengthen your own life-force very much, hence the effective experience you get is much lower. A real waste.

A level-difference of about fifteen levels and you will get almost no experience at all. Therefore try to hunt creatures, which are about one or at most two levels higher than you, but never alone. If more than one person is in the creature's vicinity on its death, the experience will be shared. However I don't recommend to hunt creatures with higher levels alone, there is a reason why they have a higher level than you. Actually I don't recommend hunting alone at all, it's much too dangerous and straining. Get a party with people of your level, considering that if one has a much higher level, he will get almost all of the experience, leaving the rest of you with almost none of it.”

-excerpt from Beginners Guide. By Nicholas Novi.

***Aeron***

It wasn't hard to find the room to enrol, but I'm facing my opponent at the moment and a judge is counting down.

“3”

I knew I have to take an examination, so what's wrong?

It's not the real examiner, who I'm facing at the moment.

“2”

Not even enrolled and I already have my first school quarrel. My opponent is about 6 foot tall, bulky and grinning malignly. I think I have angered him quite a bit.

“1”

Perhaps I should have just entered the reception room instead of being dragged into a conflict. A lover's quarrel? I can't remember being in any fights at school before, why do I had to start now?

“fight!”

The 6 foot tall, bloodstained berserker charges straight at me. If that doesn't sound frightening, than perhaps the even taller, gigantic warhammer he carries, which is held high above his head, ready to crush down on anyone who dares to stand in its way. How did it end up like this?

After reaching the reception room, I heard something breaking and the scream of a girl. It couldn't be that far away, hence I followed the direction, where the sound came from. I arrived at an inner courtyard after a few turns. A sturdy teenager was about to drag a young girl by her hairs to the other exit of the courtyard, but not without a fight. His nose was already bleeding, tainting his formerly white shirt red.

“Let me go you blockhead!”

“Shut up, I won't spend another semester with those commoners! This worthless scum!”

I don't like to meddle with other people's problems, but I couldn't just stand idly by and watch a girl being dragged off like that.

“Hey, you shouldn't treat a girl like that.”

The teenager flinched. Seizing the opportunity, the girl turned half around, summoned a fireball in her hand and shot it to the hand holding her hairs. The fireball didn't connect. Shortly before reaching the arm, the teenager instinctively let go of her and moved back. Realising his blunder, he turned towards me, surveyed me, then scowled at me.

“Mind your own business! And who the heck are you?”

In the meantime, the girl dashed to the other side of the courtyard, near to my position and picked up a staff from the floor, which I failed to recognize. It's a weird staff, something between a scythe and a pike. The white rod is adorned with delicate, crimson patterns, but the most peculiar thing is the tip. A scythe-like blade is attached to the top, as if holding a big C. A crescent would describe it best.

“I'm new here, but pretty sure, that it's not allowed to hijack cute girls!”

After realising what I just said, I steal a glance towards her, too embarrassed to face her directly. Though she really is cute. Her dark brown hair flows down to her mid-back, leaving a nice contrast to her white blouse. Lightly tanned, pristine skin and dazzling, chocolate brown eyes. Her face shows traces of a baby face and she should be around my age. She blushes, looks slightly embarrassed and starts to pout a little as she speaks to me.

“I could have handled him on my own, but thanks anyway. You better leave quickly, he can be really nasty and resentful.”

“Newbie! Don't think about leaving, we need to 'talk' after I'm finished with my dear Alexandra. I didn't invest all the time and effort for nothing!”

“Sorry about that, blockhead, but somebody has to tell you. It doesn't look like she wants to be anywhere near to you. You should let her be.”

Alexandra first looks startled at me, but it quickly changes into a sweet, little smile.

“Steve! What's going on here?”

Before the situation could escalate, a tall, well built and middle-aged man approaches the, thanks to the blood and fury, now deep reddened teenager with the name Steve. Before answering, Steve takes a few deep breaths to calm himself down and think about an answer.

“Mr. Dewis, I was talking with Alexandra about our future, when this newbie-lad barged in.”

“Face it already, I don't want anything to do with you any more! You may have kissed up to grandfather, but I know your real self! He, mm, sorry, but what's your name?”

Looks like I was right about their relation. Instead of his reddened face, Steve's face looses his colour now. Don't know if that's better or worse, but it's fun to see his impression and how he has to pull himself together. Serves him right! Though I shouldn't go overboard.

“Aeron.”

“Aeron... I'm Alex. So Aeron here just came through and wanted to help me, but as you can see Steve's nose, it wasn't necessary.”

Even though it's Alex who said it, Steve is glaring hatefully at me right now... So much for not going overboard! Mr. Dewis on the other side looks intrigued at me.

“Aeron? Aeron Evans?”

“Yes, how do you know?”

“A mutual friend. We got a rushed message from Lily, quite interesting... We were expecting you to take the examination today?”

I have a bad premonition...

“Actually, I was going to take his examination. As a student council member, it's my job to help our new fellows after all.”

Steve is grinning dangerously now, whereas Alex expresses her shock.

“No Steve! It's something between me and you. I would love to take you on in a fair fight!”

Yes, it's not my fight! Though how can I let her fight in my stead? Hower it's Mr. Dewis who chips in first.

“That would be interesting. Indeed it's the student council who helps with the examination, even though usually the more experienced members. Level four might be low, but you are from an older age group, 15 if I remember correctly. I'm looking forward to your fight, Lily's letter was really piquing my curiosity.”

Interesting?! Letting a freaking, now deadly grinning, furious giant fight a not yet enrolled first grader, that's not something a sane person would or should do. Though it's exactly something Lily would do, just for fun. Perhaps I should expect nothing less from a friend of our 'mutual acquaintance'...

Hence it doesn't even take 20 minutes and I'm facing Steve in some kind of small arena. It's a little reassuring that the healers applied a mana barrier directly under the first dermal layer, the only place where a foreign shield can be applied to a body, without disturbing your own Aura. The rules are simple. The person, who penetrates the opposing Aura and gets a clear hit onto the foreign shield first, wins. No further attacks are allowed after that. There's a time limit, too, in order to prevent the shield to wear off. Hence it's not lethal, but can still hurt a lot. You won't loose limbs, get deep cuts or other serious wounds, but especially the impacts can be 'felt' despite your Aura.

And it doesn't help to have a 6 foot tall, bloodthirsty, raging bruiser with a gigantic impact-causing warhammer standing on the opposing side. Steve grins maliciously, Alex looks worriedly, Mr. Dewis and the other staff members excitedly. But I, I don't know how I feel about it. Of course it's scary, but it's motivating to have good reason to fight. How could I let Alex fight him? Then again, she should have a higher level and more experience. Steve is level four, while I'm a level two. It shouldn't be impossible, but he is trained, whereas I have just started a few days ago. Mr. Dewis, who is our referee, counts down. Looks like I can't hold back and may have to use magic.

“fight!”