Before we start, I wish to thank, and credit many people for this story.

I do not own the world of the story, the credits of the world of the story goes to the writers of the story of Dragon Nest.

Thanks for JoyJoy415 and her (or his? I think it’s a her…but…?) friends, who, in 2012, started a mini fanfic game on Dragon Nest. The setting, of course, being the Academy of this story, AAA. I couldn’t contact her through the Cherry Credits forum, hence, I could not get official permission. Sorry!

Thanks to the writers of Mushoku Tensei (Rifujin na Maganote), Arifureta (Chunni Suki), and Tate no Yuusha no Narigari (Aneko Yusagi)’s authors, for motivating me to write this arc and the previous arc. There might be some similarities of this to either or all of these novels (Especially Mushoku Tensei), and I thank the author for providing me these small ideas to create my own story.

Thanks to my friends, Crol, Maki, and Shiina (all aliases), for motivating me to write this story!

And thanks to all of you for trying this out.

Enjoy.

I stretched my arms as I happily received the spring breeze. Being in the stuffy lab for so long wasn’t exactly the best thing in life, while this wind definitely is one of such 'best things'.

At the moment, I, Clint, and my family are on top of a random hill my dad clea- found. Yes, that’s what I mean, found.

Sorry, I lied. He destroyed part of the forest last week to make this just for me. After destroying all of them, he went somewhere and got a tree called a Cherry blossom tree with pink leaves. He said it was often done at the place where he got these trees from.

Not that anyone else lives anywhere close to here though, so nobody was complaining.

We, as in me and my family, live in a woods in an area called the ‘Red Zone’. Our parents never told us how we exactly came here, but from their bounties, I could kind of guess who they pissed off.

Life here is really harsh, yet fun. Living near monsters means that I get to see monsters killed up close, by either my dad, Dusk, or my butler, Alferdo. While at home, my mom would stay inside while building her own artifacts! Also, she had thought me how to make one of the artifacts Alferdo is using! It is called a handgun, or pistol, and when I pull a part called a trigger, a ball of mana will fire from its barrell!

It’s totally awesome!

Anyways, back to the point of why we are on the hill. Today, my family and I are having a picnic! Since tomorrow, I am going to an academy called AAA, short for Altea’s Adventurer’s Academy!

Truthfully, while I am excited from it, I am also a little worried. The only person I have spoken to these years are my dad, mother, Alferdo, and my cute little sister. Her name is Carla, and she is 7 years old, but she is much much smaller than me. My dad told me that mom was like that when she was young, so it wasn’t a problem, but still, she is so short, and so cute!

Sorry. Back to never speaking to people. Well, I read quite a number of books, so I kind of know how to speak to people… But I would prefer not to speak with too many people… and not to get myself into trouble.

While it is true that main characters often get into trouble, I plan not to be a main character!

“Clint! What are you doing up there! It’s dangerous!” My mom screamed at me.

Did I mention that I was on top of the only tree on the hill?

Reluctantly, I got down, and my mom sighed at me. She actually rarely scolds us at all. My dad told me it’s because she spent at least 3 years scolding him that she got tired of it.

My dad, Dusk, is in fact wanted in most of the human part of the world, along with my mother, as they opposed some nobles. That was why we lived in the Red Zone. By now though, the bounty has faded. He had somewhat long tapered dark blue hair (for a male) and black eyes, which we all didn’t inherit. At the moment, he is a Gladiator and a Majesty according to his status plate, which my sister and I didn’t have. He uses a sword with his left arm, although he could switch to his right, mechanical, arm. It had been cut off in a fight when they were fleeing from the nobles, but mom made a hand to replace it. He also uses cards with magic circles. Actually, he had tried teaching me about it, but I could never get the hang of it, unlike my sister. Using the magic circles, he made a room called the warp room, where we could go to most of the towns my dad went to in the past. Occasionally, I would go out with my dad when he did missions with a few of his friends. Carla preferred to stay at home with mom though.

My mom, Shiina, is a woman with long, waist length caramel hair and hazel eyes. Her class is an engineer, according to the status plate. Also, for her race, she is a ‘Human?’ She doesn’t know why it had a question mark, but she said that it might be related to her slow growth. Her parents died before she was aware of it, and so she didn’t know what race she exactly was. It didn’t matter though, she lives for engineering. Most of the time, she would be in the lab with me or sometimes with Carla (when dad isn’t home). Thanks to mom, we have quite a lot of really awesome things at home (most of them deadly weapons), I had a bracelet that could turn into a knife or a chakram, which is a bladed ring with a handle as part of the ring, and it could fly back to me after I throw it. It could burn up too! Although because I used that function a little too much, it had melted and became unusable.

Next is Alferdo. He is in fact a really scary steel golem that takes the shape of a human. In fact, in full golem form, he isn’t scary at all, his steel body, and steel legs were not outstanding, but not exactly disgusting. It is when he wears clothes at home. He would wear a T-shirt and a pair of shorts. It was so scary before I got used to it. Imagine a normal person wearing a shirt and shorts, and then convert the person into steel… and boom, a person that can make any baby cry when they see him, in fact Carla was not spared from that fate too. He uses a pair of longer pistols, in a ‘gun kata’ style, where he could fight melee by swinging the pistols, or ranged by firing them, or in a mixed fashion. Most of the time, he would be outside, clearing monsters that get close to our home. Other times, he would be in our living room, in his casual clothes, as a walking nightmare.

My cute little sister is called Carla. She is a cute adorable little girl that looks like a 5 year old. She has her mother’s caramel hair, at the moment neck long, although she plans to let it continue grow, and like her mother again, hazel eyes. She is a kind and talkative girl, often coming to speak to me when both parents are busy. She tends to stick with dad much more than mom though. Both because she spends more time with him learning magic circles, and because she said she liked father’s head pats more than mom’s hugs. Of course, I was the only one that was told that, else mom might cry. But since dad is out often, she would be with her mom in the lab, studying herself on magic circles. Although she sleeps with mom and dad, occasionally she would get into my bed when I’m sleeping. Sneaky little brat. Nonetheless, her cute smile would usually lift the family’s spirits.

“Cheers!” Mom said, as she held up a glass of wine. Of course, Carla and I got grape juice instead of wine, but it was fine, Dad gave me a sip in the past, and it was disgustingly bitter.

Alferdo got oil, by the way. Alcoholic oil. Weird.

And with that cleared, we started eating. Dad cried slightly when Carla refused to sit in his lap, and instead sat between my legs as she ate. Sis, it isn’t easy to eat with your head blocking me. You aren’t 3 years old already.

At one point, dad and Alferdo went away because they heard stuff, and went to do something to the stuff.

The stuff being monsters, and something being disposing.

Dad came back soon, covered in monster blood. He didn’t exactly care though, and he continued eating, ignoring the blood as long as it didn’t touch his food.

Dad, that’s why Carla didn’t want to sit on you.

In the end of the day, while the sun was setting, dad activated one of his magic cards, and we were warped back home.

That night, Clara climbed into my bed, as I couldn’t sleep. As she did, she realized that I was awake, and looked towards me.

“Nii-san… do you think I could go to the same school?” She was nodding off at this point.

I smiled at her as she closed her eyes, “Of course you can, in two years though.”

She nodded, and hugged my arm, instantly falling asleep.

I had tons of things to think of, but, I suppose I can leave them to tomorrow.

Looking up at the dark ceiling, I muttered, “So tomorrow, I will be alone…” I raised my hand, and clenched my fist, I was ready. I trained under my parents for this. Tomorrow, I will be independent!

With my sister beside me, I slept peacefully and dreamlessly.