The man seated across from me had gray hair that was slightly disheveled, with a faint golden tint visible in his otherwise dark black eyes. We were sitting in what could generously be called an office, though it looked more like a paper storage facility that had exploded. Documents were stacked in every corner of the room, creating miniature towers of bureaucracy. Even the large desk that served as a barrier between us wasn't spared from the chaos—it was covered with files, forms, and what looked like incident reports.
The room was bathed in soft, natural sunlight streaming through tall windows, illuminating every nook and cranny of the organized disaster surrounding us. Despite the mess, there was something almost peaceful about the golden light filtering through the space.
The man's expression was stern as his piercing gaze bore into me with uncomfortable intensity. This was clearly someone who'd spent years dealing with troublemaker students and had developed a sixth sense for detecting lies.
"I will ask this one last time, Mr. Ryan," he said, his voice carrying the weight of absolute authority. "If you fail to give me a straight answer, I will have no choice but to redirect this case to the principal herself. And let me give you some advice—that won't end well for anyone involved. So tell me, how exactly did you manage to destroy your dormitory room?"
It was the exact same question the dorm master had asked me what felt like a billion times before dragging me here to the vice principal's office. I was getting tired of repeating the same lie, but I didn't have much choice in the matter.
"I really have no idea, sir," I replied, keeping my face carefully neutral and my voice steady. "I was just trying to cast a spell I found on the internet when I lost control of the magic, and... well, the room ended up in that condition."
That was completely false, obviously. Here's what had actually happened:
I'd woken up from what was literally the best sleep I'd had since arriving in this world. For the first time in days, I'd felt genuinely rested and refreshed. But as my vision came into focus and awareness returned to me, I realized something was very, very wrong.
I always slept on the lower bunk of my bed. Every morning when I opened my eyes, I was greeted by the sight of the metal frame supporting the upper mattress above me. That had been my routine for the past two days since moving into the dormitory.
But this morning, all I could see was a ceiling that looked like it had been put through a blender. The surface was literally torn to shreds, with gaping holes and jagged tears. The damage was so severe that a strong enough punch from me could probably send my fist straight through to the floor above.
"What the hell happened here?!" I'd muttered, trying to roll off my bed.
Instead of landing on solid floor, I collapsed onto a carpet of ice shards and broken glass that immediately pierced my shoulder and sides. The pain was sharp and immediate, warm blood beginning to flow from multiple small wounds.
Looking up at my bed, I noticed that the lower bunk was barely hanging together, supported by only three legs. The fourth leg had been completely severed, chopped off clean. The break point ended just a hair's breadth from where my head had been resting. If I'd moved even slightly in my sleep, or if the bed had collapsed just a few inches differently, it could have been my death.
Forcing myself upright despite the glass embedded in my skin, I reached for one of the healing potions Selena had given me the day before. Just before heading to my room, I'd literally run into her waiting outside my door. When she saw my bloodied shoulder from the adventure, she'd gotten... well, she'd been furious. It had taken a lot of smooth talking and probably some cringeworthy lines to calm her down and convince her I was okay.
Once she'd returned to her normal, caring self, she'd handed me two high-grade healing potions—items that most low-ranking students would never see in their entire academic careers. She'd told me to use them that night to heal up properly, claiming she had more and I shouldn't waste time hoarding them like they were precious.
But there was no way I was going to waste such valuable resources carelessly. Potions of that quality cost an absolute fortune both in the outside world and even here at the academy.
"Thank god for small favors," I sighed as the potion began working its magic. My wounds started closing almost instantly, the pain fading as damaged tissue repaired itself.
Only then did I get a proper look at the state of my room, and I was left completely speechless.
"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?! DID SOMEONE DROP A BOMB WHILE I WAS ASLEEP?!"
I could literally see outside the building—not through a window, but through a massive hole that had been blown straight through the exterior wall. The entire room looked like someone had tried desperately to roast me alive while I slept. Everything was destroyed—my uniforms, textbooks, personal belongings, even my spare clothes. The room itself was barely structurally sound.
Then I heard soft crying coming from one corner of the devastated space. Following the sound, I found someone curled up and trembling that I definitely hadn't expected to see.
"How the hell did you find me here?!" I'd demanded.
.....
.....
"So you were attempting to cast a high-level spell?" the vice principal asked, his expression shifting to one of visible annoyance and disbelief.
I couldn't exactly admit the truth—it would be impossible to explain given my known mana limitations. But what choice did I have?
"Yes, sir," I nodded, hoping I sounded more confident than I felt.
He rubbed his temples in obvious frustration, like he was dealing with the most troublesome student he'd encountered all semester.
"Very well. Minus 2,000 points from your grade," he said, making a note in what I assumed was my file.
"What?!" The number hit me like a physical blow.
"Excuse me, sir, but what points exactly are you referring to?" I asked hesitantly, though I had a sinking feeling I already knew.
"Your grading examination scores, naturally. You're already operating in negative territory—approximately 2,500 points in the hole. My advice would be to try exceptionally hard in the upcoming examinations. If you can't earn enough points to climb out of the negatives, you'll face immediate expulsion from the academy. And even if you manage to break even, if you don't accumulate a sufficient surplus, you won't have the privilege of choosing which advanced courses you want to study. Good luck, Mr. Ryan," he said with an air of finality.
I could only sit there and stare at him in stunned silence as the full implications of what he'd just told me settled in.
I was completely screwed.