The moment Ren's eyes fluttered open, he knew it was exactly 5 AM. He didn't need an alarm. He didn't need to check the time.
His internal clock was as precise as any advanced chronometer, a habit forged through years of rigorous discipline in his past life.
Waking up at the same time every day had been essential for his research, his experiments, his relentless pursuit of knowledge.
Even in this new world, with a new body, that fundamental trait remained unchanged.
As he sat up, the dim glow of the room's ambient lighting cast soft shadows across the walls.
The space was still and quiet, save for the slow, rhythmic breathing of the only other person in the room; Lia.
Ren turned his head and took in the sight of her. She was curled up in a seated position on her own bed, her head drooping slightly to the side, her arms loosely wrapped around herself.
She looked strangely adorable like this, a stark contrast to the sheer terror she had exhibited last night. But Ren's sharp mind immediately analyzed the implications of her posture.
There were two likely possibilities: either she had fallen asleep while doing "immersion," whatever that was, or she had deliberately kept herself upright to avoid accidentally dozing off in his presence.
Given her visible wariness of him after last night's unfortunate… revelation, the latter seemed highly probable.
Ren sighed, rubbing his temples as he recalled the events of the previous evening.
The panic. The screaming. The fireball.
And, of course, the unfortunate, tragic loss of what could have been a very enlightening bathing experience!
A shame, really. Her body had been—Ren shook his head. No use dwelling on that now. Their relationship was completely ruined.
The kind of bond that had been severed could not be easily mended, at least not without considerable effort.
Lia probably saw him as some sort of anomaly, a cosmic mistake that defied the very foundations of this world. That and a pervert.
Well, she wasn't entirely wrong.
Pushing the thought aside, Ren stood up, stretching his limbs before making his way toward the bathroom.
He needed a shower; his first shower in this new world. A milestone worth noting.
The moment the warm water hit his skin, Ren let out a small, satisfied sigh. It was incredible. The temperature was perfect, the pressure just right.
A refreshing, cleansing sensation that left his muscles loose and his mind alert.
Back in his previous life, he had often been so consumed by research that he would go days without bathing, much to the horror of his lab assistants.
But here, with a brand-new body that was already leagues better than his old one, he intended to treat himself better.
Once he was thoroughly refreshed, he stepped out, grabbed a towel, and dried off.
The bathroom, while simple, was highly efficient which was another indicator that this world had an advanced understanding of infrastructure, even if their focus leaned more toward magic than science.
Now dressed in nothing but his towel, Ren moved over to his closet, opening it with mild curiosity.
Inside, neatly stacked in perfect symmetry, were at least a dozen identical sets of uniforms. He raised an eyebrow at the organization. Someone clearly valued order and precision.
But there was a more pressing concern.
Were these meant for men or women?
Ren picked up one of the outfits and examined it critically.
After a few moments of analysis, he deduced with great relief that the academy had indeed accounted for the presence of a male student.
The uniform consisted of a crisp white shirt, dark blue pants, and an accompanying set of dark blue boots with intricate orange designs along the sides.
He nodded approvingly. Functional. Simple. And yet, the boots in particular had an aesthetic charm to them—perhaps a form of status symbol?
Fashion, even in scientifically primitive societies, often indicated rank or social hierarchy.
Ren dressed efficiently, buttoning the shirt and tucking it neatly into his pants before stepping into the boots.
Once he was fully dressed, he turned to the full-length mirror in the room and assessed himself. For a moment, he just… stared.
This body was something else.
His features were sharp, yet somehow soft, carrying an air of both elegance and mystery.
His silver hair cascaded in gentle waves, adding to the almost otherworldly aesthetic. His skin was flawless, his build lean but defined, the kind of beauty that would make people double-take in the streets.
It was almost too perfect!
He tilted his head slightly, running a hand through his silver locks. This was problematic. A face like this would definitely attract attention—perhaps too much attention.
He preferred to move unnoticed when possible, and standing out like some divine entity reincarnated from the heavens was not exactly ideal.
With a thoughtful hum, he retrieved a pair of scissors from a drawer and carefully trimmed his hair to a shorter length.
Not too short but just enough to reduce the dramatic effect. The last thing he needed was to be treated like some celestial prince when all he wanted was to quietly learn about this world.
As he observed the finished result in the mirror, he found himself satisfied.
He still looked attractive, but less like someone who had just descended from a higher plane of existence. Acceptable.
At that moment, a faint rustling from the other bed caught his attention.
Lia stirred, shifting slightly before slowly opening her eyes.
For a brief second, she just blinked in drowsy confusion, clearly still disoriented from sleep. But then, suddenly, her body tensed.
Her memories from last night must have come flooding back all at once, because her eyes widened, her posture stiffened, and her entire demeanor screamed panic.
Her gaze darted around the room frantically, as if expecting to see some terrible nightmare still lurking in the shadows.
But then her eyes landed on Ren.
He was standing in front of the mirror, adjusting the collar of his pristine uniform. His silver hair, now slightly shorter, framed his sharp yet serene features perfectly.
The way the uniform fit him only accentuated his lean build, and the dark blue boots tied the look together in an effortlessly refined way.
Ren turned slightly, meeting her gaze with calm, unreadable silver eyes. He was actually a bit nervous at that moment.
Lia immediately turned bright red and whipped her head in the opposite direction. Why was her heart beating so fast?!
Ren raised an eyebrow.
Interesting.
So despite all the screaming, all the fireball-throwing, and all the existential crisis he had apparently caused her last night… she could still be flustered?
Fascinating.
He made a mental note of it before turning back to the mirror, finishing his adjustments. He would try his best to give her enough space to digest things.
One of the worst moves to make would be to instantly bring it up now. That was simply stupid!
As for Lia, she remained frozen in place, still facing away from him, clearly struggling to process whatever thoughts were running rampant in her head.
Standing in silence like this was starting to feel unbearably awkward.
Lia had blushed and turned away after waking up and seeing him, and Ren, despite his usual composure, couldn't ignore the strange tension in the air.
He wasn't the type to linger in an uncomfortable situation, so he made up his mind instantly—time to leave!
Without hesitation, he walked briskly to the door, reaching for the handle with a decisive motion.
It only occurred to him right then and there that he actually had no idea what was outside this room.
Since arriving at this academy, everything had been a blur of new discoveries, shocking events, and unexpected chaos. What if there was some weird magical landscape beyond this door?
What if he stepped out and found himself floating in the sky? Or worse, what if there were more people outside who would instantly attempt to take him down since he wasn't supposed to be here?
That last thought almost made him reconsider, but Ren wasn't the type to overthink his choices once they were made. He pulled the door open and stepped out.
The hallway outside was long—absurdly long.
A seemingly endless stretch of pure white walls lined with hundreds of doors, each marked with an orange number plate that glowed faintly in the dim lighting.
Ren glanced back at his own door and saw the number 1,207. He sighed. So he was deep inside whatever building this was.
That meant finding an exit might take some effort. He started walking, his sharp silver eyes scanning his surroundings, trying to figure out the layout.
Then, a scream.
Ren's head snapped toward the source of the noise, his instincts kicking in instantly, already calculating whether he needed to fight or flee.
But when he actually looked, he saw… two identical purple-haired girls standing at a corner, staring at him like he was a ghost.
Their wide violet eyes were filled with complete and utter shock, their mouths slightly open, their whole bodies frozen in place as if their brains had completely short-circuited.
Ren sighed. 'Ah. So it begins.' He had already expected reactions like this, but he didn't think it would be this extreme.
Their faces looked like they had just witnessed a unicorn doing cartwheels. He decided to keep things simple; be polite, don't startle them further.
So he flashed them a warm smile, his voice soft and calm as he asked, "Excuse me, could you tell me which way is the exit?"
Nothing.
They just kept staring. Like absolute fools.
Ren tilted his head slightly. Were they broken? He waited a few more seconds, but there was still no response. His polite smile twitched slightly.
"The exit?" he repeated, a bit slower this time, trying not to sound like he was talking to a pair of malfunctioning AI assistants.
One of them mechanically raised a shaky hand and pointed down the hallway, her expression still filled with disbelief.
"Thanks," Ren said smoothly and continued walking, pretending he didn't hear their rapid, frantic whispers the moment he passed them.
As he walked, he sighed internally. Yeah, there was absolutely no way he could stay unnoticed now.
He had underestimated the situation. His presence wasn't just strange; it was outright impossible.
He could already imagine the rumors spreading at the speed of light. "A boy?! A BOY in the dorms?! A BOY can WEAVE?!"
He pinched the bridge of his nose. This was going to be a problem. Even more so because he still didn't understand how he was able to weave in the first place.
If this reaction was anything to go by, men simply weren't supposed to be able to.
His thoughts were cut off by another scream.
Then another.
And then another.
The news spread like a contagious explosion through the hallway. Doors started flying open, and one by one, beautiful girls with colorful hair began peeking out, their expressions ranging from curiosity to absolute disbelief.
And when they saw that it was actually true, that there was actually a guy standing right there, their reactions varied wildly. Some froze, their eyes wide in shock.
Others screamed in pure panic before slamming their doors shut. A few just stood there gawking at him, blinking rapidly like their brains were struggling to process what they were seeing.
Ren was not amused.
Sure, he had expected attention, but this was ridiculous. Was he some kind of rare animal in a zoo? A forbidden artifact that had somehow come to life?
How rare was his existence exactly?!
But despite his frustration, he couldn't ignore one very, very shocking realization.
How were they all beautiful?!
Ren had seen his fair share of human appearances in his past life. As a scientist, he had a very logical understanding of genetics, biology, and the science behind physical beauty. There should be variation.
A wide range of looks. But here? Every single girl he had seen so far was stunning.
No exaggeration; all of them had flawless skin, dazzling eyes, and varying degrees of voluptuous, curvy figures that didn't seem entirely natural.
What was this place, some kind of secret goddess factory?!
No, seriously. What was happening?!
His logical brain immediately started breaking it down. Was this a side effect of weaving? Did it alter a person's body over time, making them more attractive?
Or maybe this was a selective academy, only admitting those who met some kind of ridiculous beauty standard? If that were the case, then what was he doing here?!
Like a wave, more and more doors creaked open, more girls peeked out, more gasps filled the air, and soon enough, a full-blown commotion erupted.
Ren kept walking at a steady pace, pretending he wasn't hearing all the whispers, the stunned conversations, the panicked murmurs.
"Impossible…"
"A guy?"
"WHAT?!"
"No way, no way, NO WAY—"
Ren sighed deeply. This was going to be a very long day.