Kaen walked through the halls of the magic academy with his hands in his pockets and zero motivation to get wherever he was supposed to be. His lazy gaze drifted from side to side like it was just another boring Tuesday.
Next to him was Marco.
He'd never seen this guy in the game.
He looked like a background NPC, one of those random characters that just walks by during quests and never says a word. But now he was stuck to him. Every single day.
"So, like I was saying, if you focus the mana flow into your palm and spin it in a spiral—"
"Yeah, yeah, got it, Marcelo. I'll remember that. Can we talk about something else now?"
"Dude... again with this? My name is Marco."
"Can't I just call you Marcelo? Way easier to remember."
"You can't just make up names for people because you can't remember them."
Kaen let out a short snort.
'Tsk... what kind of world is this where even background characters have opinions?'
While Marco kept rambling about energy channeling or whatever, Kaen wasn't even listening anymore.
His mind had already drifted far.
He remembered the final boss fight in Chronos Realms. The Rank SSS boss. The most busted monster in the game.
No one had ever managed to solo that thing. No one... except him.
The screen shook with explosions, effects flying everywhere, random teammates yelling "HACKER!" over voice chat.
And in the middle of a storm of legendary loot... a box dropped.
It all happened so fast, but he saw it.
The box was black. Weird. No name, no description, no rarity.
It just appeared. Then it opened.
A simple message popped up:
"Congratulations. You've met all the requirements."
"Initiating transfer."
Transfer? Transfer of what? He'd never seen that in any forum. Not even in datamines.
It was like that thing existed just for him.
Then came the white light. Blinding. Painful.
When he opened his eyes again, he was somewhere else.
A simple room, dark wood, low ceiling. Weird clothes. And a file with a name he knew way too well.
Kaen.
He got up, looked in the mirror... and saw it right away.
"It was the character he had been using for five years. Even without the mask, the name, the white hair, and those blood-red eyes... it was all identical."
Back to the present.
Kaen slowly clenched his fist. The smile faded for a second as he struck a fake dramatic pose.
'Life was so good...'
He thought it more out of habit than truth.
'Was it, though?'
At first, the line almost sounded convincing.
He shared a room with a guy who kept complaining about keyboard noise, but whatever. He could game all day and treat his roommate's whining like background music.
But then he remembered his part-time job where the manager called everyone "champ."
He remembered his college classes, where every single professor was some middle-aged dude. And all the unpaid bills hidden in his roommate's drawer.
'Alright... maybe life wasn't that great.'
He sighed.
Stared ahead while Marco kept talking about mana flows and magical properties no one cared about.
'I spent all day in that dark room, eating leftover pizza, playing that game...'
'...and honestly? I was chill.'
Now he was here.
In a world where everything that used to be pixels was now real.
Magic was real. The academy was real. The sky was blue and the wind actually blew.
And he was inside the body of the character he'd been playing for years. Literally.
A little smirk crept across his face.
He looked out the academy window, where you could see the main courtyard and a few trees swaying in the wind.
He rested his hand on his chin and muttered:
"Yeah... this might actually be badass as hell."
Marco stopped talking immediately and looked at him with wide eyes.
"Yeah, that's what I'm saying! It's badass, right? You finally get it."
Kaen slowly turned and stared at Marco with pure judgment on his face.
'...damn NPC... what the hell is he talking about?'
Marco seemed pumped just by the idea of being understood. Kaen just sighed and scratched his head.
'Well... even so, I'm kind of grateful to him.'
Marco had been the one to explain how the academy worked: the class schedules, the point system, the different rankings. He'd even broken down who the most influential students were, both among the nobles and the commoners.
Without him, Kaen probably would've gotten his ass kicked for walking into the wrong classroom or bumping into some stuck-up noble without knowing it.
He glanced at Marco again, who was still talking to himself, totally hyped.
"Why are you laughing?"
Kaen blinked, snapping back to reality.
"Nothing. Just realized I ended up in the only place where I was actually good at something."
"Huh? What do you mean by that?"
Kaen shrugged.
"Forget it."
They finally stopped in front of a wide dark wooden door with a metal plaque showing the class name.
"This is it, right?"
Marco turned to him slowly, looking shocked.
"You seriously don't remember? This classroom's been on the schedule since day one."
Kaen let out a soft whistle, staring at the plaque.
"It's been four days, man. Who's gonna remember something like that?"
Marco rolled his eyes.
"Dude... you're impossible."
The door opened on its own with a quiet shhh, revealing a large lecture hall.
The seats curved downward toward a floating podium where the professor was already talking. As soon as they walked in, a bunch of eyes turned their way.
Kaen didn't care. He walked in like he owned the place.
Marco just tried to disappear.
The professor, a tall man with white hair tied back in a short ponytail, paused and said:
"Interesting... commoners, and late on top of it."
His voice dropped a tone, clearly trying to provoke them.
"Outside this academy, you're nothing. Inside, try to at least show some worth."
Kaen let out a long, dramatic yawn as he dropped into the first open seat, stretching like someone who just got home after a rough day.
Which was ironic, considering he'd just woken up ten minutes ago.
Marco sat beside him, sighing under his breath.
"Dude... this is your fault. You were still sleeping when I came to get you... unbelievable."
He muttered the complaint to himself, hand on his face, more venting than actually trying to explain.
Kaen didn't reply.
Didn't look at Marco. Didn't look at the professor. He just stretched his legs, folded his arms behind his head, and closed his eyes for a moment, like the lecture had already become background noise.
The professor watched him in silence for a few seconds.
Then simply continued.
The vibe in the room had shifted.
Some students laughed. Others whispered, staring at Kaen like he was some kind of walking glitch. The murmurs spread across the rows.
"Tsk... commoners... and late too."
"How the hell did those two get into Class S? Are they handing out spots now?"
"That guy in front doesn't care about anything. He's gotta be one of those total nutjobs."
Others, quieter, whispered while keeping their eyes fixed on Kaen.
"Hey... wasn't that the guy who wore the mask the other day? The one assigned to Class S?"
"If he looks that good, why was he even wearing a mask?"
The question came from a girl sitting one row below Elena.
Elena, meanwhile, said nothing. She just watched.
Her green eyes locked on Kaen.
Same face. Same indifferent stare.
She clenched her fingers against the desk without even noticing.
Inside, her heart was racing.
She still couldn't understand how she had gone back in time. Just a week ago, she was staring at the end of the world... and at Kaen himself. She'd seen with her own eyes that he was part of the destruction.
She died thinking it was over. That the world was doomed.
But she woke up again. Back in the academy days. Young. With a second chance.
One week. That's how long it had been.
And now he was here.
Kaen.
But something... was different.
That day, he was wearing a mask. And now, out of nowhere, he showed up with his face exposed. That didn't make sense. Logically, he should've kept it hidden for longer.
She narrowed her eyes, suspicious.
'...Did my presence already change something...? Even in just one week?'
She watched his movements. He looked lazy, almost uninterested. Nothing like the cold, cruel stare she remembered.
But maybe it was just a shell. A small change, caused by her return.
"It's a shame. He's just a commoner... but he must be strong if he's in Class S too."
The girl whispered, leaning forward with interest.
Her friend's eyes widened.
"What?? That guy? I was with him during the magic affinity test. You know, the one that reads your mana flow and tells you your skill with elements and spells."
She chuckled, arms crossed.
"He showed nothing. Like, absolutely nothing. No talent with magic, swords, anything. A complete zero."
"Seriously? Then how'd he end up in Class S with no talent at all?"
"Apparently it was a recommendation..."
"That's insane."
Elena kept listening in silence. She looked at Kaen again, still slouched in his seat, looking more interested in taking a nap than anything else.
'Talent? That bastard's a monster.'
"..."
"....."
And then the class ended. It had just been an introduction, a few words from Professor Rhodar.
The students began standing up, heading out for a short break before the next lesson.
Kaen stayed seated.
His eyes locked on his hand.
Like he was sensing something.
A faint vibration, barely there, that rose through his palm and vanished in his fingertips. The kind of feeling that didn't come from the skin... but from inside.
Some strange pulse, like the world itself was breathing slowly... and he could hear its rhythm.
As everyone else left, a brown-haired student near the back of the room watched him with a sharp stare.
Marco noticed.
"...Don't stare at him."
Kaen's and the student's eyes met.
"That's Rayden. From House Velmar. A noble family known for their swordsmanship. Very old school... and a lot of trouble too. His dad's one of the top duelists in the kingdom."
Kaen didn't blink.
Marco lowered his voice, urgent.
"I'm serious. Stop. He hates eye contact."
Kaen raised an eyebrow.
"What?? I hate it too..."
And kept staring.
"Dude, seriously... stop... stop looking at him..."
Too late.
Rayden walked over, firm steps. Stopped right in front of Kaen, still sitting.
"You're commoners. And still had the nerve to show up late on the first day."
His tone was calm, but dripping with contempt.
He leaned in slightly, locking eyes with Kaen.
"I didn't like what the professor said. But he wasn't wrong. You should show your worth."
Marco leaned forward, already apologizing.
"Sorry... it was just a misunderstanding, we..."
Kaen ignored him. Looked at his hand again and slowly closed it.
Marco gulped.
'Damn... from what little I know about Kaen, he's not the type to let this slide.'
The students nearby started whispering.
"Are they seriously gonna fight? On the first day?"
"That guy's insane. He's really gonna pick a fight with Rayden?"
In the back, Elena was still watching.
"Hey, Elena, aren't you coming?"
asked Lysa, her friend, calling her out for the break.
But Elena didn't answer. She was frozen.
Then Lysa followed her gaze.
"What? Are they actually fighting?"
Kaen stood up, facing Rayden head-on.
A student in the back whispered:
"They're actually doing this...?"
Kaen sighed.
"...."
"..."
"Yeah... that was our bad."
He turned around and started walking away calmly, hands in his pockets.
"We'll try to be on time next time."
But in a sudden move—
Rayden grabbed his wrist tightly.
"Don't act like you mean it. I know you don't."
At that exact moment, something invisible shoved his hand back.
THUM!
Rayden staggered backward, startled.
He looked at his own hand, his fingers slightly trembling.
Kaen glanced back over his shoulder.
His red eyes burned like quiet embers.
"Look... I'm not here to prove anything to you."
Then he kept walking, leaving the room with Marco following beside him, offering a half-apologetic wave.
Everyone who saw it had the same thought:
What the hell just happened?
Rayden stared at his hand.
It tingled.
Like something had hit his skin and bounced straight back in.
A subtle jolt. Clean. But impossible to ignore.
'...What was that?! It felt like my hand bounced off his wrist.'
Lysa whispered, nervous.
"W-what? Did you see that...?"
Elena didn't respond.
She knew that technique. It was one of Kaen's most basic moves, part of his core style.
But even so, something about it felt off.
'He's not the type to use his skills just anywhere...'
'Especially not on the first day.'
===
Outside, Marco was trying to keep up with Kaen in the academy halls.
"Dude, what the hell was that? Did you just use magic?"
Kaen kept walking without hurry, hands in his pockets.
"Magic? Nah... I just moved fast."
Marco raised an eyebrow, not buying it.
"Fast? Man, I didn't even see your hand leave your pocket."
Kaen chuckled, stopping for a second in front of a window.
His reflection stared back with a lazy, relaxed look, but his eyes still held something even he couldn't quite explain.
"Hmm... then maybe you need to blink less."