Silence enveloped Osteria Academy while the dark sky still ruled above it, cold gusts of wind blowing against one of the dormitory buildings where every light was turned off.

Inside one of the dark dorm rooms, Alex was sleeping soundly with his mouth open, the silence supporting his deep sleep. But suddenly, a loud noise rang out, the sound coming from the alarm on Alex’s smart bracelet, the bracelet also vibrating to support its noisy alarm.

A sigh escaped from Alex, he swallowed to moisten his dry throat, then opened his eyes, allowing him to see the dark ceiling of his room.

His expression suddenly twisted as if he was about to cry, his body trembling uncontrollably, his hoarse voice sounding out.

"Damn it...I forgot to disable my alarm."

Alex punched his mattress repeatedly, dark lines visible under his eyes. The current time showed four in the morning, the hour when Alex usually went for morning runs in the palace.

Alex gritted his teeth, stretched his body, and forced himself to fall asleep again, but his habit of waking up at that hour stopped him.

"It feels like I only arrived a few hours ago..."

Alex sighed and slowly got up from bed, leaving the comfort of his mattress after the long journey from the palace to the academy. He began changing into his sportswear, Krystal’s voice echoing in his mind.

’You complain, but in the end you’re still going for a morning run...’

One of Alex’s eyebrows raised as he warmed up. ’Yo...you didn’t talk after yesterday’s incident, are you okay...’

A sigh echoed in Alex’s mind before Krystal spoke again. ’Damn...I was seriously so scared that I forgot to speak. but I watched everything, okay? I mean, your sweet moments with Katarina were my favorite part...’

Alex stopped his warmup, falling silent for a moment. ’What sweet moments?’

Krystal clicked her tongue, her voice sounding frustrated. ’Ahh, I’m tired of this side of you. You were also like this when I saw your soul memories from your old world.’

Krystal kept talking, causing veins to bulge on Alex’s forehead. He gritted his teeth and ruffled his hair.

’Whatever, damn it. Stop talking....’

Krystal chuckled after hearing Alex give up. ’See! Deep down you know it was sweet!’

Alex resumed stretching his body. ’Wasn’t Reva and Ken sweeter? Damn it, they went on a date but refuse to admit it...’

Krystal chuckled in agreement, then Alex left his room and began leaving his dormitory building.

That day was his first morning run at the academy after such a long time.

He began retracing the quiet academy roads once more, passing several academy buildings that were still lit up. A few times he also saw support staff doing their work.

Alex enjoyed the calmness of the early morning, the cold wind blocked by his training jacket, hot breaths escaping from his mouth in resistance, sweat flowing from every corner of his body.

His legs groaned as he ran around the academy, his heart beating rapidly as an automatic response, now no longer sleepy.

Alex swallowed, still running along the sidewalk beside the academy road usually used by academy buses, when he suddenly thought of something.

’By the way, it seems like a lot of people already know about your existence...’

Krystal went silent for a moment, a sigh sounding out first inside Alex’s mind. ’Yeah...Saint Azara, Phoenix, and Katarina know because you can’t lie...’

Alex unconsciously smiled while running. ’Hehe...for the last part, that’s my fault. But what could I do? Sooner or later people were bound to find out about you...’

Alex swallowed, his breathing turning ragged, yet he didn’t stop despite his legs screaming for him to end the morning run.

’But...I can understand if Saint Azara found out about you, because of holy energy.’

Alex scratched his forehead. ’But Phoenix, she really figured it out on her own, damn it...’

Krystal agreed with Alex. ’Miss Mata Hari really looked right through you. She actually looked at me and smiled, damn...’

Alex’s footsteps slowly brought him to the lake inside Osteria Academy’s territory.

He slowly stopped running when he arrived at the edge of the dark lake. The water rippled slightly because of the morning wind, several lights visible around the lake beside dew-covered benches.

Alex’s chest rose and fell as he took a deep breath before releasing it. ’I think that’s the limit. I mean, mystical beings seem capable of noticing your existence.’

Alex swallowed. ’Even the human king, the strongest human, couldn’t sense you...’ Alex stretched his body for cooling down. ’According to Katarina, dragons and leaks are also mystical beings, which means they might notice you too...’

Alex slowly squatted down and stretched one leg sideways. ’Of course I hope that’s just Phoenix’s special ability....but if mystical beings really can sense you, then what can we do?’

Krystal remained silent listening to Alex’s rambling, while Alex only received an answer from the cold wind blowing beneath the dark sky.

Alex switched legs, stretching the other one sideways. ’Besides, one of our goals is Dragonheart, right? To see the statue of Goddess Athika...’

Krystal exclaimed in admiration after hearing Alex’s words. ’Wow, I like you way more when you’re serious than when you’re being an idiot.’

Alex ignored Krystal, slowly standing up before sitting on a bench facing Osteria Lake. He ignored the dew covering the bench, his black eyes silently staring at the moving lake water.

Suddenly he thought of something and tilted his head, a sly smile unconsciously appearing on his face.

"Aren’t we going to that scorching hot desert...?"

Alex chuckled softly, standing from the damp bench before walking toward the edge of the lake. He took out several symbol papers and flat stones with symbols carved on top.

Krystal, who also saw what Alex was doing, sighed tiredly. ’Ah, the idiot has appeared again....aren’t you afraid of getting caught? I think the water was just refilled.’

One of Alex’s eyebrows rose as he crouched by the lake under the darkness of early morning.

’Refilled? Do you think lakes are like bottled water? If it got refilled, then obviously it’s from rainwater...’

Alex slowly submerged his hand into Osteria Lake’s water, his body trembling from the cold sensation, yet the wide smile never disappeared from his face.

"Ahh, the coldness is perfect. Imagine this cold water hitting your face while you’re running beneath a desert that burns your skin..."

Krystal clicked her tongue. ’Imagine it yourself...’

Alex cursed Krystal in his thoughts while smiling and nodding several times. ’What an asshole...’

Alex then took one of his small symbol papers, channeling mana into it before dipping it into Osteria Lake. The paper slowly absorbed the lake water into the symbol engraved on top of it.

During the first few minutes, Alex’s smile was clearly visible on his face, but now all that remained was the pale face of a young boy.

Cold sweat poured down Alex’s body, his knees bent in a crouching position becoming numb, his mouth opening like a fish unable to breathe.

"Damn...my mana still can’t contain even half the lake..."

Alex swallowed and looked around. A gust of wind blew against him, causing his body to shiver. Something stood behind Alex after the wind stopped, the figure narrowing its eyes while looking at Alex’s hand holding a glowing paper inside the lake water.

The figure decided to silently observe Alex until Alex said something that made him angry.

"Seems like lake water alone isn’t fun enough..."

Alex looked around, even glancing behind him where the figure stood. "....I think some statues and rocks would fit too-" Alex’s words abruptly stopped.

Alex’s black eyes widened, his heart pounding rapidly as he screamed in the middle of dawn.

He immediately pulled his hand out of the water while trying to run, but unfortunately his numb legs betrayed him.

He couldn’t even take a single step, collapsing face-first while still gripping his dry small paper.

Alex immediately flipped his body over to see the figure more clearly, his heart feeling like it would leap out of his chest. He saw an old man with white hair swaying beneath the sky that was slowly turning pink.

Alex swallowed and spoke to the figure alongside the chirping birds. "P-principal?" Alex smiled awkwardly. "What are you doing here, sir?"

Alex slowly tried to run away but failed to stand again, Krystal’s laughter echoing inside his mind.

Meanwhile, the principal approached Alex who was still lying on the ground, crossing his arms, his white shirt exposing his muscles.

"What are you doing this early in the morning?"

The principal narrowed his eyes at Alex, already aware of the small paper in Alex’s hand. "...Are you the thief stealing lake water and academy statues?"

Alex laughed awkwardly in the early morning, shaking his head quickly. His expression showed panic, but the volume of his voice displayed bravery.

"Of course not, sir!" Alex clicked his tongue, unconsciously clenching his fist while still holding the small paper. "Damn...if I ever meet that thief, I’ll definitely-"

Alex’s words were interrupted by the principal, who pointed at the small paper. "What’s that? I saw you dipping that paper into the lake..."

Alex looked at what the principal pointed at, seeing the paper still in his grasp, but in an instant the paper disappeared because Alex clenched it quickly.

Alex immediately stretched his body while shouting, placing the hand holding the paper behind his back before slipping it into his smart bracelet. Meanwhile, the principal only stared at him with an expression of disbelief.

An awkward smile appeared on Alex’s face as he showed both his empty palms. "Look, sir! I’m not holding anything!"

A disbelieving smile appeared on the principal’s face as he massaged his forehead and shook his head.

The cold wind slowly grew stronger, the ground beneath the principal’s feet beginning to crack, causing Alex’s hair to stand on end.

The principal then stared at Alex, an overwhelming burst of mana erupting from his body.

He slowly approached Alex, causing Alex to panic and back away. Alex raised his hand as if trying to stop the principal, his face twisting nervously.

"Calm down, sir! If you remember, I’m Alex Sander!!"

The principal didn’t stop walking, forcing Alex to continue stepping backward. "I’m Captain Sander’s son, sir!! principal surely remembers back then!!"

The principal kept approaching without any sign of stopping, until Alex finally did something as a last resort, his face still filled with fear as he said it.

" principal must’ve heard from the king!!" The principal stopped walking, staring silently at Alex while Alex quickly continued." I...I’m the second user of holy energy! There’s no way I’d steal! The goddess would punish me!"

The principal laughed in disbelief, his laughter overpowering the chirping birds watching them, but the laughter suddenly disappeared.

"So you’re not only a thief, but also a liar and someone who insults the goddess..."

Alex swallowed, wanting to speak, but a gust of wind struck his body. In an instant the principal was already standing before him without making a single sound.

The principal’s right hand swiftly grabbed Alex’s training jacket before even his first soul core could react.

Alex froze completely, a strong force easily lifting him into the air. The difference in size between the principal and Alex made it effortless for the principal to lift him before slamming him into the ground.

Alex only swallowed once during the process, but his first soul core helped him, both his legs bending downward.

Alex’s back, which should’ve slammed against the ground, remained suspended because his feet touched down first and supported his body.

The principal’s black eyes showed slight surprise, exclaiming inwardly while Alex flipped himself around to stand again.

Alex grabbed the principal’s hand still clutching his jacket, regret covering his face as he tried to speak, but suddenly a strike slammed into his stomach, causing Alex’s eyes to nearly bulge out of their sockets.

The principal released Alex’s jacket, causing Alex to stagger backward while clutching his stomach after being struck by the principal’s knee. One of his knees slowly dropped onto the ground beside the lake.

He blinked once. ’Damn...’ Alex reopened his eyes, but a gust of wind had already greeted his left cheek. His black eyes could only widen while seeing a black dress shoe and leg aiming toward his face.

Alex couldn’t block the principal’s side kick, his body sent flying over the lake. Several times his face and body skipped across the lake water, reducing his speed, and after crossing half the lake Alex finally plunged completely into the water, sinking without realizing the sound created echoed throughout the entire academy, causing several academy residents to move toward the source of the noise.

Darkness enveloped Alex as his body slowly sank deeper into the lake, his eyes closed unconscious, but water entering his nose, ears, and mouth forced his eyelids open. Bubbles escaped from Alex’s mouth as he immediately swung his arms and legs, his goal being to breathe oxygen again.

His head throbbed after the principal’s kick, his body slowly adapting to the cold lake water. Amid the darkness beneath the lake, Alex finally began seeing light from the surface.

He continued struggling to swim upward despite the freezing lake water tempting him to stop and sink forever.

After some struggle, Alex finally broke through the lake’s surface, immediately inhaling as much air as possible. His ears rang uncontrollably, he coughed several times while his body floated aimlessly, then he looked around before a blinding light startled him.

He covered part of his face in shock from the sunlight that had already arrived, but suddenly Alex felt a gust of wind that sent chills through his body. He looked toward the sky that had changed color.

His eyes narrowed upon seeing the principal flying in the sky, standing atop a giant floating black sword, sunlight enveloping him.

Alex’s face twisted nervously as he raised both hands and shouted. "PRINCIPAL! PLEASE FORGIVE ME!!"

The principal ignored Alex, merely raising his left hand into the air. A burst of mana exploded from his body, causing the surrounding air to distort, while tens and hundreds of black swords appeared from nowhere, every sword tip aimed toward the lake.

Alex’s black eyes widened, his mouth opening and closing several times in awe at something capable of killing him.

Tears unconsciously streamed down Alex’s black eyes as his face became covered by the shadows of countless black swords, genuinely crying while slapping the lake water.

"SIR! I’M ALEX SANDER! I’M...CAPTAIN SANDER’S SON!....I’M THE SECOND USER OF HOLY ENERGY!!"

The principal ignored Alex’s screams and cries, simply swinging his left hand downward as hundreds of black swords immediately rained toward the lake.

Seeing the rain of black swords descending toward him and realizing he was about to die, Alex gritted his teeth and finally showed his anger while summoning Changing Sword.

He shouted furiously at the principal. "YOU CRAZY OLD MAN!!"

Alex immediately poured mana into Changing Sword, transforming it into the largest and thickest steel shield possible to protect himself. He chose to sink while protected rather than kiss the principal’s black swords.

The sound of hundreds of swords striking the lake simultaneously caused lake water to explode skyward, a massive water pillar reaching the heavens visible from various places across the academy, the sword rain creating explosive sounds that shook the entire academy as if a small earthquake had appeared.

The lake water slowly turned into artificial rain falling around the lake, the sound of the raindrops gradually overtaken by thousands of footsteps crowding around the lake.

Right beneath the artificial rain, soaking wet, thousands of students instantly arrived together with professors and academy guards.

Some of them still wore pajamas, some already wore academy uniforms, but they all shared one similarity, they were holding weapons and prepared for anything terrible that might happen.

All eyes focused on the principal floating above the lake with his black sword. Slowly the brief rain stopped, none of them caring that their pajamas and uniforms were soaked, simply waiting for the principal’s orders.

Among one of the crowds stood Katarina still wearing pajamas, beside her were Reva, Ken, Eve, Julian, and Arthur already dressed in uniforms.

Katarina swallowed nervously, standing on her toes trying to see what was actually happening, unconsciously biting her nails.

’What happened? Was there an attack? Is this the effect of the future changing?’ Katarina couldn’t suppress her anxiety. Julian, noticing her state, tried calming her down, but one professor’s shout interrupted him.

"PRINCIPAL!! WHAT HAPPENED?!!"

All the students, professors, and guards waited for the principal’s answer, while the principal slowly opened his mouth, his voice heard by everyone crowding the lake.

"I caught a little thief."

A commotion of whispers immediately spread among the students as they talked among themselves.

"A little thief?"

"What kind of thief gets attacked like that..."

"Who’s that unlucky thief?"

The principal smiled faintly while Alex’s floating unconscious body slowly emerged from the middle of the lake.

The students standing at the front immediately became noisy, whispers spreading that caught Katarina’s attention.

"Isn’t he a first-year?"

"I’ve seen his fight video during the simulation, he defeated Arthur Dowman." Arthur’s ears twitched, only one person had defeated him during the simulation.

"So he’s that unlucky thief..."

Katarina and the others immediately pushed through the crowd of seniors to reach the lake’s edge and check on Alex.

Once they reached the edge, Arthur, Reva, and Eve instantly burst into loud laughter, causing everyone’s attention to shift toward them, but nobody dared complain because those laughing were children of influential families.

Katarina only shook her head seeing Alex floating like a corpse, Julian holding back laughter, while Ken merely sighed.

The other students who had been prepared for battle now relaxed their stiff postures, one of the professors asking the principal again.

"IS THAT ALL, SIR?! THERE ISN’T ANOTHER ATTACK HAPPENING...?"

The principal nodded several times, relief spreading among the students, professors, and guards. Some of them also looked slightly annoyed.

"Damn it....I was sleeping and suddenly woke up, I thought it was a bomb..."

"You had it easy sleeping...I was taking a dump, I thought the academy or city was under attack again..."

The students slowly dispersed in disappointment and relief, but the principal’s words from the sky stopped them.

"Where are you all going?"

Everyone turned back to face the principal, the seniors being the loudest to answer.

"To take a bath, sir!!"

"Classes are starting soon and exams are coming!!"

The principal chuckled, lifting Alex’s body with his black sword. Everyone watched as Alex floated atop a black sword as large as himself toward Katarina’s group of first-years.

The principal spoke again. "I didn’t expect all of us to gather so easily...."

The principal stretched his body while everyone listened quietly. "Originally I planned to announce this during our gathering later, though the professors already know-"

The principal’s words were interrupted by thousands of students complaining.

"Just get to the point, sir!!"

"We’re busy people!! Stop dragging it out, sir!!"

The principal chuckled, nodding several times while calming the thousands of students.

"Alright, alright...."

The principal sighed, though nobody heard it. "This news only arrived a few days ago..."

Everyone waited curiously. "....The beastmen will invite first-year students from every academy for a joint class in their territory....and this afternoon the first-years will depart south."

Silence enveloped the humans gathered by the lake, but soon chaos erupted among the seniors.

"This announcement is for first-years!! Why do we have to hear it too!!"

"Ahhh, how nice, they get a vacation to the south while seniors suffer through exams!"

"If I knew this would happen, I wouldn’t have advanced last year! This didn’t happen back then!!"

The exhausted seniors’ complaints left the first-years silent, unsure how to react.

Meanwhile, Alex’s body that had reached the lake’s edge was immediately checked by Katarina, who felt the coldness of Alex’s skin. A relieved sigh escaped her after feeling his pulse.

Julian crouched beside Katarina. "You’re very worried, huh? Even if he stole something, the principal wouldn’t kill him."

Katarina nodded several times while Arthur, Eve, Ken, and Reva took photos of unconscious Alex while giggling.

Eve chuckled. "Try sticking his tongue out so he looks like a dead fish..."

The nearby students also chuckled, while the principal calmed the frustrated seniors.

"Relax! There’s news for the seniors too!!"

The seniors finally calmed down slightly, while the principal cleared his throat. "During the first-years’ joint class, professors won’t accompany them..."

The principal raised his index and middle fingers. "Therefore! Two escorts will be chosen from among the seniors!!"

Excited cheers erupted from the seniors, then the principal continued. "The chosen seniors will be exempt from exams and automatically advance to the next grade!!"

Chaos immediately exploded after the principal’s announcement. The stressed seniors instantly became wild, their voices resembling animals in a zoo.

The seniors began showcasing their skills, desperately trying to attract the principal’s attention, drawing weapons and dancing like clowns.

"Me, sir!! I want to be an escort!!"

"Me!! Me!!"

"Choose me, sir!! I’m the smartest!!"

The principal chuckled while watching the seniors around the lake making all sorts of animal-like noises.

One voice suddenly sounded different from the others, shouting toward the principal and making him turn his head.

There stood a senior girl with short neck-length white hair, her pajamas swaying while she jumped around raising both hands, her black eyes filled with confidence that she would be chosen, her shouting different from the others.

"GRANDPA!! I WANT TO GO SOUTH!!"

Several of her friends nearby realized what happened, one of them shouting, "Hey!! Hold Kirana back!! She already went north not long ago!!"

Kirana, who had been freely jumping moments earlier, now had her mouth, hands, and legs restrained by her surrounding friends. She struggled to free herself, her voice muffled because her mouth was covered. "Damn it!! Let me go, bastards!! I’ll tell my grandpa!!"

One calmer senior only shook his head. "Having connections really is advantageous..."

The principal chuckled seeing his own granddaughter being restrained by her friends while another senior shouted.

"WHERE EXACTLY IS THIS VACATION?! THE BEASTMEN CAPITAL?! OR THE OASIS?!"

All the seniors became curious after hearing the question, while the principal merely scratched his cheek, his voice not as loud as the noisy seniors.

"Sunkiss Fortress..." In an instant, the seniors who heard the location immediately stopped acting like animals, silence slowly spreading among them.

The seniors who had been proudly showing off their skills immediately sheathed their weapons again, their previously crazed faces now calm and expressionless, standing upright around the lake.

The chirping birds that had been drowned out by the seniors’ noises could finally be heard again, along with the warmth of the sunlight shining upon them.

From one corner, a group of seniors suddenly shouted. They were the people restraining Kirana, the principal’s granddaughter.

"SIR!! KIRANA SAID SHE WANTS TO GO SOUTH!!"

Everyone looked toward the group while Kirana herself still had her mouth covered, unable to speak, merely shaking her head desperately toward her grandfather.

The principal seeing that only nodded several times.

Quiet victorious voices emerged among the seniors.

"Yes..."

"Finally only one spot left..."

"I wonder who it’ll be...?"

The principal chuckled, entertained by his students, and he was about to start playing too.

The principal raised his index finger toward the sky beneath the sunlight, everyone staring silently while he shouted.

"THE LAST SENIOR WILL BE CHOSEN FROM WHOEVER ARRIVES LATEST TO CLASS-"

The principal, who wanted to continue speaking, suddenly stopped because the seniors had already understood his meaning and instantly ran like death was chasing them. Thousands immediately rushed back toward their dormitories, while some seniors who stored their uniforms in smart bracelets immediately put them on without bathing first.

The stomping footsteps of thousands of seniors were as loud as the explosions caused by the principal’s earlier attack.

The principal laughed while watching his students, slowly glancing toward the corner of the lake where Alex lay sprawled out. He flew over there, his long white hair swaying in the wind.

The principal smiled while looking at Katarina, Eve, Arthur, Julian, Reva, and Ken.

He jumped down from the giant black sword carrying him through the sky, looking at their wet clothes. "Hello, my grandchildren..."

Katarina immediately stood and pointed toward Alex still unconscious. "Wasn’t this a little excessive, sir?"

The principal shrugged both shoulders. "I didn’t expect things to turn out like that..."

The principal combed his white hair beneath the warm morning sunlight. "...He blocked my attacks and I accidentally went too far until he cried..."

Reva, Eve, Ken, and Arthur’s ears twitched after hearing the principal’s final words. They turned simultaneously and asked in unison.

"Alex cried....?"

The principal nodded, pressing his smart bracelet. A screen appeared showing a photo of Alex crying while raising both hands. "I even took pictures..."

Reva, Eve, Ken, and Arthur froze while looking at the photo from afar, but immediately afterward they moved simultaneously as if trained for years, running toward the principal.

"Sir! I want the photo!!"

The principal smiled while being crowded by the four of them, nodding repeatedly while trying to send it.

"Alright, alright....send your IDs one by one."

Eve, already impatient, finally spoke.

"You don’t need to send them one by one, sir! Just use this feature, select the photo, and share it to nearby users..." Eve taught the principal the efficient way.

They all burst into loud laughter while looking at Alex’s photos, Reva turning toward Katarina and Julian.

"Princess!! Do you want them too?! This liar looks really ugly in these photos..."

Katarina chuckled, raising her hand while approaching them, her expression appearing cold.

"Add me too."

Julian followed Katarina’s lead as well.