Soon, history class came to an end, and students began leaving the classroom.
Chairs scraped against the floor as conversations quickly filled the room.
"WOAH! Arthur Veridian was truly the strongest ever!"
"Hey! Ragnar Zephyr is way cooler. He's definitely stronger!"
Students argued back and forth, though most of them were laughing while doing so.
The debate from Professor Maya's class had clearly sparked something.
Ragnar Zephyr…
The name lingered in my mind as I slowly gathered my things.
I still had so many questions.
Why did he take Yelena and me in as his children?
Why did I abandon Yelena for an entire month before enrolling at the academy?
And why…
My thoughts grew heavier.
Why didn't Chrono Zephyr enroll under the Zephyr family name?
If Ragnar Zephyr truly adopted us, then hiding the family name made no sense.
Unless…
Something had happened.
My thoughts were suddenly interrupted when a group of students walked past me.
At the center of them was someone I recognized instantly.
Leon Ardent.
The protagonist of the novel.
He was surrounded by several familiar faces like Lia Heartly and the main cast that always followed him throughout the story.
They seemed to be chatting excitedly about something.
"…So tomorrow after training we should go to the arcade."
"Yeah! That sounds fun!"
Laughter followed them as they walked down the hall.
I watched them for a moment before sighing quietly.
Whatever.
I didn't have time to care about their plans.
Right now, I had something far more important to focus on.
Training.
If I wanted to surpass Leon…
If I wanted to unlock the truth behind Chrono Zephyr…
Then I couldn't waste a single day.
A few minutes later, I arrived at one of the academy's training facilities.
A massive hall designed specifically for student combat practice.
This was one of the many training halls belonging to Nexus Academy.
The space was wide and mostly empty, lined with weapon racks and reinforced practice arenas.
Perfect.
I stepped inside and walked toward the center of the room.
Then I spoke quietly.
"Paradox."
A faint blue glow appeared in front of me.
"Open inventory."
The holographic interface flickered to life above my palm.
Now it was time to see exactly what the system had given me.
The holographic screen hovered in front of me.
[INVENTORY]
Starter Reward Box ×1Low Grade Mana Potion ×2Academy ID
Inventory Space: 3 / 20
I stared at the list.
"Starter Reward Box…"
So this must be the reward the system gave me.
"Well… let's see what's inside."
I raised my hand slightly.
"Open it."
The moment the command left my mouth, the box icon flickered.
A soft pulse of light appeared in front of me.
Then—
Something dropped out of the air.
A small scroll.
It fell gently onto my palm as if it had been summoned from nowhere.
"Hm?"
I slowly unrolled it.
The system text appeared above it.
[B-Rank Sword Style — Kazi's Eclipse]
My eyes widened slightly.
"Kazi's Eclipse?"
That name alone sounded impressive.
"Woah… that doesn't sound too bad."
But as I stared at the scroll, a question popped into my mind.
"…How exactly do I use this?"
The answer came immediately.
A sharp pain suddenly exploded inside my head.
"AGH—!"
I grabbed my forehead, stumbling slightly.
"Not again…!"
Memories flooded into my mind like a crashing wave.
Images.
Movements.
Sword forms.
I saw a battlefield under a dark sky.
And standing there—
A young female knight.
Her movements were elegant… almost mesmerizing.
Her blade moved like flowing water, yet every strike carried terrifying precision.
Step.
Turn.
Slash.
Her sword danced through the air like a crescent moon cutting through darkness.
"…Beautiful…"
The word escaped my lips unconsciously.
More memories poured into my mind.
Footwork.
Grip.
Breathing.
Angles of attack.
The sword style began engraving itself into my body as if it had always been there.
After several moments, the pain finally faded.
I slowly lowered my hand from my head.
The scroll in my palm had disappeared.
And the system interface appeared again.
[Scroll Consumed]
[Kazi's Eclipse Acquired]
I blinked slowly.
"…So that's how it works."
My hand instinctively moved toward one of the training swords nearby.
When I picked it up…
My body moved on its own.
The blade cut through the air with a smooth arc.
A motion I had never practiced before.
Yet somehow…
It felt natural.
I stared at the sword in my hand.
The movements from the memories were still fresh in my mind.
Every step.Every swing.Every breath.
Yet when I tried to replicate them…
Something felt off.
"…"
The sword in my hand moved slowly through the air.
Clumsy.
Unrefined.
I frowned.
"Even though the style feels familiar…"
I tightened my grip on the handle.
"…my body can't follow those movements."
The female knight from the memories had moved like flowing water—elegant, precise, unstoppable.
Compared to her…
I was painfully slow.
My balance was unstable, my strikes lacked power, and my footwork felt stiff.
I lowered the sword slightly.
"…This body is pitiful."
The memories of the technique were there.
But memories alone weren't enough.
My body simply wasn't strong enough yet.
I exhaled slowly.
"Then there's only one solution."
Train.
I raised the sword again and stepped into position.
Once.
Twice.
Again.
Again.
Again.
The blade cut through the air over and over as I repeated the same motions.
Hours passed without me noticing.
Sweat soaked through my uniform, my arms burned, and my legs trembled from exhaustion.
But I didn't stop.
Not once.
The quiet training hall echoed only with the sound of steel slicing through air.
By the time the academy lights dimmed for the evening…
I was still there.
Completely absorbed in practice.
So focused on training…
That I had completely forgotten about something important.
My meeting with Yelena.
The next day arrived.
I hadn't slept at all.
Training had pushed my body to its limit, and by the time I returned to my dorm it was already morning.
So instead of trying to sleep, I simply took a quick shower and headed toward the cafeteria.
Students filled the large hall, chatting lazily as they ate breakfast before classes.
I grabbed something simple—a piece of bread and a cup of tea—and sat down at an empty table.
For a moment, everything felt quiet.
Peaceful.
Then—
Splash.
Something wet and heavy slammed onto my head.
Food.
My eyes widened slightly as sauce and scraps of breakfast slid down my hair and uniform.
A tray clattered onto the table.
"Hey, trash," a voice sneered.
"Who told you to sit here?"
I slowly looked up.
Standing in front of me was a student with a smug expression. A quick glance at his collar revealed his rank.
732.
Behind him stood two other cadets, clearly his lackeys.
Just some third-rate villain.
"Hey," he said again, his expression twisting with irritation.
"Are you ignoring me, bastard?"
Around us, students began to notice the commotion.
Several turned their heads.
A few started whispering.
Seeing the last-ranked cadet getting bullied seemed to amuse them.
Some laughed quietly.
Others simply ignored it and continued eating.
Not a single person showed pity.
I stared at the boy in front of me.
My thoughts drifted somewhere dark.
Ah…
Should I just say screw it and rip his head off?
My fingers slowly twitched.
No… maybe I should gouge his eyes out first.
A mere third-rate villain… how dare he.
I slowly stood up from my chair.
The boy suddenly stiffened.
Something in my eyes must have changed.
The smugness on his face vanished instantly.
"W-wait… w-what are you doing?"
His voice trembled.
But it was already too late.
My hand had already moved.
My finger slowly approached his face… inching closer to his eye.
The cafeteria had gone strangely quiet.
Fear flashed across the boy's face.
Then—
A hand suddenly grabbed my wrist.
"Hey."
The grip was firm but calm.
"That's enough."
I turned my head.
Standing beside me was Leon Ardent.
The protagonist himself.