Third-Person POV
The gate closed hours ago.
But the academy hadn't calmed down.
If anything—
It was louder than ever.
Students filled the corridors in clusters, voices overlapping, whispers spreading faster than anyone could track. What started as fragments of information had already begun twisting into something bigger.
"…I'm telling you, Class D cleared it."
"No way."
"They did. A high-level gate."
"That's impossible."
Nothing about it made sense.
Class D wasn't supposed to survive something like that.
Let alone clear it.
And yet—
They came back.
Injured.
Exhausted.
But alive.
And that alone was enough to shake the academy.
Inside the infirmary wing, things were quieter.
Controlled.
But tense.
Rows of beds filled the room, occupied by students who had been pulled out of the gate barely in time. Some were conscious, recounting what they saw in fragments.
Others—
Still hadn't woken up.
At the center of it all—
Theo lay still.
Unconscious.
His condition wasn't normal.
That was clear to anyone who looked closely.
There were no obvious external injuries severe enough to explain it.
But his mana—
It fluctuated.
Unstable.
Like something inside him was shifting.
"…This isn't just exhaustion," one of the academy healers muttered.
Another frowned, placing a hand slightly above Theo's chest without making contact.
"…No," they replied quietly.
"…It's reacting to something."
They didn't say more.
Because they didn't understand it.
Not yet.
Outside the infirmary—
The rumors grew worse.
"…I heard someone fought the boss head-on."
"No, I heard it was Sera."
"…No. It wasn't her."
That voice cut through the others.
Kairo stood near the wall, arms crossed, expression serious.
"…It was Theo."
Silence.
Then—
"…Theo? The water guy?" someone scoffed.
"He's Class D."
"He's ranked at the bottom."
Kairo didn't react to the tone.
Didn't argue.
He just spoke.
"…He created the opening."
More silence.
Uncertainty this time.
"…That's not what I heard," another student said.
"…I heard he got taken out instantly."
"…He did," Kairo replied.
They blinked.
"…Then how—"
"…Before that," Kairo said.
"…He broke the boss's control."
That changed things.
Not completely.
But enough.
"…Control?" someone repeated.
"…Yeah," Kairo said.
"…The environment. The mist."
Now the looks started to shift.
Because that wasn't something weak students did.
That wasn't something Class D did.
"…You serious?" another asked.
Kairo didn't answer immediately.
Then—
"…I saw it."
That was enough.
Elsewhere—
Higher floors.
Different conversations were happening.
Quieter.
More controlled.
"…Class D encountered a boss-level entity beyond their assigned difficulty," an instructor said.
Across from him, another leaned slightly against the desk.
"…And they survived."
"…Barely," the first replied.
"…Still counts."
Silence settled between them.
Then—
"…And the boy?" the second asked.
"…Theo," the first answered.
"…Yes. Him."
A pause.
"…His role?"
"…Unclear."
That wasn't entirely true.
But it wasn't entirely false either.
"…There are conflicting reports," the instructor continued.
"…But one detail is consistent."
The other raised an eyebrow slightly.
"…He interfered with the boss's control over the environment."
That drew interest.
"…A Class D student?" he asked.
"…Yes."
Another pause.
Longer this time.
"…That shouldn't be possible."
"…It shouldn't," the first agreed.
But it happened.
And that was the problem.
Back in the infirmary—
Theo hadn't moved.
Not once.
But his mana—
It shifted again.
Subtle.
Barely noticeable.
A faint ripple passed through it.
Different from before.
Heavier.
Darker.
One of the healers paused mid-step.
"…Did you feel that?"
The other looked up.
"…Yeah."
Silence.
"…That's not normal water mana."
No response came.
Because there wasn't one.
Not yet.
Outside—
The rumors kept growing.
Changing.
Spreading.
"…I heard his magic changed."
"…No, I heard he used something else."
"…Like a hidden attribute?"
"…Or a second element?"
No one knew the truth.
But that didn't stop them.
Because in the academy—
Power meant everything.
And anything unusual—
Spread fast.
In another part of the building—
A student stood by the window, watching the training grounds below.
Silent.
Lucas Reinhardt.
Second-ranked in the academy.
"…Theo…" he murmured.
The name lingered.
Not with curiosity.
But interest.
Because if even half the rumors were true—
Then something had changed.
And people like him—
Didn't ignore things like that.
Back in the infirmary—
Theo remained still.
Unaware of everything happening outside.
The rumors.
The attention.
The expectations forming around his name.
None of it reached him.
Because deep inside—
Something else was still moving.
Still settling.
Still waiting.
And when he woke up—
Nothing would be the same.