Ren walked alone through the quiet, winding hallways that connected the arena to the residential dorms, his shoes echoing faintly on the smooth black tiles beneath his feet.
The street lights flickered every few steps with a soft hum, casting long, shifting shadows that swayed with his movements.
His badge still glowed faintly orange on his chest, the light from the recent notification refusing to fade.
Anyone else in his shoes might've been skipping down the hallway like they just won a treasure chest.
After all, his name had officially entered the Imperial Leaderboard, the single most prestigious ranking board in the entire academy.
Even more insane, this had happened before he had even taken his first proper class in the academy.
But Ren wasn't skipping. He was frowning.
Deeply.
That little furrow between his brows was practically digging a trench.
