---
My first week at Xyrus Academy passed in a blur of aching limbs( which I healed with my magic, healers are underrated!!), forced smiles, and pretending I didn't want to stab at least five people per day.
Let me summarize it for you, what went down in a week.
---
Day One:
Combat Conditioning introduced me to muscle groups I didn't know I had. Professor Grenir—who I'm 95% sure eats steel nails for breakfast and washes them down with protein powder—made us run laps until someone literally fainted.
That someone was a guy named Orlen. He face-planted mid-turn. He's fine. Probably.
I ran at what I call a "respectable commoner pace." Tired, but determined. Totally normal. Definitely not secretly analyzing everyone's fighting stance and mana flow like a socially adjusted battle analyst.
Totally.
---
Day Two:
Basic Mana Theory. Professor Avius talked so fast it felt like being assaulted by a caffeinated textbook. I took notes. Not because I needed them, but because it helped me blend in. Also, doodling arcane runes in the margins helped prevent spontaneous screaming.
Deric, my roommate, passed me a note:
"Do you think he breathes?"
I wrote back:
"Only through osmosis."
We almost got detention for laughing. Worth it.
---
Day Three:
Combat sparring. I got paired with a girl who introduced herself by saying, "I don't hold back." Then immediately tripped over her own feet trying to launch a mana bolt.
I helped her up. She blushed. I pretended not to notice.
We're not friends, but she nods at me in the hallway now. Progress.
Professor Glory taught this class. Wait—isn't she the one who fought in the Dicathen War as a captain? I thought she was an adventurer. Did she retire before or after becoming a war hero? Or was she just casually juggling job titles like enchanted daggers?
Note to self: Do more research before making assumptions about potential badasses.
---
Day Four:
Mana Manipulation Practice. We learned to create basic constructs from ambient mana. Half the class ended up with burns or nosebleeds. One guy exploded his hair off. Impressive.
I made a simple mana disc and let it wobble just enough to seem "promising but untrained."
Instructor Drywell patted me on the shoulder and said, "You've got potential, Kael."
Lady, I've got plans.
---
Day Five:
History of Dicathen. Dry as a desert librarian's sock drawer. But important.
I took notes like my life depended on it—because eventually, it might.
Still no mention of the Alacryan threat. Cynthia Goodsky still dresses like she's auditioning for "Youthful Leadership Monthly." So I'm early. Very early.
No sign of Arthur Leywin. Makes sense. He's not even a concept yet.
Which means the future is wide open.
Terrifying.
---
Day Six:
Library day.
Deric dragged me to a group study session on mana compression rates. I only agreed to go because he promised snacks. There were no snacks. Just five teenagers arguing about magical math.
I sat through it, quietly corrected their math in my head, and then stole a muffin on the way out. Justice was served.
---
Day Seven:
Rest day. Allegedly.
I spent the morning in the training yard, running quarterstaff drills while pretending it was just a walking stick I like to swing around casually. You know, like normal people do.
Afternoon in the library. Found a dusty book on ancient dungeons. Took notes on dimensional pocket spaces. Might be useful someday if I need to disappear dramatically.
Evening? Deric rambled about some alchemy theory involving volatile mushroom mana conduits. I nodded and poked at my stew like an attentive friend.
Somewhere between "explosive root interactions" and "slime-based stabilizers," I realized something:
I don't hate it here.
That doesn't mean I like it, either. The Academy is playing its role—providing useful intel and free physical conditioning.
Academy life in a nutshell.
---
I ended the week with sore muscles, three full notebook pages, and zero assassination attempts.
All in all, not bad.
But this is just the beginning. The last day of the month is here, which means...
Gacha day is tomorrow.
Time to gamble my destiny again! What if I pull another useless card? A background extra from a slice-of-life romcom?
...
No. Stay positive.
Assimilation's almost complete. Speaking of which—
"Character Sheet"
---
[Name: Kael]
[Race: Human]
[Character Assimilation]
Fully Assimilated: Loid Forger, Do Janggon
In Progress: Lee Joohee (97%)
[Powers:]
Unassuming Presence
Common Sense (Upgraded)
Gene Lock
[Inventory:]
Kunai
Backpack
Compass
Desert Eagle
Weakness Removal Card x1
Universal Translator
Background Customization Card x3
Iron x500g
[Character Cards:]
Hiro Protagonist
Samwise Gamgee
Jeon Jae-woo
---
Hmm. Janggon's done. Joohee will finish assimilating after a good night's sleep.
But something's been bugging me...
The Lances.
If I'm five years pre-canon, shouldn't they be around? At least the human ones? We're probably in the same age group—maybe a year or two apart. But I haven't seen any elves or dwarves here. So maybe they enrolled later? Or trained elsewhere?
Still... Bairon. Varay. Aya.
You don't just wake up one day as a Lance. That kind of power gets built. Groomed. Sharpened.
So that leaves three options:
1. They're being trained somewhere else—like some secret elite facility with a "No Protagonists Allowed" sign.
2. They've already been recruited and pulled from public view.
3. Or they're here. Right now. Blending in. Watching. Training in silence. Hiding in plain sight like some kind of magical sleeper agents.
And if that's true... it means I'm not the only one playing the long game.
What happens if I cross paths with one of them too early?
Would they recognize I'm out of place?
Would I recognize them?
...
Nahhhh. I'm worrying for nothing. They might be stronger than me for now, but I have something they don't:
The power of gacha.
Just one overpowered pull, and BOOM—I'm the strongest.
This makes me even more excited for tomorrow.
Come on, gacha gods... don't fail me now.
----------------------------
CHAPTER END
A.N.
I wrote this chapter at 3 in the morning, don't know how it turned out. So..... Tell me your thoughts.
And yeah tomorrow is the gacha day for kael, pray for him so that he gets something good.
BTW , you can give gacha suggestions here.
Thank You.