It was nighttime, and Kaen had just come out of the bathroom after taking a shower following a long day.
For someone who used to just sleep, work, and go to college, the academy's routine was still tough to keep up with.
He had just finished his first mana control class with Yenne.
If you could even call that a class...
"Ugh... she's pretty annoying for someone who wants to learn."
Even if she was willing to ask someone like Kaen for help, which was already an incredible choice on its own, Yenne still had a hard time fully trusting what he said.
Of course, what he told her would sound like total madness to any mage, especially with how blunt and rough he explained it.
Kaen's hair was still wet, and the towel was hanging over his shoulder.
"Groooc....."
His stomach growled loudly.
He put a hand on his belly like he was starving.
"Man... I think I could eat a cow."
He had spent the whole afternoon helping Yenne with mana control training and completely missed lunch.
Veyhart Academy might be huge, but it wasn't some moving banquet. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner times were strict.
If a student wanted to eat outside those hours, they had to pay for it.
And of course, for Kaen, that was a huge problem.
"How's anyone supposed to eat off-schedule without money?"
The academy cafeterias did sell food during alternative hours, but the prices... were insane. And Kaen, being a broke commoner, barely had money for a drink, let alone a decent meal.
"I seriously need to find a source of income..."
He mumbled while opening the drawer of his dresser. Inside was the item he had stored days ago...
Before going out to look for food or think about money...
There was something more important he had to do first.
"What if this thing kills me?"
He was staring at the Vyralis Core he had received from Yenne.
Yenne had told him it was safe, that this model had been tested multiple times and was a private item from the Arcane Tower of Vaellen — something she only got with a lot of effort.
Kaen dried his hair and tossed the towel on the bed.
"Well... I'll never grow if I don't try new things."
**
Now he was already sitting on the floor, still shirtless, trying to figure out how to absorb the energy from that crystal.
Kaen still didn't know exactly how to draw power from it.
In the game Chronos Realms, everything was easier. You just sat your character down and used the item from your inventory. The rest was automatic.
'Looks like this time I'll have to follow what she said.'
He still remembered Yenne's words:
"You need to be in a resting state. Stable breathing. Then channel your mana to the center of your chest and... accept the connection."
"'Accept the connection,' she said... what the hell does that even mean? Do I have to be logged in to something?"
Even while grumbling, he closed his eyes and tried to focus.
He took a deep breath.
Nothing.
Again...
Still nothing...
He then released a small amount of mana.
The crystal was still cold, but slowly began to warm up...
He placed it on the ground, right in front of him, and adjusted his posture into a basic meditation pose. Legs crossed however, hands resting on his knees.
'Feels like I reincarnated into a murim story...'
"...."
After a few minutes, the core finally responded.
The crystal's light grew brighter, and a subtle line of energy flowed from the center of the stone to the floor, and from there... to Kaen's chest.
He felt a slight tingling in his chest. It was warm, but not unpleasant.
'Let's hope this isn't a heart attack.'
Kaen slowly began to feel the crystal's mana connecting with his own. It was like a strange energy entering his body and mixing with his mana.
Once the connection got stronger, he pushed his mana into the core more firmly, like he was opening a channel for the energy to flow through.
"Ngh..."
The energy ran through his body like a thin and steady electric wire. A sensation like a needle pressing into the center of his chest.
The mana he had injected into the core seemed to work as a key to unlock all of the Vyralis Core's energy.
It started to slowly fill Kaen's mana core, reorganizing his internal channels — the same ones that kept cracking whenever he used repulsion carelessly.
"Ugh..."
Kaen clenched his teeth. It wasn't painful, but it required absolute control.
He had to keep the flow steady, making sure the energy moved correctly.
Luckily, it wasn't too different from what he did with his main ability. But unlike that, where a mistake could break his bones, here... any mistake felt like it could stop his heart.
'Easy... easy...'
**
***
Seconds turned into minutes.
"..."
"....."
Slowly, the crystal's energy started to fade. It was finally running out.
Kaen had been sweating for quite a while now.
He didn't know exactly how much time had passed. If he had known it would take this long, he would've prepared better. In the game, the whole process took five minutes tops. With high processing mastery, even less.
Sigh...
Finally, after long minutes, the energy stopped. No more flow entered his body.
Kaen opened his eyes.
The crystal's glow, once red and pulsing, had gone completely dark.
He stood up slowly, feeling a slight ache in his back and legs.
"I think I'll have to look up some murim poses if I want to keep doing this... that one didn't work out."
He stood still for a moment, trying to feel any changes.
Kaen could still feel the energy circulating through his body, and it had changed... nothing...
"Seriously?? I don't feel a single bit of difference. Nothing good or bad... Should I punch something to test if my body got stronger?"
He clenched his right fist and looked at the wall beside him.
"You talkin' to me?!"
"You talkin' to me?!"
THUMP!
Kaen punched the wall hard.
"Aagh...!"
He curled up, holding his hand in pain.
"Shit... I think I broke a finger."
He turned around, panting, slightly hunched over, still clutching his aching hand.
"Yenne lied to me, giving me some trash crystal—"
Before he could finish, his body went heavy, like all his energy had been drained at once.
"Da...mn..."
Kaen dropped to the floor and passed out, fainting without being able to react.
====
Elena was in the academy cafeteria, sitting at one of the corner tables with a simple tray in front of her. The food, despite not being what she usually ate, was surprisingly well made — creamy rice with light spices, vegetables sautéed in high-purity magic oil, and a generous cut of magic pork sealed with herbs. It wasn't a noble hall meal, but it easily beat anything from a regular cafeteria.
Next to her, Lyra was devouring her own food happily, completely ignoring the stares and whispers around them.
Two well-known and popular girls at the academy, eating in the common cafeteria? That wasn't expected.
"Hmm... by the way, why'd you want to eat here today? I know your family's loaded. It's not like you ran out of money, right?"
Elena glanced sideways, letting out a soft sigh.
"It's nothing. I just wanted to talk to someone."
"Someone? Who?"
"If he didn't show up... then you don't need to know."
"You really need to be less reserved, you know?"
Lyra commented, chewing a big spoonful of rice like she wasn't even in public. Around them, various murmurs came from students at other tables. Some commoners were shocked to see two nobles in the regular cafeteria, while lower-ranking nobles just whispered out of politeness.
Truth is, Elena knew what it meant to be there. Nobles almost never showed up at the common cafeteria. For many, even where they ate was part of the image they had to maintain.
But she didn't care.
No one would dare think House Elrien was struggling.
Not even the most arrogant nobles would dare question that.
Elena then looked at Lyra beside her. A girl with a refined appearance, shoulder-length blonde hair, light blue eyes, and fair skin. She was pretty, with a striking presence that radiated elegance effortlessly.
And yet, she sat like anyone else and ate like table manners were just a suggestion.
Lyra might not have come from a lineage as powerful as Elena's or Iris's, but her family was one of the most influential commercial houses in the magical world. Even arrogant nobles showed them respect.
"koff koff..."
Noticing her friend's fixed gaze, Lyra coughed lightly, trying to hide her embarrassment.
"H-hey... don't look at me like that... sorry, okay? I like humble guys and—"
"You're an idiot."
Elena cut her off coldly, ending the joke before Lyra could finish it.
"..."
Time passed slowly.
Little by little, students finished their meals and left the cafeteria, heading back to the dorms.
'Looks like he really didn't come today. What happened?'
"Looks like someone got stood up~"
"I didn't schedule anything with anyone, you..."
Elena sighed deeply, resting her chin on her hand.
"Let's go back."
She had come there for one simple reason: she wanted to talk to Kaen.
The first critical scenario was getting closer.
In her past life, during the dark mages' attack in alchemy class, Kaen mysteriously vanished in the middle of the fight. When the situation was under control, he was already gone. No one could explain what had happened.
Some students said he ran away. Others swore they saw him fighting off some invaders alone before disappearing.
But Elena remembered something few paid attention to: one of the mages mentioned that "someone got in the way." The academy never found out who it was. But over time, she discovered it had been Kaen. He had completely ruined their plan.
And the most unexpected part?
Instead of becoming enemies, the dark mages started trying to convince Kaen to join them. That moment had been the start of something much bigger.
Elena knew she couldn't change the entire future.
But if she could stop Kaen from getting involved with them...
That alone would already be a huge victory.