By the time Will and Elena entered the classroom, most of the students had already arrived.
Several students glanced toward them before returning to their conversations. A few whispered quietly, though whether it was about Elena helping him or about his recent accident, Will couldn't tell.
He quietly took his seat while Elena returned to hers.
A few minutes later, Professor Kael Windrider entered the classroom.
The room immediately fell silent.
Kael placed several books on his desk before turning toward the class.
"Good morning, everyone."
"Today we'll continue our introduction to the races of Aetherion."
The lesson began.
"Humans are often considered the most adaptable race."
Kael slowly walked across the classroom.
"Although humans possess shorter lifespans than other major races, they compensate through adaptability, innovation, and population growth."
He raised one finger.
"The average human lifespan ranges between one hundred and one hundred twenty years."
A few first-year students quickly began taking notes.
"Most humans reach physical maturity around fifteen years of age."
"As for aging, humans generally remain in their physical prime until approximately seventy to seventy-five years old."
Will quietly listened.
Those numbers weren't too different from what he'd expected.
Kael then moved on.
"Elves."
Immediately, the attention of the classroom increased.
"Elves possess the highest average affinity for mana among the major races."
"Their lifespan typically ranges between two hundred and two hundred fifty years."
A few students let out impressed whistles.
Kael ignored them.
"Most elves reach physical maturity around twenty years of age."
"Due to their slower aging process, many elves maintain the appearance and vitality of their prime years until approximately one hundred seventy to one hundred eighty years old."
The classroom grew slightly noisier.
Even though everyone knew elves lived long lives, hearing the actual numbers was always impressive.
Next came half-elves.
"Half-elves fall somewhere between humans and elves."
"Their average lifespan ranges from one hundred sixty to one hundred seventy years."
"They generally mature around eighteen years old."
"Their prime years usually continue until approximately one hundred thirty to one hundred fifty years of age."
Kael paused.
His expression became slightly more serious.
"Historically, however, half-elves had a difficult existence."
The classroom immediately quieted.
"Many centuries ago, numerous elven kingdoms viewed relationships between humans and elves as unacceptable."
Several students exchanged surprised looks.
"Half-elves were considered a taboo by many elven societies."
"In certain regions, if a half-elf child's heritage became known, severe punishment often followed."
Will noticed several students visibly uncomfortable.
Kael continued.
"Things changed after the Great Catastrophe and later conflicts."
"The elven population suffered significant losses."
"Eventually, elven nations formally recognized half-elves as citizens under the law."
A student raised his hand.
"So half-elves are accepted now?"
Kael smiled faintly.
"Accepted by law."
The smile disappeared.
"Accepted by everyone?"
He shook his head.
"Not necessarily."
"Many older elven families still hold traditional beliefs."
"Fortunately, conditions today are significantly better than they were in the past."
The atmosphere relaxed slightly.
Kael then moved on to dwarves.
"Dwarves possess average lifespans ranging from one hundred fifty to one hundred seventy years."
"They generally reach maturity around sixteen years old."
"Their physical prime commonly lasts until approximately one hundred twenty-five to one hundred thirty years of age."
Several students looked surprised.
Many clearly expected dwarves to age similarly to humans.
"They do not."
Kael answered before anyone could ask.
"Dwarves differ significantly from both humans and elves."
He then shifted topics.
"Unlike humans and elves, dwarves primarily utilize Aura rather than Mana."
A hand immediately rose.
"What exactly is Aura, Professor?"
Kael sighed.
"Very little is known."
The answer surprised many students.
"What scholars do know is that Aura greatly enhances physical capability."
"Strength."
"Durability."
"Endurance."
"Dwarves generally prefer weapons such as swords, spears, axes, and war hammers rather than staffs or wands."
"Beyond that, our understanding remains limited."
The explanation ended there.
Apparently even scholars didn't fully understand Aura.
Finally, Kael discussed half-dwarves.
"The average lifespan of a half-dwarf ranges between one hundred twenty and one hundred thirty years."
"They typically mature around fifteen years old."
"Their prime years generally last until approximately eighty-five to one hundred years of age."
He paused briefly.
"Unlike half-elves, however, half-dwarves have become extremely rare."
A student raised her hand.
"Why?"
Kael folded his arms.
"The answer is unfortunate."
"Relations between humans and dwarves deteriorated significantly after the Ironfall War."
"As a result, mixed families became increasingly uncommon."
Another student spoke up.
"What about elves and dwarves?"
The professor chuckled.
"Most scholars consider such a possibility theoretical."
"There has never been a verified case of a child born from an elf and a dwarf."
The classroom immediately erupted into whispers.
Kael allowed it for several seconds before raising his hand.
The room quieted once again.
"Before the Ironfall War, cooperation between races was far more common."
"A large survey was conducted during that period."
"The lifespan estimates I've given you today originate from that survey."
"Remember."
"The numbers are old."
"They should not be treated as absolute facts."
Then another hand rose.
"Professor."
"Yes?"
"What exactly was the Ironfall War?"
The room immediately became silent.
Kael sighed.
"That topic is slightly outside today's lesson."
Several students looked disappointed.
However, after a moment, he continued.
"Approximately fifteen years ago, tensions between nations escalated over resources, territory, and fertile land."
"According to historical records, dwarf forces began territorial expansion in order to secure additional resources."
"The resulting conflict became known as the Ironfall War."
He paused.
"The war eventually ended with victory for the allied human and elven nations."
"And afterward, the Ironfall Pact was signed."
Another student raised his hand.
"What was the Ironfall Pact?"
Kael remained silent for several moments.
"It established a one-hundred-year period during which human and elven representatives would participate in aspects of dwarf administration to ensure lasting peace."
Something about that answer felt incomplete.
Several students clearly noticed it as well.
Yet before anyone could ask another question—
The bell rang.
Class ended.
Students immediately began gathering their belongings.
As Will stood up, movement near the classroom entrance caught his attention.
Sion.
Along with several of his usual followers.
One of them immediately noticed Will.
A mocking grin appeared.
"Oh look."
"The tower hero finally decided to—"
"Enough."
The voice wasn't loud.
Yet it immediately silenced him.
Everyone turned toward Sion.
Even his own followers looked surprised.
The boy quickly shut his mouth.
Sion's gaze moved toward Will.
For several moments neither spoke.
Then Sion finally said:
"Recover properly."
Will blinked.
Sion continued.
"Almost dying isn't impressive."
Several students laughed awkwardly.
Then Sion glanced toward his friend.
"And stop acting like idiots."
The boy immediately looked away.
Without another word, Sion turned around and left.
His group quickly followed.
The entire encounter lasted less than a minute.
Yet it surprised everyone.
Including Will.
Apparently surviving the incident had earned him at least a little respect.
Or perhaps Sion wasn't as simple as everyone believed.
As the classroom emptied, Elena approached.
"That was strange."
Will nodded.
"Very."
The two walked out together.
As they moved through the hallway,The conversation eventually shifted elsewhere,
The following three days passed surprisingly quickly.
Will slowly adjusted to academy life.
Every morning followed a similar routine.
Wake up.
Exercise.
Breakfast.
Classes.
Study.
Sleep.
At first he occasionally became lost while navigating the academy.
Sometimes he entered the wrong hallway.
Sometimes he headed toward the wrong classroom.
Sometimes he forgot where certain buildings were located.
Fortunately those mistakes gradually became less frequent.
The memories no longer felt quite as foreign as before.
Although they still didn't completely feel like his own.
Each day became slightly easier.
Sometime during the second day, Elena accidentally followed him all the way to the boys' restroom before stopping.
Will looked at her.
Elena looked at the sign.
Then at Will.
Then back at the sign.
A deep blush immediately appeared on her face.
"You were following me."
"You were following me too."
Elena immediately turned around.
"I-I wasn't!"
Will couldn't help laughing as she hurried away.
By the third day, academy life had begun feeling almost normal.
Almost.
That evening, after returning to his dormitory, Will sat on his bed.
The room was quiet.
Adrian still hadn't returned.
Will stared at the ceiling.
Three days.
Three days of adapting.
Three days of pretending to be Will Grey.
Three days of trying to understand a world that wasn't his.
Then suddenly—
A familiar notification appeared before his eyes.
Quest Complete
Will immediately sat upright.
The system screen appeared.
A slow smile spread across his face.
Finally.
He opened the notification.
Main Quest Completed
Adapt To Your New Life
Reward Received
The screen briefly went blank.
Then another notification appeared.
Daily Missions Unlocked
Will stared at the screen.
For the first time since arriving in Aetherion, genuine excitement filled his chest.
The tutorial was over.
The real journey was finally beginning.