The remainder of the day passed surprisingly quickly.
Or at least—
Quickly for everyone except Kel.
For most first-year students, the opening day of classes felt exciting.
Everything was new.
Every lecture revealed unknown knowledge.
Every professor possessed wisdom beyond imagination.
Every classroom contained opportunities.
For them—
The academy felt like a treasure vault waiting to be explored.
For Kel—
The experience was slightly different.
The second lecture began shortly after Mana Theory ended.
Ancient History of the Empire.
A massive lecture hall.
Hundreds of students.
An elderly historian.
Several floating crystal diagrams.
A subject most students considered important.
The professor began speaking.
And within ten minutes—
Kel realized he already knew almost everything.
Not because the professor was bad.
The professor was excellent.
The problem was simple.
Kel spent most of his childhood reading.
Years trapped beneath a curse had forced him into books.
History.
Politics.
Economics.
Warfare.
Ancient civilizations.
Magical development.
Exploration journals.
He had consumed knowledge like a starving man consumed food.
As a result—
The first-year history curriculum felt somewhat familiar.
Inside his mind—
Seiren spoke.
"Bored?"
"A little."
"Only a little?"
"The professor is good."
The Guardian laughed.
"A generous review."
The third lecture proved even worse.
Basic Aura Foundations.
The professor explained aura circulation.
How to strengthen internal pathways.
How to maintain stable energy flow.
How to prevent spiritual exhaustion.
Useful information.
Important information.
Unfortunately—
Kel learned most of it before reaching twelve years old.
The silver-haired young man spent most of the lecture taking notes out of politeness.
Not necessity.
Several students around him struggled desperately to understand the concepts.
Meanwhile—
Kel quietly wondered whether sealing ninety-nine percent of his strength had accidentally sealed ninety-nine percent of his patience as well.
Inside his mind—
Seiren sounded amused.
"You are suffering."
"I am studying."
"You sound like someone facing execution."
Reasonable.
Not accurate.
But reasonable.
The fourth lecture.
Academy Research Methodology.
The subject sounded interesting.
Initially.
Then the professor began explaining how to properly organize academic notes.
And Kel's hopes died immediately.
Inside his mind—
The Guardian laughed continuously.
At this point she wasn't even hiding it.
"You wanted a peaceful academy life."
"Yes."
"This is peaceful."
"Unfortunately."
"Then why do you sound miserable?"
Kel remained silent.
Because the answer would only encourage her.
Eventually.
The fourth lecture ended.
Students poured from classrooms.
Groups formed naturally.
People discussed lessons.
Compared notes.
Talked about professors.
Complained about assignments.
The academy truly felt alive.
Meanwhile—
Kel looked at his schedule.
Then paused.
Then looked again.
Finally—
His expression improved.
Noticeably.
Inside his mind—
Seiren immediately noticed.
"What happened?"
"Combat Studies."
Silence.
Then—
"That explains it."
For the first time all day.
The Guardian heard genuine interest in his voice.
The Combat District occupied an entirely separate section of the academy.
Unlike academic buildings.
This area felt alive with energy.
The sounds alone revealed everything.
Clashing weapons.
Explosions.
Training commands.
Laughter.
Challenges.
The entire district felt dynamic.
Active.
Dangerous.
And strangely welcoming.
Students from countless disciplines gathered there.
Swordsmen.
Mages.
Archers.
Martial artists.
Hybrid combatants.
Researchers testing combat theories.
Everyone.
Because regardless of specialization—
Strength mattered.
The training arena assigned to first-year combat studies was enormous.
Large enough to accommodate hundreds of students simultaneously.
Ancient stone formed the floor.
Protective barriers surrounded the entire area.
Multiple training sections divided the space.
Weapon practice zones.
Magic testing zones.
Duel arenas.
Observation platforms.
Everything had been carefully designed.
And unlike lecture halls—
Students were smiling.
Actually smiling.
The difference was immediate.
Combat attracted passion.
The instructor arrived.
A tall woman with short silver hair.
Sharp eyes.
Athletic build.
A sword rested casually against her shoulder.
The moment she entered—
The atmosphere changed.
The instructor didn't resemble a professor.
She resembled a veteran warrior.
Someone who genuinely fought.
And students immediately respected that.
The woman looked around.
Then spoke.
"My name is Instructor Elena."
Simple.
Direct.
Efficient.
Kel already liked her teaching style.
The class began.
Unlike previous lectures.
Students weren't forced to sit.
They moved.
Talked.
Practiced.
Demonstrated.
The instructor encouraged interaction.
Questions.
Discussions.
Debates.
Combat theory naturally created conversation.
Within thirty minutes—
Kel had already spoken to more people than during the entire rest of the day.
Which surprised him.
Slightly.
One student introduced himself first.
A large young man carrying an enormous axe.
Dark skin.
Broad shoulders.
Permanent grin.
"My name's Gareth."
He extended a hand.
Kel shook it.
"Aedon."
Gareth immediately laughed.
"You are that spear guy."
Wonderful.
The reputation followed him here too.
Apparently nowhere remained safe.
Inside his mind—
Seiren laughed.
"Famous."
"I dislike that word."
Another student soon joined them.
A red-haired girl carrying twin daggers.
Sharp eyes.
Quick smile.
Constant movement.
She introduced herself as Mira.
Unlike Gareth.
She didn't mention Divine Spoon Art.
Which immediately increased Kel's opinion of her.
Several more students gradually joined.
One archer.
One mage.
One shield specialist.
One martial artist.
The group expanded naturally.
Not because of status.
Not because of background.
Because they enjoyed talking.
A surprisingly rare thing in noble society.
The instructor eventually divided everyone into discussion teams.
Combat philosophy.
Combat adaptability.
Battlefield decision-making.
Topics most students found fascinating.
Kel participated normally.
Or attempted to.
Unfortunately—
His perspective occasionally created problems.
For example—
The instructor asked:
"What is the most important factor during combat?"
Most students answered predictably.
Strength.
Skill.
Experience.
Awareness.
Mana.
Aura.
Reasonable answers.
Then—
Kel answered.
"Survival."
Silence followed.
The entire group stared.
The instructor raised an eyebrow.
"Explain."
Kel shrugged.
"If you survive, you can improve."
A pause.
"If you die, improvement becomes difficult."
The arena became silent.
Then Gareth laughed loudly.
The instructor covered her face.
Mira nearly fell over laughing.
Inside his mind—
Seiren spoke.
"You aren't wrong."
"No."
"Which somehow makes it worse."
As the lesson continued.
The group gradually became comfortable around him.
Something Kel hadn't expected.
People talked.
Joked.
Shared stories.
Discussed training methods.
The atmosphere felt natural.
No hidden agendas.
No politics.
No calculations.
Just students.
For once—
Kel simply listened.
And occasionally contributed.
Hours passed surprisingly quickly.
The combat class eventually ended.
Students gathered their belongings.
Conversations continued even as people prepared to leave.
Several students invited others to future training sessions.
Some planned study groups.
Others organized sparring matches.
Life.
Simple academy life.
The thing Kel had wanted from the beginning.
As students departed.
Gareth slapped Kel's shoulder.
A dangerous action.
Fortunately.
Kel no longer possessed enough strength to accidentally launch classmates into orbit.
Mostly.
"You coming tomorrow?"
The large young man asked.
Kel looked confused.
"For class."
"Oh."
A pause.
Then—
"Probably."
Gareth laughed.
"Good."
Mira pointed at him.
"Don't disappear."
The red-haired girl sounded surprisingly serious.
"We just found someone normal."
Inside his mind—
Seiren immediately began laughing.
Violently.
Relentlessly.
"NORMAL?"
The Guardian nearly lost control.
"KEL."
More laughter.
"THEY THINK YOU'RE NORMAL."
Kel remained silent.
The irony was painful.
Very painful.
As the sun slowly descended toward the horizon.
The first day of classes finally ended.
Students returned toward dormitories.
The academy gradually quieted.
And for the first time since arriving—
Kel genuinely smiled.
Not because of lectures.
Not because of grades.
Not because of achievements.
Because he had done something surprisingly simple.
He had made friends.
Real friends.
Not political allies.
Not subordinates.
Not followers.
Friends.
And somehow—
That achievement felt more valuable than many victories he had achieved before.
Though unfortunately.
Inside his mind—
Seiren ruined the moment.
"Just wait."
"What?"
The Guardian sounded suspiciously amused.
"Give it a month."
Kel immediately regretted asking.
"Those friends are absolutely going to discover you're weird."
The silver-haired young man sighed.
Because deep down—
He knew she was probably right.