The morning sun shined brightly across the city.
Students filled the sidewalks.
Some were laughing.
Some were nervous.
Some were excited.
Today was the first day of the new semester.
And among the crowd walking toward school was a young man with black hair and black eyes.
His school uniform was neat.
A backpack rested over one shoulder.
One hand remained in his pocket while the other held his phone.
His expression looked calm.
Almost too calm.
As if nothing in the world could surprise him.
This was Ye Xian.
Eighteen years old.
A normal high school student.
At least…
That was what everyone believed.
High School
The front gates of the school were crowded.
Students talked excitedly.
Teachers directed traffic.
Clubs recruited new members.
The atmosphere was lively.
Ye Xian glanced around.
Everything felt familiar.
And yet…
For some reason.
There were moments where things felt strangely distant.
Like he had forgotten something important.
Something that should have been impossible to forget.
But every time he tried remembering…
His head hurt.
So he stopped trying.
Ye Xian:
"Maybe I stayed up too late."
He shrugged and walked through the gate.
Soon he entered his classroom.
The room buzzed with conversations.
Several students immediately noticed him.
A girl whispered.
Girl Student:
"He's pretty handsome."
Another girl nodded.
Girl Student 2:
"Seriously."
A boy rolled his eyes.
Boy Student:
"Here we go again."
Ye Xian ignored everything and took a seat near the window.
A few moments later.
Several familiar faces entered.
His friends.
Lunch Break
Hours passed.
Classes ended.
The lunch bell rang.
Students immediately rushed out.
Ye Xian sat beneath a large tree near the sports field.
Across from him sat three friends.
Zhao Min.
Kim Jin.
And Park Haneul.
Kim Jin laughed.
Kim Jin:
"I still can't believe school started again."
Park Haneul nodded dramatically.
Park Haneul:
"My freedom is gone."
Zhao Min sighed.
Zhao Min:
"Tragic."
Ye Xian chuckled.
Ye Xian:
"You guys are acting like you're going to war."
Kim Jin pointed at a thick textbook.
Kim Jin:
"That's because we are."
Everyone laughed.
For a while they simply talked.
About games.
About teachers.
About future plans.
Normal conversations.
The type of conversations ordinary high school students had.
Then suddenly—
Ye Xian's smile disappeared.
His gaze shifted.
Toward a building behind the gymnasium.
Something felt off.
Very off.
His instincts screamed.
Danger.
Behind The Gym
Several older students stood together.
Bullies.
Five of them.
Their uniforms were untidy.
Their faces carried cruel smiles.
And surrounding them was a younger student.
A small first-year.
His glasses had fallen to the ground.
His face was bruised.
One of the bullies grabbed his collar.
Bully 1:
"You think you're smart?"
The boy trembled.
Student:
"I-I didn't mean—"
SMACK!
A punch landed across his face.
The boy fell.
The bullies laughed.
Bully 2:
"Pathetic."
Bully 3 kicked him.
Bully 3:
"Get up."
The student cried.
Student:
"Please stop…"
Bully 1 grabbed his hair.
Bully 1:
"Stop?"
The bully laughed.
Bully 1:
"Who said we're stopping?"
Back Under The Tree
Ye Xian stood.
His friends blinked.
Kim Jin:
"Huh?"
Ye Xian continued staring.
Park Haneul followed his gaze.
Park Haneul:
"Oh no…"
Zhao Min frowned.
Zhao Min:
"Those idiots again."
Kim Jin sighed.
Kim Jin:
"Someone should tell a teacher."
Ye Xian started walking.
Kim Jin froze.
Kim Jin:
"Wait."
Ye Xian didn't stop.
Park Haneul looked worried.
Park Haneul:
"Xian?"
Ye Xian continued walking.
His voice remained calm.
Ye Xian:
"Someone's getting hurt."
Kim Jin stood up.
Kim Jin:
"There are five of them."
Ye Xian:
"Then there are five of them."
His friends stared.
For some reason…
That answer sounded incredibly dangerous.
The Bullies Notice Him
The bullies looked up.
Bully 2 smirked.
Bully 2:
"What?"
Bully 1 noticed Ye Xian approaching.
Bully 1:
"You got a problem?"
Ye Xian stopped.
His eyes landed on the injured student.
Then on the bullies.
Ye Xian:
"Let him go."
Silence.
Then laughter erupted.
Bully 3:
"Hahaha!"
Bully 4:
"Seriously?"
Bully 1 cracked his knuckles.
Bully 1:
"And if we don't?"
Ye Xian calmly removed his backpack.
Then placed it on the ground.
Something about his expression changed.
The air became strangely heavy.
Almost instinctively.
The bullies felt uncomfortable.
But ignored it.
Bully 1 sneered.
Bully 1:
"You think you're some kind of hero?"
Ye Xian:
"No."
Bully 1:
"Then what are you?"
Ye Xian looked directly into his eyes.
Ye Xian:
"The person who's about to stop you."
Martial Arts
The first punch came instantly.
Bully 1 swung at his face.
WHOOSH!
Ye Xian moved.
Smoothly.
Effortlessly.
His body reacted before his mind did.
Almost like instinct.
Almost like muscle memory.
A memory from long ago.
Back in middle school.
When he had studied countless martial arts styles.
Years of training.
Years of discipline.
Years of practice.
All returning naturally.
He was the strongest back then in his middle school days.
CRACK!
A perfect Aikido throw sent Bully 1 crashing into the ground.
Everyone froze.
Bully 1 screamed.
Bully 1:
"AGH!"
The other bullies rushed forward.
Ye Xian stepped.
His movements flowed like water.
A Taekwondo kick struck one bully's chest.
BOOM!
The boy flew backward.
Another attacked.
Ye Xian used Judo.
The bully flipped over his shoulder.
THUD!
A third swung wildly.
Ye Xian countered with Muay Thai.
An elbow.
A knee.
The fight ended instantly.
The fourth tried grabbing him.
Ye Xian twisted.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
The bully found himself pinned to the ground before he even understood what happened.
The final bully hesitated.
Fear filled his eyes.
Ye Xian slowly looked at him.
The bully immediately stepped back.
Then another.
Then another.
His entire body trembled.
Because for one brief moment…
He thought he saw something behind Ye Xian.
A shadow.
A giant shadow.
A monstrous silhouette with wings.
Crimson eyes.
And endless killing intent.
The image vanished immediately.
But the fear remained.
Bully 5:
"W-What are you…?"
Ye Xian frowned.
Ye Xian:
"What?"
The bully turned pale.
Then ran.
The others followed.
Within seconds.
Every bully disappeared.
Strange Feelings
The injured student stared in shock.
Student:
"T-Thank you."
Ye Xian helped him stand.
Ye Xian:
"You're alright?"
The student nodded rapidly.
Student:
"Yes."
Ye Xian smiled.
Ye Xian:
"Good."
His friends finally arrived.
Kim Jin looked around.
Kim Jin:
"What happened?!"
Park Haneul:
"How did you beat all of them?"
Zhao Min blinked.
Zhao Min:
"Are you secretly a martial arts master?"
Ye Xian rubbed the back of his neck.
Ye Xian:
"I practiced when I was younger."
Kim Jin:
"When you were younger?"
Park Haneul:
"That's not normal practice."
Ye Xian laughed awkwardly.
Even he wasn't entirely sure how he had done it.
His body simply moved.
As if it remembered things he didn't.
Then—
A powerful vibration shook the air.
BOOOOOOM!!
Everyone froze.
The sky darkened.
Students screamed.
Teachers ran outside.
The ground trembled.
Ye Xian slowly turned.
His eyes widened.
Because in the distance—
A giant crack had appeared in reality itself.
Purple lightning exploded across the sky.
Space twisted.
Reality warped.
And slowly…
A massive gate emerged.
Ancient.
Mysterious.
Impossible.
The gate towered over the city.
Covered in glowing runes.
As though it had existed long before humanity.
Time has completely stopped.
Silence filled the world.
Or the highschool—
Nobody understood what they were seeing.
But then something came through his mind.
Ye Xians mother always said he looked like his father.
What would he do?
Ye Xian staggered.
Ye Xian:
"W-What…"
[Player Unlocked]
[Name: Ye Xian
Level: 0
Age: 18
Title: Little Monarch
Strength: 100/100
Speed: 100/100
Agility: 100/100
Intelligence: 100
Active Skills: None
Passive Skills: 0
Points: 0]
Ye Xian's eyes widen in shocked he was confused what was going on.
He had no choice but to see what up.
He went in then he saw magic knights.
Ye Xian:
"What the hell is those things??"
Ding!
System notification appeared.
[Quest: Defeat All of The Magic Knights In The First Trial 1]
Ye Xian looks shocked at the system notification.
Ye Xian:
"What is this?"
End of Chapter.