The morning bell of Galia Military Academy was unlike anything I had heard before.
It wasn't a bell.
It was a war horn.
A deep metallic sound echoed throughout the academy grounds, reverberating through stone, steel, and mana alike.
The sound alone was enough to wake the dead.
Unfortunately, it was also enough to wake me.
I sat upright on my bed and stared at the ceiling.
"..."
Five seconds passed.
Ten.
Then I slowly laid back down.
The horn sounded again.
I closed my eyes.
Perhaps if I ignored reality, reality would ignore me.
Sadly, reality was persistent.
A second later, my dormitory door exploded open.
"WAKE UP!"
A pillow immediately left my hand.
It struck the unfortunate victim directly in the face.
A loud yelp followed.
I sat up again.
Standing in the doorway was a blond-haired boy wearing academy training clothes.
He looked about my age.
Athletic build.
Blue eyes.
Annoying smile.
Worst of all—
Morning person.
"Leave."
"No."
"Leave."
"No."
I pointed at the door.
"Leave."
The boy laughed.
"Not happening."
I already disliked him.
It wasn't personal.
I simply hated energetic people before breakfast.
Galia Military Academy housed students from all four nations.
Peroza.
Elarion.
Kaligon.
Kion.
As a result, dormitories were assigned randomly.
My roommate was proof of this.
His name was apparently Orion.
A first-year student from peroza.
A spear user.
Three-star class holder.
Extremely talkative.
I had learned all this against my will.
"You know," Orion said while fixing his uniform, "you're surprisingly calm."
I stared at him.
"I woke up thirty seconds ago."
"Exactly."
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"Most freshmen are nervous."
I looked at him.
Then looked away.
Then looked back.
"Nervous?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"..."
He stared at me.
I stared back.
Eventually he sighed.
"You really don't care, do you?"
"No."
I genuinely didn't.
I was an old man trapped inside a young body.
The thought of attending school again already felt like punishment.
After getting dressed, I made my way toward the academy's central plaza.
The sight that greeted me was impressive.
Thousands of students.
Thousands.
Everywhere.
Some wore armor.
Others carried swords.
Several had obvious bloodline traits.
Wolf ears.
Cat tails.
Feathers.
Horns.
Scales.
Wings.
The academy was a melting pot of talent.
And ego.
Lots of ego.
I could practically smell it.
A giant crystal floated above the plaza.
Words appeared upon its surface.
FIRST YEAR STUDENT ASSIGNMENTS
The crowd immediately surged forward.
I sighed.
People truly never changed.
Whether it was Earth or Avalonia.
Whenever information was displayed publicly, humanity collectively forgot how lines worked.
I eventually found my class.
Class One.
Interesting.
Either I had gotten lucky.
Or the academy had noticed something during admissions.
Neither possibility was ideal.
I preferred obscurity.
"Benjamin."
A voice suddenly called out.
I turned.
Standing nearby was a young woman wearing academy attire.
Long black hair.
Golden eyes.
A clipboard in her hand.
Teacher.
Definitely a teacher.
"You are Benjamin?"
I nodded.
She glanced at her clipboard.
Then back at me.
Then back at the clipboard.
Then back at me again.
"..."
I knew that look.
Teachers always made that look.
The look that said:
"Something is wrong, but I can't prove it."
"Is there a problem?" I asked.
"No."
"There clearly is."
"..."
She sighed.
"You don't look like your entrance records."
"Good."
"What?"
"I said good."
The woman stared at me for several seconds.
Then pointed toward a building.
"Class One is that way."
"Thank you."
"Benjamin."
"Yes?"
"Try not to cause trouble."
I immediately felt offended.
I hadn't even done anything yet.
The classroom was already half full when I entered.
Dozens of students sat chatting amongst themselves.
The moment I entered, several eyes landed on me.
Most moved away quickly.
A few lingered.
That was expected.
The scales on my arms and neck made me stand out.
Not much.
Just enough.
I took a seat near the window.
Then waited.
Five minutes later the room was full.
Thirty students.
All freshmen.
All talented.
Some more than others.
I could tell just by looking.
Even though I didn't have experience, my dragon eyes helped me observe details.
Posture.
Breathing.
Muscle tension.
Mana control.
Confidence.
Fear.
A person's strength often revealed itself long before they ever fought.
Then the door opened.
The black-haired teacher entered.
The room immediately fell silent.
At least some discipline existed.
"My name is Instructor Seraphina."
She wrote her name upon the board.
"I will be overseeing Class One."
No introduction followed.
No welcoming speech.
No inspirational nonsense.
I liked her immediately.
"Before we begin."
Her gaze swept across the room.
"You are no longer nobles."
Several students frowned.
"You are no longer commoners."
Others looked confused.
"You are students."
Her voice became colder.
"Your family names hold no value within these walls."
A statement so good my father would approve, nay.
The Ashfords would approve.
"Power."
She tapped the board.
"Discipline."
Another tap.
"Achievement."
One final tap.
"Those are the only currencies recognized here."
Several students straightened their backs.
Others looked uncomfortable.
I simply nodded.
That was exactly how it should be.
Then came the sentence that ruined my morning.
"Now."
She smiled.
A terrible sign.
"Let's introduce ourselves."
...
I closed my eyes.
Of course.
The greatest enemy of every classroom.
Introductions.
Some things truly transcended worlds.
And unfortunately for me—
I was sitting in the front row.
Meaning I would be first.
I considered jumping out the window.
Unfortunately, that would create paperwork.
And paperwork was worse than introductions.
So with great reluctance, I stood.
"My name is Benjamin."
Silence.
Everyone waited.
I sat back down.
Instructor Seraphina blinked.
"That's it?"
"Yes."
"Tell us something about yourself."
"I would prefer not to."
The entire class stared at me.
The academy arc had officially begun.