The Astraeus gate dominated the horizon like a fortress of glass and steel.

  Even after several weeks…

  Ren Aster still couldn’t get used to it.

  White towers rose toward Eidryss’s gray sky, their smooth surfaces reflecting the cold morning light. Suspended walkways connected the buildings dozens of meters above the ground, while silent drones lazily patrolled the air.

  Everything breathed wealth.

  Control.

  Elite power.

  And he…

  …stood in front of the gates, his slightly oversized uniform hanging loosely around his thin frame.

  One meter fifty.

  Sixty kilos on a good day.

  Academic Rank: F — Exceptional Scholarship Student.

  His fingers tightened slightly around his bag strap.

  Calm down…

  Around him, students entered in small groups.

  Some were laughing.

  Others compared statistics projected on their glowing wristbands.

  A few carried that particular aura Ren had quickly learned to recognize.

  The Awakened.

  Even without seeing their data, you could feel it.

  A subtle pressure in the air.

  A different kind of confidence.

  A tall girl with perfect posture passed near him, and the faint scent of expensive perfume lingered for a moment.

  She glanced at his badge.

  Then immediately looked away.

  As if he didn’t exist.

  His stomach tightened.

  …As usual.

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  Amane’s voice echoed softly in his memory.

  “Ren… promise me you won’t drop out of school.”

  His fingers clenched.

  I’m not quitting.

  Not now.

  Not when the medical bills had gone up again yesterday.

  He took a deep breath and walked through the gates.

  Inside the Astraeus Academy, things were even worse.

  A massive atrium opened before him, overlooked by several levels of circular balconies. At the center floated a giant holographic screen displaying the students’ real-time rankings.

  Names.

  Ranks.

  Fluctuations.

  Each update triggered murmurs or exclamations.

  Ren instinctively looked up.

  His gaze moved down…

  Down…

  Further down.

  All the way to the bottom.

  Class F — Rank 487

  Ren Aster

  A muffled laugh burst somewhere to his left.

  — Seriously… he actually exists?

  — The ghost scholarship kid?

  — I heard he doesn’t even have an awakened aptitude.

  Ren looked away.

  His face remained neutral.

  But his nails were digging slightly into his palm.

  Ignore it.

  It’s nothing.

  It’s temporary.

  And yet…

  A thin line of cold sweat slid down the back of his neck.

  [Observation: high social stress.]

  The system window briefly appeared in his field of vision.

  Ren almost flinched.

  Not now…

  [Recommendation: continued exposure to competitive environment.]

  His lips pressed into a thin line.

  Of course.

  To this thing…

  …everything was just experimental ground.

  A sudden ripple of movement spread through the atrium.

  Conversations dropped in volume.

  Several heads turned toward the main staircase.

  Ren followed the motion.

  Then he saw her.

  And immediately understood.

  A girl was slowly descending the central steps.

  Her dark hair was flawlessly smooth.

  Her posture perfectly straight.

  Her gaze cold.

  The Astraeus uniform looked almost tailor-made for her.

  But that wasn’t it.

  It was the atmosphere.

  The air around her felt… heavier.

  Sharper.

  As if her very existence imposed silence.

  Someone near Ren whispered,

  — …S-Class.

  Another breathed,

  — Confirmed prodigy.

  Ren’s heart skipped.

  S-Class…

  The girl continued down without sparing the crowd a glance.

  Then—

  Her eyes briefly passed over the central screen.

  And stopped.

  At the very bottom.

  On one name.

  Ren Aster.

  Their gazes met for a fraction of a second.

  Nothing.

  No visible emotion.

  But Ren felt his back stiffen despite himself.

  Then she looked away.

  And continued walking.

  As if…

  …he wasn’t even worth remembering.

  Something tightened violently in his chest.

  [Emotional reaction detected.]

  Shut up…

  Ren abruptly looked away.

  But the moment he took a step—

  The world wavered slightly.

  A familiar pressure brushed the back of his skull.

  Subtle.

  Ancient.

  [Passive Echo resonating.]

  His breath caught.

  For a fraction of a second—

  A foreign image flashed through his mind.

  A dusty ground.

  Crushing heat.

  Distant screams.

  And—

  A massive silhouette holding a spear.

  The vision vanished instantly.

  Ren staggered slightly.

  — …What the…

  [Echo compatibility: minor fluctuation.]

  [Advice: continue adaptation.]

  His heart was beating too fast.

  Too soon…

  Too strange…

  But deep inside—

  That sensation was returning.

  Clearer and clearer.

  Something within him…

  …was learning.

  Slowly.

  Dangerously.

  Ren lifted his eyes toward the massive ranking board.

  Toward the top.

  Then toward his own name at the very bottom.

  His fingers tightened.

  Very slightly.

  His voice came out in an almost inaudible whisper.

  — …Wait for me…

  Rain began once again to fall against Astraeus’s windows.

  And somewhere—

  The system calmly continued collecting data.

  [Subject Ren Aster — progression under surveillance.]

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