Harry Gill, the student nominated for the Karath Academy, was famous in his first year — he possessed both the wind and sound elements, and was like a natural disaster whenever he swung his sword. He was also well-known for his hatred toward nobles. No one knew the reason behind his deep resentment, but that didn't matter much. The only person who suffered from his constant bullying simply for being in the same class was Shion Lan, or Shion Ranus at that time — the only noble among the commoners, and thus the primary target of Harry's hostility.
Back then, Shion tried to avoid him, but now he barely even glanced at Harry, not bothering to respond.
"Didn't I call you? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Shion ignored him, turning his gaze elsewhere.
"If you don't like the way I look at you, don't expect me to change it for your sake."
His tone was calm and indifferent.
"I see… the son of the Ranus family finally has a tongue and dares to speak boldly now."
"Who are you talking about? I'm not from the Ranus family anymore. I changed my name to Lan, so I'm no longer a noble — as you can see."
"Oh, I see. The noble family abandoned thier trash, right?!"
But Shion smiled "Yes, so I don't think you'll see that shame anymore"
When Harry saw the way that Shion talk he stepped back and said,
"Then… are you the one who supposedly defeated Ferry Lucius?"
"No."
That was a reasonable answer — after all, Feri Lucius had completely broken through his defense with a single strike. Even after taking potions and enhancers, and despite being given ten opportunities, he still couldn't defeat her. That was exactly what Shion intended to build upon.
"Then what's with those rumors?"
"I don't know what you're talking about. I was bedridden for three days, and the rest of the time I spent at a recovery camp to deal with the aftereffects of the drugs. I didn't have the chance to hear what people were saying."
"They're saying you're strong enough to rival four-star swordsmen and four-circle mages, and that you've inherited some kind of legacy related to the stars."
"Well, I do have a small, incomplete inheritance related to the stars," Shion replied. "But it's unfinished. And after that fight, my power dropped because of the pressure and external factors. I'm not that strong anymore."
Harry leaned in, his tone harsh.
"Then what will you say when they announce the team representatives and your name comes up?"
He seemed to be threatening Shion. But Shion answered flatly, without emotion:
"I'm weak anyway. I doubt they'll choose me. But if they do, I'll explain the situation and step down."
Harry wanted to continue harassing him, but then he felt a cold gaze upon him. When he turned to locate its source, he found Shion staring directly at him — his eyes faintly glowing. That faint light alone made Harry break into a sweat. He quickly left, thinking to himself:
'What was that?! I felt like I was disappearing into darkness — the only light before me could vanish at any moment, filling me with dread. Is this really the same Shion I knew?'
Shion kept watching quietly, not speaking to anyone — or rather, no one wanted to speak to such a "failure." Then, suddenly, he felt something strange and looked toward the stage.
An elderly man stood there — though his features were kind, he didn't truly seem old. Shion couldn't determine his age; sometimes he appeared ancient, and other times youthful. The man also noticed Shion, and their eyes locked.
At that moment, Shion felt as though he was witnessing the flow of ages — the world evolving from a barren wasteland to forests, to human civilizations. Countless emotions and memories surged within him: the birth of children, the death of heroes, lovers meeting and parting. It felt as though he was seeing everything that had ever happened on the very ground he stood upon. Veins within his body began to stir.
'What's happening?!'
A dangerous energy was rising inside him — his veins were awakening. When he sensed how many of them were being activated to face that old man, he was shocked: all nine veins were reacting. His consciousness began to erode — until suddenly, the pressure disappeared.
The old man coughed, drawing the students' attention. Everyone was startled to see him.
"It's Headmaster Tim Ayr — the Nine-Circle Mage, the strongest in the field of time magic!"
All eyes were on him. Shion, however, was lost in thought.
I've met him once last year, yet his power is terrifying. He awakened all nine veins just by focusing on me. I hope he didn't discover anything about my inheritance.
The headmaster smiled warmly.
"Welcome, everyone, to Karath Academy… my brave heroes…"
He began his speech. It was long — painfully long and boring — but when he finished, a student suddenly exclaimed,
"Wait — only a minute has passed since he started speaking!"
Everyone, even the teachers, was amazed.
Shion thought to himself:
Is that old man just showing off? No… I don't think it's simple arrogance. As an advanced mage, even the smallest action he takes carries traces of his power. The only way to avoid that is to restrain his own strength. The fact that he even needs to suppress his power like that shows how immense it is. But… he didn't actually manipulate time itself — even the Shi family elders said that's impossible for any human. He must've just sped up his speech while slowing its effect on the listeners so we could perceive every detail. That's not direct time magic — just a side effect of his power, spread across the entire academy. That alone is terrifying. If he ever decided to truly act, no one could escape.
Then Tim spoke again:
"You already know how the welcoming ceremony works. I want you all to head to the Combat Arena immediately."
As the students began moving, they suddenly found themselves seated on the arena bleachers.
"Did we just travel to the future?!"
"Not even a second passed — we're already here! This must be time travel!"
Even the second princess, Jina Joul, was astonished. With her golden eyes, she looked around but found that she couldn't actually see the headmaster — yet she could feel his gaze fixed on someone. When she followed it, she realized he was looking at Shion, who was also staring back.
'What's going on between them?' she wondered.
Meanwhile, Shion was in shock.
'This is strange… if I didn't have my inheritance , I'd have been overwhelmed by his spell. We didn't actually travel through time — we simply walked to the arena, but he suppressed our perception of time's flow. We didn't feel anything. He even gave our bodies a moment to rest so no one would notice. The scary part is that this is just a basic-level spell spread over such a massive area. How could anyone — even of equal rank — stand against such power?'
Shion and Tim exchanged glances, and the old man smiled.
"We'll be choosing one representative from each senior team," Tim announced, "and the new students will choose whom they wish to challenge — for experience and to strengthen bonds. There will be a total of twelve upperclassmen, each grade facing at least six duels. If a representative grows tired, another from the same class may substitute. Now, let's begin selecting our representatives!"
A teacher — a Six-Circle Mage — stepped forward and said,
"We'll start from the fourth year down to the second year. Alright — from the Royal Division: Four-Circle Mage Jaiden Joul, and Four-Star Duelist Violet Night. From the Noble Division…"
Eight students were named in total — four representatives and four alternates. The ones who caught Shion's attention most were:
First Prince Jaiden Joul,
Violet Night, a duelist from one of the Six Great Houses,
And most surprisingly, his own older brother — Shun Ranus, a Four-Star Fire Swordsman.
'I remember that bastard only had three stars when I left. Has he improved that much? Or is it because of the prince? After the incident, all attention was on the Ranus family, and since the second princess was the cause, it's natural they sided with the first prince. If the prince wants to strengthen his followers, he'd train that guy — maybe even use him to challenge and humiliate me. But if I lose to him, the second princess might see a chance to recruit me instead. So… I'll have to destroy him utterly. Still, I need to confirm my theory first.'
The teacher continued naming representatives. From the third-year class, the standout was, of course, Sol Hart, whom everyone avoided.
Then came the second-year students — all exceptionally skilled.
"From the Royal Division: Two-Star Duelist and One-Circle Mage, heir to the Sano family — Glass Sano, and Two-Star Duelist Tir Jora."
Shion looked at the two. One had white hair and blue eyes, surrounded by a chilling aura. When the teacher introduced Glass as "the heir," he didn't mean noble status — otherwise, the prince would claim that title. "Heir" meant inheriting the family's legacy and martial art. The Six Great Houses each represented one of the six elements, each possessing techniques and legacies tied to a common and a special element. Glass Sano was a genius — the inheritor of the Ice element's special legacy. The only one whose fame rivaled his was…
"And from the Noble Division: Two-Star Duelist, One-Circle Mage, and heir to the Moon Master's Art — Kin Light."
As I was saying — the only one who could rival him.
"From the Special Division: Two-Circle Mage Pearl Jewel, and…"
'Though she's among the richest in the kingdom, it's strange she's in that division instead of the nobles. Odd, but convenient — easier to deal with her later if I need potions or equipment. Getting a new sword and supplies from her would be far more reliable.'
"And from the Commoner Division: Two-Star Duelist Harry Gill, and One-Star Duelist, One-Circle Mage, and heir to the **Stellar King's Art… Shion Lan."
Shion froze. Everyone turned toward him. He steadied himself — as planned, he wanted to stay low-profile and avoid attention. So he stood and said,
"Excuse me, sir — but I don't deserve this position. And it was Stellar Summet Art"
The teacher was stunned — and so was everyone else. Shun Ranus smirked, about to say something — but suddenly, he stopped. Everything around Shion froze. The world went silent.
And Shion saw Headmaster Tim smiling at him.