After the mysterious man vanished...
The academy returned to its calm.
Or so it seemed to everyone.
But for Elder Eldar...
There was no such thing as calm.
In his office...
He stood before the window.
His old eyes gazing into the sky.
Then, he whispered to himself:
> "He has appeared..."
>
> "So, the countdown has begun."
>
Meanwhile, on the other side...
Kim was lying on his bed.
Staring at the ceiling.
The City of the End.
The third seal.
The Outworlders.
The silver ring.
The man who resembles Amon.
So many questions.
Yet, his face remained calm.
Because he had learned something a long time ago.
> "Haste does not bring answers."
>
> "It only brings mistakes."
>
Then, he closed his eyes.
The next day...
The academy bells rang.
The first day.
The real beginning.
Thousands of students gathered before the central plaza.
The nobles on one side.
The commoners on the other.
And the contrast between them was stark.
The nobles looked at the commoners as if they were servants.
As for the commoners...
Their heads were bowed.
Even before the classes began...
The social classes had drawn their boundaries.
Kim stood among the commoners.
In simple clothes.
And slightly messy hair.
Nothing distinguished him.
Exactly how he wanted it.
Suddenly...
A mocking voice rang out.
> "Didn't I say the foul stench was coming from here?"
>
An elegant, blonde young man stepped forward.
Behind him, several nobles laughed.
He looked with disdain toward the common students.
Then, his eyes locked onto Kim.
> "Ah."
>
He smiled sneeringly.
> "You are the commoner summoned by the High Council."
>
Silence fell.
As for the common students...
Some of them moved away from Kim.
Because they didn't want any trouble.
The noble approached.
Then, he looked at Kim's clothes.
And pinched his nose in disgust.
> "I was expecting something special."
>
> "But in the end..."
>
> "Trash is still..."
>
> "Trash."
>
As for Kim...
He looked at him calmly.
Then, he smiled.
A very small smile.
The smile his old shadow used to know.
The smile that appeared...
Whenever he started hunting.
But at that exact moment...
Another voice surfaced.
> "Are you done barking, Ralph?"
>
The noble froze.
And everyone turned around.
Leon.
He was walking over with a smile.
His hands in his pockets.
Then, he stood right next to Kim.
And looked at Ralph with a grin.
> "I hear a lot of noise."
>
> "But I only see a small dog."
>
Ralph's face flushed red.
> "Leon!"
>
But before he could finish...
A third person appeared.
Black hair.
Violet eyes.
And a terrifyingly beautiful face.
Iris.
She stood next to Kim as well.
Then, she looked at Ralph coldly.
> "If you are looking for trash..."
>
She glanced at his group.
> "Then you are surrounded by it."
>
Ralph's face exploded with rage.
As for Kim...
He looked at the two of them.
Then, he sighed internally.
> "Troublesome."
>
In truth...
He was planning to exploit the situation in another way.
But these two intervened.
Even so...
He wasn't annoyed.
Because having strong individuals by his side...
Could be useful at times.
Meanwhile, in a far-off place...
Inside the mansion of Ralph's family...
An old man was reading a report.
Then, his eyes stopped at a single name.
Kim.
Suddenly...
He froze.
Then, he stood up violently.
And the chair crashed down behind him.
His eyes widened.
As if he had seen a ghost.
Then, he whispered in a trembling voice:
> "Impossible..."
>
> "That name..."
>
> "Has returned?!"
>