Kaelan entered the lecture hall a few minutes after class had begun, heading straight for the back row near the window. A few students cast glances his way; the morning's commotion involving Olivia was still hot gossip, but no one dared approach him. He set his worn-out bag on the desk, watching the projector screen display lecture materials and the digital board where the professor was explaining formulas.So this is how humans exchange knowledge.In Arcana, knowledge was passed down through magic scrolls and mana memories. In this world, thousands of pieces of information were stored inside a thin object called a computer. Fascinating.Kaelan turned his attention back to the screen. He only needed to look at it once to remember everything not because this body was a genius, but because the mind of an Archmage far surpassed the capabilities of an ordinary human. Moments later, his gaze drifted out the window. A gentle breeze blew, leaves swaying in its wake, while the professor’s voi

Ryan Blackwood slammed his car door harder than usual. Bang! His face was still full of irritation from what had happened in the campus corridor, while Kaelan’s words kept spinning in his head: Because that idiot is already dead.“Bullshit,” Ryan muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. “He’s just looking for attention.”“Ryan!”Quick footsteps came from behind. Olivia approached him, slightly out of breath; her long hair was messy from running, but her face looked far more chaotic than her appearance. “We need to talk.”Ryan opened the car door. “If it’s about Kaelan again, I’m not interested.”“I’m serious!”The tone in Olivia’s voice made Ryan stop. The girl rarely sounded this tense. “What now?”Olivia glanced around before lowering her voice. “That wasn’t Kaelan.”Ryan let out a long breath. “You’re starting to sound weird.”“I’m not joking.” Olivia clenched her bag. “The way he looked at me… was different.”Ryan leaned against the car. “Because he finally realized you’ve been pla

Morning was still veiled in a thin mist when Kaelan opened his eyes. Sunlight had not yet fully entered through the small window of his room. He sat up on the thin mattress, closed his eyes for a moment, then allowed his consciousness to sink into his inner space.The Mana Core was still cracked, yet compared to two days ago, its light was slightly more stable only slightly, very slightly.Kaelan slowly opened his eyes. “The mana from that tree… was real.” He raised his palm. A small gust of wind swirled above his fingertips before vanishing in an instant, less than two seconds, causing the Mana Core to dim immediately.“Still too wasteful.”Kaelan’s body could not yet withstand the use of large amounts of mana. Even a simple Wind Rune still drained nearly all the energy he had managed to gather. His gaze shifted to his old phone. He opened the map application until his fingers stopped on a green area at the edge of the city: Silverpine Forest, a conservation forest nearly an hour’s j

The largest man among them stepped forward, blocking Kaelan’s path with an intimidating posture. “Wallet. Phone. Take everything out now.”Kaelan did not answer at all. He simply continued walking forward.The large thug immediately snorted and stretched out a hand to roughly shove Kaelan’s shoulder. “Are your ears deaf, huh?”Kaelan’s body merely shifted half a step to the side. His gaze remained cold and calm. “Move.” His voice was flat, without the slightest trace of fear.The brief silence among them immediately turned into cascading laughter.“Hahaha! This campus kid’s got guts after all!”The thug shoved Kaelan again, this time with far greater force.And in that second, Kaelan moved.His movement was extremely fast and efficient. His hand reached out, seized the opponent’s wrist, twisted the joint slightly, then pushed the large man’s body while using the man’s own momentum against him.Bruk!The large man fell flat on his back, hitting the ground hard and losing his breath for

The atmosphere in the living room instantly froze. Ryan’s eyes widened in horror, while Evelyn drew a deep breath in shock. Victor himself did not answer immediately; his jaw hardened and his gaze became far colder than before.“I am your father,” Victor said with emphasis.“No.” The answer slid out of Kaelan’s lips without the slightest hesitation. “You are only my mother’s husband. You are not my father.”Silence. The sound of the rain outside the window suddenly felt so loud amid the oppressive stillness. Ryan had never imagined in his life that Kaelan would possess the courage to defy the head of the Garrison family like that.Driven by anger and panic, Evelyn stepped forward and swung her hand.Plak!The sound of the slap echoed throughout the room. Kaelan’s face turned slightly to the side from the force of the blow. The room fell silent once more, filled only by Evelyn’s ragged breathing.“How dare you,” Evelyn hissed, her hand still raised in the air. “Is this how you speak to