The sun barely peeked over the stone towers of Lirian Grand Academy when Kaleid opened his eyes.
A soft chime echoed in his mind.
---
[Daily System Quest: SURVIVAL PROTOCOL – DAY 1]
Objective:
— Attend all scheduled classes
— Avoid humiliation (0/1 strikes)
— Maintain composure under stress
Reward:
— +1 Sync Point
— Minor Stat Boost
— Daily Quest Unlocks
Penalty:
— -1 System Trust
— Classmates' hostility increases
— Delay in Soul Memory Progression
---
He sat upright in bed, blinking. The system issued… daily quests now?
> That sounds like a mobile game, not a world-saving cheat.
Still, he welcomed the structure. If he was going to survive in this world with no magic, no allies, and 97% of his soul locked away, even small victories mattered.
---
Class One – Magical Theory: Mundane Track
The classroom buzzed with mild chaos. Students threw crumpled notes at each other, played with floating fireballs, or simply slept with heads on desks.
No instructors in sight yet.
Kaleid walked in and sat near the edge, unnoticed.
A dull boy. A background prop. Perfect.
"Hey, magicless!" someone yelled from the back.
He ignored it.
A second later, a balled-up piece of parchment bounced off his head. Laughter followed.
The system flashed:
---
[Minor Provocation Detected] – Do you wish to react?
⟶ [Ignore]
⟶ [Glare Intimidatingly]
⟶ [Mark Target for Future Observation]
---
He selected Ignore, and the interface confirmed with a soft ding.
---
+1 Calmness
Strike: 0/1 (Safe)
---
> I can't afford to crack now. Focus.
The door slammed open. An old, wiry man with white hair and sharp eyes walked in, robes flaring behind him like a cape.
Professor Malven, Instructor of Basic Arcane Logic.
"QUIET!" His voice boomed with an enchantment woven into the syllables.
Everyone snapped to attention. Even the unruliest students froze.
The professor's gaze swept the room—and, surprisingly, landed briefly on Kaleid.
His brow furrowed.
"…Ashvale," he muttered.
Kaleid's eyes widened. The professor remembered his name?
> Am I that infamous for being useless?
---
Lesson Begins
"Open your tomes to page 7. Explain, in detail, the nature of Resonant Threads in basic spell matrices," Professor Malven said, summoning a glowing chalkboard.
Half the class blinked in confusion.
Most flipped pages awkwardly or started whispering.
The concept was typically taught in Rank-D courses. This was clearly a trap. A test.
"Anyone?" the professor asked, smirking faintly.
Silence.
> System… help me out here.
---
[System Assistance Available]
> "Would you like to initiate Integrated Theoretical Sync Mode for this class?"
⟶ [YES]
⟶ NO
---
YES.
A wave of data surged through his mind like an elegant web unraveling.
The screen overlaid the book's complex diagrams with simplified logic trees. His brain flooded with context, reference points, and synthesized memories—not his own, but close enough.
His hand rose before he could think.
Malven blinked.
"…Ashvale?"
Kaleid stood slowly.
"Resonant Threads are the invisible structures that bind intention to elemental form," he said clearly. "They're classified by type: harmonic, chaotic, or neutral, and they affect the stability of beginner-tier spells. Without tuning resonance, a novice firebolt will collapse into static energy or ignite prematurely."
Dead silence.
Even Malven looked caught off guard.
"…Correct," the professor said slowly. "Sit down."
Kaleid obeyed.
Behind him, whispers spread like wildfire.
"Did he just…?"
"Wait, isn't that the magicless guy?"
"No way he knew that."
Gavin Velross narrowed his eyes from the back, glaring.
---
System Notification:
[Objective Complete: "Don't Embarrass Yourself"]
+1 Intellect
+1 Sync Point GAINED
[New Function Unlocked: Sync Progression Tracker]
---
The screen pulsed softly, showing a new entry:
---
[SYNC PROGRESS – 1%]
> The more you align with the story's hidden layers, the more power you recover.
Next Sync Unlock: 5% – Memory Fragment I
---
Kaleid's heart skipped.
> So I really can get stronger. Piece by piece… by syncing with this world.
He gripped the edge of his desk tightly.
For the first time, a real goal emerged.
He wasn't going to fight fate by punching it.
He would out-think it.
---
Class Two – Magical Item Maintenance
In this workshop-heavy class, the assignment was simple: dismantle a rune-core wand, replace the gem, and reassemble it without it exploding.
Simple—if you had dexterity, magic affinity, and experience.
Kaleid had none.
Still, as others struggled, he activated Observation Mode.
His vision lit up with faint outlines: where to insert, where to twist, how to tune the gem to avoid overcharge.
One student's wand blew up in smoke.
Another cracked the gem.
When Kaleid handed in his wand—fully reassembled and pulsing with stable energy—the instructor just blinked.
"…Who helped you?"
"No one, sir."
"You did this alone?"
He nodded.
"…Hm. Unexpected."
> Let them doubt me, Kaleid thought. Better they underestimate me now.
---
[Daily System Quest Update]
Objective 2 Complete: "Attend All Classes"
Status: Clean
Strike Count: 0/1
Final Objective Remaining: "Maintain Composure Under Stress"
---
Final Class – Group Combat Theory
They placed the students into teams of three and tasked them with designing a hypothetical strategy for defending a village from monster attack.
Kaleid's team groaned as soon as his name was called.
"Ugh. We got Ashvale?"
"Can we get a replacement?"
"No reassignments," the instructor barked. "Make do."
Kaleid said nothing.
The other two ignored him and drafted their flashy plan—firewalls, levitating stone barriers, enchanted bells.
Overcomplicated nonsense.
The instructor made each team present.
His group stumbled. The plan fell apart mid-explanation.
The instructor turned to Kaleid.
"You. What would you have done?"
He stood calmly.
"Evacuate the civilians first," he said flatly. "Use bait to pull the monsters toward the north plains—less property damage. Set a pitfall there using collapsible terrain runes. Don't fight in the village. End the battle before it reaches the people."
Simple. Clean. Effective.
There was a pause.
"…That is the correct approach," the instructor said, impressed.
One of his teammates mumbled, "Why didn't you say that earlier?"
"You didn't ask."
---
[Daily Quest Complete]
+1 Sync Point Earned
+1 to Intellect, Spirit, and Observation
System Trust Increased
Strike Count: 0/1 – Flawless Survival
---
That night, alone in his room again, Kaleid opened the system menu.
---
[SYNC PROGRESS: 2%]
[You are beginning to anchor yourself.]
[Next Sync Unlock: Memory Fragment I (5%)]
---
He stared at the line for a long moment.
"Piece by piece," he whispered.
> One flawless day. A small step, but his first real win.