The hallways of Haland College buzzed louder than usual that morning. Students moved in clusters, their conversations all circling back to the same subject.
"I swear I saw him—Roni, right? He was glowing, like… like his whole body lit up."
"No way. That's just what people are saying. There's no proof he even fought a demon."
"Then how come the Guild hasn't denied it yet?"
"Tch, rumors. People just want a hero to talk about."
The fame of Roni still lingered in Haland college
Well the shattering was cut short when the bell rang, everyone settled into their classroom.
There in the classroom professor Henston a physicist, walked into the classroom, he started teaching quantum physics.
The class was restless, whispers flying around.
"I think Professor Henston wore his wife's pants," someone snickered. A quiet burst of laughter spread across the room.
Professor Henston turned back, his prickled face and long nose looking sharper than ever. He tugged at his glasses, gripping his trousers tighter around his waist. "What's funny?" he barked.
Silence. The whole class froze.
Except Roni—he was struggling to hold in his laughter. The professor's expression was just too much. He tried, he really did, but a small laugh slipped out before he quickly composed himself.
"You. Over there. Stand up," Professor Henston snapped.
"Sorry sir, I didn't mean to—"
"Ooh, boy, you're in a lot of trouble," Henston said in his grumpy old voice.
"Sorry sir," Roni kept begging.
"The only way you can escape my wrath is if I ask a question in quantum physics, and you give me the right answer."
The class shifted as one, murmurs running through them. Everyone knew Henston's brain was like a steel trap. If he asked, it was going to be brutal.
Roni froze. He knew he was cooked. There was no way he'd get it right. But reluctantly, he said, "Okay, sir. Go on with the question."
Henston's eyes gleamed. "How does quantum entanglement challenge the principle of locality, and what are the implications of Bell's Theorem on the concept of hidden variables in quantum mechanics?"
Roni swallowed hard. He had no clue. His mind went blank. But then—
Ping.
A screen flashed before his eyes. The system.
[Analyzing thought…]
[How does quantum entanglement challenge the principle of locality…]
Words filled his mind, sharp and clear. Roni opened his mouth and the answer flowed out.
"Entanglement and Bell's Theorem imply that no local hidden variable theory can fully explain quantum mechanics…" He went on and on, explaining with a fluency he didn't even understand.
The class stared in shock. Even Professor Henston's jaw dropped.
"Roni, my boy… I'm impressed," Henston said, his tone suddenly different, almost proud.
"Well, that shows you guys are keeping up with what I've been teaching," Prof. Henston smiled.
Everyone in the class knew deep down it wasn't true—but they were all shocked by how Roni had answered the question.
Even Mirael, sitting two rows ahead, couldn't hide her surprise; her reaction said it all.
Behind Roni, Mobu muttered to his crew, "Hmm… something's changed about him. Did you guys notice that?"
They nodded, and one of them replied, "First, we hear he killed a level 6 demon, now he's answering questions on quantum physics? There's something fishy here."
"Well, we'll figure it out after the lecture," Mobu said, and his crew snickered quietly.
Roni, on the other hand, sat frozen in disbelief at his system's new ability. It was unreal. No system was capable of this—normally, if you wanted to master something so advanced, you had to get an ability book on the subject and study it. And those books were restricted, locked up tight within the OCI. But Roni knew now: this system of his was something different… something special.
A few minutes later, in the middle of the lecture, Roni suddenly felt strange. His hands started to tremble, sweat beaded down his forehead.
"What's happening to me…" he muttered under his breath.
Then the system's messages began flashing in his mind.
[System critical: Dark energy submerging.]
"What the heck is that?" he groaned softly, trying to hold himself together. The words kept flashing over and over:
[Critical: Dark energy submerging.]
"Hey… are you okay?" the boy beside him asked carefully.
Roni couldn't answer. His teeth clenched, his body trembling as he tried to suppress the pain. Students around him began to notice his strange behavior.
Finally, the bell rang. Before Prof. Henston could dismiss the class, Roni bolted out of the room. He knew something was terribly wrong with his system, and he couldn't risk a repeat of what had happened at Clevelhill—or in that dream.
He ran until he found a quiet corner of the library, resting his head against a bookshelf, fighting to shut down the overwhelming messages in his head, after few minutes of struggling.
a voice cut through.
"Hey punk, what are you doing?"
It was Mobu and his crew.
Roni didn't answer—he couldn't. The sharp surges in his head were relentless.
"Where's the ability book? We know you stole one. How else could you answer Prof. Henston's question?" Mobu sneered.
Still, no response.
"You punk!" Mobu spat as he grabbed Roni's shoulder.
But Roni snapped. His eyes flared, and in a blur he grabbed Mobu by the throat, slamming him against the wall with terrifying strength. His hand tightened, squeezing the life out of him.
Mobu's crew panicked, throwing everything they had at Roni, but nothing worked. His grip didn't falter. Worse, Mobu's energy was draining away, his face turning pale.
He squirmed in agony, gasping, "Roni… please—!"
Suddenly, Roni snapped back to himself. Horror struck him. He released Mobu instantly, who collapsed to the ground, clutching his throat, desperate for air.
Roni stumbled back in shock, then bolted for the hallway—only to collide with Mirael.
"Roni! I've been looking for you!" she exclaimed.
But he didn't stop. Didn't even answer. He just kept running, he dashed out of the school building, he was heading to school gate.
Then voices reached him from nearby students.
"Woah… the OCI are here! What brings them to Haland College?" one whispered.
"The OCI?" Roni froze, turning back slowly to look.
Down the road, several figures in dark coats some wore amours like soldiers going to war, then the emblem on their chest and vans the Organization of combat integration (OCI). They were approaching the gate.