The morning class continued for another hour with Kane covering the specifics of spiritual energy cultivation.
When it finally ended, students began filing out of the classroom.
Ethan stood up and gathered his things. He walked out with the flow of students heading toward lunch.
He deliberately walked toward the cafeteria's main seating area instead of finding an isolated corner.
His eyes scanned the large room filled with tables and students. He spotted Adrian Sinclair immediately. The protagonist was hard to miss.
Adrian sat at a central table that seemed to naturally draw attention. He was surrounded by his core group of followers and friends.
His posture was relaxed but confident. Everything about him screamed natural leadership and power.
At Practitioner Tier 3, Stage 6 with SSS-Rank talent, he was in a completely different realm from normal students.
Ethan positioned himself carefully at a nearby table within hearing range.
He sat down with his lunch tray and appeared to eat casually. But his attention was focused on Adrian's conversation.
Adrian was discussing tomorrow's combat exercise with his team. His voice carried confidence as he laid out strategies.
Sera Valen sat on his right side, nodding along to his words. She was at Practitioner Tier 3, Stage 4 with A-Rank talent, ranked third in the entire academy. Her long silver hair and cold beauty made her stand out.
Marcus Cross sat across from Adrian, occasionally adding his own thoughts. He was at Practitioner Tier 3, Stage 3 with A-Rank talent and ranked fifth among first-years.
Ethan's eyes moved away from Adrian's group and swept across the rest of the cafeteria. He found what he was looking for at a corner table far from the main crowd.
Luna Reid sat alone at that isolated table. She was at Practitioner Tier 3, Stage 5 with S-Rank talent, ranked second in the academy.
Only Adrian himself ranked higher than her. But despite her power and status, she sat by herself. Her psychic abilities made other students uncomfortable around her.
Most people avoided getting too close to psychics, fearing their minds might be read.
As Ethan looked at her, their eyes met briefly across the cafeteria. Luna's gaze locked onto his for just a moment. Her eyes narrowed slightly and she frowned. Something flickered across her face that looked like confusion or recognition.
Ethan quickly looked away and returned his attention to his food. He didn't want to draw her attention or make her suspicious.
He cataloged their power levels mentally while pretending to eat.
According to the game's plot, Adrian would reach Grandmaster Tier 7 or possibly even Lord Tier 8 by the end of four years academy session.
Of course, things would not go as planned but in four years that would be his achievements.
Luna would become his strongest support and right hand. This knowledge of future events was his greatest advantage in this world.
The afternoon brought practical training in a different building. Students gathered in a large training hall with padded floors.
Instructor Kane was there again to demonstrate spiritual core cultivation techniques in more detail.
"Watch carefully," Kane instructed as he sat cross-legged on the floor. "This is the basic circulation method that all Espers use to refine their cores and advance through stages."
He demonstrated the technique slowly, explaining each step. His own spiritual energy became visible as a faint glow around his body.
Students watched with varying degrees of attention depending on their own talent and motivation.
Then Kane stood up and said something that made Ethan's attention sharpen dramatically.
"In ancient pre-Pulse legends," he said casually as if discussing weather, "there were supposedly humans who wielded pure elemental concepts rather than mere elemental manipulation. Fire itself, not just flames. Ice itself, not just cold. Such power would represent the purest form of an element."
Ethan's eyes widened slightly. He recognized this immediately.
This was the game's hidden lore about Primordial Flames that no player had ever actually unlocked.
It had been theoretical content that players speculated about in forums but never confirmed. Yet here Kane was mentioning it as if it were common knowledge from old legends.
"Everyone, practice the basic circulation method now," Kane instructed, moving on from the topic. "Find a spot and begin. Focus on drawing in spiritual energy smoothly and refining it through your core."
Students spread out across the training hall and sat down.
Ethan found an empty space and sat cross-legged on the padded floor. He closed his eyes and began circulating his spiritual energy according to the basic method.
His pathetic flame responded to the technique. He could feel the weak fire energy moving sluggishly through his meridian points.
The circulation was slow and inefficient compared to what higher-talented students probably experienced. As an Awakened Tier 1, Stage 1 with F-Rank talent, he was at the absolute bottom.
Then suddenly something changed. His flame flickered strangely inside his core. The color shifted for just a split second from orange to silver-white. Intense pain exploded through his body like lightning shooting through his veins. He gasped involuntarily and his eyes snapped open.
The pain faded as quickly as it came. Ethan sat there breathing heavily. His heart pounded in his chest.
But that brief moment confirmed everything. His trash fire ability was actually a dormant primordial flame. The game knowledge was real. This world truly followed the hidden lore that players never accessed.
That night, Ethan lay in bed unable to sleep. His mind raced with plans and possibilities. He stared at the dark ceiling while his roommates snored in their beds.
He had less than 24 hours before his scripted death in tomorrow's combat exercise. It was time to execute the plan he had been preparing.
He waited patiently until his roommates were sleeping deeply. Their breathing became slow and steady.
When he was certain they wouldn't wake easily, he slipped out of bed silently. He moved carefully to the door and eased it open without making sound.
The hallway outside was dimly lit by emergency lights. Ethan moved quickly but quietly through the dormitory. He knew the patrol schedule perfectly from the game.
Guard Captain Rhodes circled the east wing every twelve minutes like clockwork. That routine left a three-minute window where this section was unmonitored.
Ethan used his meta-knowledge of patrol routes perfectly. He timed his movements to avoid guards and security cameras.
He reached the old archive building without being spotted by anyone. The building was supposedly locked after hours but Ethan knew better.
He approached a side entrance and input a maintenance access code on the digital lock.
This code was from a game side quest that most players never found. Incredibly, it still worked after fifty years. The lock clicked open with a soft beep.