I didn't sleep much, but it wasn't fear or nerves.
Just… the room was too clean.
No leaking pipes.
No wind whistling through broken windows.
No shouting from the streets.
Silence felt unnatural after the slums.
Morning came with a soft chime. Not the harsh alarm from the evaluation chambers—an actual pleasant tone. I stretched, got cleaned up, and put on the Academy uniform. It felt strange wearing something that wasn't patched six different ways.
When I stepped outside, students were already moving through the courtyard. Laughing. Talking. Complaining. Acting like this was normal.
I kept my head down and walked with the flow. No one paid me any special attention, which was good. I didn't want to stand out—not on the first day.
The Academy looked different in daylight. The buildings were smooth, white stone reinforced with faint glowing runes. And everything felt… structured. Organized. Like the whole place was designed to keep chaos out.
I found Classroom C-11 after checking the hallway signs twice—my sense of direction wasn't great—and slipped into a seat near the back window.
Not hidden.
Just comfortable.
A few students glanced my way, the quick kind of look people give when trying to figure out who's new. I nodded politely. No conversations started, which suited me fine.
Classes began almost immediately.
Not long introductions.
Not pointless speeches.
The first instructor walked in—a tall, tired man who looked like he'd rather be anywhere else—and tapped a panel on the wall.
A holographic map of the continent unfolded across the classroom.
"We begin with fundamentals," he said. "History, terrain, mana ecology, rift theory. If you understand the world, you can survive it."
Good. Straightforward. Easy to follow.
I took notes, not because I needed all of it, but because pretending not to know anything was safer. People ask fewer questions.
After that came physical orientation—basically a tour.
The training grounds were massive.
The libraries were larger than most districts in the Outer Slums.
The cafeteria smelled better than anything I'd eaten in years.
A few students complained about walking too much. I didn't say anything. I used to walk kilometers every day looking for a job that didn't exist.
Compared to that, this was comfortable.
When lunchtime hit, everyone split into groups. Some loud. Some quiet. Some pretending they were too cool to care.
I found an empty table near the edge and ate quickly. Not suspiciously fast—just a habit from my old life. The food was… good. Too good. I had to remind myself not to wolf it down.
A student sat at the table next to mine and glanced over.
"You new?" he asked casually.
"Yeah."
"Same. Crazy place, right?"
I shrugged. "Better than where I was."
He laughed. "Fair."
We didn't talk more. He didn't force it, and I appreciated that.
After lunch came our first real class: Mana Foundation & Personal Capacity Testing. They didn't actually test us yet—just explained the system for tomorrow.
How mana worked.
How the body stored it.
Why abilities were dangerous without control.
I listened closely. I needed every advantage I could get.
By the time the day ended, my feet hurt more than I expected. Turns out walking across a giant academy campus was still tiring even without dodging monsters.
Back in my dorm, I lay down and stared at the ceiling. Today wasn't exciting. No dramatic revelation. No special treatment. No whispers about me being "the unusual one."
Just a normal first day.
Honestly?
It felt nice.
I wasn't starving.
I wasn't hiding from wraiths.
I wasn't being hunted by anything.
For once, nothing was trying to kill me.
That alone put it in the top five days of my life.