On a TV, a trailer starts to play.
During World War II, humanity discovered the existence of superpowered individuals. They had existed before that, but at that moment—when they finally stood in the spotlight of the public eye—the world became afraid. Afraid of the so-called humans wielding powers beyond their imagination. Who knows what would have happened if the first hero had not appeared, a person who used their powers for good?
Then came the first villain. Even though the first villain confirmed their fears, the first hero shined hope to the world.
For decades after the war, villains and heroes fought for the sake of humanity and its people. But even though heroes were beloved by the public, they were always divided—until Blue Light, widely considered by everyone to be the world's greatest hero, came along.
He began his hero career in 2018. And When he reached the peak of his career, he did something unheard of.
He created Star Island—a giant artificial island where superpowered individuals could learn how to control their abilities in a safe place, while also allowing non-powered individuals to study and learn side by side. This marked the very first time the gap between regular humans and powered individuals was bridged.
The screen then shows scenes of the island: towering advanced buildings, parks, schools, and students training with their powers.
Star Island is a giant educational facility. It is full of schools from kindergarten to college, and that is why, out of the 20 million population of Star Island, only 4 million of them are adults.
Then an audio recording of Blue Light starts playing.
"In all my years, I've seen all kinds of things—from things people can only dream of to things I think should never have existed. But from what I've seen in my life, I understood something about the world. Does it always need heroes yes. but what The world needs The most is understanding. Understanding between people, no matter how much difference we have between us. By understanding you will gain opportunities to do great things—to never limit yourself or other people's opportunities. Here on Star Island, you can find people from all over the world, create friendships you could never imagine, and find your own path."
Those were the final words of the trailer.
A beautiful blue-eyed young man with long brown hair in a wolf-cut ponytail simply looked at the TV.
Why the hell were they playing a Star Island trailer in the island's airport?
Ren found it ridiculous that someone could enter the island without already knowing about it or having seen a trailer before. He thought about that while walking, dragging his bags and suitcase behind him. Still, the trailer reminded him that he was actually on Star Island, and he was amazed and shocked that he was really here.
Everyone knows that Star Island is the best educational facility in the world. But if you're actually involved in any form of education, you'll know the difference is far greater than anyone imagines. After all, only the truly brilliant students are allowed to enter the schools on Star Island. And even though 16 million sounds like a lot, compared to the possible two or three billion students out there, it's nothing.
And it's not like coming from a wealthy family guarantees entry either. Blue Light made sure of that. Poor or rich, only the most brilliant are accepted. Money might help a little, but at the end of the day, the key factor is always the ability of the individual. And if you can't afford tuition, the island will cover it for you—even if that means attending a regular school instead of one of the fancy ones. But that hardly matters, because even the regular schools on Star Island are better and more advanced than the greatest schools you can find outside.
It truly is the greatest place to learn—and to control your powers, if you have one.
People spend their entire lives studying and working just for a chance to enter this place. Which is why it was so surprising to Ren that he was here.
He hadn't planned to enter Star Island. He hadn't studied obsessively or pushed himself to get perfect grades. He considered himself an easygoing person. He loved shows, movies, video games, manga, and anime. He stayed up late on his phone more often than he should.
And yet, despite all that, he was smart enough to get his grades and performance high enough to be considered one of the smartest middle schoolers in the world.
Now, he was about to start his first day of high school on Star Island.
The news of a student getting into Star Island usually made everyone around them drown in envy and resentment. Ren thought that was an exaggeration—until he actually got the news himself and saw how his entire school reacted with envy and angry jealousy.
He stepped out of the airport doors and looked toward a hovering taxi.
He was nervous.
He stopped at the taxi, put his luggage inside, and got in.
"Excuse me, sir. Can you take me to Ryan District, to this location?" Ren said, then sent the driver the location of his new apartment.
"We should arrive there without a problem," the driver replied as the taxi started moving.
Ren relaxed and looked out the window. The view was beautiful as they moved from the edge of the island toward the center. He saw green fields and amazing buildings—far more advanced than the ones outside the island. There were parks, familiar restaurants, and adults running their own businesses. Some of them were likely workers on the island, others parents of kindergarten students.
Speaking of students, he also saw people around his age. Some were walking in groups, others showing off their powers to impress a group of girls.
The place was incredible.
Ren felt both excited and nervous to be here. He didn't know what would happen or what kind of people he would meet. But for now, all he needed to do was take the first step into finding his path.
(Ren Image)