When Cael awoke, he found himself staring at a white ceiling.
For a moment, his mind was blank.
Then he looked around and realized he was lying on a bed… his few parts of body wrapped in bandages.
His eyebrows furrowed.
"Bandages…?"
He tried to remember.
"I was fighting… then I went into the cave… and after that…"
His thoughts stopped.
His memory wouldn't go any further.
"Why can't I remember anything after that?" Cael muttered. "What happened to me?"
Just as he was lost in confusion, the door suddenly swung open.
Cael's eyes turned toward the entryway.
A tall figure stood there—well over six feet, with a large frame that made the doorway look cramped.
Cael's body stiffened.
Instinctively, he thought of the enemy.
But as the light fell on the man's face, Cael's tension disappeared.
He knew who it was.
The man noticed Cael relaxing and smirked.
"Kid," he said casually, "why are you relaxing already? I could still be an enemy who came here to kill you."
Cael exhaled and replied, "There's no way an academy instructor would kill a student, right… Instructor Crispin?"
That's right.
Crispin Redwood.
An academy instructor who had built his name on the battlefield, then retired from the front lines to train the next generation.
A respectable man…
And pitied by those who knew his story.
Crispin always tried to help students. Always tried to guide them.
Yet no matter what happened, one of the students he helped would one day become the reason his daughter died.
A cruel fate the game never allowed him to escape.
And that death was what fueled Crispin's hatred—his revenge—against the demons pulling the strings from behind the shadows.
Cael didn't even realize his expression had changed until Crispin spoke again.
"…Why are you looking at me like that?" the instructor asked. "Pitying me?"
"Your condition is the one you should pity—not mine."
Cael gave a crooked smile.
"If I get into the academy," he replied, "I'll be able to get stronger, right?"
"Or is the academy just for show?"
Crispin raised an eyebrow.
"Pretty cheeky for a boy who can barely stand," he said with a chuckle. "I hope to see you inside the academy soon."
After that, the instructor turned around and left, leaving Cael alone.
Cael stayed quiet for a moment before letting out a deep breath.
"It's been a while since I checked my status…"
He muttered, "Status."
A blue screen appeared.
----------------------
[System]
Error… Error…
Unable to display the Status Window.
Status is currently undergoing an upgrade.
Expected Time of Completion: 10 days.
-----------------------------
Cael glared at the screen, which had personally insulted him.
"…What?"
"Upgrade?" he repeated slowly. "I haven't even done anything yet!"
In other reincarnation stories, upgrades happened after intense missions, legendary battles, or major achievements.
But him?
He hadn't done anything except struggle to survive.
Cael clicked his tongue and dismissed the screen.
No point thinking about it right now.
Then he remembered something more urgent.
"The date."
He pushed himself up and walked toward the calendar hanging on the wall.
The second he saw it, he froze.
January 15th.
His face turned pale.
"What the f*ck…?"
"I was asleep for two days?"
He stepped out into the hall immediately, determined to find Crispin and demand answers.
Outside, a guard was speaking to Instructor Crispin.
"Thank you for coming on time," the guard said sincerely. "If we were late, that kid would have died."
Crispin answered calmly, "It's my job to protect the next generation."
The guard smiled, ready to respond, but Crispin spoke again.
"By the way… did you find out what caused that massive mana pulse we sensed while running through the forest?"
The guard's expression stiffened.
"Not yet," he admitted. "We're still tracking it. The mages from the Mage Association have been deployed, and they're trying to find the source."
Crispin's eyes narrowed.
"Hopefully they find it," he said quietly.
"Otherwise, that kid will be dragged into a lot of trouble."
Just then, Cael's voice shouted from behind.
"Instructor! Wait—I need to ask something!"
Crispin turned, a slight annoyance on his face.
"What is it? Speak quickly. I still need to prepare for the entrance exam."
Cael immediately blurted out, "Today is January 15th. I went to Claser Village on January 13th… so why have I been asleep for two days?"
Crispin blinked.
"You don't remember?"
Cael shook his head.
"I remember fighting bandits… then going into a cave… and after that…"
His voice slowed. His throat tightened.
He truly remembered nothing.
Crispin frowned.
"A cave?"
"When we found you, you were unconscious on the ground. There was no cave around you."
He studied Cael carefully.
"Maybe after killing three people, you started hallucinating. First time killing someone, right?"
Cael wanted to argue.
But he stopped himself.
Because if the cave truly disappeared, then speaking about it would only bring him trouble.
Especially when the Mage Association was already investigating.
Those people weren't normal.
They would tear him apart if they suspected anything unusual.
So Cael lowered his head and said quietly, "…Maybe you're right."
He then looked up and bowed slightly.
"Instructor… thank you for saving my life."
Crispin chuckled.
"Enough with the thank-yous. First the guards, now you."
"I don't save people for gratitude. I save them because I want to."
He stepped closer, speaking more seriously.
"If you really want to thank me, then become someone who uses his strength to help others."
"Not someone who causes trouble for them."
Cael nodded firmly.
"I will. I definitely will."
After a little more conversation, Cael turned around to return to his room—
But then he paused, remembering something.
"By the way," Cael asked, "how did you find me?"
The guard answered, "The people you stayed behind ran to the city guards and begged us to rescue you."
"Especially that woman. She kept saying you were going to join the academy soon, so we had to act fast."
"And since she mentioned the academy, we were able to bring an instructor with us, too."
Cael nodded slowly, but his mind spun.
How did she know I was going to join the academy?
I'm pretty sure nobody outside the orphanage knows…
Maybe someone from the guild?
But even then…
He was still thinking when—
THUD!
A fist smacked the top of his head.
Cael instantly spun around, furious.
"WHO THE F*CK WAS THA—"
His words died in his throat.
Because the person standing there…
Was the woman he had saved.
She smiled brightly, clasping her hands together, her eyes sparkling like she had been waiting for this moment.
"Hehe…"
"My prince…"