Lucas opened his eyes and immediately noticed the unfamiliar white ceiling above him, while the cool morning air drifting through the window carried the distant sounds of students talking somewhere outside. For a moment he stayed still, trying to understand where he was, because the room around him looked nothing like his apartment.
There was a wooden desk beside the bed, a suitcase placed neatly near the wall, and several textbooks stacked near a laptop that clearly didn't belong to him. Confused, Lucas slowly sat up and looked around the dorm room, feeling an uneasy sensation creeping into his mind.
Then his eyes landed on a letter resting on the desk.
The words printed on it made his heart stop.
Belgrave University — Admission Confirmation
Lucas stared at the letter for several seconds before suddenly jumping out of bed and rushing toward the mirror on the wall. The reflection staring back at him made him freeze completely because the face he saw was not the one he had lived with his entire life.
"This… isn't my body."
Before he could process what was happening, a familiar blue glow appeared in front of his eyes.
A translucent window materialized in the air.
SYSTEM WINDOW
Name: Lucas Hale
Level: 1
Rank: Novice
Class: None
STR: 7
AGI: 8
INT: 12
VIT: 9
Mana: 40
Lucas stared at the floating interface in silence as the realization slowly settled in his mind. Somehow he had died, yet instead of disappearing completely, he had awakened inside another body at Belgrave University, the very same place where the events of The Order would soon begin.
After a few seconds of shock, a faint smile appeared on his face.
"If this world really contains magic… then I'm not wasting this chance."
His eyes sharpened as he clenched his fist.
"I'll become the strongest mage this world has ever seen."