Lucas returned to his dorm later that afternoon with a calm expression, but his mind was far from relaxed. The events of the day replayed repeatedly in his thoughts — waking up in a new body, discovering the system, clearing a dungeon beneath the History Building, and then witnessing Alyssa Drake practicing magic in a quiet courtyard.
For someone who had only been in this world for less than a day, things had already escalated quickly.
He closed the dorm room door behind him and sat down at the desk near the window. Outside, the campus of Belgrave University looked peaceful as the late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the pathways where students were walking back to their dorms.
But Lucas now understood that the calm atmosphere was an illusion.
Hidden within the grounds of The Order was a supernatural world filled with powerful magic users and ancient secrets.
And he had just taken his first step into it.
Lucas leaned back slightly and focused his mind.
"Status."
The system immediately responded.
Ding! Status Window Opened.
His current information appeared clearly in his mind.
Name: Lucas HaleLevel: 3Class: None
Strength: 7Agility: 8Intelligence: 14Vitality: 9
Mana: 40
Lucas studied the numbers carefully.
His Intelligence had already increased slightly from the earlier quest, which explained why controlling the Mana Bolt spell had felt easier during the fight with the Ritual Guardian.
"Still pretty weak though," he muttered.
Level three might be impressive for someone who had just awakened the system, but compared to the powerful magic users hiding inside Belgrave, it was barely the beginning.
Lucas closed the status window.
Then he focused on the other ability he had gained.
"Mana Sense."
The moment he activated it, the invisible currents of magical energy surrounding him became noticeable again. The skill was still weak, but he could clearly feel several mana signatures scattered throughout the dorm building.
Most of them were extremely faint.
Normal students.
But a few were stronger.
Lucas slowly turned his head toward the hallway outside his room.
Two mana signatures were moving toward the stairwell.
One of them felt familiar.
A few seconds later, voices echoed faintly through the hallway.
"…I'm telling you, the food here is way better than the place I visited last year," someone said.
Lucas immediately recognized the voice.
The dorm door opened and two students walked past.
One of them was Jack Morton.
Lucas leaned slightly toward the door, listening.
Jack was talking casually with another student while carrying a small bag of takeout food.
"…anyway, if you're hungry later, you should come with us," Jack said to his friend. "Some people are meeting near the courtyard tonight."
Lucas's attention sharpened slightly.
Courtyard.
That was interesting.
He waited until the footsteps faded down the hallway before standing up.
"If something's happening tonight, there's a chance it's connected to the Order," he thought.
Even though Jack himself didn't fully understand the supernatural world at the beginning of the story, many important events in Belgrave seemed to happen around him.
Following that lead could be useful.
Lucas grabbed his jacket and left the dorm.
The evening air was cool as Lucas walked across campus. The sky had begun turning orange as the sun slowly moved toward the horizon, and most students were either heading toward the cafeteria or gathering in small groups outside.
Lucas activated Mana Sense again.
Immediately he noticed something unusual.
The magical energy around the campus felt slightly stronger than before.
More importantly, several mana signatures were moving toward the same location.
The courtyard.
Lucas followed the direction calmly.
By the time he arrived, the sun had almost completely disappeared behind the tall university buildings. A few students were already gathered near the stone benches scattered around the courtyard.
Jack Morton was there.
So were several others Lucas recognized from the show.
They were talking casually, but Lucas noticed something important immediately.
The mana around them felt different.
Hidden.
Suppressed.
Lucas leaned against a nearby pillar and observed quietly.
A few minutes later, someone else entered the courtyard.
It was Alyssa Drake again.
The moment she arrived, the atmosphere changed slightly.
The group stopped talking.
Lucas watched closely as Alyssa looked around the courtyard, her gaze briefly passing over him before returning to the others.
"Everyone's here?" she asked calmly.
One of the students nodded.
Lucas's curiosity grew.
This didn't look like a normal student gathering.
Alyssa stepped forward slightly.
"Then we can begin."
Lucas narrowed his eyes.
Begin what?
A faint pulse of mana spread through the courtyard as Alyssa raised her hand slightly.
The students around her focused their attention on her movements.
Lucas could already guess what was happening.
A small magical demonstration.
Or maybe something more important.
The air in the courtyard suddenly felt heavier as the magical energy gathered around Alyssa's hand.
But before she could continue, Lucas heard the familiar system sound again.
Ding! New Quest Received — Witness the Magic of the Order.
Lucas smiled slightly.
"So that's why I'm here."
He crossed his arms and continued watching.
Tonight might reveal more about the hidden world of Belgrave than anything he had seen so far.
And Lucas had every intention of learning as much as possible.