PoV Kelvin
It had been one week since the Anomaly Portal incident at the academy, and the last student who was supposed to enroll had still not shown up.
Hearing that Fajar hadn't entered the academy even after a week had passed made me uneasy. I felt that my return to the past had changed many things. While significant events hadn't shifted, small occurrences like this still occupied my mind.
And sure enough, all of those unsettling feelings were confirmed by the news delivered by our homeroom teacher.
"It seems that all students are settled in their seats. I have something important to share with you all. You should know that one student did not enter our class today—yes, that's right, our top student, Fajar, has begun the test to enter the Tower today. While we have no news yet about whether he has passed, many teachers believe he can easily succeed in entering the Tower. So, let this motivate you to practice hard so that you can also take the Tower entrance test in three months."
'Th-That monster has entered the dungeon? Don't tell me—the reason he didn't come to school this time was to enter the Tower? If that's the case, he must have encountered the creature's offspring!'
So this is the bad feeling I sensed earlier. If this happens, all future events will undoubtedly change completely, and my return to the past will have no meaningful impact at all.
'It seems I can't relax at all this time; I need to quickly recover all my strength.'
"And because of that news, the principal has declared today a free day for all students until dismissal. You are free to attend classes or skip them for the day, so enjoy yourselves!"
After the announcement, the homeroom teacher left, and immediately the students rushed out of the classroom, heading to the cafeteria and sports field.
'It seems like the God who bestowed them with talent gave them a harsh warning with such a sudden change in the future.'
I got up from my chair and headed to a spot where no students were gathered.
...
The only empty space was the training field; all the other students were enjoying their free day, and none ventured to practice.
I picked up the wooden sword lying on the side of the field and began to recall all the basic movements of the Heavenly Emperor sword technique that I used to practice.
'Let's start with the initial movements.'
Getting into the starting stance, I quickly realized my legs were already shaking.
"As expected, my stamina isn't sufficient to maintain the stance of the Heavenly Emperor Technique."
After placing the wooden sword back in its spot, I started running around the training field until noon, and I kept moving my upper body until the clock showed 2 PM.
"It's already 2 o'clock. It seems I missed lunch. I hope they still have some bread and soup left for me."
[You have completed the first hard training without falling unconscious.]
[You are awarded a 30% increase in all stats and the title "Never Give Up."]
[Title: Never Give Up – Increases your stamina by 100% and boosts stamina recovery rate by 250%.]
[Title deactivated. Enter the Tower to activate the title.]
"So it's true; titles obtained outside the Tower can't be properly activated until you enter it. That means I need to get into the Tower quickly."
Leaving the training ground, I made my way to the academy cafeteria.
...
"It's already 2 o'clock. It's no wonder the cafeteria is quiet; most students head home right at noon. Am I the only one left in the academy right now?"
As I walked deeper into the cafeteria, I unexpectedly ran into some teachers who were having lunch. They seemed to be discussing something, and when they noticed me entering, all the teachers looked at me in confusion.
"You, Kelvin? Right? What are you doing here?"
The Counseling Teacher recognized all the students because he possessed a special core called Appraisal, an ability that allowed him to see other people's statuses. He could assess all the statistics of those he looked at and was the first person to notice something unusual about Fajar when he emerged from the Tower in my previous life.
"Oh, did you get your first title? You must have worked hard for it! As a celebration for earning your title, I'll buy you any food you want. You haven't eaten since morning, right?"
Hearing the Counseling Teacher's words, the other teachers looked a bit surprised; it was quite rare for a student to acquire their first title before entering the Tower.
"Title, huh? It's quite unusual for someone to obtain a title outside the Tower."
The Arts and Culture teacher joined the conversation.
"It is indeed rare to acquire a new title while still in the academy, but many students already possess titles before they even enter. The highest number of titles held by a student at the time of entering the academy is 17."
All the teachers nodded in agreement with the History Teacher's statement.
"If I may ask, what title did you receive? If you prefer not to share, that's perfectly fine. Are you interested in martial arts?"
I was quite surprised by the sports teacher's question, as he was known for being tough and somewhat stingy with students at the academy.
"The title is called 'Never Give Up.' It increases my stamina and boosts my stamina recovery rate by 2x. But what do you mean by martial arts?" I replied slowly.
"Yes, do you know the martial art known as the 17 Buddha Strikes?"
Hearing the name of the martial arts technique, I could hardly believe it. The technique, rumored to be a lost sacred Buddhist art, was claimed to be possessed by the sports teacher of Omega Enfield Academy. At the mention of the technique, I hesitated to respond, but in that moment, I officially became the personal disciple of the sports teacher.