Noah adjusted his hood as he walked the familiar streets leading to the Hunter Academy. His new life had slotted him into a world of struggles that mirrored his old one but lacked the glory of his former status. The academy had been his second home before his transmigration, but the memories tied to it weren't his own—they belonged to the Noah who came before.
The old Noah had been unremarkable: a low-level hunter who struggled to pay for tuition and barely scraped by. With two younger brothers and a single mother barely making ends meet, the burden had been suffocating. The previous Noah had worked part-time jobs, exhausting himself just to remain in the academy.
The irony wasn't lost on him. **"A different world, the same chains,"** Kaelen muttered under his breath.
But this time, he wasn't the same powerless boy. **Kaelen was here now, and this world would bow to him.**
---
### **Unexpected Encounters**
The towering gates of the academy loomed before him. As he walked through them, a group of students glanced in his direction. Whispers and furtive looks followed him, but he ignored them, his mind preoccupied with concealing his vampiric traits.
"Noah!" a familiar voice called out, stopping him mid-step.
He turned to see **Liam** and **Sophia**, two of his former classmates, approaching him. They looked puzzled, their expressions a mixture of curiosity and suspicion.
"You're... different," Liam said, narrowing his eyes.
Sophia tilted her head. "It's weird. You're walking like you're someone else entirely. Did something happen?"
Noah smirked inwardly but kept his expression neutral. **"They've noticed already. These people are more perceptive than I thought."**
"I've just had a lot on my mind," Noah replied nonchalantly. "Things change."
"Change?" Liam scoffed. "You disappear for a week, and suddenly you're acting like you're some big shot? What happened to the guy who could barely kill a basic monster?"
Sophia's eyes scanned him more closely. "He's right. You seem... sharper. Stronger, even. Did you finally figure something out?"
Noah's smirk deepened. **"Let's see how they react to this."**
"I killed a dungeon guardian," he said, his tone casual.
The air grew still.
"You what?" Liam's voice rose, disbelief etched into every syllable.
"A dungeon guardian?" Sophia repeated, her face paling. "Are you joking? You—someone who couldn't even pass the last field exam—killed a dungeon guardian?"
Noah folded his arms and leaned against a nearby wall, enjoying their reactions. "You heard me. Took it down myself."
---
Their stares grew more intense, and Noah could almost hear their thoughts racing. Dungeon guardians were known to be formidable adversaries, even for seasoned hunters. For someone like the old Noah—a struggling, average hunter—to claim such a victory was absurd.
"That's impossible," Liam said, shaking his head. "You're lying. There's no way you could've done that."
Sophia, however, was silent. Her eyes were locked on him, searching for cracks in his story.
"What proof do you have?" she asked.
Noah shrugged. "I didn't think I needed to keep a trophy for you to believe me. But if you want proof, why don't you come with me to a dungeon? I'll show you what I can do now."
Liam's face twisted with doubt, but Sophia's gaze hardened. She wasn't entirely convinced, but the confidence in Noah's voice unsettled her.
"You're serious," she said finally.
"Dead serious," Noah replied.
---
Word spread faster than Noah anticipated. By the end of the day, nearly everyone in his class had heard the claim.
"Did you hear? Noah Alaric says he killed a dungeon guardian!"
"No way. That guy's a weakling. He couldn't even handle a pack of goblins last month."
"But he's acting different. Like, really different. He's not the same guy anymore."
Noah remained calm as the rumors swirled, but internally, he smirked. "Let them talk. The more they underestimate me, the easier it will be to rise above them."
---
Later that evening, Noah found himself alone on the academy's training grounds. The moonlight bathed the area in a pale glow, and the air buzzed faintly with residual mana.
He drew his sword and stared at it, its sleek blade glinting ominously. This weapon had been his companion in his previous life, a tool that had brought countless enemies to their knees.
Yet now, in this world, it felt unfamiliar. His movements, while fluid and practiced, lacked the sharp precision they once had. The standards of this world demanded more than his prior experience could deliver.
"This world has raised the bar,"Noah muttered, gripping the hilt tightly. "Then I'll raise myself to match it."
He swung the blade in deliberate arcs, his focus unwavering. Each strike resonated with mana, but it wasn't enough. **Sword Mastery**, a skill he had once taken for granted, now required painstaking effort to improve.
His frustration bubbled to the surface, but he quelled it with a deep breath. This wasn't a setback—it was a challenge.
"Let them doubt me," Noah thought."Let them think I'm still weak. By the time they realize what I am, it'll be far too late."
---
As Noah sheathed his sword and prepared to leave, a figure stepped out from the shadows. It was Sophia.
"You're not lying, are you?" she asked quietly.
Noah tilted his head, feigning confusion. "About what?"
"The dungeon guardian," she said. "You really killed it, didn't you?"
Noah smirked. "Believe whatever you want, Sophia. It doesn't change what happened."
She studied him for a moment, then nodded. "If that's true, then you've changed more than I thought."
Without another word, she turned and walked away, leaving Noah alone under the moonlight.
As he watched her retreating figure, a thought crossed his mind: **"This world's rules will bend to my will. It's only a matter of time."**