Behind the reinforced glass of the observation room, the instructors of the Hero Academy sat watching the trial unfold.
The room was filled with floating holograms displaying real-time footage of the students as they fought for survival. Names, stats, and battle ratings flickered across the screens, categorizing each participant into ranks based on their performance.
At the center of it all, Headmistress Emilia Valtore stood with her arms crossed, exuding an air of authority. She was a refined woman in her early forties, with neatly tied silver hair and piercing blue eyes that seemed to analyze every movement in the field.
To her right, Kael Duran, the academy's strict disciplinarian instructor, sat with his usual grim expression. His muscular arms were crossed tightly, his sharp golden eyes scanning the students like a hawk. Every now and then, he clicked his tongue in disapproval.
And then—
There was Evan Lorne, the academy's lazy genius instructor.
Unlike Kael, Evan sat slouched in his chair, a cup of coffee in one hand and his legs propped up on the console in front of him. His dark blue hair was messy, his uniform wrinkled as if he had just rolled out of bed.
Kael shot him a glare. "Feet off the panel."
Evan blinked at him. "I'll think about it."
"Now."
"I heard you the first time," Evan yawned, sipping his coffee. "I just don't care."
Kael's brow twitched dangerously, but before he could explode, Emilia intervened.
"Enough," she sighed, rubbing her temples. "Focus on the exam."
Kael exhaled sharply but complied, directing his gaze back to the battlefield. "The next generation is… mediocre at best."
Emilia nodded. "There are a few notable ones, but the majority will need a lot of work."
Evan lazily scrolled through the list of names on his holographic screen. "Let's see… we have Darian Velstera, heir to the Velstera Trading Conglomerate. Strong fire magic, good reflexes, but impatient. Then we've got Lilian Faure, from the Faure family of swordsmen. Good footwork, but overly reliant on her family's technique."
Kael huffed. "These rich kids think their bloodlines will carry them through. Pathetic."
Evan smirked. "Sounds like you're still salty about failing that noble brat a few years ago."
Kael's eye twitched. "He was weak."
"He was also the son of a duke."
"Irrelevant."
"Tell that to the lawsuit the academy had to deal with."
Emilia sighed deeply, resisting the urge to slam her head against the console.
"Can we focus?" she said through gritted teeth.
Evan waved her off and continued scrolling. "Alright, what else do we have? Ooooh, Sienna Redgrave, that red-haired girl with the fire fists. She's got potential. Top-tier combat instinct, strong mana control, but bad stamina management."
Kael nodded approvingly. "She's better than most. If she fixes her endurance issue, she might actually survive outside the walls."
Evan raised an eyebrow. "That's the nicest thing you've ever said about a student."
Kael shot him a glare.
And then—
Evan's finger froze on the screen.
"…Huh?"
"What is it?" Emilia asked, leaning over.
Evan didn't respond immediately. His normally lazy expression shifted slightly—not in alarm, but in genuine confusion.
Kael frowned. "What?"
Wordlessly, Evan enlarged one of the live feeds.
It displayed a single student, seated on a chair at the edge of the battlefield, casually watching as chaos unfolded before him.
The monsters ignored him.
Serian Milsfel.
The name flickered on the screen.
The instructors stared.
"…Is he just… sitting there?" Emilia asked, her eyebrows furrowing.
"Yup," Evan said.
Kael frowned. "Is he frozen in fear?"
Evan zoomed in on Serian's face.
No.
Serian wasn't afraid.
He wasn't panicking like the others, nor did he seem concerned about the monsters running rampant. His violet eyes simply observed, distant and unreadable, as if the entire situation was nothing more than a mildly interesting play.
Emilia's brows furrowed. "Check his records."
Evan pulled up Serian's student profile.
Name: Serian Milsfel
Background: No significant family connections. Orphaned. No prior combat experience.
Predicted Potential: Unknown.
A strange silence filled the room.
Emilia ignored them, her gaze fixated on Serian's face.
"…Look at the monsters," she murmured.
Kael and Evan turned their attention back to the live feed.
And that's when they noticed it.
The monsters that had been rampaging through the battlefield—the vines, the wolves, the beasts—they had all unconsciously veered away from Serian's location.
It wasn't immediate.
It was subtle.
The creatures would move toward his direction only to suddenly change course as if something deep inside them was screaming at them to avoid him.
Kael narrowed his eyes. "What the hell…"
Evan scratched the back of his head. "Well, that's new."
Emilia, for the first time, looked genuinely intrigued.
"Keep an eye on him," she ordered.
Evan smirked. "Oh, don't worry, Headmistress. I think I just found my new favorite student."
Kael scowled. "You don't even know if he has potential."
Evan sipped his coffee. "Kael, Kael, Kael… my dear, uptight colleague…" He leaned back, grinning lazily. "Doesn't he make you just a little curious?"
Kael didn't respond.
Because deep down, despite his strict, no-nonsense nature—
Even he couldn't deny that something about Serian Milsfel was strange.
*****
Serian sighed as he closed his book with a soft thud, brushing off the dust from the cover. He had been observing for a while, watching the humans fight, struggle, and scream as they faced the monsters. It was… interesting, in a way.
Humans were strange. They would fight even when they were weak. They would cry, panic, and still swing their swords and cast their magic. Even when it was obvious they would lose, they continued.
Serian had wondered—were humans weak?
But now, after watching them, he wasn't sure.
Maybe they were just stubborn.
The battle was still ongoing, but Serian had seen enough. He stood up from his chair, tucking his thick book under one arm, and calmly walked across the battlefield.
Chaos surrounded him.
Swords clashed against claws, fireballs exploded, and terrified screams filled the air. Students fought desperately, their movements clumsy and unrefined, their panic evident in every swing of their weapons.
Serian ignored all of it.
His violet eyes locked onto a single target—the alpha wolf.
The massive beast stood tall among its lesser kin, its fur a deep shade of midnight, eyes glowing with mana. Its fangs dripped with saliva, ready to tear apart its next prey.
It was strong.
By human standards, anyway.
As Serian approached, the alpha wolf growled, lowering itself into a stance, muscles tensed, ready to pounce.
The students who had been battling the wolf gasped when they saw Serian walking straight toward it—unarmed.
"W-Wait! You'll get killed!" someone shouted.
Serian barely glanced their way.
Then, without a word, he lifted his book—a thick, leather-bound tome—
And swung it down.
CRACK!
The heavy book slammed against the wolf's skull with a force that sent shockwaves through the air. The sound of bone shattering echoed across the battlefield.
A split second later—
The mana core embedded in the wolf's forehead cracked open, its glow flickering before fading into nothingness.
Silence.
The wolf collapsed with a heavy thud, twitching once before falling still.
The battle-stained students gawked at the sight.
"…What?" someone whispered.
Serian tilted his head, looking down at the now-dead alpha wolf.
He hadn't even used much force.
His violet eyes shifted to the massive dent in his book.
"…This is why I don't use my books for combat," he muttered with a sigh, brushing off the dirt.
Then—
A sudden choked sob broke the silence.
Serian blinked and turned his gaze downward.
In front of him, a small, trembling boy sat frozen on the ground. He had been one of the students fighting the wolf earlier. His wooden sword lay discarded by his side, and his hands clutched at his clothes, shaking uncontrollably.
Tears streamed down his dirt-covered face.
Serian stared.
The boy stared back—his terrified eyes wide and unblinking.
More tears fell.
Serian tilted his head.
Why was he crying?
The boy didn't look injured. Was he in pain? No, humans didn't usually cry just because they were in pain.
Was he scared?
…Of what?
Serian looked at the dead wolf, then back at the crying boy.
Wasn't this good? The wolf was dead. That meant the boy wouldn't die.
So why was he crying?
The boy suddenly hiccupped. His whole body trembled violently, and his breath came in ragged gasps.
Serian frowned.
Was he…broken?
"…What do I do with you?" Serian asked out loud, not expecting an answer.
The boy just sobbed harder.
*****
The instructors had been watching the examination with sharp eyes, analyzing each student's combat ability, mana control, and adaptability. Most of the students were average—some were heirs to noble families, some were trained fighters, and some were just barely scraping by.
Then there was Serian.
Kael, the strict disciplinarian instructor, had been busy marking notes when the alpha wolf collapsed. His pen froze mid-air as he processed what had just happened.
"…Did that boy just kill a high-tier monster with a book?" Kael's voice was slow, cautious as if he himself wasn't sure if he had gone insane.
Next to him, Evan—the lazy genius instructor—leaned forward in his chair, adjusting his glasses. His sharp golden eyes locked onto Serian, who was standing over the dead wolf, book in hand, looking mildly annoyed as if the real tragedy here was his damaged reading material.
Evan smirked.
"I knew books were weapons," he said smugly, crossing his arms. "People laughed at me when I said knowledge was power, but look at that." He gestured dramatically toward Serian. "That's pure education at work."
Headmistress Emilia sighed, rubbing her temples.
"We are not promoting 'books as lethal weapons' to the students, Evan," she said tiredly.
Evan shrugged. "Hey, I didn't tell the kid to do it. He just figured it out on his own."
Kael, meanwhile, was still struggling to process reality.
"He one-shot an alpha wolf," he muttered. "With a book."
"Correction," Evan cut in. "He shattered the mana core with a book corner. That's precision work, Kael. Beautiful technique. Clean execution. I approve."
Kael slowly turned to Evan, face blank.
"…You approve?"
"Absolutely," Evan said with a nod. "That boy understands the true potential of literature. I'd shake his hand if I wasn't afraid he'd use me as a bookmark."
Kael exhaled through his nose. "You're ridiculous."
"I believe the word you're looking for is 'correct,'" Evan corrected.
Meanwhile, Emilia kept staring at Serian, who had zero reaction to the chaos he had caused.
Other students were staring at him in horror. The boy who had been near the wolf was crying his eyes out. Some of the stronger students, who had been showing off before, now looked at Serian with growing wariness.
And Serian?
He just… sighed, dusted off his book, and went back to reading.
Evan was clearly enjoying himself. "Look at him. He's not even interested in the exam. He's bored."
Kael clicked his tongue. "That level of strength… He's clearly been trained. He's probably from some hidden lineage."
"I don't think so," Emilia murmured. "His movements were…natural, effortless. It's like he didn't even try."
Kael frowned. "Then what is he?"
Evan grinned. "A scholar."
Kael groaned.