"Ding-dong—"
The pleasant chime of the school bell echoed through the modern, open-style high-rise buildings, filling the campus with the lively hum of students.
One by one, uniform-clad students streamed out of the school buildings. Some chatted and laughed with friends, while others hurried off, their energetic figures weaving through the walkways.
Kaiser blended into the crowd seamlessly, indistinguishable from any other student.
That was because, at this moment, he truly was a student of this academy—dressed in the same uniform and appearing years younger than before.
Now, Kaiser looked like a seventeen or eighteen-year-old high schooler, his youthful body striding through the lush, green pathways with a vigor he hadn't felt in years.
"...Didn't expect to get this kind of perk from entering a fantasy world."
Kaiser found it amusing, running a hand over his face. His skin was smooth, full of collagen, completely free of the slightest blemish or oiliness.
As he marveled at the changes, he took a moment to sort through his situation.
"There's no doubt about it—I'm in Asterisk now."
Asterisk—more formally known as the Hexahedron.
A massive artificial floating city, built atop an enormous impact crater lake, its shape was a perfect hexagon, true to its name.
Its official title was Rikka, and it had been constructed by the Integrated Enterprise Foundation for one singular purpose—dueling.
Of course, dueling here wasn't about playing cards like a certain Duel Monsters world. These were real, weaponized combat tournaments, fought with actual weapons in high-intensity battles.
In this world, the ultimate tournament—the Festa—was a globally renowned combat spectacle, with the largest fanbase in the world. It was not just a sport but an event that profoundly influenced the global economy.
Asterisk existed as the stage for the Festa, and also as the primary training ground for its competitors.
According to the Festa's regulations, only Genestella between the ages of 13 and 22 were eligible to participate.
And since all eligible competitors fell within that age range, nearly all of them were students.
Thus, within this artificial city, six elite academies had been established to train these future champions. Each academy had middle school, high school, and university divisions, covering all Genestella between 13 and 22 years old.
"And the academy I'm in right now is Seidoukan Academy."
Seidoukan was not only one of the six major academies, but also the central stage where the main characters of The Asterisk War were active.
According to the life experience he had drawn, Kaiser was now a first-year student in Seidoukan's high school division.
His reason for coming to Asterisk?
To compete in the Festa.
Nothing special about that.
After all, seven or eight out of every ten students in Asterisk had the same goal.
The remaining two or three? They had their own unique reasons for being here.
Kaiser was simply one of the many who wanted to compete—nothing remarkable at all.
"Looks like I didn't get a protagonist-tier background."
Kaiser thought this with mild amusement.
According to his assigned role, his strength was only average within Seidoukan Academy.
Not weak enough to be bottom-tier, but also nowhere near the level of a Festa-worthy elite.
Completely mediocre.
But honestly—that was fine by him.
"Jumping straight to the top would be nice and all, but that wouldn't be very realistic."
As he walked, Kaiser arrived at a quiet corner of the courtyard.
The area was sparsely populated, with a small pavilion standing amidst a grassy field and flower beds.
Aside from the occasional silhouette of students passing in the distance, the place was almost deserted.
Stepping into the pavilion, Kaiser stretched his body lightly.
"Hmm… my physical capabilities really are much stronger now."
He could feel it—his body wasn't just younger.
It was faster, stronger, sharper.
"With just this level of physique, I could easily break multiple world records back in the real world… but here, I'm just average?"
He couldn't help but sigh.
"So this is what it means to be Genestella?"
As the teacher had explained in class, following the Invertia disaster in the 20th century, humanity had discovered Mana—a previously unknown element from the meteor fragments.
This discovery propelled technological advancements and gave rise to a new breed of humans—Genestella.
Enhanced by Mana, Genestella possessed physical abilities vastly superior to normal humans, along with access to a unique energy called Prana.
Prana not only boosted their attack and defense, but also provided a significant increase in durability, making them far more resilient than ordinary people.
Ever since arriving in this world, Kaiser could constantly feel this energy flowing within him.
Just like he had in the classroom earlier, he now consciously activated this power.
"Zing—"
Like dancing stardust, shimmering streams of light enveloped his entire body.
Watching the radiant spectacle around him, Kaiser clenched his fist, feeling the change firsthand.
"If I took a bullet right now, I'd probably only feel a slight impact—not even a scratch."
And this was only the strength of an average Seidoukan student?
The truly powerful Genestella must be on an entirely different level.
For Kaiser, this was already a satisfying gift.
"Too bad this kind of perk only happens once."
This ability boost was a one-time benefit, granted only during his first-ever life experience.
A hidden "starter bonus", so to speak.
But this wouldn't happen again for future experiences.
"If I had drawn a life with an overpowered protagonist, wouldn't I be unstoppable right now?"
Thinking about it, Kaiser doubted it would have been that easy.
After all, if the Fantasy Library truly sought to make these worlds real, it wouldn't allow anything too unbalanced to exist.
His guess?
Even though the selection process was random, it was still influenced by the Librarian's own abilities.
If a Librarian was already insanely strong, then they'd have a higher chance of landing an overpowered role.
Conversely, if they were weaker, they'd be more likely to get a humble, even tragic start.
"And with the strength I have now… making this experience 'exciting' is going to be a challenge."
Kaiser fell into thought.
The Fantasy Library had made one thing clear:
At the end of a life experience, the Librarian's rewards are based on how 'exciting' their journey was.
In other words—if Kaiser wanted to maximize his rewards, he needed to make this as thrilling as possible.
And what could be more thrilling than competing in the Festa, facing off against the strongest fighters in Asterisk?
But with his current abilities, he'd probably be eliminated in the first round.
"Looks like I'll have to get stronger first."
But how?
Kaiser barely had to think about it—he already knew the answer.
"I need a weapon."
"Something powerful enough… to make me powerful."
Right now, everything about him was mediocre—except for one thing.
Deep within him lay an Authority—an ultimate dominion over all Armament.
A power that could manipulate weapons, armor, and artifacts.
Which meant…
"If I want to get stronger quickly, my best bet is to find a powerful weapon."
And he already had an idea where to start.
But first—he needed to test his ability.
His gaze shifted to his waist.
Attached to his belt was a cloth holster.
Reaching down, Kaiser retrieved a small device from it.
A metallic hilt, embedded with a green gemstone, shaped almost like a sword handle.
"...So this is an Activator?"
Examining it curiously, Kaiser's thoughts stirred.
"Zing!"
In an instant, a long, glowing blade extended from the hilt in his hand.