Chapter 1:
The city of Kaizen was a place of extremes—where the wealthy lived in towering skyscrapers and the poor struggled in the slums below.
In a cramped, one-room apartment, a boy sat at a rickety wooden table, his sharp black eyes scanning through a thick mathematics textbook.
Rei Kurogane.
Numbers and formulas filled the pages, but he didn't need to study them.
He had already memorized them all.
A Mind Like No Other
Rei had never attended a real school.
Not because he was unqualified—but because he didn't need to.
His mother, Haruka Kurogane, had taught him the basics when he was younger. But by the time he was seven, he had already surpassed what most students learned in high school.
By ten, he could calculate complex physics problems instantly.By twelve, he was reading advanced engineering and medical books for fun.By fifteen, he had mastered multiple fields of study—mathematics, chess, economics, and more.
But none of it mattered.
Because no matter how much of a genius he was, he was still weak.
And in a world that valued strength over intellect, his abilities meant nothing.
The Burden of Responsibility
Rei lived with his mother and younger sister, Mina.
Their father had disappeared years ago, leaving Haruka to work three jobs just to keep a roof over their heads.
Rei could see it in her tired eyes, the slight tremble in her hands when she came home late.
He hated it.
He hated feeling helpless.
That's why he had only one goal—to enter Aether Academy.
Aether Academy – The Path to a New Life
Aether Academy wasn't just a school.
It was the most prestigious institution in the country—a place where only the top 1% of students were accepted.
But it wasn't just about academics.
The academy only accepted students who were the best in their field—whether it was martial arts, sports, strategy, engineering, or other exceptional talents.
Getting in meant a guaranteed future.
Full scholarships, elite connections, and access to the most powerful figures in the country.
For someone like Rei, it was his only chance to change his family's fate.
But there was a problem.
Aether Academy didn't just test knowledge. It tested everything.
And Rei, despite being a genius, had nothing to offer in physical ability.
Chapter 2: The Sight That Sees Everything
Ever since he was young, Rei had noticed something strange about himself.
It wasn't just his intelligence. It was his vision.
He could see tiny details no one else noticed. He could predict a person's movement just by their posture. He could memorize entire pages of books after just one glance.
But he never understood why.
And it always left him wondering.
Incident 1: The Streetlight and the Mugger
One evening, Rei and his mother walked home from a late-night grocery run.
It was past midnight. The streets were quiet.
That's when Rei noticed a man standing nearby.
Something felt… wrong.
His eyes kept flickering toward his mother's purse. His shoulders tensed slightly before every step. His right hand twitched toward his jacket pocket.
Rei's heart pounded.
"Mom, move to the left," he whispered.
Haruka frowned. "Rei, what are you—"
The man lunged.
But Haruka had unknowingly stepped just far enough away that the mugger's grab missed.
The attacker stumbled.
Right then, a streetlight flickered overhead.
Rei had seen that light flicker before. The delay between flickers was exactly 0.8 seconds.
So he angled their grocery bag toward the light's reflection—blinding the mugger for just a moment.
That second was enough. A security guard down the street noticed the struggle and shouted.
The mugger cursed and ran.
Haruka turned to Rei, eyes wide.
"How…?"
"I don't know," Rei muttered. "I just… saw it."
He wasn't lying.
He had seen it before it happened.
But how?
Incident 2: The Chess Hustler
Mina loved watching street chess games.
One day, she begged Rei to play against a well-known hustler.
"I don't really play," Rei sighed.
The old man smirked. "Then let's make it interesting."
Rei sat down.
The game began.
And immediately, Rei's mind kicked into overdrive.
The man's fingers twitched before every move. His eyes flickered to Rei's side of the board before setting a trap. His breathing slowed when he had an advantage.
Rei didn't think. He just saw.
Within five minutes, he moved his queen.
"Checkmate."
The old man froze.
Mina's jaw dropped.
"You don't even play chess!" she gasped.
Rei frowned. Why did everything feel so obvious to him?
🔹 Chapter End Hook: He never understood why he could see things so clearly. But soon, he would.
Chapter 3: The Call to Aether Academy
A letter arrived.
Rei sat at the table, staring at the Aether Academy Acceptance Letter.
His mother, Haruka, hesitated. "Are you sure about this?"
Rei clenched his fists.
"I have to do this."
This was his only chance.
To get a scholarship.To take care of his family.To prove that intelligence could rival strength.
But he was walking into a school where only the strongest survived.
And he was the weakest of them all.