Hastora's eyes widened as he stared at the screen.
"Nonconformity?" he murmured.
A species he'd never heard of—certainly nothing he'd ever created in his stories.
Could it be… a change in his story?
If that were true, then this was a big problem.
This wasn't just bad—
It was a disaster in the making.
Hastora paced from the kitchen to the living room, stroking his chin.
"What am I supposed to do?"
"This is far more troublesome than I imagined."
Mid-pace, his eyes fell upon a bag resting on the bed.
"What's inside?"
Curiosity bloomed in his chest.
He picked up the bag and checked its contents.
"…? What is this?"
Inside, he found an envelope, a small pouch, and a smartphone tucked neatly together.
He pulled them out one by one.
He opened the envelope.
"…This."
An acceptance letter to Velmora Grand Academy.
The most prestigious academy in the Eldoria Empire.
An academy brimming with magic.
Those who graduated earned the respect of the entire empire.
Renowned instructors and professors taught there.
So, the boy whose body he now inhabited…
"A genius."
There was no denying it—only someone with remarkable talent could be accepted into Velmora Grand Academy.
That was good.
"I can grow stronger at the academy."
"No one can bother me there. Not even the family of the person whose body I've usurped."
He put the letter back in the envelope and slipped it into his pocket.
"Now, what should I do to become stronger?"
"The Velmora Grand Academy entrance exam is in a few days."
"I need more power—fast."
He paused, exhaling slowly.
"Let's see what magic I've got."
"Magic Status."
A screen appeared before him.
[Magic: •Dark Manipulation •Flamma Infernus]
"Only two?"
This number was too few.
However, there was one incredibly dangerous magic.
Flamma Infernus.
An extremely dangerous epic-level magic.
But its power entirely depended on the user.
With low mana, it was no more than a flicker—
And that was the fatal flaw.
It was because Hastora's mana was too low.
Besides that, he only had two magics.
That was a critical weakness.
Even, a fatal one.
He could still fight with a sword—
Something he'd learned long ago from his master.
He could utilize his sword skills in battle.
However, that wasn't enough.
He needed something that could increase his mana many times over.
But what?
Suddenly, a place flashed in his mind.
"Nihility Collapse..."
A forbidden dimension, cloaked in secrecy—unknown to all but the rarest few.
A truly chaotic realm.
Time unravels, logic crumbles, and even causality descends into madness.
Just by entering it, one could grow exponentially stronger.
Both mana and physical strength would increase drastically.
But… he had to do something a little extreme to achieve it.
Indeed,
"All I need to do is enter that dimension, then return. Nothing else."
Hastora took the small pouch he'd retrieved from the bag earlier.
He opened it.
"Ten thousand gold coins?"
He blinked.
How—or why—was this even here?
But one thing was clear—this body belonged to someone wealthy.
"No wonder he could get into Velmora Grand Academy. Maybe he bribed his way in?"
It was impossible for him to get in with only one magic.
Hastora had only acquired Flamma Infernus immediately after his transmigration.
The only magic he previously possessed was control over darkness, nothing else.
In fact, the mana he possessed was also very small, maybe he could only unleash 5 attacks using control over darkness.
With abilities like this, it was impossible for him to enter Velmora Grand Academy without bribing his way in.
However, that wasn't bad either.
Now that this body belonged to Hastora, he could do as he pleased with it.
"I shouldn't waste time here."
He donned a long black coat and half-finger gloves, then left the apartment.
He had to go to Nihility Collapse as soon as possible.
Otherwise, it would be a little complicated.
His body was weak, his mana was low, he couldn't survive more than 5 days with such weak power.
"Hmmm.... Where am I now, huh?"
He stopped.
Then unlocked his smartphone and checked the internet.
"Vel Arcanum?"
It was one of the largest cities in the Eldoria Empire.
Located to the west, a few hundred meters from the capital.
But his destination wasn't here.
To reach Nihility Collapse, he first needed to get to Solvareth—the imperial capital.
It was far, but there was no other choice.
He went to the station, then boarded the bullet train.
Vel Arcanum and Solvareth themselves were 900km apart.
It would take at least 3 hours for him to arrive there.
Long, but not too long either.
That was normal.
---
The bullet train stopped at the next station after running for 3 hours.
He got off, then walked towards the beach.
Once there, he went to a rental shop and bought diving gear.
After finishing paying, he rested for a while under a coconut tree.
He was tired.
His body was too weak.
Even just riding the bullet train almost made him faint.
After resting for 5 minutes, he stood up and put on his diving gear.
He ran, then jumped into the sea.
The seawater was neither hot nor cold.
The water was clear and unpolluted.
He could see schools of fish swimming nearby.
Some were brightly colored, striped, and orange.
He swam faster.
It didn't take long for him to reach the seabed.
He swam among the coral reefs before swimming into a water cave.
It was tight.
If he weren't so thin, he might not be able to get through it.
His efforts paid off.
The cave looked dimly lit by the light of crystals after he entered.
A faint glow emanated from the crystals growing on the ceiling, gently reflecting on the surface of the stones.
The walls were rough and damp, filled with natural lines like the marks of time.
Thin moss covered some parts, adding a touch of green to the blue shadows.
In the center, there was a small pool.
The water was bright blue, almost luminous.
He removed his respirator.
The air inside was rich with oxygen.
He took a deep breath—cool, crisp, and pure.
Seawater could not enter here; this cave blocked the seawater from entering.
He stepped towards the pool of water in front of him.
It wasn't just a pool—
It was a gate.
A secret passage to another dimension.
To be continued in the next chapter…
---
A/N:
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Over and out, Zalario