Morning Disaster: Lightning Alarm Clock
"AAAHHHHHH—!!"
Rayan jolted awake, tangled in his blanket, flailing off the bed like a rolled-up burrito dropped from a shelf.
"I TOLD YOU NOT TO SHOCK ME AWAKE, YEON!"
Yeon, standing shirtless in front of the mirror and flexing with sparkles in his eyes, didn't even flinch. "Don't blame me, blame destiny! You overslept, and I am but destiny's conductor."
"You literally zapped my dreams out of my skull, bro!"
Cezar kicked open the bathroom door, brushing his teeth with a toothpick in his mouth. "Can both of you stop screaming? We already lost our dignity—let's not lose our hearing too."
Tonio poured tea like a calm war general. "The rankings are up today. Prepare yourselves."
Rayan turned pale. "They wouldn't actually drop us to—"
Yeon gasped dramatically. "They better not. I'm royalty. Self-proclaimed, but still!"
Cezar shrugged. "We've been missing for two weeks. We're lucky they didn't expel us."
Rayan grumbled. "Can't believe we saved lives, fought a leviathan, activated a throne—and they're still gonna treat us like interns."
The Wall of Rankings – Commoner Status Confirmed
At the Academy's Ranking Wall, magical plates floated in front of the crowd.
The results flickered into place:
Rayan – Commoner
Yeon – Commoner
Tonio – Commoner
Cezar – Commoner
Silence.
Then laughter.
"Weren't they part of the group that lit up the sky during the Leviathan event?"
"Guess heroism doesn't excuse truancy."
Rayan dramatically dropped to his knees. "NOOOOOOO!"
Yeon joined him. "MY IMAGE—SHATTERED! I WAS MEANT FOR GREATNESS, NOT—PUBLIC LUNCH LINES!"
Tonio walked past them, unbothered. "We're lucky we're even allowed inside."
Cezar casually popped an apple slice in his mouth. "Commoner gang rise up."
Yeon pointed to a squirrel nearby. "Even that rodent outranks me!"
The squirrel chittered and ran off smugly.
1st Period – Alchemical Theory: Ice + Lightning = Instant Regret
Professor Muldrin glared. "Today: elemental infusion. Ice and lightning. Controlled output only. If it explodes, you fail."
Yeon raised a hand. "Professor, does spiritual collapse count as an explosion?"
"No, but it might explain your grades."
Yeon grinned. "Challenge accepted."
Rayan leaned over. "Dude, I got this. Watch. Controlled Lightning-Infused Ice Sphere—"
BOOM!!
The ice exploded, freezing half the classroom—including Muldrin's lunchbox.
"You!" Muldrin shouted.
Yeon raised both hands. "Guilty by inspiration only!"
2nd Period – Combat Simulation: Chaos Squad Returns
Professor Havick towered over the class. "You four again. Group tactics. Prove you're not just legends in your own heads."
He summoned three massive illusion beasts.
"Engage."
Rayan flashed forward using Mobility, slicing one creature with Wind-infused precision. "Let's gooo!"
Yeon jumped mid-air, yelling, "DARK LORD'S FROSTING BARRAGE!!"—and slipped again, crashing straight into Tonio's vines.
Tonio sighed. "You're lucky my Full Resurrection has a cooldown."
Cezar Instant Transmitted behind a beast and punched it in the jaw. "Clean."
Yeon popped out of the vines, upside down. "I'm not even trying yet. This is just the trailer."
Professor Havick crossed his arms. "Still chaotic. But... effective."
Rayan grinned. "We call it strategic disaster."
Lunch – Commoner Cuisine
Their table in the cafeteria was plain, cracked, and questionably sticky.
Yeon squinted at his plate. "Is this… a potato with anxiety?"
Rayan held up his cup. "This is water. I know it's water. But it feels like defeat."
Cezar leaned back, feet on the bench. "Could be worse."
Tonio opened his book. "And it will be."
Rayan leaned toward Yeon. "Bro, remember when I thought this school would be epic? Dragons, treasures, magical hot springs?"
Yeon stabbed his food with melodrama. "Instead, we got assignments and societal rejection."
Meanwhile – A New Arrival in Arcania
Outside Arcania, deep within the black mist of a magical storm, a cloaked figure stepped out of a hellhound-drawn carriage.
He had horns like a crown, crimson eyes glowing with burning curiosity.
A demon general.
He gazed toward the tower of Arcania's Adventurer Academy.
"So this is where they say humanity's strongest resides… The Wandering Hermit."
He cracked his neck.
"I'll find him. Challenge him. Break him."
A small grin spread across his face.
"And if anyone stands in my way, I'll burn through them too."
Dorm Room – Suspicions and Snacks
Yeon sat upside-down again, reading a book labeled "Advanced Self-Glorification."
"I feel a disturbance."
Tonio nodded. "Something dark crossed Arcania's boundary ward."
Rayan looked out the window. "You think it's another Leviathan?"
"No," Tonio said, "this one walks on two legs."
Cezar tapped his claws. "Let them come. I'm bored."
Yeon pointed dramatically. "We'll greet them as legends—disguised as commoners!"
Rayan chuckled. "We're gonna get detention again."
Yeon threw his arms up. "LET IT COME! THE THRONE OF DETENTION IS STILL A THRONE!"
To Be Continued…
Next: Chapter 15 – "The Demon Who Dared"
He comes not for chaos… but for a duel.