In Smothstrat, a busy city located just beside the remote area of Faynapotterz—where the main branch of the Awakened Academy stood—life was always moving fast. Smothstrat was one of the most crowded places in the kingdom, full of factories, tall buildings, and streets packed with people. But hidden among the noise and chaos, there was a building that stood out for a different reason.
It was the head office of the well-known newspaper company, Anastasia Times, also called Anastasia Dailies by the locals. Inside that building, in a quiet personal office on the top floor, a serious meeting was taking place.
A middle-aged man with a short, scruffy beard sat in a big leather chair behind his desk. He wore a dark leather jacket, black pants, and a black hat tilted slightly to the side. His name was Gustov. Two men sat across from him—both dressed in similar jackets, clearly professionals. One had messy green and yellow hair, while the other had neat blonde hair and sharp eyes.
Gustov leaned forward, his fingers laced together. His voice was calm but firm.
"I'll give you ten gold coins. That's the reward—and also your compensation—if something dangerous happens during this mission."
The man with green and yellow hair laughed casually.
"Mr. Gustov, don't you think you're being a little too serious? It's just a job to find an author. We're professional detectives, remember?" he said with a confident grin.
Gustov let out a deep sigh. His face looked tired, as if this job had been bothering him for a while.
"Even so," he said, "I don't think the person who wrote The Future I Saw is just some normal writer. Something about this feels… strange. I only have one piece of information—but it might help you get started."
He opened a drawer and pulled out a folder. Slowly, he handed it to the blonde man.
The blonde man opened it and scanned the page inside. His eyes narrowed slightly as he read aloud.
"So, the copyright of the book is owned by a big company called Imagica Books. That's the same company where the unknown author dropped off the manuscript and asked them to publish it without any promotions?"
He nodded slowly, tapping the paper with his finger.
"This is a good place to start. We need to figure out why they hold the rights not the author… and most importantly, who gave them the original book."
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The sun was at it's peak outside the wide windows of the Awakened Academy, casting an intense golden light into the classroom. It was the last lecture of the day, and the students were feeling tired but curious as their teacher stood at the front, about to share something important.
The teacher, a tall man with short gray hair and a sharp voice, looked around the class with a serious expression.
"Students, from now on," he began, "your theory classes will become fewer. Instead, we'll focus more on practical lessons. That includes magic casting, swordsmanship, spear techniques, and even real monster hunting in the forest."
Murmurs ran through the room. Some students looked nervous, others excited.
He continued, "Also, starting today, duels between students are officially allowed. You can challenge anyone in your class or even from other classes. And it's recommended that you challenge at least one person every week. Winning duels will increase your grade, especially if you defeat someone stronger than you."
Students leaned in with interest. Some were already eyeing their rivals with competitive grins.
The teacher raised his voice slightly. "From now on, you're also allowed to form teams and enter the forest behind the academy to hunt monsters during your free time. But there are rules."
He held up one finger.
"First, your team must not have more than five members. If possible, try to include someone from Class B or C. Second, you can't go too deep into the forest yet. As your skills improve, the academy will allow you to go deeper. This is for your own safety."
The class nodded, listening closely.
"Next, when you defeat a monster, you'll earn credit points. These points can be exchanged for essence stones, magic knowledge, or even weapons. But to earn the points, you need to bring back the monster's body as proof. If it's too big to carry, just mark the location and report it to the academy."
Some students whispered to each other, imagining what kind of monsters they would fight and what they could buy with the points.
Then, the teacher took a deep breath and made one final announcement.
"And now, the most important part. Tomorrow morning, all of you will be entering something called... an illusory inheritance."
A few students blinked in confusion. "What's that?" someone asked aloud.
The teacher explained, "An inheritance is like a trial left behind by powerful people or beings—humans, elves, dragons, and others. Some of these trials can be extremely dangerous and kill hundreds. But don't worry. The one we'll visit has already been explored and copied."
He paused before adding, "It's a special type—a dream-like world that feels real but is actually an illusion. You won't die for real if you die inside."
The class let out a long sigh of relief.
"However," the teacher warned, "the pain will still feel real. The fear, the stress, even the moment of dying—it will all feel exactly like it does in reality."
Students' faces turned serious. Some were clearly frightened, others looked more determined.
"This will be your only time experiencing an illusory inheritance because inheritance are very rare and extremely hard to find and replicating it is even harder," he said firmly. "After tommorow, your life will be in your own hands. Once you step into real inheritance trials, Dungeon or fight demons in the future, many of you will face true danger. Especially students from Class B and Class C. Many won't make it to their second or third year. Some drop out because of fear."
With the announcement finally over, the class came to an end. The moment the teacher stepped out of the room, a loud buzz of chatter filled the air. Students began talking excitedly, moving around, and even starting to form teams for future hunts and challenges.
"We should also form a team!" Sylvania said with a hopeful smile, turning to Ethan and the others.
Ethan nodded, thinking for a second. "Then it'll be me, Sylvania, Violet, Emma, and Cassandra. Since five is the limit… we can't take Sasha."
"Who even wants her anyway?" Emma muttered with a scoff, folding her arms and looking away.
At the second last seat, Maruti let out a deep breath of relief and leaned back in her chair. "Thank god Kaelith isn't here today… or she would've forced me into her team without even asking."
"I was actually thinking about letting her join our team," Esdeath said casually.
Maruti's eyes went wide as she almost yelled, "What?!"
Esdeath chuckled, holding back laughter. "Pfft… I was joking. Look at your face!"
Maruti groaned and slumped forward a little. "That's not funny…Not funny at all!",
Just then, Valen—the quiet nerd boy with orange hair with round glasses and a strange hobby of collecting book—walked up to Esdeath and Maruti. He opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated, unsure of how to start.
"I know what you're here for," Esdeath said calmly, cutting him off. "You can join our team. Just make sure to do all our assignments without complaints. Oh, and we're keeping it to three members. So don't bring any of your friends, okay?"
Valen's eyes sparkled with happiness. He raised his hand in a salute. "Yes, Lady Boss!"
Maruti looked at him and blinked. "Does he even have friends?" she thought quietly, then decided not to say it out loud. She didn't want to hurt his feelings.
Suddenly, Valen extended his hand for a handshake. "Also… congratulations on getting married. I didn't get a chance to wish you before."
Esdeath nodded and shook his hand. "Thanks."
After that, Valen turned and happily walked back to his seat.
Maruti looked around the classroom, feeling like everything was going well—until her eyes met someone else's. It was Princess Ravenna. She was sitting gracefully, yet her piercing pink eyes were coldly glaring at Maruti like an hungry goddess.
Maruti immediately panicked in her mind. "Fuck! Don't look at me like that!",
Without thinking any further, she jumped to her feet. "I'm leaving!" she blurted and quickly walked out of the class.
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Later, Cassandra had gone off somewhere, and Sylvania went to the library to read. Ethan, Violet, and Emma were taking a relaxing stroll in the academy's peaceful garden. The wind was gentle, and colorful flowers swayed around them.
"I think duels are a great way to get stronger," Ethan said confidently, his hands in his pockets. "Fighting against people with different powers and styles can really help us improve fast."
"I should challenge you then," Violet said with a small smile. "There aren't many students who are strong enough anyway. And since I've used essence stones, I want to see how far I've come."
Emma clapped her hands and grinned. "Me too! I want to try out my new killer move. It's called Mech Touch! You know, when I use it—"
"Wait, stop!" Ethan interrupted quickly. "Don't just tell people your special move. Especially not the details. If someone finds out your weakness, it could be dangerous."
Emma blinked, then nodded in realization. "Ohhh… okay! Got it."
Before they even noticed, Ethan, Violet, and Emma had wandered to the academy's outer hallway. It was a peaceful spot where many stone benches were lined up for students to sit and relax. Thanks to the academy's huge structure, a long shadow covered the area, protecting them from the sun's harsh heat. The air was cool and gentle, and it felt nice just being there.
The three of them sat down and began chatting. The atmosphere was calm and quiet—just a simple moment of peace between friends.
But suddenly—
Splash!
A loud sound echoed as a huge wave of dirty water crashed down straight onto Violet, soaking her completely.
"What the—?!" Violet stood up quickly, her whole body dripping wet. The filthy water stank. It was mixed with green grass, dead leaves, and even bits of fungus. Her hair clung to her face, and her uniform was completely drenched.
Emma gasped and jumped to her feet. "Who did this?!"
Without even thinking, she looked up—and that's when she saw someone's back disappearing over the edge of the rooftop.
"There! On the rooftop! Someone just ran away!" she shouted, pointing upward.
Ethan clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. "This has gone too far… I'll catch that guy!" he growled, stepping back.
With a burst of strength, he jumped up and used air magic to push himself off the ground. His feet stepped on invisible layers of air, and in just a few seconds, he reached the rooftop.
Meanwhile, up on that very rooftop, the student who had poured the water was now in a panic. He stood near a metal door trying to push it open.
"Why won't this thing open?! Damn it!" he yelled, sweating nervously. He had no idea that someone was already on his trail.
What he didn't know was that behind the door, on the stairwell, Esdeath and Maruti were walking down slowly.
"Why are you helping them anyway?" Maruti asked curiously. She noticed earlier that Esdeath had secretly locked the rooftop door.
Esdeath gave a small shrug, not even looking back. "I hate these kinds of side stories. So much running around, chasing someone, wasting time....it would have been good if they only wasted their own time but soon they start their idiotic investigation, Questions and following thinking themselves as some great directive, And of course their prime suspect would be me."
"It'll be too annoying, So tet's just wrap this up fast."
Maruti smiled. "Yeah, I get that."
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Back on the rooftop…
The door still wouldn't open. The culprit kept pulling on the handle, his panic growing by the second.
But then—grab!
A hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder from behind.
"Wha—?!" he turned in shock, only to be punched twice in the gut and the face.
It was Ethan.
The student collapsed on the floor, groaning and holding his stomach.
Ethan stood over him, his eyes full of anger. "Tell me, Why did you do it?!"