"Why am I here again?"

I leaned comfortably against the back seat of the car.

Well... actually, I was dragged by force by the Arshif and thrown into the car violently, to the point that one of my back teeth fell out, and then I was forced to go to Akster Academy against my will.

Why didn’t I kill myself?

I mean... oh, ah... I’m not really into suicide, and I don’t prefer dying again.

Why do I feel like the Arshif was sent specifically to destroy my peaceful life and force me to move?

It can’t be that the author sent him... hmm, I don’t think so.

"Haah"

The road to Akster Academy was extremely long.

I would have preferred to travel by plane; it would have been faster, but it was dangerous—someone might target it.

Even though I doubt that anyway... who the hell would target a disabled person like me?

I sighed while staring out the window, as the scenery around me changed quickly.

The design was strange; a mix between the Victorian era and the modern era.

And although I had seen it before through a computer screen, seeing it in such a realistic way gave me a somewhat strange feeling.

After a while, I put on the glasses. I was getting bored, and I hadn’t had time before to check what kind of inheritance I had obtained. Since I wouldn’t be arriving soon... let’s explore it.

And as soon as I put on the glasses, a notification appeared in front of me, which surprised me a little before I pressed it.

[Main Mission]

Obtain the inheritance of the founder of the Stitlas family, Lord Drak Stitlas, and obtain 150 transcendence points.

"Huh... if it’s the founder..."

I muttered softly before sighing. "Well... that explains some things. But what a miserable life he lived."

There was no real mention of him when I was working on designing the game with the development team, except for one fact:

that he was the strongest human in history.

And that was all I knew about him.

As for the rest... the author didn’t talk much about him.

I then entered the designed story interface, and as soon as a moment passed, my stats appeared in front of me.

Host Name: Nero the Stateless

Class: Swordsman

Proficiency: Great

Rank: Novice (F → F+)

Strength: F → F+

Agility: F → F+

Stamina: G- → F

Speed: F → F+

Mana: G +→ F

Magic: G- 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Combat Path: None

Skills: [Fog Forms] King-class

You can change your form into anyone you kill, after extracting their fog, and small parts of their memories are transferred to you. Do not overuse it... you may lose yourself.

Affinity: [Lightning] [Earth]

Talents: [Telekinesis]

Inheritance: [The Last Traveler] Class: (?)

Warning: Not recommended for use. You are extremely weak, unless you want to die instantly and turn into an old man.

"...I lived another person’s life... suffered like him, and didn’t even get enough sleep... and in the end, it was all meaningless."

What a miserable life.

But my bad feeling didn’t last long.

My rank had increased slightly, and that alone was enough to calm me down a bit.

Well... I can’t do anything now.

If that’s the case, I’ll use it in the future... that is, if I stay alive until then.

After that, I tried to raise my competence to the legendary level, but I didn’t have enough points.

I needed at least a thousand points, or something close to that, which made me feel a slight discomfort.

But when I checked the system again, a new idea came to mind:

not to waste any transcendence points no matter how many there were... even if my life was at stake.

No... rather, if that happened, I would use them all without hesitation.

And the reason that made me think about keeping it was the first major event that would occur one month after the start of the academy arc... or perhaps two months, I wasn’t entirely sure about the exact date.

But the timing didn’t matter as much as what would happen in it.

When the Iteran Organization begins infiltrating the academy in search of the Forgotten Relic... things will turn into a real disaster.

Many people will die.

...And I might be one of them. Knowing that in the original route of the game, Neron survives that event, but what if the future has changed?

Still, I had a rough idea of how to survive there.

"Haah... is this it?"

I muttered aloud while pressing my face against the car window, trying to see the academy from here.

After a few moments, its towers began to appear clearly, rising high into the sky.

It looked like a miniature city, but different in its design; its buildings had a strange style, taking the shape of giant triangles, as if trying to pierce the sky itself.

The car suddenly stopped after we arrived in front of the gate leading to the academy, where our identities were being checked.

In fact, we didn’t even need to wait in line.

The moment the guards noticed the family emblem—the imperial penguin pierced by several swords—the path was opened for us immediately.

Some of those waiting in line even began complaining loudly, but none of the gate guards paid them any attention.

Being rich... is truly a wonderful thing.

It’s every human’s dream.

...At least, that’s what I think.

The moment I entered the academy, I felt the air itself change.

It was strangely pure and refreshing, as if simply breathing it gave the body extra energy.

It must be because the academy was built above the purest mana regions in the Solinyar Empire.

The noise around me also increased rapidly.

I saw students gathering around crowded markets, while others laughed loudly with their friends, and some ran through the corridors as if they were late for something important.

"Wait... what stage of the story am I in right now?"

I began calculating the time I had spent in this world, trying to recall the sequence of events.

After a moment, I almost reached the answer, but I needed to confirm it.

So I asked the driver:

"When is the entrance exam?"

The man chuckled a little before replying:

"Haha, sir... the entrance exam ended a week ago, and the academic year has already started."

"...Huh?"

"Don’t worry, you can still join. Mr. Arshif personally spoke with the director specifically to register you."

"....."

The car stopped by the side of the road, and there was someone who looked like he had been waiting for me for a while.

And how did I know that?

Because the moment he saw me, he quickly stepped forward and said:

"Nice to meet you, Lord Neron. I will be your guide... Sam."

I shook his hand calmly, and noticed that his hand was somewhat rough, covered with several small scars.

I examined him for a moment.

He looked almost my age... or perhaps at least one year older than me.

"This way."

He said while pointing at the road ahead.

"Lead the way."

I followed Sam as he guided me inside the academy grounds, continuously explaining everything related to it.

But I was barely listening to him.

And how could I even do that?

After all... I know more about this academy than he himself does.

And it seemed he noticed my lack of interest, because he stopped talking after a while, while we continued walking through the campus.

And in truth, I was putting in a tremendous effort just to avoid a heart attack from how luxurious the place was.

I never expected it to reach this level.

The golden sunlight reflected off the glass facades of the buildings, making them shine in a breathtaking way.

Around us stretched wide pathways between modern and elegant buildings, and everything looked polished and organized in an almost unreal way.

Teenagers passed by quickly wearing a uniform black outfit, while most of the students I saw were sitting relaxed on benches lined up across the wide courtyard.

"Oh... I was about to forget."

Sam’s voice reached me from the front as he suddenly stopped, before taking out a black device from his pocket and handing it to me.

"This is the academy-issued phone. You will find everything you need here; from your rank to your class, and even full information about the campus."

Sam continued speaking without pause as he walked ahead, while I glanced briefly at the phone before placing it in my pocket.

Well... I was never fond of phones.

Even in my previous life, I only used them for calls or sometimes browsing the news.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, Sam finally stopped and said:

"Here is where our journey ends. This is your classroom." Then he pointed at the door in front of us before adding:

"If you need anything in the future, contact me. I’ve added my information to the phone... see you later."

And then he disappeared into the academy corridors.

I stood there for a moment, staring at the door which was marked:

[E20]

All I could do was sigh.

I knew this class very well.

Here... everything will begin.

All the main characters will be inside this room.

I sighed again before entering directly.

The moment I stepped into the lecture hall, I felt several gazes turning toward me.

No... everyone’s eyes were fixed on me completely.

I ignored them, then shifted my gaze toward the professor, already knowing who he was.

Damian Grace.

The old man with long white hair and yellow eyes that resembled the sun.

I swallowed slightly when I saw him give a faint smile.

"I was informed of your arrival. You may sit, but you are quite late... the class is about to end."

I nodded calmly, then did as he said and began searching for an empty seat.

In the end, I sat alone at the back.

And although the gazes remained fixed on me, I completely ignored them and focused only on Damian.

The main character of the first event... and the man who possesses the Forgotten Relic, the very thing that will cause that entire catastrophe.