CHAPTER 30: ENCOUNTER WITH MAIN CAST

Chapter 30: Encounter with the Main Cast

DING—DONG—

The Academy bells tolled, deep and commanding, echoing across the sprawling campus like iron striking the sky. Students in the common dorms poked their heads out of their rooms, whispering. But this announcement wasn’t for all of them.

A crisp voice followed, carried by mana amplification:

"Attention. All Top 10 first-years—report to the Supreme Hall lobby within one hour. "

I froze, my hand still on the sword I’d been cleaning.

"Supreme Hall..." I muttered under my breath.

The place reserved only for the Top 10 cadets of every year. The place most players never even glimpsed in the game unless they were obsessed with completion bonuses or hacked save files.

And now, I was actually being summoned there.

I closed the system window floating in front of me, grabbed my suitcase, and began packing. Clothes, notebooks, a few energy bars I’d bought in town, and most importantly my blade. The Supreme Hall wasn’t just a dormitory. It was a luxury suite stacked with training utilities: private gravity chamber, VR battle simulations, mana recovery baths.

A privilege. A prize. And more importantly a stage.

The zipper on my suitcase rasped shut. My boots thudded against the wooden floor as I stood.

"So this is it. The Academy Arc begins now... And I already know exactly how it plays out."

----

The walk across campus was filled with stares. Other cadets those who barely scraped through the Survival Trial watched me lug my suitcase across the manicured courtyard, whispering.

"Isn’t that the commoner who placed first?"

"Rank 1... unbelievable. He crushed even the Lionheart boy."

"Do you think it was rigged?"

Their eyes weighed on me, some with envy, others with admiration. I ignored them.

Finally, I stopped in front of it.

The Supreme Hall loomed before me like a palace transplanted into the Academy grounds. Towering marble pillars rose into the clouds, carved with intricate runes that pulsed faintly like living veins. Banners of past champions draped from the balconies, their embroidered crests shimmering with gold thread.

When the bronze doors creaked open with a deep groooooan, the air inside was cool and perfumed faintly with mana-rich incense.

The Supreme Hall lobby wasn’t empty. No they were already here.

Ten first-years. The best of the best. The so-called "protagonist candidates" if this were a game.

And every pair of eyes turned toward me.

The first figure I noticed was Leon Lionheart. He stood in the center of the room like gravity itself pulled the space around him. Tall, broad-shouldered, his blond hair gleamed like polished gold under the mana-lit chandelier. His expression was calm, composed, but there was a subtle intensity in his gaze like a blade resting in its sheath, perfectly balanced.

Beside him stood Selena Veylan, the silver-haired girl whose presence was as striking as it was serene. Her hair shimmered under the light, cascading like a waterfall, her emerald eyes cool and intelligent. Even dressed in the Academy’s uniform, she radiated elegance that marked her as more than just any noble.

A little further back, Elara Shadowborn leaned lazily against a marble pillar, her arms crossed, her expression unreadable. Her long black hair fell like a curtain, and her violet eyes glowed faintly in the shadows, watching everything but revealing nothing. The kind of presence that whispered dangerous.

And then—Eric.

I saw he walk towards me

Eric’s sneer was the first thing that greeted me. Blond hair styled immaculately, jaw sharp, his uniform perfectly pressed. He oozed arrogance from every pore. The moment our eyes met, he smirked and started walking toward me, his boots striking the polished floor in sharp clicks.

"Well, well," he drawled, his voice carrying easily across the lobby. "Look who decided to finally join the real cadets."

A few of the others shifted, curious.

Eric stopped right in front of me, looking me up and down like I was filth tracked into his home. His lip curled.

"You commoner," he spat, almost like the word was poison. "Really crawled this far? Tell me who did you bribe in the Academy to hand you Rank 1?"

The lobby went quiet. The silence stretched, taut, everyone waiting.

I stared straight into his eyes, my face calm, cold.

"It’s not that I bribed anyone." My voice was steady, sharp as ice. "It’s that you’re weak."

The words landed like a blade. For half a heartbeat, nothing happened.

Then Eric’s face flushed red, veins throbbing in his forehead. His teeth clenched so hard I could hear the faint grind.

"YOU—MOTHERFUCKER!" he roared. His hand shot up, fist tightening, aura flaring slightly with crackling heat. "Who the hell are you calling weak?!"

Gasps rippled through the lobby. A few of the cadets instinctively stepped back, wary of the mana spike.

I shifted my weight, arms crossing into a defensive stance without thinking. My system hummed faintly in the back of my mind, ready to react if he actually swung.

The tension was suffocating, seconds stretching like hours.

But then, a voice sliced through it.

"Enough."

It wasn’t loud. It didn’t need to be.

Leon Lionheart had stepped forward, his gaze steady, his presence commanding the room. His golden eyes locked on Eric, firm but calm.

"You know the rules," Leon said, his voice carrying authority that made even Eric pause. "No fighting between cadets without instructor permission."

Eric froze, fist trembling mid-air. His aura sputtered for a second before he lowered it with a sharp jerk, clicking his tongue.

"Tch. Lucky for you, commoner," he spat, glaring at me one last time. "Next time, I’ll show you who’s truly on top."

He spun on his heel and stalked away, shoulders stiff with fury.

Selena sighed softly as she followed after him. As she passed, she cast me a sidelong glance, her tone calm but firm.

"Don’t do anything reckless, Eric," she said.

Eric only muttered under his breath as he leaned close to Leon: "Beauty boy... don’t interfere in my business again." Then he stormed off toward the reception counter.

The silence that followed was heavy, but different. The other cadets were watching me now not with dismissal, but with new calculation in their eyes.

I exhaled quietly, dropping my stance, my heartbeat steady. Inside, though, my gamer brain was already firing on all cylinders.

So that’s Eric’s introduction event. Same arrogance, same temper. In the original story, he clashes with Leon first... but now I’ve taken that role. Interesting shift.

The tension left the lobby in fragments, breaking like shards of glass after Eric stormed off. But the weight of gazes didn’t disappear.

Instead, they shifted—landing on me.

---

Leon & Selena Approach

Two figures stepped forward, calm and composed.

The boy was as radiant as a hero straight out of a painting: Leon Lionheart. His golden hair gleamed beneath the mana lamps, his eyes a steady amber that seemed to glow with warmth even as they carried undeniable sharpness. He had that kind of aura that made people instinctively trust him... or envy him.

Beside him was Selena Veylan. Her silver hair swayed like moonlight as she moved, her emerald eyes observing me carefully. She carried herself with elegance, every step deliberate. Even here, among the strongest of the first-years, she seemed untouchable—yet not cold.

"You must be Michael," Leon said, his voice calm and steady. It wasn’t arrogant like Eric’s, nor dismissive. Instead, it was genuine curiosity. "The one who scored perfect marks in three trials and ninety-eight in the written exam. Truly... impressive."

I didn’t answer right away. Instead, I studied him.

So this is Leon Lionheart...

The system didn’t give me any special "scan" function, but my memories of the story filled in enough. He was the "main protagonist" type, destined to carry the academy arc, destined to fight and grow with the support of comrades.

And here I was—an "extra" who just stole his spotlight.

My eyes flicked toward Selena. Her gaze was steady, waiting. She wasn’t judging me... not openly. But she knew something.

"Who are you both?" I finally asked, my tone flat, cautious.

Leon blinked once before giving a small, almost apologetic smile. He placed a hand over his chest and gave a slight bow.

"Ah—pardon me. I should have introduced myself earlier. My name is Leon Lionheart. You can just call me Leon."

He gestured toward the girl beside him. "And this is my friend, Selena Veylan."

The moment that name left his lips, my chest tightened.

Veylan.

One of the three ruling royal families.

My eyes lowered, and instinct guided me before logic could argue. I bowed slightly, respectful, my voice calm but carrying weight.

"Nice meeting you... Princess."

Selena’s lips curved faintly, but her tone was soft, almost gentle. "It’s alright. You can just call me Selena."

She’s different from the rumors. Calmer. Kinder. Still dangerous, though.

Leon extended his hand then, a faint smile lighting his expression. "Well, Michael, I hope you don’t mind being friends with us—as fellow classmates."

I hesitated, my eyes narrowing slightly. Friends. Was that really what he meant? Or was it his natural charisma pulling people into his orbit again?

But... refusing outright would only isolate me further.

So I reached forward, gripping his hand firmly.

"Yes. No problem."

"Good." Leon’s smile widened slightly, warm but not naïve. "Then let’s meet again at tomorrow’s Opening Ceremony."

I gave a small nod. "Yeah."

With that, the pair turned, walking toward the elevator at the far end of the lobby. Selena gave me one last glance before stepping inside with him, her expression unreadable.

So that’s it. The official introduction event.

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