Bathed in the gentle baptism of dawn, even the once-dull dormitory walls and furnishings seemed to come alive, waking from their slumber in the night.
“Hopefully, I’ve got better options than just spirit-type magic.”
On the balcony, Lan Qi scattered feed to his animal companions, chatting idly at them—though they probably didn’t understand a word.
His magic card, Great Poet of Love, though tied to musical incantations, still belonged essentially to the Mind category. After all, its power came from influencing an opponent’s spirit directly or indirectly through song.
In fact, most sound-based spells fell under the broader classification of spirit-type magic.
Now that Lan Qi had reached Third Rank, survived the grueling entrance exams, and emerged from the Shadow World battle, his life had settled into calm again. Today’s plan was simple: ask Talia to test whether he had a better magical affinity than spirit-based magic.
“Oh, right—gotta buy some potted plants for the place too.”
He opened his palm to let the chirping birds hop and peck, suddenly recalling the thought.
Back at the Demon Realm Academy, the joyful finale meant for the Great Poet of Love had been ruined by cultists. Once back in the real world, Lan Qi had summoned her briefly to apologize. She hadn’t made any unreasonable demands—only asked if she could keep flowers, and that Lan Qi let her out once in a while.
He had agreed right away.But now that he thought about it—she wanted flowers, he was feeding birds… if this kept up, his dormitory was going to turn into a nature preserve.
After tending to his little companions, Lan Qi returned to the living room and flopped onto the sofa, wondering where to go for breakfast.
By academy rules, after clearing a Fourth-Rank Shadow World, students were given a two-week freely allocated vacation, meant for recovery after extreme exhaustion.
At this point, Lan Qi was more than relaxed—he was practically idle.
Two whole weeks without enduring the “torture” of Sage College’s instructors.
“Maybe I’ll just go find Master first thing in the morning.”
After all, today he had planned to visit Talia anyway—not only to ask about magical affinity, but also to discuss in depth their important “hairstyle transformation magic” research project.
As for meals, whenever they went out together, Talia never voiced a preference. Yet Lan Qi had learned to read the faintest flicker in her pupils—whether a place was “acceptable” or “not very interesting.”
And without fail, whichever restaurants Talia approved turned out to be excellent.
He had begun treating her as a human gourmet detector.
So far, she hadn’t noticed.
Pulling on a coat from the wooden standing rack by the mirror, Lan Qi got ready to head out.
The last time they parted, Talia had told him she was moving. Since she would be staying long-term in the capital, living in an inn was a pointless waste of money. She’d found herself a new residence instead.
The address was on the east side of campus, just a short ten-minute walk.
Knock, knock.
Suddenly, a firm rapping sounded at the door of Dorm 101.
“Coming, coming.”
Startled, Lan Qi hurried to the entrance.
He had no idea who would show up so early in the morning. Good thing he hadn’t left yet, or they would have wasted the trip.
He suspected that once word of his dorm address spread, even if he skipped classes, people would still come knocking these next few days.
Just yesterday, on his way back to campus, though the sky was barely light, students had already been cheering for him on the streets. For the first time, he felt like a celebrity.
Apparently, his upright, positive performance in the Shadow World had earned the recognition of his peers. And considerately, they hadn’t disturbed him yesterday, knowing he needed rest.
Lan Qi pressed down on the doorknob.
As the door swung open, he saw a tall, silver-haired, white-bearded elder standing outside, sharp-eyed and vigorous despite his years.
“Uh… hello?”
Lan Qi didn’t know the man, but judging by his attire and aura, he had to be a high-ranking professor of the Sage College.
The fine, timeworn lines across his proud features only enhanced his air of wisdom and dignity. Power pulsed subtly through him, deep and immeasurable.
So yes—a professor. That would explain how he knew Lan Qi’s dormitory.
“Don’t be nervous, Lan Qi. I’ve only come to talk.”
The elder had clearly noticed Lan Qi’s confusion. His voice was calm and reassuring.
“I am Ron, Vice Dean of the Sage College. You’ll be seeing me in class from now on.”
Lan Qi froze. On the very first day of term, he had skipped Ron’s final lecture. That delay was why the two hadn’t actually met until now.
But the Vice Dean had already seen plenty of Lan Qi’s “glorious” exploits during the faculty meetings.
“Vice Dean… Professor Ron, please, come in.”
At first, Lan Qi nearly clasped his hands behind his back and inclined his head—as if he were about to handle official business like a principal.
Then it hit him: this was Ikerite Academy, and he was no longer a headmaster. He quickly shifted his mindset, politely inviting Professor Ron into the living room and offering him the sofa.
A shiver ran through him. Perhaps he really did have lingering Shadow World aftereffects—almost reverting to his “principal persona” at the sight of academy leadership.
Inside the living room—
Ron gave a brief glance around. The dorm was spotless, clearly maintained with care.
Evidently, Lan Qi was a tidy, disciplined student—nothing like the messy, careless ones most professors had to endure.
But Ron couldn’t shake the surreal feeling.
This courteous, well-mannered young man before him—was the same student who, just yesterday, the entire Sage College faculty had watched dominate like a demon lord in the Shadow World?
He couldn’t help but think—how fortunate that Examiner Ferat had faced Lan Qi in the lawful real world during the entrance exam’s third round. Had it been the Shadow World Lan Qi, Ferat might have vanished without a trace.
The thought made Ron feel as though he were looking across lifetimes. How could one person embody such stark duality—black and white, light and dark, in perfect balance?
And yet, there was no denying it—Lan Qi was without doubt the most outstanding freshman of the year.
Perhaps even a little too outstanding.
Carrying with him a danger unpredictable to normal people.
Of course, the danger wasn’t to him—
but to those foolish enough not to realize it, and still think to provoke this boy.
Today’s update will have three chapters—another one’s still coming!