Leo stepped off the shuttle with the kind of determination only someone who desperately wanted to avoid trouble could possess. His plan was simple: blend in, keep quiet, make it through orientation, and then find a place to complete his daily quest before his system punished him for procrastinating.
He took one look at the sea of students—humans, elves, and dwarves all flowing toward the academy gates—and nodded to himself. Just merge into the background, he thought. It wasn't like he knew anyone here, and the last thing he wanted was anime-level drama on his first day.
Unfortunately, the universe had other plans. It usually did.
As he walked with the crowd, trying to appear as unnoticeable as possible, a cold prickle ran down his spine. The original owner of his body had left behind traces of instinctual fear—fear that flared up the moment certain faces turned in his direction.
A few students stopped, heads tilting as they recognized him.
Then the jeers began.
"Well, look who crawled in. If it isn't the trash son of the Lightning General and the Frost Queen."
The mocking voice cut through the chatter of the crowd, and several students nearby turned to look. Some whispered. Others stared openly—curiosity, amusement, or disdain flickering across their expressions.
A group of boys approached, led by one with short dark hair and a smug expression stamped permanently on his face: Josh.
His goons—two humans and an elf—stood behind him, snickering.
Leo felt that inherited instinct kick in again, the urge to shrink away, to avoid confrontation. The original Leo had been terrified of these people. But the new Leo wasn't about to fold.
He straightened his posture and crossed his arms.
"Oh wow, Josh. I didn't know you still needed your goons to laugh at your jokes. Maybe next time print your insult out on a poster. Might help them keep up."
A ripple of laughter spread through the bystanders. A few elves even smirked. Josh's face twitched.
He stepped forward, and a faint gust of wind swirled at his feet—his elemental affinity reacting to his emotions.
"Oh great," Leo muttered under his breath. "A wind elementalist. I'm so doomed."
Josh tilted his chin. "Still running your mouth, unawakened trash? Bold of you, considering you're about to start the year at trash level. Even the charity cases outclass you."
His goons laughed louder this time.
Leo sighed. If this turned physical, he'd get his face planted into the academy pavement in seconds. He could already imagine the scene—him lying flat, a thousand strangers judging him.
He braced himself for a beating he couldn't win.
Then a voice, calm and clear, cut through everything.
"That's enough."
The crowd parted, and a girl walked forward.
Aliya Jacobs.
Her name alone carried weight, and the moment she appeared, students nearby straightened their posture. Even Josh's group paused.
Aliya was the daughter of Ryan Jacobs, leader of the Jacobs Faction—one of the Big Three powers beneath the Alliance government. Her presence seemed to command attention without her trying.
She had smooth blue hair that shifted with the light and golden eyes that assessed everything with quiet sharpness. She wasn't exaggerated or overly dressed—just naturally striking, the type of person people noticed whether they wanted to or not.
She stopped in front of the small confrontation, gaze steady.
"Is there a problem here?" she asked.
Her tone wasn't hostile, but it carried a pressure that made Josh flinch.
"No—no problem," Josh said quickly. The wind around his feet dissipated. "Just a conversation."
"Conversation?" Aliya repeated, raising an eyebrow.
Josh's Adam's apple bobbed. "Right. Just… clearing something up. We're leaving."
He spun on his heel and left, his goons scrambling after him like loyal puppies. The students who had gathered began to disperse as the show ended.
Leo blinked. That was… effective.
Aliya turned to him next.
Her gaze wasn't judging or pitying—just observant.
"And you?" she asked. "You're not causing trouble, I assume?"
Leo shrugged. "I was literally just walking. Trouble found me."
A faint spark of amusement flashed across her eyes.
"Figures."
Then she stepped aside and continued on her path without another word. The sunlight reflected off the academy's white stone floor, and for a ridiculous moment, Leo wondered if the sun was purposely highlighting her like some main character entrance. Or maybe it was just his otaku brain being dramatic again.
He exhaled deeply.
"That… could've gone a lot worse."
He turned away and blended back into the flow of students, all heading toward the massive orientation hall.
---
The architecture of the Alliance Academy was breathtaking.
Floating platforms rotated overhead, connected by translucent bridges made of energy. Elven-grown silverwood trees lined the paths, their luminous leaves glowing faintly. Dwarven stonework reinforced the building structures, each piece engraved with interlocking rune-patterns. Human engineering tied it all together with sleek metallic frameworks and advanced tech embedded seamlessly into the walls.
Leo's eyes widened.
So that's how they stabilize aerial platforms…
And the energy nodes embedded there—those must be elven origin…
Wait, dwarf-runic stabilizers? That's insane craftsmanship…
His Insight skill activated on instinct, feeding him analysis after analysis. Every design choice made sense. Every mechanism was fascinating.
As he walked through the towering entrance of the orientation hall, he almost forgot the earlier humiliation.
Rows upon rows of first-year students filled the auditorium, the sound of chatter echoing off the high ceilings. Holographic panels floated above the stage, displaying the academy emblem—a fusion of the symbols of the three races, surrounded by a ring of eight stars representing the eight main star systems under Alliance control.
Leo found the entrance and took a slow breath, letting the weight of everything settle.
This was real now.
The world.
The academy.
The system.
The expectations.
The dangers.
But also…
The opportunities.
The daily quest looming at the back of his mind was a nightmare, but it was also the key to everything.
Leo walked in, staring at the stage where the orientations was moments away from beginning.
Level zero or not, he thought, I'm here now. And I'm not going down like the old Leo.
His new life had officially begun.
---
!