Lucas stood in the silent ritual chamber for a few seconds after the monster disappeared, letting his breathing return to normal. The underground room had become quiet again, the glowing runes on the walls slowly dimming as if the energy that sustained them had finally faded.
For someone who had died only a few hours ago and woken up in another world, the situation felt strangely calm.
A faint voice echoed in his mind.
Ding! Level Up — Lucas Hale reached Level 3.
Another message followed immediately.
Ding! Skill Acquired: Mana Sense.
Lucas closed his eyes for a moment as the new ability settled into his mind. The sensation was difficult to describe, but it felt as if an invisible layer had been peeled away from reality. Suddenly, he could feel faint currents flowing through the air around him, like tiny rivers of energy moving silently through the underground chamber.
"Mana…" he murmured quietly.
The magical energy in the room was weak now, but he could still sense traces of it lingering in the ritual circle where the guardian had appeared. Even more interesting was the fact that the energy wasn't limited to the chamber. Through the stone walls, he could feel distant pulses of mana spreading through the ground above.
Belgrave University was filled with it.
Lucas slowly opened his eyes.
"So the entire campus is sitting on top of magical energy."
That wasn't surprising considering what he already knew about the world of The Order, but feeling it personally made the reality of the situation much clearer.
He glanced around the chamber one last time to make sure nothing else remained before turning toward the staircase that led back to the storage room above. The dungeon had already been cleared, and there was no reason to stay underground any longer.
As he climbed the stone steps, the feeling of mana around him slowly changed. The closer he moved to the surface, the more chaotic the energy felt, as if countless small sources were scattered throughout the campus.
By the time Lucas pushed the storage room door open and stepped back into the quiet hallway of the History Building, the magical currents had become much stronger.
He paused for a moment, focusing on the sensation.
Dozens of faint mana signatures were moving around the campus.
Most of them were weak, almost insignificant.
But a few stood out.
Lucas began walking down the hallway slowly, letting his new skill guide his senses. The mana signatures moved constantly as students walked between classes, creating a strange pattern of shifting energy that only he could feel.
"Most of these are probably ordinary students," he muttered to himself.
But then he felt something different.
A stronger pulse of mana appeared somewhere outside the building.
Lucas stopped walking.
The energy was sharper than the others, more controlled.
It was definitely coming from someone using magic.
Without hesitation, he walked outside.
The afternoon sunlight illuminated the campus as students moved between buildings, chatting and laughing as if nothing unusual existed in their world. But Lucas ignored the normal activity and focused entirely on the mana signature he had sensed.
The energy was coming from a quiet courtyard behind the library.
Lucas approached carefully and stopped near the entrance, making sure he remained hidden behind a stone archway before looking inside.
A single person stood in the courtyard.
Lucas immediately recognized her.
It was Alyssa Drake.
She stood in the center of the courtyard with her eyes closed, her hand raised slightly in front of her as if concentrating on something invisible. The air around her seemed to shimmer faintly, and Lucas could feel the mana flowing toward her like a controlled stream.
She was practicing magic.
Lucas leaned quietly against the wall, observing.
Even though he had watched the show before, seeing real magic being used only a few meters away was a completely different experience. Alyssa's movements were calm and precise, her control over the energy far beyond anything Lucas could currently achieve.
A small spark of light formed in her palm before slowly dissolving into the air.
Lucas's eyes narrowed slightly.
"So that's how the Order trains its members."
He remembered that Alyssa Drake was considered one of the most talented magic users at Belgrave. Watching her practice now made that reputation seem completely justified.
Just as Lucas was about to leave, Alyssa suddenly turned her head slightly.
"Who's there?" she asked calmly.
Lucas froze.
For a moment he wondered if she had sensed his presence through magic.
But then he realized something important.
His Mana Sense had detected her magic, but that didn't necessarily mean she could detect him the same way.
Still, staying hidden now would only make things suspicious.
Lucas stepped out from behind the archway.
"Sorry," he said casually. "I didn't mean to interrupt."
Alyssa studied him for a moment, her expression calm but curious.
"You were watching," she said.
Lucas shrugged lightly. "Hard not to notice someone standing alone in a courtyard."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
Most students would probably be confused or frightened if they saw someone practicing magic openly. But Lucas didn't look surprised at all.
"First year?" she asked.
"Yeah," Lucas replied.
She crossed her arms.
"You should probably forget what you just saw."
Lucas almost smiled.
If this were his old life, he probably would have asked a hundred questions. But now that he had his own system and abilities, revealing too much curiosity would only attract attention.
"Sure," he said simply.
For a few seconds neither of them spoke.
Alyssa seemed to be evaluating him silently, trying to understand why he had reacted so calmly to something that should have been impossible.
Finally she turned away.
"Belgrave has a lot of strange things happening around it," she said. "If you want to survive here, learn when to ignore them."
Lucas nodded.
"Good advice."
She left the courtyard without another word.
Lucas watched her go.
"She's definitely sharp," he muttered.
Most people in his position would have already exposed themselves accidentally.
Just as he turned to leave the courtyard, another system message appeared in his mind.
Ding! Skill Progress Increased — Mana Sense Lv.2.
Lucas raised an eyebrow slightly.
"So observing magic also improves the skill."
That was useful information.
If he could strengthen Mana Sense quickly, it would become one of his most valuable abilities. Being able to detect magical energy meant he could avoid dangerous enemies and locate hidden opportunities before anyone else noticed them.
He began walking back toward the dormitories.
The campus looked completely normal again, filled with ordinary students discussing assignments and complaining about upcoming exams.
But Lucas now knew how deceptive that normal appearance was.
Beneath the peaceful surface of Belgrave University existed a hidden world filled with magic, secret societies, and supernatural creatures.
And now he was part of it.
As Lucas continued walking, another system message appeared.
Ding! New Quest Received — Grow Stronger.
Lucas chuckled quietly.
"That's a quest I was already planning to complete."
His eyes drifted across the campus one more time.
This world still had countless secrets waiting to be discovered.
And Lucas intended to uncover every single one of them.