Night had fallen over Arcanum Academy.
Most students were asleep, but in a quiet dorm room on the far edge of the campus, Syrion sat cross-legged, eyes closed.
The air shimmered faintly around him.
A soft chime echoed in his mind—
[System Synchronization Complete.]
[Welcome back, Player Syrion.]
Blue windows appeared in front of him, glowing in the darkness.
> Level: 999
Class: Max Player
Title: The Forsaken Hero
Mana Capacity: 9,888
Available Skills: 1,204
Passive Effects: Overclock Mana, Absolute Resistance, System Awareness
Syrion smiled faintly. "Finally… I'm home."
He raised his hand, and a thin line of energy formed — not mana, but raw system code bending the world's rules.
> Skill Activated: [Reality Break]
A floating apple on the table suddenly turned into pure mana and vanished.
He clenched his fist, feeling the surge of power.
"I can still control the game's mechanics here… which means this world is running on the same core system."
But something was off — the data stream wasn't stable.
It was as if this world was never meant to handle a player like him.
---
The next morning, during combat training, Syrion was assigned to the basic spell-casting group — the class for "low mana" students.
Everyone laughed behind his back.
Until their instructor shouted, "Partner drills! Syrion, you'll be with Seren."
Seren smiled cheerfully. "Don't worry! I'll go easy on you!"
"Sure," Syrion said, smirking.
She cast a simple fireball — fast and accurate.
Syrion didn't even move. The spell froze mid-air and dispersed into sparkles.
Everyone gasped.
"What just happened?!"
He lowered his hand. "I just rewrote the spell's code."
"Huh?" Seren blinked. "You what?"
But before he could explain, a loud commotion erupted near the arena gates.
---
Althea and Darius entered, both wearing the royal insignia again.
"The True Hero and Saint are visiting the academy!" the students whispered excitedly.
Darius smirked when he saw Syrion. "Still pretending to be something you're not?"
Syrion stayed silent.
Althea looked uneasy. "Syrion… can we talk later?"
Her eyes — filled with guilt and something softer — met his for a moment before she looked away.
The instructor bowed deeply. "Sir Darius, Lady Althea, please honor us with a demonstration."
Darius raised his sword, surrounded by blinding light.
> Skill: Holy Nova Slash!
A wave of divine energy burst through the training ground, shaking the entire arena.
The students cheered.
But then a faint crack appeared in the air —
and Syrion, standing calmly, raised his hand.
> Skill: Reality Break (Low Output).
The light shattered like glass, and silence filled the arena.
Darius' sword vibrated violently, then dulled.
"What… what did you do?!" Darius shouted.
Syrion smiled faintly. "I just turned your magic off."
Whispers spread like wildfire.
Even Althea stood frozen, staring at him — shock in her eyes.
He turned and started to leave.
But before he could, a massive red symbol appeared in the sky — the mark of the Demon King.
---
[Warning: Demon Raid Event Detected.]
[Quest Triggered: Save Arcanum Academy.]
Syrion's eyes widened.
"This… isn't just a dream world anymore."
The air grew heavy with killing intent as a deep, echoing voice filled the academy grounds.
> "At last… I've found you. The one who broke the system."
A shadowy figure emerged from the crimson rift.
Everyone panicked — except Syrion, who clenched his fist, eyes glowing with blue data lines.
> "Demon King or not," he muttered, "this time, I'm the one holding the controller."
[Skill Unlocked: Limit Break – Overclock Mana 300%.]
The ground exploded beneath his feet as his power surged, shaking the academy to its core.
And from the distance, Althea watched, whispering to herself,
"That light… It's the same as the God of Creation's… Who exactly are you, Syrion?"
---
⚡ Next Chapter Preview – Chapter 4: The Hero, the Saint, and the Hidden God
> As the Demon King retreats, shaken by Syrion's power, Althea starts to doubt her faith.
Darius grows jealous and paranoid.
Syrion, meanwhile, begins to uncover the truth — that The Ultimate World was never just a game… and that the price of being a Max Player may cost him everything — including Althea.
---