The moment the heavy practice-room door shut behind him, Hale immediately slammed both locks into place.
CLICK.
CLICK.
For three full seconds, he stood there completely motionless.
Then—
"…Holy hell."
He nearly collapsed.
Hale grabbed the nearest table to support himself as his legs trembled violently beneath him. His calm expression shattered instantly the second nobody was watching.
His hands were shaking.
Not slightly.
Violently.
His breathing came out uneven as adrenaline finally crashed into him like a tidal wave.
"That—hurt WAY more than I expected…"
The Ancient Sealing Book rested on the center platform of the room, glowing ominously beneath the pale blue rune lights. Just looking at the thing made his palms sting again.
A few moments earlier, he had looked unbelievably cool.
Calm.
Mysterious.
Dangerous.
Like some hidden grandmaster casually experimenting with forbidden magic.
Reality?
He had been one accidental mistake away from exploding his own nervous system.
Hale stared at his burned fingers with genuine betrayal.
"…How does ten percent hurt THIS much?!"
The skin across his palms was red and irritated from channeling the artifact's power. Tiny traces of smoke still curled from his fingertips.
And this was only the beginning.
Only TEN percent synchronization.
He didn't even want to imagine what fifty percent felt like.
Probably death.
Definitely death.
Maybe super death.
Still breathing heavily, Hale walked back toward the center platform and glared at the Ancient Sealing Book like it had personally insulted his entire bloodline.
"You ancient scam book," he muttered. "You couldn't mention the side effects beforehand?"
The book remained silent.
Menacingly silent.
"…Right. Forgot you're evil."
He slowly sat down in front of it.
Despite all the pain, however…
His eyes sharpened slightly.
The experiment had worked.
Every single elemental spell he fired at the artifact had been absorbed instantly.
Fire.
Wind.
Water.
Then reversed and launched back stronger.
That wasn't normal magic.
That wasn't even advanced magic.
That was pure nonsense.
Absolute counter-mechanics.
The kind of ability that would make elemental mages cry themselves to sleep.
Hale rubbed his face tiredly.
"Okay… think calmly."
He raised one finger.
"The good news: I now possess an insanely overpowered ancient artifact."
Then another finger.
"The bad news: using it feels like my bones are being microwaved."
Another finger.
"And the worse news…"
He looked upward dramatically.
"I still have no idea what I'm doing."
Silence filled the room.
Then Hale sighed deeply.
"…Fantastic."
He leaned back against the wall and stared at the ceiling.
For the first time since arriving in this world, he allowed himself to fully feel the pressure crushing him.
Future catastrophe.
Unknown enemies.
Hidden gods.
Five potential future monsters disguised as students.
And him?
A glorified academy instructor whose body nearly died from holding a magic book too aggressively.
"This is fine," he whispered weakly.
"It is absolutely not fine."
He slapped both cheeks lightly.
"No panicking."
Panic wasted energy.
Strategy solved problems.
That was the only reason he was still alive right now.
Hale slowly stood up again and extended his hand toward the training area.
A tiny flame appeared above his fingers.
Small.
Stable.
Weak enough to control safely.
"Round two," he muttered.
The flame shot toward the Ancient Sealing Book.
FWOOM.
The chained artifact snapped open violently.
Golden symbols spread across the pages instantly.
The flame disappeared.
Absorbed.
Stored.
Then—
BOOM.
The exact same firebolt shot back toward Hale at twice the speed.
"AH—"
He barely dodged in time.
The fire exploded against the wall behind him.
Hale stared at the smoking crater.
"…Okay. Still terrifying."
But despite his internal screaming, excitement slowly began replacing fear.
Because this artifact changed everything.
If he mastered this properly…
He could survive encounters he had absolutely no business surviving.
Maybe even defeat opponents far stronger than him through pure counterplay.
Hale's brain immediately started overworking.
"If elemental attacks get reversed automatically… then theoretically…"
He paced around the room rapidly.
"I could bait stronger mages into destroying themselves."
Pause.
"…That sounded WAY smarter than I actually am."
Still.
The strategy was solid.
Fight defensively.
Force enemies to use mana.
Reflect everything.
Win through psychological warfare and confusion.
It perfectly matched his current situation because, physically speaking, Hale was still hilariously underpowered.
His real strength right now wasn't raw power.
It was information.
Preparation.
And acting like he knew what he was doing.
Which, to be fair, was becoming surprisingly effective.
Hale looked at the artifact again.
"…You know, from the outside, this probably looks insanely cool."
He imagined how students would react if they saw this.
Mysterious instructor.
Ancient forbidden artifact.
Cold expression.
Reality-bending powers.
Meanwhile internally he was one inconvenience away from crying in a corner.
The contrast almost made him laugh.
Suddenly—
A blue translucent screen appeared in front of him.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
[Warning: Future threat detected.]
[Time-sensitive.]
[Preparation advised.]
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Hale froze.
"…Excuse me?"
His face drained of color instantly.
Future threat?!
Already?!
His heartbeat accelerated violently.
"I can barely survive present threats!"
He pointed accusingly at the screen.
"What do you MEAN future threat?!"
No answer came.
The screen remained floating calmly before him like it hadn't just destroyed his mental stability.
Hale grabbed his own hair dramatically.
"No no no no no—"
His thoughts spiraled instantly.
Was it an assassin?
A monster?
A demon cult?
An academy incident?
A hidden boss fight?!
He wasn't ready for any of that!
He still got physically tired climbing stairs too fast in this body!
"…I'm cooked."
Then suddenly—
A terrifying realization hit him.
What if someone was watching?
What if the system monitored reactions?
What if the artifact judged its user?
What if ancient gods were spectating for entertainment?!
Hale immediately straightened his posture.
His panic vanished behind a cold expression so quickly it deserved an award.
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
Then, in the deepest, coolest voice he could manage, he muttered:
"…Good."
Internally:
*NOT GOOD.*
Outwardly:
"Let them come."
Internally:
*Please don't let them come.*
Outwardly:
"I'll be ready."
Internally:
*I am absolutely not ready.*
The contrast was becoming medically concerning.
Still, maintaining the mask mattered.
Because perception created advantage.
If people feared him, they hesitated.
If they hesitated, he survived longer.
Simple.
Hale dismissed the system screen and exhaled slowly.
"…Okay."
Step one.
Do not die.
Step two.
Figure out how not to die tomorrow.
Very achievable goals.
Probably.
As dusk settled over the academy, Hale finally left the practice room.
Golden sunlight painted the academy pathways in warm crimson hues while magical lanterns slowly flickered alive beside stone roads.
Students filled the campus.
Laughing.
Talking.
Training.
Completely unaware of the incoming nightmare future.
Meanwhile Hale walked through the academy like a final boss entering a cutscene.
His passive aura skill was apparently working overtime today.
Students noticed him from a distance and immediately moved aside.
Conversations stopped.
Some people straight-up avoided eye contact.
One first-year student accidentally dropped his books after making eye contact with Hale for half a second.
Hale internally panicked.
*WHY ARE THEY ACTING LIKE I EAT PEOPLE?!*
But externally?
Cold silence.
Sharp eyes.
Slow confident walking pace.
The academy students practically parted around him like he carried instant death damage.
"…This skill is ridiculous," he thought.
Then he noticed them.
The five potentials.
Lyra.
Calen.
Serin.
Ronan.
Elira.
They stood near the training courtyard whispering among themselves before suddenly going silent the moment Hale approached.
All five immediately straightened.
Hale nearly turned around instinctively.
*Why are they looking at me like that?!*
Lyra stepped forward first.
Her silver eyes looked unusually tense.
"Sir…"
"Yes?"
She hesitated.
"…You're different today."
Hale's heart skipped.
*OH NO.*
Did she figure it out?!
Could she tell he was mentally collapsing every five minutes?!
Did his acting fail?!
Outwardly, however, Hale remained completely calm.
"…Different?"
Calen crossed his arms slowly.
"Your presence changed."
Ronan nodded nervously.
"Honestly, you feel terrifying now."
*BRO I'M TRYING MY BEST OVER HERE.*
Hale wanted to scream.
Instead he lowered his gaze slightly like a mysterious mentor carrying unbearable burdens.
"I've seen things," he said quietly.
The students immediately became serious.
Internally Hale screamed again.
*WHY DID I SAY IT LIKE THAT?!*
Now they probably thought he battled ancient demons in secret or something.
Unfortunately…
The line sounded unbelievably cool.
Even Hale had to admit that.
Calen frowned.
"What things?"
Hale's brain scrambled desperately.
Quick.
Say something vague but intimidating.
"The kind of things," he replied slowly, "that teach you how fragile people truly are."
Silence.
Ronan physically swallowed.
Lyra looked genuinely shaken.
Meanwhile Hale internally celebrated surviving another conversation.
*LET'S GO. THEY BOUGHT IT.*
He continued before anyone could ask harder questions.
"The world is dangerous," he said calmly. "Power without control is useless."
That part at least was genuine.
The students listened carefully.
Even Elira, who rarely showed emotion, seemed unusually focused.
Ronan rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"You're… kinda scary now, sir."
Hale allowed a faint smile.
Entirely because he had no idea how else to respond.
"Good," he said quietly.
Then he accidentally added:
"Fear can teach as much as guidance."
The group collectively froze.
Even Hale internally paused.
*Okay that one was HARD.*
He almost impressed himself.
Calen looked disturbed.
"…Who ARE you?"
Hale nearly choked.
*OH GOD.*
But before the situation worsened, another voice suddenly interrupted from nearby.
"Hale."
Every muscle in Hale's body locked instantly.
Professor Mia.
Of course.
Because the universe hated him personally.
She approached calmly through the courtyard, her sharp golden eyes fixed entirely on him. Her dark hair moved gently with the evening wind while several nearby students immediately backed away from the terrifying tension forming in the area.
Mia stopped directly in front of Hale.
"…A moment."
Not a request.
A command.
Hale internally prepared his funeral.
"…Of course."
The five students watched nervously as Mia led Hale away toward a quieter hallway beside the instructor dormitories.
The moment they were alone, Mia turned sharply toward him.
Her expression was serious.
Suspicious.
Dangerously intelligent.
"You're hiding something."
Hale's soul nearly left his body.
*IT'S OVER.*
He forced himself not to panic visibly.
"Am I?"
Mia stepped closer.
"That aura around you…"
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"It's deliberate."
Cold sweat formed down Hale's back instantly.
*She knows.*
*She absolutely knows.*
*She figured out I'm a fraud.*
He leaned casually against the wall purely because his knees suddenly felt unreliable.
Think.
Think fast.
Say something cool.
Anything cool.
"…Deliberate?" Hale repeated quietly.
Mia watched him carefully.
"Yes."
Hale's brain worked at maximum speed.
Then suddenly—
An absurdly dramatic line escaped his mouth.
"Controlled? Absolutely."
He folded his arms slowly.
"Dangerous? Only to those who threaten what matters."
Silence.
Hale internally stared at himself.
*WHERE ARE THESE LINES COMING FROM?!*
Mia's expression shifted slightly.
Not suspicion.
Concern.
"…Careful, Hale."
Her voice softened.
"Power like yours attracts attention."
Hale kept the mask steady despite internally having NO IDEA what "power like yours" even meant anymore.
"I'm aware."
"And yet you're calm."
*I AM NOT CALM.*
Outward Hale looked at her steadily.
"Panic solves nothing."
Mia stared at him for several long moments.
Then finally—
"…You really changed."
Hale said nothing.
Because honestly?
She wasn't wrong.
The old Ethan would've panicked under her gaze instantly.
Would've stumbled over words trying to impress her.
Would've acted desperate.
Now?
Hale only wanted survival.
And unfortunately, pretending to be an overpowered mastermind seemed to be working suspiciously well.
Mia finally stepped back.
But concern still lingered in her eyes.
"Just don't lose yourself," she said quietly.
Then she turned and walked away.
The moment she disappeared around the corner—
Hale collapsed against the wall dramatically.
"HOLY—"
He covered his face.
"That was terrifying."
His heartbeat was going insane.
How was he surviving these conversations?!
Every interaction felt like defusing magical bombs using pure improvisation.
Yet somehow…
People kept misunderstanding him as deeper and stronger than he actually was.
It was becoming a serious problem.
Or maybe an incredible advantage.
Possibly both.
Later that night, Hale sat alone inside his dorm room.
Moonlight spilled softly through the window while the Ancient Sealing Book rested open across his desk.
Golden symbols drifted slowly across the pages.
Hale stared at his current status screen.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
PX Points: 150
Artifact Synchronization: 10%
Title: Hidden Master (Temporary)
Passive Effect: Intimidating Presence
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
"…Temporary my ass," Hale muttered.
This wasn't a title anymore.
This was a full-time acting career.
He leaned back in his chair tiredly.
Today had changed everything.
He now possessed:
An ancient artifact.
A terrifying reputation.
Five future monsters as students.
And approximately zero emotional stability.
Great combination.
His thoughts drifted briefly toward the old Ethan again.
The original instructor had spent most of his life desperately chasing Professor Mia's attention.
Flustered.
Awkward.
Hopelessly obvious.
Hale shook his head slowly.
That version of him no longer existed.
There simply wasn't room for weakness anymore.
Not with the future approaching.
Not with hidden threats already moving.
Not when survival itself depended on maintaining this terrifying image everyone now believed in.
Hale looked toward the glowing book beside him.
Then toward his trembling hands.
Finally, he sighed quietly.
"…Guess I better get better at acting."
Outside, the academy slept peacefully beneath the moonlight.
But Hale already knew the truth.
The calm days were ending.
And tomorrow—
The real nightmare would begin.