The academy assigned dormitories quickly.
Simple rooms.
Two beds.
Basic furniture.
Nothing more.
Sol entered his room quietly.
No roommate.
"Good."
Less noise.
Less risk.
More control.
He closed the door and sat on the bed.
Eyes calm.
Mind active.
"System."
[System Activated]
A faint blue screen appeared.
Name: Sol Rathana
Level: Apprentice Lv1
Spiritual Sea: Stabilized (Optimized)
Element Affinity: All (Hidden)
Sol focused.
"Show internal structure."
[Analyzing…]
His vision shifted.
Inside his body—
A faint ocean appeared.
His Spiritual Sea.
Small.
But stable.
And unusually… pure.
"Not bad."
But not enough.
In this academy—
Weakness meant being crushed.
Sol closed his eyes.
"Optimize energy absorption."
[Processing…]
New Breathing Method Generated
Immediately—
He felt a change.
The surrounding elements reacted.
Slow at first—
Then faster.
Tiny particles of light gathered toward him.
Fire.
Water.
Wind.
Earth.
All of them.
But—
Very faintly—
Something else mixed in.
Dark.
Cold.
Unknown.
Sol's brows tightened.
"System. Analyze that."
[Analyzing…]
Error… Unknown Energy
Again.
Failure.
Instead of stopping—
Sol continued.
If the system can't analyze it…
Then it's valuable.
He carefully guided the energy.
Not forcing.
Not rushing.
Like a hunter waiting in silence.
Minutes passed.
Then—
Hours.
His Spiritual Sea slowly expanded.
[Progress: Apprentice Lv1 → Peak]
Sol opened his eyes.
A faint glow flashed—and disappeared.
"No breakthrough."
He didn't seem disappointed.
Too fast growth attracts attention.
That was dangerous.
He stood up and walked to the window.
Night had fallen.
The academy was quiet.
But not completely.
Footsteps.
Outside.
Sol's eyes narrowed slightly.
He didn't move.
Didn't speak.
After a moment—
The footsteps stopped.
Then—
A voice.
"You're hiding something."
Calm.
Sharp.
Not loud.
But clear.
Sol turned his head slightly.
A young man stood outside.
Black hair.
Calm expression.
Observing eyes.
This was not Aric.
This one was different.
Kael Varyn.
Top-ranked Apprentice.
Known for one thing—
Intelligence.
Sol remained silent.
Kael looked at him steadily.
"The way you controlled your presence earlier…"
"…that wasn't normal."
A pause.
Then—
A faint smile.
"You're interesting."
Sol finally spoke.
"You're mistaken."
Kael didn't argue.
Instead—
He nodded.
"Maybe."
Then he turned.
And walked away.
No threats.
No pressure.
Just observation.
Sol watched him disappear into the dark.
His expression slowly turned serious.
This one…
"…is dangerous."
Unlike Aric—
Kael didn't rely on power.
He relied on understanding.
And that made him—
Far more troublesome.
Sol closed the window quietly.
His mind was already calculating.
I need to grow faster…
But stay invisible.
A difficult balance.
But not impossible.
He sat down again.
Closed his eyes.
"Let's begin."
This time—
His focus sharpened.
Not just absorbing energy—
But controlling everything.
Every breath.
Every flow.
Every detail.
Silent.
Precise.
Hidden.
The path of a true mage—
Had begun.