Chapter 2: Leonard?

Leonard? Who's that?" Karl asks honestly.

"That's you. Now, no need to panic. You've survived a concussion from the jump. It's normal for patients to lose some memories and experience trauma."

"Lost memories? I remember everything. That bastard midget zapped me," Karl rants angrily.

The doctor raises an eyebrow. "Hmm. Anything else you remember about this midget?"

Karl recounts his entire morning, explaining everything in detail. When he finishes, the doctor sighs. "Sounds like you had a bad dream while in a coma. Fortunately, you're awake now, and t—"

"Coma?" Karl interrupts. "Doctor, what do you mean? I was there. You can ask that girl in the corridor!"

He stands up suddenly, but something feels off. The doctor notices his expression and asks, "Are you uncomfortable? Feeling any pain?"

Karl shakes his head. "No. I just feel short... and hungry. Just answer me, Doc, what's your height?"

"Five-seven," the doctor replies.

"Fuck no."

Rushing to the window, Karl looks at his reflection. His eyes nearly pop out of their sockets. Outside, massive buildings are packed tightly together. People walk around gripping blunt weapons. And worst of all—flying metros zip through the sky.

His stomach drops. "Doctor, where am I?"

"You're in Renock City, U Block." The doctor replies. His expression turns serious. "Listen, you need to leave. A traveler found you sinking in quicksand and brought you to the city gates. Unfortunately, you had no money on you, so the federal hospital refused treatment. I paid for your care and waited three weeks for you to wake up."

Karl's mind reels from the information, but he still manages to thank the doctor sincerely.

The doctor waves it off. "Don't worry. As a doctor, I can't let a fellow human die. May the Horizon watch over you." With that, he bids farewell, leaving Karl alone in the room.

Thirty minutes later, Karl receives a pair of clothes, a bag, a wristwatch, and two cards. As he steps outside, reality starts to sink in. "I'm in a fantasy world... I've been reincarnated." His lips curl into a grin. "Oh my god. I watched so many animes for this. I've been dying for this moment!"

Excited, he checks his bag. Inside, he finds a bottle of water, a few ropes, a wristwatch with some cracks on it, and two different cards. One is orange, with "PROPERTY OF SABRE GUILD" written on it.

"So this is my guild card. And this one looks like a regular debit card," Karl mutters, examining them.

He puts on the watch, and suddenly, it rings. As he touches the screen, a message appears: "BIOMETRICS RECOGNIZED."

A series of texts pop up:

[—HELLO?]

[—LEONARD, DON'T IGNORE ME! I NEED THOSE PHOTONS NOW.]

[—COME TO THE NURSE'S OFFICE NOW.]

[—LEONARD AVARITIA! I AM GOING TO REPORT YOU TO THE FEDERATION.]

The messages abruptly stop, implying they were the last ones sent. Karl raises an eyebrow. 'Leonard Avaritia, huh? That must be me now.'

Taking a seat at a nearby bus stand, he scrolls through the watch, processing everything. After a few minutes of searching, he finally smirks. 'This guy Leonard Avaritia is my new identity. He is a 2nd year student in Black Pegasus Academy. He possesses a rare element of space which makes him a great asset and liability. He only learned 1 skill in his life yet. To make his life worse he is in a large debt to a teacher of the academy. Looks like I got a side character as an avatar.'

Looking around Karl could say that this world is far more advanced than earth. But it is still more savage as strength matter almost in every aspect of life here. While going through the web in the wristwatch everything Karl found out that everything is somehow related to fighting.

'Then, I need to find my standing in the world now. How strong am I? In the ID of the Guild, it classifies me as a Dwarf Star. Which personally sounds bad.' Karl thinks.

Following the GPS on the watch, Karl walks for about half an hour before arriving at the academy gates. The entrance is massive, large enough to fit two trucks side by side.

As he approaches, a guard steps forward. "ID, kid."

Karl hesitates for a moment before showing his wristwatch. The guard scans it with his own device.

Just then, a car pulls up nearby. A feminine voice calls out, "Hop in."

Karl opens the door, peering inside. A woman in her thirties sits behind the wheel—short brown hair, light makeup, a black short skirt under a lab coat, and a mature yet beautiful face. She watches him with an expectant look.

Seeing Karl's hesitation, she raises an eyebrow. "Not coming?"

"Ah! Yes!" He quickly slides in, blushing slightly.

As she drives, she speaks casually. "When you didn't answer my calls for two weeks, I was sure you ran off with my money."

Karl blinks. 'Money? Oh! She must be Zena, my school's botany teacher. But from the texts, she didn't seem too close to Leonard.'

"No, ma'am. I was trying to earn the money myself," he says confidently.

Zena snorts. "Ma'am? Did you fall on your head from that cliff?"

Karl frowns. "How did you know?"

"The academy keeps tabs on every student. If someone goes missing or dies on an expedition, their family is notified."

Karl nods, making a mental note of this.

"The doctor's report said you lost some memories and had a bad dream," Zena says, sounding concerned.

"Yeah. But I'm good now. Better, even." He flashes a grin.

"Good. It's rare to see you smile." She pulls the car up to a three-story building. "Anyway, pay me back by the end of the week."

Karl steps out and watches as the car speeds off.

'Rare, huh?' he muses, checking his watch before heading inside the building.

'Room 791. Where is it? Where is it? Oh?'

Karl spots a uniform near the trash bin at the entrance. It's dirty, full of holes, and has 'LEONARD AVARITIA' written on it. As he rummages through the bin, he finds personal belongings scattered on the ground—a toothbrush, books, and a family photo featuring someone who looks just like him. Naturally, they all belong to Leonard.

Just as Karl leans in to pick up the photo, a voice echoes ahead. "Yes, throw that out too. Sell those boots in the market."

Ignoring the voice, Karl focuses on the photo. In it, Leonard is standing with two kids who appear to be around twelve years old. 'Twins? I don't know why, but they look so cute,' he thinks, feeling his heartbeat quicken.

"DAMN! IT'S THE ASTROBOY!" A taller boy, not much older than Karl, strides up with an arrogant smirk. "I thought you died, weirdo."

Karl remains silent, locking eyes with the boy. "Not even the Horizon wants you." The boy tries to use insults.

'Uneven breathing. Open stance. Confident voice. Lack of eye contact. Is this kid underestimating me?'

The boy suddenly yells, "What are you looking at? Take his things away!"

A worker steps forward to snatch the photo from Karl's hand. Without hesitation, Karl moves his hand away and lands a punch straight into the arrogant boy's face.

Caught off guard, the boy crashes to the ground, blood pouring from his nose.

Karl glares at the workers. "GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!" he shouts. In an instant, they scatter.

Karl steps into a nearby room with an open door. It's a small studio apartment, barely enough space for two people, and missing both a shower and a toilet.

A groan from behind catches Karl's attention. He turns back to see the boy still on the ground. Grabbing him by the head, Karl slams it into the wall, breaking his nose further.

"You lived here with me?" Karl asks coldly.

"YE-YESH," the boy stammers in pain.

"Great. You see that bench over there, just below the tree? That's your bed from now on." Karl points at the main road.

"YESH!" The boy sobs, tears streaming down his face.

The sight of his teary expression reminds Karl of Jake for a split second. Without thinking, he grabs the boy's left ear and twists it counterclockwise.

The kid wails in agony. "DON'T. CRY. WITHOUT. MY. PERMISSION," Karl orders, twisting harder.

After a few seconds, he lets go, and the boy collapses to his knees. Karl grabs his hair and asks, "Just curious. How old are you?"

"SIXTEEN! SIXTEEN!" the boy screams.

'A fucking child?' Karl raises an eyebrow, puzzled. "Scram now!"

The boy doesn't hesitate. He bolts.

Karl chuckles to himself. 'Who would've thought? A 25-year-old man bullying a 16-year-old kid.' He laughs. 'Well, that's one thing off my bucket list.'

He steps inside and closes the door behind him.

Karl begins searching the apartment for anything related to Leonard's life. As he digs through drawers, he finds a clean uniform and a few books: [Learn How to Be a Good Hunter], [Conquer Your Mind First] and [Close-Quarters Fighting: Intermediate.] He grabs the first and third books, flops onto the bed, and starts reading.

'Gosh, that took way too long to finish,' Karl thinks, glancing out the window. The moon is already up. He checks his watch and sees a notification. [MESS IN 5 MINUTES.]

'I keep forgetting this is a school and I'm a student. Well, at least that solves my food expenses.' Karl glances at his clean uniform. 'But I won't go tonight.' He exhales deeply.

He spends the night absorbing as much information as possible about this world. The hand-to-hand combat book teaches him a few tricks, but unfortunately, he fails to grasp anything about mana or mana control.

The next morning, Karl wakes up at 8:13 AM. He brushes his teeth and heads to the public restroom on the top floor for a shower. By 8:59 AM, he's dressed in his clean school uniform, sitting in his room. At 9:03 AM, a notification pings on his watch: "BREAKFAST IS READY."

Karl steps out, scanning his surroundings. Dozens of students walk in the same direction. 'Guess I'll just follow them.' He decides, blending into the crowd.