Elite Tower

As I wandered through the academy's vast corridors, I couldn't help but be mesmerized by the strange sight before me.

Despite it being midday, sunlight was unable to penetrate the glass windows, leaving the hallways illuminated only by the blue lamps.

This created a bizarre contrast between the inside of the castle and the outside, as if they were two entirely different worlds.

"Sigh."

Even though I had been in this world for over three days, that did little to lessen the strangeness of being inside the very novel I had written.

If I were to be honest, I still treated this world as if it were a dream.

Yet, I pushed these thoughts to the back of my mind and began reviewing my plan, in case I had overlooked something.

Though my plan seemed clever, I was the one most aware of its potential consequences if it failed.

Intervening too quickly in the original events of the novel could lead to disaster.

But at the same time, I couldn't just sit back and do nothing, as following the original plot would only lead me to the tragic ending I had written with my own hands.

As I pondered this, I injected some mana into tu, and a holographic screen appeared before me, displaying the academy's rules.

I began reviewing the academy's rules—after all, my plan was nothing more than a loophole within them.

The rules were numerous, but these were the most important ones

1. All students are subject to the same rules, regardless of their backgrounds.

2. Ranking is based on fair and accurate weekly exams. Challenges to alter rankings are allowed, except for lethal duels, and it is not necessary for both parties to consent.

3. The use of secret arts or high-level mana weapons in duels is prohibited, as they may endanger students' lives.

4. Any form of class discrimination is punished by point deductions.

5. Each student receives a set number of points based on their rank or from completing specific activities. These points can be used to acquire equipment, mana arts, or special training.

6. Attendance and adherence to the schedule are mandatory; absences result in penalties—point deductions for the first three instances, and expulsion on the fourth.

7. Students are assigned to similar dorms randomly to ensure interaction among all, except for the top ten, who reside in the Elite Tower and have their own private rooms.

8. Any activity that endangers students' lives is strictly forbidden.

After reading through the long list of rules, I sighed in relief. The rules remained the same as those in my novel, which meant that everything—except for the events I planned to interfere with—should unfold just as they did in the first volume of the original story.

After some time, I finally arrived at the Elite Tower.

The Elite Tower was one of the few towers in the academy, housing the top ten students from each academic year, meaning there were a total of thirty rooms.

However, the tower was devoid of life except for me. The second and third-year students were likely training or on missions outside the academy, while the rest of the first-year students were busy exploring, making me the only one to return to my dorm this early.

Of course, even I wanted to explore the academy and see the places I had once written about, but I needed to grow stronger as quickly as possible for tomorrow.

After a bit of searching, I found my room.

The door was made of a type of black wood that seemed to absorb light, with two numbers engraved on it One on the left and Four on the right. The number on the left indicated my academic year, while the one on the right represented my rank.

All I had to do to enter my dorm was slide my right hand over the numbers, causing the door to open magically.

Upon entering the room, I couldn't help but be amazed by its luxury. It was larger and more opulent than even Edward's former apartment.

I began exploring the room slowly, captivated by its sheer size.

"ruly..."

Opening one of the doors at random, I couldn't help but scream in shock.

Before me was a fully equipped kitchen, complete with a small storage room.

But what shocked me the most were the robots standing there like steel statues.

Seeing the robots, an idea popped into my mind, and I spoke loudly:

"Ramen."

As soon as my voice echoed, it was as if life had been breathed into the robots, as they immediately sprang into action, swiftly gathering ingredients and preparing the meal.

Seeing this, I decided to continue exploring the apartment, as cooking would take some time.

The apartment consisted of a bedroom, a kitchen, two bathrooms, a guest reception hall, and a massive training room.

The training room was the most important part of the apartment, as it contained everything a person could need for training, from practice dummies and blunt carbon weapons to specialized body-training equipment.

There were even advanced training features, such as summoning a virtual instructor or a sparring partner of the same rank.

After inspecting everything, I returned to the kitchen to eat the ramen prepared by the robots—it was truly delicious—before heading back to the training room.

I moved to the center of the training room, sat down, and began practicing the mana art of the Lightstar family.

Mana arts referred to the method of gathering mana from the world, with each art having its own unique way of accumulating mana, along with its advantages and drawbacks.

Comprehensive mana arts, such as the Starry sky mana art of the Lightstar family, contained a diverse set of spells and weapon techniques—in short, all possible ways to utilize mana.

This was one of the major reasons for the vast difference between nobles and commoners.

Unlike commoners, who had to rely on the mana arts provided by the Union Army and the academy, each noble family possessed a comprehensive mana art of its own.

I began focusing, trying to connect with the mana. It felt as though I were submerged in an ocean, with even breathing becoming nearly impossible. But I did not feel fear as I had the first time—I had grown accustomed to it after several training sessions.

Instead, I focused on my mana core, which started generating a certain gravitational force that pulled the water into my body, gathering it within the mana nucleus located in my heart.

The process resembled water being drawn into a black void, where three blue stars floated in the darkness. These blue stars were responsible for generating the gravity that attracted the mana.

After a period of meditation and mana gathering, I began attempting to compress it to form a new star.

These stars were the essence of the

Starry sky technique, as compressing mana into stars allowed me to store more mana than my mana core could naturally hold.

Furthermore, these stars were the foundation of all Lightstar arts.