Chapter 13: The Masks We Wear

A week had passed since the entrance trials, and the first-year students of Dorothrel Academy were beginning to settle into the grand halls and dormitories of the sprawling campus. From all over the Six Kingdoms, the best and brightest—or those with the most influence—had gathered here. Yet behind the polished marble floors, enchanted corridors, and lush, magically maintained gardens, power struggles had already begun to bubble beneath the surface.

Jin Ho moved quietly through the crowd, wearing the uniform of a first-year. His insignia bore the colors of the Noryan Kingdom, a mid-tier realm known for its scholars and agricultural wealth. To others, he appeared calm and reserved, a boy with seemingly contradictory magical talents: fire and water. It made him the subject of ridicule and confusion.

"Hey, steam-boy," sneered a red-haired student, dressed in the robes of the affluent Solaria faction. "Why don't you go dry off somewhere else before you make a puddle."

Laughter followed. Jin Ho offered a small, dismissive smile and walked on.

Let them laugh. Their eyes are still too shallow to see depth.

Unknown to them all, Jin Ho's real stats were frightening. In the hidden interface of his status window, only visible to him, were the truths that would shake the academy to its core.

[Status Window - Jin Ho]

Name: Jin Ho

Age: 15

Current Level: 29

Core Level: 6 (Suppressed to 2)

Affinities: Fire (Primary), Water (Secondary) (Publicly known; true affinity: Multi-core adaptive magic)

Unique Traits: Regression (Locked), Absolute Mana Control, Elemental Fusion (Prototype), Concealment Mastery

Skills: Flame Whip, Aqua Bind, Elemental Cloak, Mind Fortress, Temporal Memory Recall (Passive), Adaptive Combat Analysis (Passive)

Artifacts Equipped:

Veil of Minerva (Suppresses mana core appearance and cloaks aura)

Tempest Ring (Enhances wind-based defense maneuvers, hidden from public knowledge)

Father's Pendant *(Unknown properties, reacts during crisis)

Known Combat Style: Dual-elemental mage (Publicly assessed as unstable and inefficient)

Real Combat Style: Adaptive Elemental Mage / Stealth Tactician

His relationships had also started to form, but none yet deep.

Relationships (Tracked)

Father: Jin Hwan (Neutral-Good; Alive) — Protective and supportive

Mother: Lin Seo (Neutral-Good; Alive) — Loving and nurturing

Lord Jehnic: (Unknown Alignment; Distrust Level: High) — Dangerous manipulator

Dongjin Family (Enemy): Especially the youngest grandson (Hidden Threat Level: Extreme)

Potential Allies: Yet to develop. Targets identified: one healer, one summoner, one swordmaster (future influential figures)

Meanwhile, the first year was set to begin with a formal induction ceremony in the grand Hall of Myrrh. Students filed into long marble rows, arranged by their kingdoms. At the front, headmasters and senior instructors stood like sentinels, each radiating powerful auras.

Some of the factions already began forming cliques:

Solaria Elite Circle: Mostly fire-affinity nobles with ties to the royal guard.

Garuun Nightshade Society: Specialists in dark magic and potion-making, often looked down upon.

Syllan Silver Crest: Ice and wind users, favoring control and elegance, often seen as cold but capable.

Thros Ironblood Union: Combat-heavy mages and summoners from warrior clans.

Independent Class: Students without clear affiliations—orphans, scholars, and commoners.

Among the rabble, Jin Ho recognized three individuals from his past life—figures who would one day shape the world:

Isha Verlane: A poor summoner girl from the Syllan mountains, destined to form a bond with a celestial spirit.

Kael Draven: A half-blind swordmaster from Thros, known later for defeating a L9 necromancer alone.

Ain Sevelle: A soft-spoken healer with terrifying spiritual power, fated to become the High Priestess of the Healing Flame.

In this life, Jin Ho planned to befriend them early.

Friends are like ladders, he reminded himself. You use them to climb. But you can't carry them all the way. Not if you want to reach the top.

Still, he wasn't without empathy. He knew who would betray whom, who would fall, and who could still be saved. This time… he would rewrite the future.

Even if it meant staying in the shadows a little longer.