The morning sun in Dragon City wasn't exactly friendly.
It didn't rise so much as explode across the blood-red sky like someone cast a solar flare with no regard for sleep schedules.
Ren and I shuffled out of the dorm, both half-dressed and still haunted by the laundry pool's K-pop concert from three hours ago.
"Okay," Ren said, yawning and clutching a mana thermos labeled 'Not Poison Probably'. "So I may have emotionally bonded with you last night over breakfast pancakes and spiritual anime trauma…"
"You taped a Lloyd sticker to my bedframe," I muttered.
"…but even I'm not ready for morning classes," he continued. "My brain is still buffering."
We followed the glowing signs toward our first class, each step more ominous than the last. Ancient dragon statues watched us like we owed them homework already. One of them blinked. I chose to pretend it didn't.
Finally, we reached the classroom.
Door: massive, arched, rune-etched, humming with passive intimidation.
Ren pushed it open casually.
And we walked straight into what can only be described as a Dragonic Honors Hunger Games room.
Rows of sleek black crystal benches spiraled upward in a coliseum shape, polished until they gleamed under floating mana lights. Mana screens hovered mid-air. Ambient music played quietly in the background—the type that felt like it was judging you for existing.
And the students?
Oh.
They were all here.
Kael Dravion, hair smoldering like his ego.
Seris Vellune, already radiating silent judgment from her frost-lined desk.
Rhydan Vex, glaring at a thunder crystal like it owed him money.
And Lira Noctharis—legs crossed, eyes glowing faintly violet, sipping mana tea like she didn't just give the vibe of an elegant war crime.
I stopped walking. Froze. My eyes widened in pure comedic dread.
Ren kept strolling, blinked at the crowd—then did a double take so hard he nearly dropped his thermos.
He turned to me, deadpan. "Bro, why does it feel like we walked into the S-Class Hero Meeting but forgot our invitation?"
He gestured to the lineup of mini-bosses seated like they owned the world.
"Okay. I get it. You're the Special Admission student. But why the hell am I here?"
I tried to sit down quietly.
Keyword: tried.
The bench wasn't some ancient stone monstrosity like I expected.
It was sleek. Smooth. Black crystal, humming softly under the touch.
Across the room, Kael Dravion raised an eyebrow. I felt judged anyway.
Rhydan glanced over and gave the smallest, most contemptuous nod ever invented.
Seris didn't even acknowledge us. She was already taking notes in a floating, frost-etched grimoire. Of course.
Ren plopped beside me, sipped his thermos, and muttered, "If I explode, I want my last words to be: 'I regret nothing but the soup.'"
Before I could reply, the lights dimmed.
A glowing orb floated to the center of the classroom. Sparks danced across its surface.
Then—BOOM.
With a thunderclap and a gust of wind that nearly threw Ren's thermos into the astral plane, the orb expanded into the floating form of Instructor Veyla.
Draped in shadow-silk robes, eyes glowing teal, her voice hit like a thunderstorm reciting poetry.
"Welcome to your first class at Drakensoul Academy."
She paused.
"Subject: Theoretical Combat Application of Draconic Constructs and Mana-Layer Manipulation."
My brain dropped a full frame just trying to keep up with that sentence.
Ren raised his hand.
"Yes?" Instructor Veyla said coolly.
Ren blinked. "Can I ask what the hell that means in words meant for…like, people who didn't eat raw mana for breakfast?"
A few students chuckled.
Kael didn't.
Seris rolled her eyes so hard I heard it.
Veyla smirked slightly. "It means we'll be studying how to weaponize your thoughts before your enemies do."
She waved her hand.
A mana diagram exploded into the air—an abstract weave of symbols, lines, and draconic glyphs that looked like it had been drawn by a caffeinated philosopher dragon having a breakdown.
I stared at the swirling mess.
"Am I about to Solo Level this puzzle," I muttered, "or solo embarrass myself? There is no in-between."
Ren elbowed me lightly and whispered, "You feel like Sung Jinwoo. I feel like one of those random hunters who die in Chapter 2."
I squinted harder.
Jihoon.exe officially stopped responding.
"This," Veyla continued, "is a standard mana construct overlay. Your assignment: decode its intent signature using only your internal aura field and instinct."
I turned to Ren.
"Do we…do we have an internal aura field?"
He sipped his drink. "Mine's currently 80% anxiety and 20% instant regret."
Then things got worse.
Because Veyla snapped her fingers—and the mana construct ignited, warping into a floating puzzle of rotating runes.
Everyone else instantly closed their eyes and started glowing like meditation monks about to unlock Ultra Instinct.
I?
I squinted at the puzzle.
[ Skill: Adaptive Insight triggered. ]
[ Construct Signature: Obscured. Partial Sync Possible. ]
[ Error: Overload Risk. Recommend Manual Analysis. ]
"Oh no," I muttered. "Even the system's like, 'don't.'"
Ren poked the air construct like he was testing soup temperature. "She's got Sharingan-level focus," he whispered, pointing at Seris, "and I'm over here using Talk no Jutsu on a mana puzzle."
Behind me, Kael sighed loudly—just to make sure everyone knew how much better than us he felt.
"Pathetic," he muttered.
I glanced at him.
Then said very loudly, "Sorry, was your hair always smoking like that or is your ego overheating?"
A few chuckles.
Lira gave the faintest smirk. Victory.
Instructor Veyla didn't even pause. "Good. Pressure creates resistance. Resistance refines instincts. That's your real test."
She raised a hand—and the puzzle ignited again, this time shifting toward the entire class like a wave of sentient math.
Oh, great.
Puzzle. Pressure. Prodigies.
Just another Tuesday at dragon school.
I focused hard, forcing Adaptive Insight to sync.
[ Attempting Adaptive Sync... ]
[ Cognitive Load: 97% ]
[ Warning: High Risk of Neural Feedback Loop. ]
I gritted my teeth.
The construct pulsed.
I reached for it with my mana instinct—
—and Kael, sitting two rows above, smirked.
He snapped his fingers.
A harmless spark of flame—small enough not to get caught—zipped straight at my glyph cluster, disrupting the rune sequence.
The whole thing wobbled.
Adaptive Insight screeched internally like an angry smoke alarm.
[ ERROR: Signal Instability Critical. ]
[ Trait Evolution Forced. Standby. ]
My vision blurred.
The symbols shifted again—
—but this time, instead of reading them...
I heard them.
Whispers. Echoes. Voices under the puzzle, chanting ancient instructions.
Not vision. Not logic. Instinct.
Ren, seated next to me, leaned in and whispered, "Bro. You smell colors right now, or is that just me?"
I ignored him.
A spark clicked in my chest.
A pulse. A rhythm.
The rune sequence unfolded in my mind—not solved by calculation, but by syncing my mana beat with it.
[ Trait Evolved: Adaptive Resonance (Lv.1) ]
[ Passive Effect: Instinctive Mana Echo Reading ]
[ You can now "feel" mana constructs to bypass advanced analysis. ]
Achievement Unlocked:
💥 "Cheat Sheet: Instinct Mode Activated."
Without thinking, I traced my mana along the pulse of the puzzle.
Somewhere deep inside me, the spirit of every shonen protagonist whispered: Believe it.
Honestly, it was either that or a chakra-fueled panic attack.
It clicked.
Visibly.
The construct twisted once—then unfolded like a blooming flower.
Instructor Veyla's eyes sharpened in surprise.
The mana orb solidified above my desk, forming a small, hovering sigil of silver and violet light—perfect, stable, complete.
The room fell silent.
Kael stared like he'd just been personally insulted by gravity.
Seris flicked her eyes at me for the first time—calculating, curious.
Rhydan arched an eyebrow, impressed—or at least vaguely less hostile.
Even Lira... allowed herself a small nod.
Ren leaned sideways, whispering like a proud gremlin, "Okay. New plan. We survive by acting way dumber than we actually are so nobody expects this."
I nodded solemnly. "The pancake strategy."
He fist-bumped me under the desk.
Veyla finally spoke, her voice like smooth-cut stone.
"Interesting. Very interesting."
She gestured, and the silver-violet sigil hovered higher into the room for everyone to see.
"Incomplete formal training. Instinctual harmonization. Adaptive resonance. Rare. Extremely rare."
She let her gaze sweep across the class.
"Let this be your first lesson: Bloodlines are not guarantees. Titles are not destiny. Skill is forged, not inherited."
Her words dropped like boulders.
Kael bristled.
Seris smirked like she agreed.
Rhydan cracked his knuckles thoughtfully.
Lira's gaze flickered toward me again, something unreadable in her eyes.
Veyla dismissed the construct with a flick.
"Class dismissed. Tomorrow—combat trials. Bring your weapons. Bring your wills."
I exhaled as the tension finally broke and students started filing out.
Ren threw an arm around my shoulders like a proud dad at a talent show.
"Dude," he whispered, "you're either going to be famous by the end of the month—or assassinated."
"Possibly both," I muttered.
Then, louder:
"First day at dragon school: Didn't die. Accidentally flexed. Made enemies."
I glanced around the blood-red sky, grinning like an idiot.
"Believe it—I'm still alive." (Cue sad ninja flute music.)
📚 Chapter 7 Teaser:New roommate, new problems, and Drakensoul's first official combat training session.Let's just say "sparring" is a generous term when everyone has elemental magic and a grudge.
Author's Note:
🛡️ First theoretical class—survived!
Jihoon flexed Adaptive Resonance... accidentally. Kael is salty. Lira noticed. Ren remains Ren
📊 Poll Results from Chapter 4!
Question: What would Jihoon's first class involve?
🏆 Correct Answer:
D) Accidentally unlocking forbidden knowledge before breakfast.
Congratulations to everyone who voted for pure chaos!
(Also, we now know Jihoon's hidden superpower is "accidental character development.") 😂
📊 Poll Time!
What are you most excited for in Jihoon's next disaster arc?
A) New roommate chaos (please let it be someone normal... please)
B) Jihoon trying not to die during sparring
C) Ren attempting "support magic" and possibly committing crimes
D) Jihoon secretly starting to enjoy the madness
Drop your guesses and theories below ⬇️ — and may the mana be with us all! 🐉✨