Chapter 5 - Part 10 (Book 1 - Fantasy World)

As Han walked up the stairs, slowly approaching the group of werebeast students who were lost in their own conversation, one of the students caught his eye.

While the student wore the same uniform as the others they had passed by, there was something unique about the young man. Han slowly eyed the man and couldn't help but see that the student was about the same height as him. The student may be a height similar to him, but what stood out was how several female students in the man's group towered over him. But even though he was smaller than the others, his existence wasn't overshadowed and demanded people be aware of his existence. The student's movements were graceful, but in the way a predator stalked their prey. The uniform the student wore appeared to struggle to contain his form, the way the young man's muscles would ripple below the fabric as he moved. This gave the individual a presence that they were the leader of the group, on top of how they kept to the rear to make sure that they kept all their friends within their line of sight. Just like the other members of the group, the student was a werebeast but covered in orange fur with black stripes. Whenever he had to comment on something one of the girls said or the other guys in front of them said something, the beastman's long razor-sharp teeth glistened in the sunlight.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Han noticed that Queen also glanced at the werebeast. But compared to him, the way she observed the tiger beastman, it was as though she were trying to analyze if the student would be a hindrance to her Master. If the beastman was a tiger, then she was like a dragon sitting on top of a mountain and contemplating whether she should devour the man or burn him alive just to watch him flail about in agony.

The only reason why such an image came to mind was how for a split second, Han noticed Helania's eyes shift to becoming narrow slits. His creation's dragon blood bubbling to the surface, possibly from being close to the student and having some kind of primal reaction. Though the boy wouldn't be a threat, the slight, nearly imperceptible frown on her lips gave away her opinions.

Han couldn't help but smell something old but metallic in the air, making him glance around to track down the source before his eyes returned to the young tiger beastman.

"He has definitely killed before."

Han couldn't help but grin, finding it fascinating to encounter such an individual. "I knew this Academy would be different from what I am used to, but I did not expect to see so many qualified individuals. This school does indeed meet what I would enjoy experiencing in this world." Han couldn't help but clench his fist.

A part of the deep recesses of Han's mind flashed to signal something to gain his attention.

As though sensing something, the tiger beastman turned and directed his gaze towards Han before looking to Queen, Helania, and then Brittany. The muscles under his uniform bulged ever so slightly as though he were getting ready for a fight, especially as he looked at Brittany. His tail changed in how it swayed, in the way a cat would behave before launching itself.

Han placed a hand on Brittany's head as he pretended not to notice the beastman's reaction.

"Alexei, what's wrong?" A beastgirl who had thick black fur that would be useful to have in a frigid winter climate to help her run during snowstorms with her packmates.

As if to ensure nothing would happen, the one called Alexei shook his head slightly before saying, "Nothing is wrong, Alina. I thought I had sensed something, but it was just my imagination."

"You sure?" A slight whine could be heard in her voice.

The other guys in the group began checking out the other students, reacting to Alexei's behavior.

Walking past the group of werebeasts, Han couldn't help but make a slight grin, sensing the tiger beastman watching Han from the corner of their eye. "Sorry about that. I hope you will forgive me for scaring you." Han said quietly under his breath.

Han didn't need to look at the werebeast to know that they widened their eyes, surprised by Han's words.

"Brittany, I do think this place will be quite some fun. What do you think?" Han cheerfully asked.

Instead of being subtle, Brittany turned her head before saying, "I think there might be something I can play around with," before she returned her attention to Han and giggled while cutely covering her mouth with both hands.

Queen sneered, snorting slightly. "What do you think of those students?" Her eyes looked to Helania in front of her.

"Remember to do your job, Queen. While our Master may tolerate Brittany's childish behavior, I will not tolerate you from being distracted by inconsequential things." Helania's voice sliced through the air.

Despite the harsh word from Helania, Queen remained silent without care about the verbal lashing.

Ahead of them, the guide could be seen faintly trembling, pulling out his handkerchief before mopping his forehead.

As they continued walking in the opposite direction of the students that had piqued his interest, Han wasn't expecting that they would run into students that were nearly, if not more, interesting that the group of werebeasts from earlier. Though he wasn't expecting to encounter more students of such caliber in the second half of the stairs before reaching the second floor, to be able to meet someone who raised his curiosity to such a degree indeed revealed what type of students he would encounter at the educational institution.

An image slowly formed in his mind, seeing the Academic City existing for ages as the world progressed through the ages. The Tower inside the Academy being a beacon of education and leading each generation to take up the necessary responsibilities to guide society forward. He pushed the image to the back of his mind while wondering if there were other nexuses where those in the nearby areas would be drawn to a place that could allow them to reach further into the sky and attain something they could only dream about as they lay on the side of a hill after a hard day of work.

"I have no doubt this institution has helped produce those who would later be known as legends among their peers, later to be remembered only through books and their stories, which would inevitably be altered by time," Han said out loud to himself.

"Sometimes, in order to sharpen a weapon, it's necessary to use something even harder to make it shine. And this is the ideal environment to churn out monsters of society that would become giants, causing the people below them to tremble."

A grin formed on his lips, anticipating those who would offer up entertainment while he experienced what Illumin had to offer.

Han raised a finger to his chin, trying to imagine how society ultimately grew stronger by creating monsters that would overwhelm others in their specialized field.

"What makes this place even more unique is how the Adventurer's Guild is so closely connected to the Academy, based on what the guide has said. The close synergistic relationship between the two parties definitely allows for what most students, even on Earth, tend to lack the most, which is practical experience. I suspect that doing tasks for the Guild will provide the necessary experience far more than a typical internship or entry-level position."

The thoughts continually flowed through Han's mind as he tried to incorporate what he was learning about the world he was in and apply it to his limited experience as an earthling.

While Han did suspect that something was changing inside of him, making himself different from what his friends and even his older brother would recognize, at the moment, he didn't have confidence that his intelligence was materially higher than the average person who lived in his former world. Even while being surrounded by his creations, he couldn't help but feel as though his mind was running on hardware, which was still several generations older than what the beings he made into being had access to.

The fact that his creations were far more competent than him was what he appreciated the most, knowing that anything he could miss would be picked up by them. He knew that his creations would be able to convey what they had discovered in a way that would be easy for him to understand.

Smirking, Han thought, "But the fact that I was fully aware of my limitations, especially my intelligence, which could barely pass as average, was what allowed me to perform better sometimes compared to people who believed themselves intellectually superior..."

Reflexively, Han clenched his jaw before releasing the tensions out of habit.

For some reason, in the past, clenching his jaw had been something he'd often do to the point where he would clench his jaw throughout the day until he was able to return to his home with Beth.

Han's heart felt a dull pain at the thought of her.

Recognizing the dark emotions that slowly began to swirl inside his chest, like how swimming in a lake would cause the sand and dirt to be kicked up and cloud his vision, Han took a moment to take a deep breath. He then slowly let out a quiet sigh through his teeth, his mind and emotions calming down and making him appreciate how he was able to set aside his haunted sentiments until a later time in the future when he was able to deal with them.

A smile returned to his face, though it felt a little plastic and something he had to force. But even if his smile didn't feel real, it helped him move forward. Deep down, Han knew that his journey would be long rather than something that could quickly be solved, even with the new ability he gained.

Slowly eyeing Helania, who moved in a way that made it seem as though she glided up the stairs, the muscles beneath her porcelain skin flowing with absolute precision. Seeing her beauty and grace, he couldn't help but feel the negativity fading away back into the haunted forest of his mind and replaced with a sensation as if something was lifted from his shoulder. It was as if Helania had wrapped her arms around him as she whispered comforting words into his ears. Not only did he feel loved but also pride.

Han knew how Helania was a being that not only dominated others in strength but also had the capabilities to control entire empires with her overwhelming technical knowledge, in addition to the way her words could become weapons. But when it came to the two of them, he knew that she was someone who could be tender, like lovers holding one another in front of a blazing fire that held back the cold from the raging blizzard outside the cabin meant for just the two of them.

A few moments passed as Han drank the image of Helania's beauty with his eyes before they slowly moved to the icy woman, his undead Queen with her radiance that attracted his gaze, just like many other people passed by their small group. He knew that under her pale, dazzling skin, Queen was a being who not only had complete control of all his military forces without needing to leverage the titanic strength contained inside such a feminine body. On top of such abilities, she was also someone who would put to shame many of the greatest tacticians of the past with her brilliance.

He knew that anyone who observed the two stunning women and only saw the curved outline of their figure, which could compete against any beauty not only in their current world but also in his previous one, would find that underestimating such women would be the last mistake they'd made in the mortal world.

Even the slowest individual would be able to sense the inner wild and ferocious presence that radiated from their bodies, as though it were an eldritch god waiting to be released back into the world. There was something enigmatic and mysterious about them that made anyone who encountered them pause, regardless of how confident they were in their ability in front of such stunning beings of perfection.

Seeing the two walking close to one another, Han could only imagine what Helania and Queen would be able to accomplish in the corporate and political sector if they were allowed to roam free without restraint back on Earth. Even if he were to curb their ability to use their power and outrageous strength, the thought that anyone would be able to serve as a decent challenge against them was laughable.

Thinking of his creations, Han slowly looked up at the ceiling, curious what the future had in store.

As they continued walking up the stairs, Han noticed how many of the students looked exhausted.

Their hair would be disheveled, and their uniforms would be slightly worn.

He looked at one of the guys, who was talking with his companions, and noticed that the edges of the uniform were slightly charred, as though the student had encountered a fire. It was as though the student had run through a building that was beginning to catch fire, the blazing heat slowly creeping throughout the structure with the smoke billowing from every crack, crevice, and opening that could be found.

The student wearily rubbed the back of his fist across his cheek, smearing soot likely as small as a grain of salt but now a large streak across his face.

Walking next to him half-heartedly, the student's companion commented something, not even having the energy to point. A corner of the boy's lips raised slightly. Despite how the boy walked as slowly as the others, he still took what little energy he had to tease his friend as boys would do -- willing to point out any errors made.

The one with a smudged cheek rolled his eyes, not even wanting to waste any energy. He took a deep breath as if praying to some divinity to give him the strength to not tackle his friend out of frustration and fatigue of dealing with such an individual after struggling with some trial and tribulation that had him nearly at the end of his ropes.

"Master, what is so funny?" Brittany moved her head into Han's line of sight as though jealous that he would pay attention to anyone other than her. Her cheeks were slightly puffed cutely.

Han shook his head, "Seeing those students just reminded me of how foolish boys could be."

Memories of running through a field with other neighborhood boys, excited to climb trees, or pretending to conquer a mysterious dungeon came to his mind. It was a time long ago when times felt simpler, and the only worry was having to go to sleep a little after the sun had set. But, like many things in life, such times only existed in memories as one eventually grew into an adult with adult responsibilities.

As the physically and emotionally drained clomped their boots on each step, not caring whether they were making too much noise as they passed everyone by, Han sniffed the air, catching the smell of smoke the kind smelled after putting out a grease fire and cleaning up the aftermath.

"The humans are at least taking their training seriously," Queen brushed her snowy hair back as she casually looked down at the students from where she walked on the stairs. "They seemed to put in more effort than the soldiers, posing as bandits we had encountered on the way to that village. The fact that children are training more than a grown human adult..." She spat out the foul-tasting words from her mouth.

Helania didn't bother making a response, presenting no sign that she cared about the students as though they were the sound of crickets chirping in the background.

Seeing Helania not responding to her words, Queen took a small breath, letting it escape between her teeth.

"Master, what do you think they were doing?" Brittany pressed herself against Han like a cat nuzzled its head against the leg of its owner.

Han's eyes stared at the ceiling as though peering into the second story of the Tower. "Based on how many of the students present themselves, coming down from the second story, they are likely training for either their class to complete an assignment or testing what they learned from either their lectures or getting ready to take on a mission for the Adventurer's Guild."

The guide in front of him caught his eye, and Han was contemplating whether he should ask the guide what was on the second story to sate his curiosity.

Observing the state of the students and how most of them looked like someone who had completed a long session at the gym, he surmised that the next level had some kind of training area where students could practice. Another thing that Han had caught was something unfamiliar that leaked out of the nearby students.

Han furrowed his brow, slightly unsure of what he detected in the air like some presence hovering around them. The feeling was similar to what he felt from the monsters, but somewhat different, as though he smelled other foods from various backgrounds while walking through the areas of town that often had restaurants from diverse countries lined along the road where people walked. He had sensed the slight weight in the air; the problem was that what he had felt before and was experiencing currently was the difference between a juice that had been watered down and one that had barely been diluted and was a concentrate.

What triggered a part of his mind, like he was standing in front of someone who had been professionally trained to be a killer, was the fact that some of the students had less of this feeling compared to others. Though he didn't know exactly what he felt, Han couldn't help but feel curious.

Deep inside, something felt as though it wanted to claw its way out from inside of him. The kind of tingling one felt when a mystery needed to be solved. Though he was able to keep a hold of his expression as he walked up the stairs. With each step, the desire to learn about what was being tickled against his skin like the air was filled with anticipation of something that could happen in the silence of a deeply wooded forest where all the background sounds had gone silent.

Blinking a few times, Han slowly noticed something that he believed to be a glare from the sunlight that flooded the Tower's interior, reflecting off the smooth surface of the walls and the stairs.

But, closing his eyes and opening them slowly, Han became slightly aware of something he hadn't been before.

"Is it because I had subconsciously sensed it?" The words faintly flowed from his mouth.

Brittany turned to look at Han, her ears perking from his voice. "Master?" She tilted her head ever so slightly, unaware of the action due to her confusion of what she thought her Master had whispered.

He placed a hand over his eyes before sliding his palm slowly upwards so his fingers slowly glided through his brown hair. "I guess I still don't know what I can do with my abilities. Things are likely happening without me being aware, as though I am being prepared for something." This time, his words were slightly louder but a little muddled as he stared at the students around him.

Ever since that day when he was randomly selected to gain such an absurd power that destroyed any kind of rational thought and common sense for someone who had lived in the modern age on Earth, Han felt more like a kid who had been gifted with a quantum computer. While turning on the computer had been simple, Han had only been looking at the various prompts and commands on the screen. As a child, he couldn't even grasp the bare minimum of what such a technology could be carried out if he desired it.

In his mind, Han thought of The Stronghold and how he had created it. While what he was able to produce may have impressed him, the action was barely equivalent to a child being impressed by filling a plastic bucket with sand and then turning it upside down to create something that could only be considered a castle due to the child's ignorance of what was already in existence.

But, as he looked at the people passing him by, a few raised an eyebrow at him. The ones that were closer moved away from him as though they were cautious about interacting with someone who clearly had power but was considerably eccentric with his mannerisms.

"Master?"

Han tried to comprehend what he saw, his eyes slowly feeling alien. Just as a child would push buttons without any care, unaware of the dangers such actions could cause, somewhere in the deepest parts of the densely wooded area of his mind, a part of him had a feeling that it was okay for him to experiment. While the experience he was attempting to work through may have felt slightly scary, like staring into a well where the concept of a bottom had no meaning, Han couldn't help but think that something inside of himself wanted him to proceed and accept the changes being made.

Without him knowing, his eyes were slightly wider than what would be considered normal.

As he continued to walk up the steps, he was unaware that the guide and his creations were following behind him.