The aftermath of the duel spread like wildfire.
In a single move, Harvey had dismantled one of the academy's proudest nobles without even drawing a weapon. Rumors swirled—some called it luck, others called it a fluke.
But those who watched closely?
They saw something terrifying.
Calculated precision. Unreadable ability. An aura like death itself.
And now, everyone was watching Class Zero.
---
The Whispering Hall
At night, Class Zero's dormitory fell into a heavy silence. Most students had left to avoid the tension surrounding Harvey.
Only a few remained.
Cain, who watched everything like a tactician behind glass.
Rye, the soft-spoken transfer with something ancient in his eyes.
And Elara—the girl with silver bloodlines and an expression that masked too much.
Harvey sat by the window, flipping through spellbooks that should've been above his clearance.
They weren't.
Not for him.
[System Expansion: Hidden Frameworks – Initiated]
[Skill Progression: Arcane Synthesis Lv. 6 → Lv. 7]
[New Trait Acquired: Spell Devourer (Passive)]
But then he paused.
Because something blinked outside.
Eyes. Crimson, catlike. Watching him from the treeline.
He stood slowly and left without a word.
---
Forest Edge, 3:00 AM
The academy forest was a forbidden zone past curfew. Mana beasts roamed freely, and shadows moved of their own volition.
Harvey stepped onto the dirt path lit only by moonlight.
The air shimmered.
And from behind a tree stepped a boy—older than him, dressed in Zenith uniform, but with a mark burned into his collar.
> A red eye, crossed by a blade.
An unofficial sigil. No faction used it openly.
But Harvey remembered it.
From the war. From before his erasure.
They were called the Thirteenth Vein—the secret executioners of the Council of Ascension.
The boy smiled.
"Didn't expect you to sniff me out so fast," he said. "The reincarnation made you sharper."
Harvey didn't respond.
Because the real question was simple:
> How did this guy know?
---
Truth and Blades
"I was there when you died," the red-eyed boy said. "I watched you burn. Screaming. Cursing. And you know what?"
He unsheathed his blade.
"It was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."
Harvey didn't flinch.
Instead, he summoned a spell glyph—black and angular.
[Warning: Incompatible Arcane Signature Detected.]
[Proceeding will void all safety protocols.]
"Good," Harvey said. "This time, I'll let you scream first."
---
Battle in the Woods
The duel was silent and deadly. No arena. No rules.
Only blood and instinct.
The boy used cursed steel, spells inscribed in bone, and illusions Harvey shouldn't have seen through.
But Harvey wasn't fighting with just this life's knowledge.
He was using everything.
The scream that finally tore from the assassin's throat wasn't from pain. It was from recognition.
> "You're not Harvey Luxen," he whispered. "You're something else... something that shouldn't exist."
> "You're the anomaly."
Harvey leaned down.
Whispers of dark code spiraled around his palm.
"I'm the answer to your mistake."
With one final spell—burning red, not blue—the boy disappeared.
Not dead.
Just… gone.
Erased.
---
Back at the Dorm
Cain met him at the door.
"You're bleeding."
Harvey looked down. He hadn't even noticed the cut.
"Not mine."
Cain stared. "You killed a Vein operative?"
"No," Harvey replied. "I erased him."
Cain smirked, then handed him a sealed envelope.
"You're being summoned."
Harvey opened it.
There were no words inside.
Only the sigil of the Headmaster.
And underneath it, glowing faintly:
> "We need to talk—Codebreaker."
---