The instructor led us outside, away from the marble halls of the main building and across a wide patch of open grass. There was nothing in sight—just a single, towering monolith standing silently at the center of the field.
It was massive, obsidian-black, and polished to a mirror finish. The insignia of Atlas Academy was carved into its surface—an intricate sigil of wings, earth, book, and flame woven together.
One of the students glanced around and finally broke the silence.
"Instructor… you said we were going to choose our weapons and evaluate our stats. So… why are we staring at a big black rectangle?"
Instructor Kaelen turned slightly, that same calm, commanding look still etched into his face.
"Just wait a second," he said.
He stepped forward, reached into his coat, and pulled out a single silver coin. With practiced motion, he slid it into a narrow slot near the base of the monolith—one that was barely noticeable until now.
At first, nothing happened.
Then—
FWHOOM.
Four pillars of light burst from the ground, surrounding the entire area in a glowing square. The air shimmered. A low hum resonated beneath our feet.
And before anyone could react, the grassy field vanished.
In the blink of an eye, we were no longer outside.
We were now standing inside a massive underground facility—sealed within a wide capsule chamber, large enough to fit at least five hundred people. The ceiling curved overhead like the dome of a futuristic arena, dimly lit with mana-powered conduits embedded in the walls.
"What the hell…?" someone whispered behind me.
Instructor Kaelen casually stepped over to a glowing panel on the wall, pressed his hand against it, and tapped several options on the screen.
A mechanical voice rang out from above.
[WEAPONS FACILITY SELECTED — ACCESS GRANTED]
With a low hiss, several large gates began to slide open at the far end of the capsule, revealing the warehouse facility.
But before anyone could move, Instructor Kaelen raised a hand.
"Before we proceed," he said, his voice rumbling with that same calm yet commanding presence, "are there any questions?"
Ji-Hyun raised his hand.
Kaelen nodded. "Speak."
"I have a few," Ji-Hyun said. "First—what exactly is that coin, and where do we get one? Second—where are we right now? And lastly… how does this place even work?"
Kaelen gave a curt nod, like he appreciated the directness.
"One," he began, holding up a finger. "That coin is a special artifact created by the Principal. It distinguishes registered members of Atlas Academy from outsiders. And you'll receive your own coin after today's session ends."
"Two," he continued, "we're currently inside a portal dimension created by the Principal. This facility exists outside standard space—it's one of several secure, modular zones designed to store and protect Academy resources."
He paused, then added with a shrug, "And three… I don't know how it works. No one does. Only the Principal."
A quiet murmur ran through the class.
You could tell everyone was thinking the same thing:
Who is the Principal?
And more importantly—how powerful are they?
Well, I already knew.
You might've noticed I referred to the Principal as they.
That's because the role isn't held by a single person.
Atlas Academy is jointly led by two Principals.
The first is known as the West God—the second-highest ranked swordsman in the world. A warrior whose name alone can shift battlefield strategies.
The second… is the one who designed this very dimension.
The undisputed number one magician on the planet.
A legend so deep in the arcane arts that even the Akashic Library doesn't fully record their magic.
Her name…?
Well, no one calls her by her real name anymore.
Most just refer her as:
The Architect.
And this? This facility?
Yeah. This is just one of the playgrounds they've built.
◇◇◇
We stepped out of the capsule just as Instructor Kaelen finished answering the last of the students' questions. Without delay, we followed him toward the facility.
[Warehouse]
A colossal structure that stores more than a thousand types of weapons. From the outside, it didn't look like much—just gray walls and a polished stone floor, sterile and industrial. But the scale was undeniable.
I remembered hearing a quote once from the head of this very facility:
"As long as a weapon has history, we can recreate it."
Just next to the warehouse stood another building—the Weapon Maintenance Hall. Blacksmiths walked briskly between furnaces and anvils, their uniforms dark with soot. The air rang with the sharp rhythm of hammers striking steel. The heat, the smoke, the scent of mana-infused metal—it was unmistakable.
Instructor Kaelen led us forward.
"Let's go inside," he said, voice rumbling like distant thunder.
Before we could enter, a woman stepped out from the side of the warehouse.
She wore a gray tank top, her uniform jacket tied around her waist. Her fiery red hair clung to her sweat-slicked neck, and her tan skin shimmered slightly under the overhead lights.
She looked like someone who lived in a forge—and could arm-wrestle a dragon.
She grinned when she saw Kaelen. "Hey, Kaelen darling, what brings you here today?" she said with a wink, trying to pull him into a hug.
Kaelen effortlessly shrugged her off. "You forgot the schedule again. Today's the day the first-years choose their weapons."
"Oh crap, you're right." She scratched her head. "Give me a sec to start the program."
She jogged toward the back of the warehouse and tapped away at a glowing control panel.
A few seconds later, the massive metal doors creaked open, and we were ushered inside.
The interior of the warehouse was like stepping into a high-tech armory from a different era—one that fused magic and machinery. Countless floating panels hovered in the air, each one displaying a different weapon. They were neatly categorized by type: blades, blunts, spears, ranged weapons, wands, staffs, and more.
It was overwhelming.
Instructor Kaelen stepped forward once again.
"Before you begin, remember this," he said, voice firm but even. "This school provides the Primus class with access to weapons typically reserved for second-year students."
A ripple of excitement went through the class.
"That means B-rank weapons—but don't get too excited. There aren't many of them. You'll have to be quick, or lucky."
He folded his arms.
"You can either pick something you're comfortable with, even if it's lower-ranked… or you can push yourself to master a higher-rank weapon and adapt."
He paused for effect, then added:
"You have one hour. Make your choice wisely."
The students burst into motion, scattering in every direction like kids set loose in a candy store. I didn't need to browse. I already knew what I wanted.
I walked straight to the ranged weapons section and scanned the list until I reached the far end.
There it was.
Mana Gun.
Code Name: [M-07 Modular Elemental Sidearm]
A sleek, futuristic sidearm forged from obsidian-alloy plating, pulsing with soft blue mana lines across its matte-black surface. A glowing circular dial is embedded on the side of the weapon, which rotates between three distinct modes—each represented by a number etched subtly around its edge:
1 – Pulse (Stun & Knockback) Low Damage
2 – Burst (Area Fire/Energy Damage) Medium Damage
3 – Pierce (High-Speed Precision Shot) High Damage
When inactive, the weapon gives off a faint mechanical hum. In use, the dial emits a bright, rotating mana light, indicating the selected mode. Its shots are clean, glowing, and highly concentrated—projecting elemental energy rather than traditional ammunition.
The Mana Gun was designed to channel and launch elemental energy.
To most players in Atlas Online, it was just a gimmick weapon. Unreliable. Underwhelming.
But to me?
It was the only weapon I had ever truly mastered.
I reached out and gripped the handle. It was cold, smooth, familiar.
The system chimed.
___
[Mana Gun Acquired]
Name: M-07 Modular elemental sidearm.
Rank: B–
___
[Compatibility: 73%]
[Effectiveness adjusted due to Commander Class - Stat Sync 30%]
___
Yeah… figures.
Thirty percent.
That was the curse of being a Commander class. No matter the weapon, I could never use it at full strength.
Still, I holstered it with a small smile.
This would do.
This was my weapon.
◇◇◇
I walked outside, the cool weight of my brand new gun resting comfortably in my hand.
"Still… even with the 30% penalty, getting a B-rank weapon is kind of insane. Must be my luck stat kicking in."
A faint smirk tugged at my lips. B-rank gear on a 'trash' class like [Commander]? Yeah, this definitely wasn't part of the original script.
Now that my weapon was secured, I figured I might as well check what the rest of the main cast had picked.
First up was Noah Seongvale—the main male lead. True to his noble and western-inspired background, he'd chosen a pristine double-edged sword. Sleek, balanced, and absolutely protagonist-coded.
Next was Ryuma Kento, the third male lead. His weapon of choice? A longbow with a sleek, cybernetic design. Looked like it came straight out of a sci-fi shooter. Honestly… kind of cool.
Then there was Malik Danton.
He walked right past me without a word and struck up a conversation with the red-haired woman near the entrance to the warehouse facility. Her arms were crossed, her gray uniform jacket tied lazily around her waist, and sweat still glistened on her tan skin from earlier work.
I recognized her instantly.
The same woman who had tried to flirt with Instructor Kaelen earlier.
So that's her.
The red hair, the confidence, the attitude—it all made sense now.
She wasn't just any staff member.
She was Rena Danton.
Malik's older sister.
Well, that explains everything—the matching hair, the skin tone, even that casual boldness.
Malik seemed unfazed by her eccentric behavior. From the way he spoke, it sounded like he'd already told her what he wanted.
He didn't come to pick a weapon.
He came to forge one.
As expected. Still following the story for now… I just hope it stays that way.
I turned to head back into the warehouse when someone caught my eye—a girl standing quietly near the staff section.
Long black hair, glowing space-like eyes, and a face that could probably make Elana look average in comparison.
Han Seora.
The protagonist of the original webnovel.
The girl who, in the original storyline, was destined to receive a legendary S-rank staff—the Staff of Stars—a weapon mistakenly stored in the Academy's regular armory.
But right now, she looked… lost. Brows furrowed. Scanning the weapon panels without a clue.
She still hasn't picked it?
In the original timeline, she'd already found the staff by now—triggering her early awakening event and securing her unique magic affinity.
Should I help her?
I hesitated.
Messing with the plot wasn't ideal, but letting it break was worse. So I took a breath, sprinted toward the staff section, and quickly scanned the list.
There it was.
The Staff of Stars.
I grabbed it without a second thought, aimed, and lobbed it gently across the room.
Bonk.
The staff lightly tapped Han Seora's back, making her stumble a bit. She turned around, startled, and quickly scanned the area.
She didn't see me.
Her eyes drifted down to the weapon in her hands—and the moment she read its appraisal, her expression lit up.
Pure joy. Relief. Awe.
Exactly what I needed to see.
I turned away with a sigh.
"…I guess that counts as saving the story."
To be continued.