I barely survived yesterday's "training arc." My body hurt in places I didn't even know could hurt. If pain were an Olympic event, I'd have taken gold, silver, and emotional damage.
Still, the system window didn't lie:
[Quest: Training to Reach the Top — Complete][Rewards granted: Strength +1, Speed +1, Agility +1]
Those numbers looked small, but after collapsing on the floor for an hour, I could feel the difference. I wasn't dying after three steps anymore—only after five. Progress.
The next morning, Elara kicked open my door. Literally.
"You're late," she said, arms crossed.
"Late? For what? I haven't even—"
"For your enrollment interview. At the Academy."
"Wait, wait, wait—today!? You could've told me yesterday!"
"I did."
"No, you said 'be ready soon,' not 'I'll drag you to magical school at dawn!'"
She didn't even blink. "Semantics."
I sighed. I had no clothes fit for an interview—just the same worn uniform from the day I got isekai'd and a smell that screamed I fought a dragon made of sweat.
We walked through the capital—if "walk" means "I ran after Elara while she marched like she owned the planet."
Margule City in daylight was a mix of fantasy and sci-fi fever dream. Crystal lampposts hummed with energy lines; people rode hovering carriages pulled by mechanical beasts; even the birds had tiny metal feathers.
"Wow…" I whispered. "So this is Margule. Kind of steampunk, kind of RPG, kind of… expensive."
"Don't wander off," Elara said.
"Wasn't planning to. Just admiring how everyone here looks richer than me."
"You fell out of the sky. You have no money. Everyone is richer than you."
Ouch. Accurate though.
After half an hour of feeling poor, we arrived at Margule Central Academy, the tower-adjacent school I'd glimpsed from orbit. It was massive—spires of red and silver twisting around a central core that reached the clouds.
A huge sign shimmered above the gate:
"Knowledge, Power, Ascension."
"Sounds culty," I muttered.
"It's the motto," Elara said. "Behave."
Two guards scanned a glowing emblem on her wrist, and the gates opened with a hiss of magic steam. Students in sleek uniforms bustled around, some floating notebooks beside them, others arguing with glowing familiars.
I suddenly felt like an NPC who walked into the main character's school by mistake.
Inside, we stopped at a desk where an older man with a mustache sharp enough to stab someone sat reviewing papers.
"Captain Sable, you brought the new transfer?" he asked.
"Yes," Elara said. "The one from the incident near the south market."
The man glanced at me. "Ah. The falling boy."
I waved awkwardly. "Falling man, technically."
He ignored me and slid a crystal slate across the desk. "Sign this."
I pressed my finger to the surface. The system chimed:
[Enrollment registered: Margule Central Academy — Trainee Division]
"Congratulations," Elara said flatly. "You're now legally obligated to attend class."
"Oh joy," I muttered. "Can't wait to relive high school trauma in another dimension."
A younger woman with green hair and round glasses appeared to escort me. "Welcome! I'm Instructor Novi. I'll guide you through orientation."
She looked harmless enough—until she smiled. That kind of smile teachers give right before assigning impossible homework.
"This way, Mr. Ace."
I followed her through hallways filled with magical contraptions humming like servers. W.T.G floated invisibly at my shoulder, whispering commentary only I could hear.
"This place radiates danger," it said.
"Everything radiates danger to you," I whispered back.
"Because everything is dangerous."
Novi turned her head. "Talking to someone?"
"Uh—just… motivating myself! Haha."
Smooth.
She led me to a small room lined with floating spheres. "Placement test time!" she said cheerfully.
"Test? Already?"
"Of course. We need to assess your mana resonance and dimensional stability."
"Those sound like words that could kill me."
"Don't worry! Only one in twenty experiences serious side effects."
Before I could protest, she gestured, and one sphere hovered in front of me. "Place your hand here."
I did. The orb pulsed, scanning my soul—or maybe just judging my life choices.
Then the system screamed.
[Warning: Dimensional Signature Detected][Unique Skill Interference: Soul Imprint — Activated]
The sphere exploded in a shower of light.
"AAAAA—"
When the glow cleared, half the testing room was covered in blue runes, and Novi looked like she'd just seen a god sneeze.
"Interesting," she whispered. "Your soul… shifted the calibration matrix. Fascinating."
"Fascinating!? It nearly disintegrated me!"
She scribbled notes furiously. "We've never had someone with dimensional resonance before."
Great. I was officially a science experiment.
After the test, I was given a temporary dorm pass and a uniform that actually fit. Elara was waiting outside.
"So," she asked, "how badly did you break the equipment?"
"I didn't break it, I redesigned it with my soul. There's a difference."
She sighed. "You're going to be trouble."
"Already am."
Before leaving, she tossed me a small badge. "Keep this. It's your Guild-issued combat ID. And Ace—try not to blow up any more school property."
"No promises."
Later that night, I flopped onto the academy dorm bed. For once, it wasn't stone or prison bars—progress!
W.T.G floated out of my chest like an annoying night-light. "Your training paid off. You survived orientation."
"Barely," I said. "And apparently I have 'dimensional resonance.' Whatever that means."
"It means your soul is slightly out of sync with this world. Use it well, and you might access greater power. Abuse it, and you'll vanish."
"Cool cool cool—wait, vanish as in die?"
"Yes."
"Awesome. Great talk."
I opened the window. The city lights stretched to the horizon, the tower glowing red like a heartbeat. Somewhere inside, millions of people lived normal lives—while I tried not to accidentally implode reality.
The system pinged again.
[New Quest: Welcome to Margule Academy][Objective 1: Attend first class without causing a dimensional incident.][Reward: Basic Mana Control Tutorial Unlocked]
"Even the system doesn't trust me," I muttered.
W.T.G chuckled. "Wise system."
The next morning
I joined a crowd of students in the main hall. Everyone looked way too competent—swords, staffs, glowing gadgets. I just had a wooden dummy friend somewhere back in my room and a semi-skill called Athletic (level zero).
The instructor strode in: tall, silver-haired, eyes like stormlight. "Welcome to Basic Dimensional Theory."
I tried not to yawn.
"Today," he said, "we'll discuss what happens when external souls interfere with native world structures."
I froze. That sounded… familiar.
He waved his hand, and an illusion formed: a figure falling from the sky, trailing light—exactly how I arrived.
The entire class turned to look at me.
The instructor's gaze sharpened. "Mr. Ace, was it? Care to explain why your resonance signature matches the unidentified incident from yesterday?"
I laughed nervously. "Coincidence?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps. Or perhaps you'll demonstrate for us."
"Demonstrate what?"
"Your Soul Imprint. On that training dummy."
Oh no.
I stepped forward, palms sweating. "Okay, uh, this is perfectly safe."
W.T.G whispered, "No, it isn't."
"Shut up."
I focused on the dummy, channeling my soul like before—just a small spark.
The dummy twitched… then exploded into glittering shards of light that formed a floating mini-version of me, grinning stupidly.
Everyone gasped.
The little clone waved. "Hi me!"
Then it started running around the room screaming "Push-ups complete! Sit-ups complete!" before collapsing dramatically.
The class erupted in laughter.
I buried my face in my hands. "Kill me now."
The instructor sighed. "Fascinating. Also, detention."
Later, sitting in the empty classroom, broom in hand, I groaned. "First day and I already blew up school property again."
W.T.G shimmered beside me. "Progress. This time, no casualties."
"Small victories."
Then the system pinged again:
[Hidden Skill progress: Soul Imprint Level Up → 2][New Effect Unlocked: Soul Echo (creates temporary construct based on user emotion)]
I blinked. "Wait, that clone thing was a feature?"
"Congratulations," W.T.G said. "You invented emotional soul duplication."
I leaned back, staring at the ceiling. "Great. So I'm a walking dimensional hazard with mood swings that can create mini-mes. Perfect hero material."
As night fell, I found myself standing by the academy courtyard fountain. The stars reflected off the water like fragments of the void I'd fallen through.
For the first time, I felt… curious. Maybe this world wasn't trying to kill me after all. Maybe it was testing me.
The system chimed softly:
[Main Quest Unlocked: The Tower of Margule][Objective: Ascend the tower and uncover the truth behind your arrival.]
I smirked. "Finally, something cool."
W.T.G floated beside me, its glow reflecting in the fountain. "Careful what you wish for, Ace. The tower is alive."
"Alive?"
"Yes. And it remembers who falls from the sky."
A chill ran down my spine.
I sighed. "Of course. Why wouldn't it?"