The morning sun filtered through the tall windows of Astral Academy's main building as Leon navigated the crowded hallways. Students clustered in groups, showing off their newly tamed monsters with varying degrees of pride. A girl with a D-rank Thunder Rabbit received congratulations from her friends. A boy sulked in the corner with his E-rank Rock Golem, clearly disappointed.
Leon kept his head down, his green snake—he really needed to give it a name—hidden inside his uniform jacket. Only its head poked out near his collar, ruby eyes observing everything with unsettling awareness.
"Did you see Angela Everhart's Phoenix?" a girl whispered to her friend as Leon passed. "An A-rank on her first taming! She's on a completely different level."
"What else would you expect from an Everhart?" her friend replied. "Though I heard the scholarship student got a C-rank Divine Wolf. Kai something?"
"Kai Ryusaki. Apparently, he's living in the dorms on a full scholarship. Can you imagine? Going from having nothing to becoming a Tamer?"
Leon tuned out their gossip and checked his schedule. First period: Monster Theory with Professor Hendricks. Second period: Basic Combat Training. Third period: Dungeon Studies. A standard curriculum for first-year Tamers.
Everything should proceed normally, Leon thought, entering the classroom. I attend classes, stay in the background, and observe the main characters from a distance. Once I identify the key moments where Angela's personality shifts, I can—
"Move."
Leon froze. That voice—cold, commanding, utterly devoid of warmth.
He turned to find Angela Everhart standing directly behind him, her phoenix perched regally on her shoulder. Up close, she was even more intimidating. Her ice-blue eyes looked through him rather than at him, as if he were merely an obstacle.
"Y-yes, sorry," Leon stammered, stepping aside quickly.
Angela swept past without acknowledgment, her expensive perfume lingering in the air. She chose a seat in the front row—naturally, the best seat in the class—and students immediately cleared a buffer zone around her. No one dared sit too close to the Everhart heiress.
Leon found a seat in the back corner, perfect for observation. From here, he could see both Angela and Kai, who had just entered the classroom looking somewhat lost.
Chapter 3 of the novel, Leon recalled. Kai sits in the middle row. Professor Hendricks gives a lecture on monster rankings and evolution paths. Angela answers every question perfectly, making other students feel inferior. Kai stays quiet but takes detailed notes. Nothing significant happens.
Professor Hendricks entered—a stern woman in her fifties with a B-rank Steel Hawk circling above her. "Settle down, everyone. Welcome to Monster Theory. I am Professor Hendricks, and I will be teaching you the fundamental principles of monster companionship, evolution, and combat synergy."
She tapped her tablet, and a holographic display materialized above her desk, showing the standard monster ranking system:
F → E → D → C → B → A → S → SS → SSS
"Most of you have bonded with monsters ranked between F and D," Hendricks continued. "A few exceptional students received C or B ranks. And we have one A-rank Phoenix this year." Her eyes briefly flickered to Angela, who sat with perfect posture, showing no reaction to the attention.
"Your monster's current rank does not determine your future as a Tamer. What matters is how you train them, how well you understand their abilities, and whether you can guide them through successful evolutions."
A hand shot up—a boy with a D-rank Fire Lizard. "Professor, is it true that only one in ten thousand monsters ever reach S-rank?"
"Correct. S-rank and above are exceedingly rare. Most Tamers spend their entire careers with monsters that cap at B or A-rank. The legendary SSS-rank monsters exist only in historical records."
Leon's snake shifted inside his jacket, and he gently stroked its head to keep it calm. The snake's scales felt oddly warm now, despite being cool during the ceremony.
"Now then," Hendricks said, "let's discuss evolution paths. Miss Everhart, since you have our only A-rank monster, perhaps you could explain the typical evolution requirements?"
Angela stood gracefully. "Monsters evolve through a combination of combat experience, consumption of appropriate magical resources, and deepening their bond with their Tamer. Each evolution typically requires the monster to reach a threshold of accumulated mana, then undergo a transformation trial specific to their species."
"Excellent. And the average time for a first evolution?"
"For most monsters, six months to a year of consistent training and dungeon raids."
"Correct. You may sit."
Leon scribbled notes, but his mind wandered. In the original novel, Angela's Phoenix was already A-rank and would evolve to S-rank by chapter 87, making her one of the youngest S-rank Tamers in history. That achievement, combined with her family's wealth and influence, would fuel her arrogance until she became convinced she was untouchable.
But she's not untouchable, Leon thought grimly. By chapter 253, she's dead. Killed by Kai after she goes too far, after she hurts too many people, after she...
He shook his head. That wouldn't happen. He'd make sure of it.
The lecture continued for another hour. Professor Hendricks covered bond mechanics, feeding requirements, and the importance of understanding your monster's temperament. Leon absorbed the information, even though he'd technically "read" all of this in the novel.
When class ended, students filed out in clusters. Leon packed his bag slowly, waiting for the crowd to thin. As he stood, his snake suddenly tensed, its head turning sharply toward the door.
Angela stood there, blocking his exit.
Leon's heart hammered. What? Why is she—this didn't happen in the novel!
"You," Angela said, her voice flat. "What's your name?"
"L-Leon. Leon Ashford."
"The one with the F-rank snake." It wasn't a question. Her eyes dropped to where his snake's head poked out of his jacket. "Show me."
"I... what?"
"Your monster. Show it to me properly."
Leon hesitated, then carefully extracted the snake from his jacket, holding it in both hands. The snake coiled comfortably, completely relaxed despite Angela's phoenix eyeing it with what looked like curiosity.
Angela stepped closer, studying the snake intently. Her phoenix leaned forward, tilting its head. For a long moment, nobody spoke.
"Interesting," Angela finally said.
"What is?"
"Your snake. It's not afraid of my Phoenix." Her ice-blue eyes lifted to meet his. "F-rank monsters typically cower in the presence of A-rank predators. Instinct. Yet yours shows no fear whatsoever."
Leon looked at his snake, which indeed seemed completely unbothered by the magnificent phoenix literally two feet away. If anything, the snake appeared unimpressed?
"Maybe it's just stupid?" Leon offered weakly.
Angela's expression didn't change, but something flickered in her eyes—was that amusement? "Perhaps. Or perhaps your snake is more than it appears."
Before Leon could respond, she turned and walked away, her phoenix spreading its wings once before settling back on her shoulder.
Leon stood frozen in the empty classroom, his mind racing. That conversation didn't happen in the novel. It shouldn't have happened. Angela never noticed background characters. She only cared about people who could match her status or power.
His snake hissed softly, and Leon looked down at it. Those ruby eyes, now that he really examined them, held far too much intelligence for an F-rank monster.
"What are you?" Leon whispered.
The snake's tongue flicked out, tasting the air, but offered no answers.
A translucent notification appeared in Leon's vision:
[System Notice]
[Timeline Deviation: 1.2%]
[Event Logged: Unscheduled interaction - Angela Everhart & Leon Ashford]
[Analysis: Minor deviation. Monitoring required.]
Leon dismissed the notification with growing unease. 1.2% wasn't much. The timeline should stabilize. This was fine. Everything was fine.
Except it wasn't.
By the time Combat Training started, Leon had convinced himself that Angela's interest was a fluke. She'd forget about him by tomorrow. He just needed to stay unremarkable during training, and everything would reset to normal.
The training grounds were massive—an open field with combat circles marked in white paint, practice dummies scattered around the perimeter, and a small forest section for terrain training. About fifty first-year students gathered, their monsters beside them.
Instructor Vance—a grizzled veteran with an S-rank Battle Bear—stood at the center. "Listen up! Combat Training isn't about making your monsters fight each other like some barbaric arena sport. It's about learning teamwork, understanding your monster's capabilities, and developing tactical awareness."
He gestured to the practice dummies. "Today, we start simple. You and your monster will work together to destroy these training dummies. They're enchanted to withstand E-rank attacks, so even you F-rank Tamers will need strategy."
Students paired off with their monsters. Seria's Holy Unicorn fired a beam of light that disintegrated a dummy instantly. Kai's Divine Wolf worked in tandem with him, Kai directing attacks while the wolf executed with precision.
Leon approached a dummy with his snake. "Alright, buddy. Let's just try to look competent without standing out, okay?"
The snake slithered off his arm and approached the dummy, which stood about six feet tall and was built like a muscular humanoid.
"Use Bite or Constrict," Leon instructed, remembering the snake's listed skills. "Nothing fancy."
The snake lunged forward—faster than Leon expected—and sank its fangs into the dummy's leg. Venom? No, F-rank snakes didn't have venom attacks. But the dummy's leg began to crack, stone-like material fracturing around the bite.
"What the—"
The snake released and struck again, this time at the dummy's torso. More cracks spread. One more bite to the neck, and the entire dummy crumbled into rubble.
Silence fell over the nearby students.
"Did that F-rank snake just destroy an E-rank dummy in three hits?" someone whispered.
Instructor Vance walked over, his Battle Bear lumbering behind him. He examined the destroyed dummy, then looked at Leon's snake with narrowed eyes.
"Ashford, was it? What's your snake's ability?"
"Just Bite and Constrict, sir. According to my status screen."
"No venom? No elemental affinity?"
"No, sir."
Vance crouched down, picking up a piece of the dummy. "This wasn't destroyed by force alone. There's some kind of energy corrosion here. As if the dummy's magical reinforcement was eaten away." He looked at the snake, which had returned to Leon's arm and was coiling peacefully. "Keep an eye on your monster, Ashford. It might develop abilities beyond its rank."
"Y-yes, sir."
As Vance moved on to observe other students, Leon felt eyes on him. He turned to find Angela watching from across the field, her arms crossed. Even from this distance, her analytical gaze was unmistakable.
Great, Leon thought. So much for staying unnoticed.
Kai also glanced his way, surprise evident on his face. The protagonist probably wondered how a F-rank monster could perform so well.
Leon's snake nuzzled against his neck, and for a moment, Leon could swear it was smug.
[System Notice]
[Timeline Deviation: 2.8%]
[Warning: Deviation accelerating]
[Recommendation: Reduce profile. Minimize interactions with main characters.]
Leon read the notification with mounting dread. Not even one full day, and he'd already deviated nearly 3% from the original timeline.
He looked at his snake. "This is your fault, you know."
The snake's ruby eyes seemed to glint with amusement.
Two years of planning, Leon thought miserably. And it's falling apart on day one.