# **Chapter 3: A Changed Man**
## **Morning of Defiance**
Ethan woke with the first light of dawn, his body humming with the residual energy of last night's breakthrough. The air in his small dorm room felt different—charged, as if the world itself recognized the shift in him.
He washed quickly, the cold water sharpening his senses. For the first time , he studied his reflection without disgust. His eyes, once dull with defeat, now burned with quiet determination.
*"Today, everything changes."*
---
As Ethan stepped into the academy courtyard, the usual whispers followed him—but this time, he didn't flinch.
*"Look, it's the talentless orphan."*
*"How is he still here? Even the professors want him gone."*
*"Pathetic. He'll never amount to anything."*
Mocking laughter trailed behind him like a shadow. Some students glared with open disgust, as if his mere presence offended them. A few even stepped aside, as though afraid his "failure" might be contagious.
Ethan ignored them all.
His strides were measured, his back straight.
For the first time in this body's life, he walked with his **head held high.**
---
When he pushed open the door to his Magical Theory class, the room fell into startled silence.
Twenty pairs of eyes locked onto him—some wide with disbelief, others curling into sneers.
*"What's *he* doing walking like that?"*
*"Did he hit his head or something?"*
*"Probably trying to act tough before his expulsion."*
Ethan said nothing.
He moved past them, his posture unyielding, and took his usual seat in the back. The whispers grew louder, but he didn't react. He simply sat, folded his hands, and waited.
The silence stretched.
Then—
**"You're in my seat."**
Rolan Veyne loomed over him, flanked by two smirking lackeys. This was their usual game: forcing Ethan to scramble to another chair, just for their amusement.
Today, Ethan didn't move.
He met Rolan's gaze evenly.
*"Sit somewhere else."*
A collective gasp rippled through the room.
Rolan's face darkened. *"What did you just say?"*
Ethan didn't blink. *"You heard me."*
For a heartbeat, no one breathed.
Then Rolan's fist slammed onto the desk. *"You worthless—"*
**"Enough."**
Professor Halric's voice cut through the tension like a blade. The aging spellcaster stood at the front of the room, his sharp eyes flicking between them. *"Take your seats. *All* of you."*
Rolan hesitated, then leaned down, his whisper venomous. *"This isn't over."*
Ethan smiled faintly. *"No. It's not."*
As Rolan stormed off, the classroom buzzed with shocked murmurs.
*"Did Ethan Gale just stand up to Rolan?"*
*"He's going to get himself killed."*
*"Why does he suddenly look… different?"*
Ethan ignored them, his focus on the professor.
For the first time, he realized—he wasn't afraid anymore.
---
## **The First Lesson in Power**
Professor Halric began his lecture on elemental mana channels, but Ethan barely listened. His mind was elsewhere.
*"They noticed the change. Good."*
Let them wonder. Let them question.
Soon, they'd do more than just **notice.**
Soon, they'd **fear.**
---
As soon as Professor Halric dismissed the class, Rolan Veyne slammed his hands on Ethan's desk, his face twisted with fury.
**"You think you're tough now, trash?"** Rolan sneered, his breath hot against Ethan's face. **"You've got one day left in this academy, and you decide *today* is the day to grow a spine?"**
The other students lingered, eager for the confrontation. Some smirked, others watched with morbid curiosity.
Ethan didn't flinch. He simply leaned back in his chair and met Rolan's glare.
**"If you've got something to prove, say it plainly."**
Rolan's face darkened. He hadn't expected resistance.
**"Fine. You want to act like a big shot? Then fight me."** He jabbed a finger into Ethan's chest. **"Training grounds. Three o'clock. Unless you're too much of a coward."**
A murmur spread through the room. Duels weren't uncommon, but for someone like Ethan—a Level 1 apprentice with no combat skills—this was a death sentence.
Ethan smirked.
**"Sure. I'll be there."**
Rolan blinked, momentarily stunned. Then he scoffed. **"Don't run away."**
With that, he shoved Ethan's desk and stormed off, his lackeys trailing behind him, laughing.
The other students stared at Ethan in disbelief.
*"Is he insane?"*
*"Rolan's a Level 4 Apprentice! He'll destroy him!"*
*"Maybe he *wants* to get expelled."*
Ethan ignored them, gathering his things.
He had more important matters to attend to.
---
The Moonlight Magic Academy's Grand Library was a towering structure of enchanted stone and glowing runes. Apprentices were only allowed in the first-floor archives, where basic spellbooks gathered dust.
...
Ethan stepped into the academy's grand library, his boots clicking against the polished marble floor. Towering shelves stretched endlessly, packed with books—most of them basic spell manuals deemed "safe" for low-level apprentices.
The other students barely glanced at him as he passed. To them, he was still **Ethan the Useless**, the orphan who couldn't cast a proper *Spark* after two years.
*"Let them think that,"* he mused. *"They'll learn soon enough."*
Ethan strode through the towering shelves of the academy's first-floor library, his fingers brushing against the spines of forgotten spellbooks. Most apprentices ignored these beginner tomes, dismissing them as worthless.
But to Ethan?
**They were the foundation of godhood.**
He pulled out *"Fundamentals of Lightning Magic"*—a dusty manual so basic most mages wouldn't spare it a glance. Inside was the most pathetic lightning spell imaginable:
**"Static Touch"** *(Novice Tier)*
*"Produces a minor tingling sensation upon contact. Useful for pranks."*
Ethan's lips curled into a smirk.
*"Let's see what happens when I turn a joke into a nightmare."*
*"System—integrate *Static Touch* and upgrade it to maximum."*
**[Spell detected: *Static Touch* (Novice Tier)]**
**[Allocating infinite points…]**
**[Level 1 → Level 9 (Supreme Tier)]**
**[Evolution unlocked: *Static Touch* →
*Heaven's Descent*]**
Knowledge flooded Ethan's mind—no longer a weak prank spell, but a **cataclysmic stormcall.**
- **Single-target?** Now it could **chain between enemies.**
- **Tingling sensation?** Now it **vaporized flesh from bone.**
- **Short-range?** Now it **summoned lightning from the sky itself.**
And with his **infinite mana**, he could rain down judgment **indefinitely.**
*"Now *this* is power."*
Ethan glanced around. The library was nearly empty.
He pressed a single finger against the floor.
*"Heaven's Descent: Minimal Output."*
A hair-thin bolt of blue lightning lanced from his fingertip, scorching a blackened line into the stone. The air smelled of ozone.
A passing apprentice yelped, dropping his books. **"W-what was that?!"**
Ethan stood, brushing off his robes. **"Must've been the wind."**
The student stared at the smoking floor, then at Ethan, before scrambling away.