Tenri Academy. The most prestigious institution in Japan for nurturing superhumans.

Within Tenri Academy, many high-ranking superhumans had been invited to reside. Among them was a 6-star superhuman who had inherited the power of ancient feudal samurai.

His name was Shiriya Ken. Considering that there were only about 300 6-star superhumans worldwide, it was almost a waste for someone of his caliber to remain as a mere instructor at an academy.

When someone asked Shiriya Ken why, he answered as follows:

“The most important virtues in Bushido(TL/N:a code of honor and conduct that was followed by the samurai class in premodern Japan) are loyalty and righteousness.”

That was his reason.

Shiriya Ken had grown up in an orphanage and, even as an adult, lived a life where he had to worry about his daily meals. Then, one day, he unexpectedly awakened as a superhuman. However, with his days consumed by the struggle for survival, Shiriya Ken had neither the time nor the resources to properly develop his powers.

It was the first president of Tenri Academy who took him in and helped him rise to become a world-class 6-star superhuman. Out of gratitude, Shiriya Ken turned down many lucrative offers to remain at Tenri Academy, dedicating himself to nurturing the next generation of talent.

As usual, Shiriya Ken was returning to his dormitory after finishing his training at a private facility. Having just finished an intense session, his sharpened senses were still on high alert.

Swish.

‘…?’

Thanks to those honed senses, he detected a suspicious presence that had infiltrated Tenri Academy.

Swish.

Shiriya Ken leapt into action, swiftly tracking the intruder.

However, the infiltrator was no ordinary individual. The moment they realized they had been discovered, they bolted toward their destination with astounding speed.

Their pace was so incredible it was as if an athlete, burdened with hundred-kilogram weights on each limb, had thrown them off and began sprinting at full speed.

“Who are you?”

The intruder didn’t respond, only quickening their pace toward the shrine. Realizing the direction they were heading, Shiriya Ken bit his lip hard.

“Hah!”

Stopping briefly, Shiriya Ken drew his sword and unleashed a barrage of crimson sword energy. The energy spread out like a net, its speed surpassing even that of the fleeing intruder. The intricate web of sword energy left no room for escape.

Realizing evasion was impossible, the intruder turned to face the oncoming assault. They wore a pitch-black mask over their face.

“...”

Silently, the masked figure extended their hands, summoning a semicircular shield.

Boom!

The storm of sword energy swept through the masked figure, the surrounding rocks, trees, and other structures. Some of the energy that collided with the shield slid off it strangely, striking the shrine’s walls.

Bzzz.

The shrine’s protective barrier activated along with the magical inscriptions etched into its walls, shielding it from damage.

However, the impact shook the shrine itself. The sheer destructive power left most of the structures within the area destroyed and scattered.

“Whew.”

Shiriya Ken exhaled, showing signs of exhaustion from the sudden exertion.

The skill of releasing sword energy was something only those who had reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship could perform. Normally, sword energy was designed for maximum cutting power, but to broaden its area of effect, he had altered its nature to emit an explosive force. Such a feat was no easy task—it was something only someone like Shiriya Ken, a 6-star superhuman with swordsmanship-related traits, could achieve. It was an incredibly advanced technique.

Although he appeared briefly drained from using such a high-level skill, he recovered within a single breath.

“Impressive.”

The masked figure, too, seemed unharmed. Having dismissed their shield, they now faced Shiriya Ken with an air of condescension.

Their tone suggested superiority, as if addressing someone beneath them.

“Hmph.”

For a 6-star superhuman, recognized as a world-class ranker, to be looked down upon was a blatant provocation. Naturally, Shiriya Ken’s pride was stung.

“Tsk, this isn’t even funny. Just like they say, a frog in a well doesn’t fear the tiger. No, you’re not even a frog—you’re just a rat. Do you have any idea where you are?”

He growled, stepping toward the masked figure, his mind filled with thoughts of how to deal with this insolent intruder.

The masked figure’s lips seemed to curl into a smirk.

Rumble.

As Shiriya Ken advanced, the masked figure began to release an overwhelming aura, causing the surrounding atmosphere to ripple. Such a display of power could only be explained by someone who had surpassed 6-stars and reached 7-star level strength.

Before this immense power, Shiriya Ken’s eyes widened in shock.

“W-What is this…?”

“Now do you understand who’s truly insignificant?”

Shiriya Ken’s gaze was fixed on the massive concentration of power gathered in the masked figure’s hands, his pupils trembling uncontrollably.

Crash!

With a deafening roar, some of the pocket watches displayed on the shelves fell to the ground.

“Whoa!”

Startled, Sungshik scrambled to catch the falling pocket watches. However, he didn’t have enough hands to catch them all.

Thunk.

Just then, Nihondo Ryu, who happened to be passing by, caught some of the falling watches. Still, it wasn’t enough to save all of them.

Clang!

Several pocket watches hit the floor, creating a loud clatter. Among them, some of the more fragile watches broke upon impact.

Weeeeee-oooooo!

Almost immediately, the sound of a siren blared. Inside the shaking building, which had just experienced a sudden tremor, the siren and the clattering of fallen artifacts created an atmosphere of complete chaos.

“ほら、大丈夫ですか? (Hey, are you okay?)”

Sungshik vaguely registered Nihondo Ryu calling out to him from the side, but he was too preoccupied to respond. The system notifications were flooding in relentlessly.

―The Relic of Chronos resonates with the Pocket Watch of Chronos.

―Remnants of the God of Time, Chronos, detected. The mysterious power within the pocket watch reacts to the [EX-Rank] trait, One More Time!

―The mysterious power blooms. Trait―[S-Rank] Pocket Watch―Level 1 confirmed!

―Verifying user conditions. Conditions unmet. The [S-Rank] Pocket Watch trait cannot be acquired.

―Trait―Consumption activated! The [S-Rank] Pocket Watch trait is consumed.

―Digesting...

―A power of the same origin as the [EX-Rank] One More Time trait is detected. Digestion time significantly reduced.

―Congratulations. You have acquired the [S-Rank] Pocket Watch trait.

―Bonus activated! The hidden bonus of [EX-Rank] One More Time has been triggered. The [S-Rank] Pocket Watch is upgraded to [SS-Rank]!

The barrage of system messages left no room for proper comprehension amidst the chaos of the moment. However, one thing was clear―he had successfully acquired the long-coveted "Pocket Watch" trait.

"I've got it, the Pocket Watch."

The timing was impeccable. If the sudden tremor hadn't occurred, he might have taken more time deliberating.

A gaze fell upon him from nearby. Nihondo Ryu was staring at him with eyes wide in disbelief.

"Ah, so that's what happened. This is how Nihondo Ryu gained his trait back then."

Only now did he piece together how Nihondo Ryu had obtained a trait in the past.

"Still, I wonder how he met the conditions."

A system message had briefly mentioned that a condition needed to be met to acquire the trait, but the details eluded him. For someone like Sungshik, equipped with the "Consumption" trait, it wasn't a matter of great concern.

Boom.

A deafening explosion roared from outside once more. While the building no longer trembled as before, the sound was enough to make anyone flinch. Nihondo Ryu, startled, turned his head toward the source of the noise.

Flashes of light flickered from the direction of the sound, visible through the wall of glass on one side of the building.

"誰、戦っているのに？(Who's fighting?)"

"何？ ケン先生じゃないの？(What? Isn't it Ken-sensei?)"

The few students on the third floor murmured among themselves, looking toward the commotion with concern.

"Ken."

The name "Ken" caught Sungshik's attention.

The sudden death of Shiriya Ken, one of Japan's most prominent 6-star superhumans, had once shocked the nation. The Japanese government had officially cited an illness as the cause and buried the incident, but rumors abounded.

"Especially the one about him being assassinated by the Revolutionary Knights... Could it really be true?"

The fierce battle outside seemed to suggest that Ken was on the losing side. If the opponent pressing Ken was indeed part of the Revolutionary Knights, the implications were dire.

"Are you telling me the Revolutionary Knights was active even back then?"

The Revolutionary Knights. Humanity's betrayers. Worshippers of the Lord of the Night, they began their full-fledged activities with the arrival of the First Night. Their atrocities accelerated humanity's downfall, as they wreaked havoc during the trials of the night.

Boom.

Ken was struck by a devastating blow from the masked figure, spewing blood as he was hurled into the ground. The students who witnessed the scene screamed in horror.

"No! Ken-sensei!"

Far in the distance, other professors and superhumans from Tenri Academy were seen rushing toward the scene. The masked figure glanced in their direction before turning his gaze to the third floor of the shrine.

"Gasp."

The students standing by the window recoiled in fear as the masked figure's piercing gaze locked onto them.

With a swift motion, the figure leapt to the third-floor window, shattering the protective barriers and frame in a single strike.

"A-ah..."

The masked figure exuded an overwhelming aura of menace. Several students fainted under the oppressive presence. Ignoring them entirely, the figure's gaze darted around before locking onto the fossil relic in the center of the room. He immediately moved toward it.

"That..."

The fossil relic was something Sungshik recognized instantly.

"The Scale of the Starfish."

Indeed, it was the fossil containing the scale of the incomprehensible monster, Starfish, which had once devastated more than half of Japan.

"So that's how it was. I'd always wondered how such a creature had appeared―and now it makes sense. It was their doing."

The concealed truth sent chills down Sungshik's spine as he pieced it together.

"Stop right there!"

Just as the masked figure clutched the Starfish fossil to his chest, several superhumans burst onto the third floor. They charged at the intruder, only to be met with a devastating energy blast that forced them to retreat in unison.

Crash!

Amidst the chaos, the masked figure broke through the opposite wall and vanished into the night.

"Damn it, don't let him get away! Chase him!"

An unprecedented crisis had unfolded.

The academy, regarded as a sacred, inviolable ground, had been attacked. Casualties had occurred, the shrine was destroyed, and the relic had been stolen―a catastrophe unlike any other.

If word of this leaked out, Tenri Academy's reputation would undoubtedly plummet. Determined to prevent that, the academy's superhumans pursued the masked figure with their lives on the line.

"There's no way they'll catch him. The power disparity is too obvious."

This incident, in his previous timeline, had only been briefly mentioned as Ken's disappearance.

"So they covered it up for the sake of the academy's reputation."

Clicking his tongue, Sungshik turned to look at the spot where Ken had fallen. A healer-class superhuman was there, shaking their head grimly.

"A giant like Ken has fallen today. I know his trait was related to swordsmanship. I'm sorry, but I have to take that power for myself."

Sungshik's body moved instinctively toward the fallen Ken.