Chapter 4 :What the Hell is this?

Velric sat at the edge of his creaky, half-broken bed, rubbing his temples. The dream still lingered in his mind a towering, shadowed figure staring him down, a storm of past lives flashing before his eyes, all of them running, all of them falling. But he had done something different.

He had stopped.

“What the hell does that even mean?” he muttered, staring at the cracks in the ceiling.

The dream was strange enough, but what bothered him most was that it felt real. Every heartbeat, every gasp for breath, every agonizing moment of those countless lives it wasn’t just a dream. It was as if he'd actually lived them.

"Stop running?" He scoffed. "Yeah, sure. Next time I'll just stand there and take a beating like a proud punching bag."

Shaking off the thought, he got dressed, wearing the same worn-out uniform he'd been using for years. He barely paid attention to the wrinkles and small tears it wasn’t like anyone expected him to look decent.

By the time he was done, the orphanage was already in its usual chaotic mess—kids running around, yelling, fighting over scraps of breakfast. Velric didn’t bother squeezing into the mess hall. Not like I’d get anything anyway.

Instead, he quietly slipped out through the back door.

As he stepped outside, his nose twitched at a familiar, heavenly scent. He turned his head to the side, and there it was—the neighbor’s vegetable garden, full of leafy greens, plump tomatoes, and most importantly, carrots.

His eyes locked onto one in particular: a massive, juicy orange beauty.

His stomach growled. "Wouldn’t hurt to grab breakfast, lunch, and dinner."

Without a second thought, he jumped over the fence, snatched the carrot from the soil, and was about to hop back over when.

SMACK!

Something slapped him across the face so hard he almost dropped the carrot.

“THIEF!!” an old voice shrieked.

Velric barely had time to react before another flip-flop came flying straight for his head. He ducked just in time, bolting out of the yard while the old rabbit shook her fist at him.

“DAMN RABBIT! COME BACK HERE!”

“Sorry, Granny, but survival comes first!” Velric called back, already stuffing the carrot into his mouth.

By the time he reached the academy, he had finished his stolen meal and wiped his mouth. His stomach wasn’t full, but at least it wasn’t screaming anymore.

He reached his classroom door, stopping just before opening it.

The chaos inside was already in full swing students laughing, chatting, throwing things at each other. The moment he pushed open the door, however…

Silence.

All eyes turned to him.

Velric met their stares for a moment before sighing and walking straight to his usual seat front row, near the window. He didn’t care. Let them stare.

He rested his head on his hand, waiting for class to start.

The teacher finally arrived, a tall, gray-furred Lapinite with sharp ears and a permanent scowl. He cleared his throat, instantly demanding silence.He had a strange presence.

"Today, we will be covering the basics of Anima. This is fundamental knowledge, so pay attention."

Velric straightened a little. Finally, something useful.

The teacher continued, "Anima is the core of our existence. It enhances our physical abilities, sharpens our instincts, and grants us the potential to surpass our natural limits. There are multiple stages of Anima mastery.

He moved to the chalkboard and wrote down a simple breakdown:

Dormant – Unawakened. No access to Anima.

Awakened – Initial connection to Anima. Enhances physical ability.

Harmonic – Flowing control, allowing proper energy usage.

Resonant – True synchronization, granting advanced combat abilities.

Velric had heard of these before. Nothing surprising yet.

The teacher then moved on. "Each individual’s Anima is unique and categorized by specializations. Some may focus on brute force, others on speed, defense, or even bloodline abilities."

That was when one of the students suddenly snickered.

“Hey, teach...” the boy called out. “I think Velric’s specialization is taking a mean beating!”

Laughter erupted.

Velric sighed.

'Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up, assholes.'

The teacher didn't react, simply waiting for the laughter to die down before continuing.

"Now, let’s discuss Anima Corruption. If one’s Anima is tainted by negative emotions or foreign influence, it can result in instability, leading to eventual loss of control."

That caught Velric’s attention.

"Now," the teacher added, "everyone, focus and check your status. This will allow you to see your current Anima condition."

Velric did as instructed, concentrating on himself. A small pulse went through his body, and suddenly…

A blue translucent screen flickered into view.

[STATUS]

Name: Velric

Race: Lapinite

Stage: Dormant (Final)

Anima Capacity: Extremely Low

Anima Control: Nonexistent

Resonance: None

Specialization: Taking a Mean Beating