Duncan walked in step with the other students, as he headed towards orientation. He turned up the volume of his music, trying to calm his deafeningly loud heartbeat.

A troubling sense of unease gnawed at him as he recalled the strange occurrence from earlier. "Something... was definitely wrong earlier," he thought inwardly, the fear evident in his thoughts.

Perhaps if it weren't for Duncan's memory, he may have not noticed the discrepancy, but his photographic memory let him recall the novel with ease. The protagonist, Ryan, was undeniably supposed to retrieve a bottle of water from his inventory upon arriving at Bastion.

Duncan clearly saw him swiping at the air, yet nothing occurred. That's when a dangerous thought resounded through his mind, did Ryan... lose his inventory? The soothing notes of the slow jazz in his earbuds gradually faded into the background as Duncan grappled with the implications of this revelation.

From the very beginning, he had been resolute about changing the course of the story. But the realization of his actions directly affecting the narrative on such a profound level left him astounded. "I can't believe it," he whispered in a tone of disbelief "I seem to have stolen the main characters inventory."

He rubbed his head, resolving to focus on the present for now. He had been walking for a while, and finally arrived at the orientation area for new arrivals. The area was a grand stadium, reminiscent of an old Greek colosseum.

The colosseum could probably contain tens of thousands due to its sheer size, but it was currently mostly barren due to only new students being present. 

Duncan carefully eyed where everyone was sitting, looking around for any signs of the main characters of the novel.

"Hey. Are you going to move out of the way?" A feminine voice asked exasperatedly behind him

Duncan flipped his head around to see who was talking, but was momentarily taken aback. It wasn't just any girl he had encountered but Aria, one of the primary characters in the novel. She was supposed to be one of the story's heroines, and here she stood before him, looking perplexed and mildly irritated.

In the novel, Aria is portrayed as a humble, lower-class student hailing from the serene countryside. Fate smiles upon her, gifting her with a rare [S] Ranked Potential. Due to her potential, she is quickly scouted by Bastion. The main reason she decides to come is to help cure her younger sister, who suffers from a debilitating mana ailment.

Realizing he's been staring too long, Duncan quickly blurted out an apology, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to block your way. I was just... a bit distracted."

Aria tilted her head to the side, her features a mix of curiosity and suspicion. "Distracted? You looked like you'd seen a ghost. You're a new student, right? I don't think we've met before."

Duncan quickly collected himself, realizing he needed to maintain his cover as a new student and not reveal his knowledge of the story. "Yeah, I am. I'm Duncan. Just a bit overwhelmed by everything, you know? Ardenvale is nothing like I expected."

A look of understanding crossed Aria's face, and her demeanor softened. "I get it. It can be a lot to take in at first. I'm Aria, by the way. Don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions. We've all been there, trust me."

Duncan nodded appreciatively. "Thanks, Aria. I'll keep that in mind. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise, Duncan," Aria replied with a warm smile, her earlier irritation seemingly forgotten. "Now, we should probably find our seats for orientation. It's about to begin."

Satisfied with this interaction, Duncan couldn't help but recall other novels. he had read. Multiple novels he read, adults were transmigrated into youthful bodies, and had to interact with people half their age. The thought of having to do this was akin to a walking nightmare, luckily both Mark and Duncan appeared to be eighteen years old.

He trailed behind Aria, making his way towards the seating area of the colosseum. After some searching, he eventually managed to find a spot not too far away from the center. The orientation was about to start, and a sense of anticipation filled the air as more new students began to fill the seats.

However, just as the last few students filtered in, a peculiar event soon occurred. The colossal colosseum, which had moments ago been bathed in natural light and the distant sounds of the outside world, was abruptly shrouded in a magical dome. All sound outside was suddenly cut-off, as the entire colosseum turned a dim shade of red. 

In the heart of this massive arena, a rift suddenly tore through the fabric of reality. It released a pulsing surge of intense mana, and from this rift emerged a figure cloaked in inky black robes. Fear immediately clenched at the hearts of the onlookers as they collectively recognized the intruder to be a demon.

Panic rippled through the crowd like a shockwave, and an uncontrollable hysteria began to surge as students frantically surged toward the exits, a chaotic sea of bodies seeking escape from the nightmarish apparition. Amidst this chaos, Duncan remained eerily calm, his focus unwavering as he surveyed the unfolding pandemonium.

In truth, this was not a raid by demons attempting to slaughter students of Bastion. This was actually Bastions version of a sorting ceremony. Bastion had a long standing tradition, where students were placed into one of four houses, the House of Astralis, House of Valora, House Seraphine, or House Ombra. 

These houses each embodied unique attributes, and students were sorted based on their reactions to the staged attack. As the hysteria escalated, Duncan's gaze settled on one particularly brave soul, none other than Ryan, who courageously charged headlong at the so-called demon, sword in hand, seeking to vanquish the threat

For his bravery, Ryan got into House Valora in the novel. House Valora prioritizes unwavering courage, determination, and chivalry. Justice honor and chivalry are their main motto. Although Duncan was attracted to the house's emblem of a sword and shield, the prospect of becoming a part of House Valora was not particularly appealing to him.

The reason why Duncan had decided not to do anything, and calmly analyze the situation, was so he could get into House Astralis. Duncan was ultimately, a foreigner to this world. Choosing House Astralis could provide him in depth knowledge about the world, and help him to better adapt to his abilities.

House Astralis main characteristics were intelligence, wisdom, and knowledge. Most of their students tended to become scholars, or researchers. Thus, he remained seated, observing rather than reacting, his gaze constantly shifting across the unfolding chaos. 

But sitting here, Duncan had his curiosity peaked. He had been experimenting so much with his inventory, but he hadn't had the opportunity to see if it worked on magic. Normally, by the time you touch a magic spell, it's already eviscerated you into fiery ash.

This illusion spell however, It was constantly in affect, and technically touching Duncan. He was extremely tempted to try out his theory, but he ultimately decided not to. The consequences of mysteriously removing an illusion spell of at least [A+] Rank were too numerous to count. Duncan was willing to take a risk, but he wasn't suicidal.

Around ten minutes had passed since he had begun observing, and finally the illusion ended. The sky quickly came back to a blue hue, as the demon disappeared. Looking around him though, he noticed the other students had a glazed look in their eyes, still having not escaped their illusion. 

Strangely, everyone around Duncan had the dreamy look in their eyes, he was the only one conscious right now. Feeling a sudden pressure he looked towards the colosseum, and locked eyes with a man exuding an unbearable aura.

The man was donned in a deep purple blazer, which was covered in dark blue swirls that seemed to lull you into a trance. His black hair was messily ran down his back, as his deep blue eyes hid an enchanting terror behind them. Duncan could easily recognize who the man was, [S] Rank [Illusion Mancer], Elias Miraeg.

As Duncan's eyes met Elias, Elias reciprocated Duncan's reaction, putting on a shocked expression. To be perfectly honest, Duncan had no idea how he'd managed to break out of the illusion so swiftly. He tried to recall any reason he escaped so quickly, but he drew a complete blank.

Trying to hide his nerves, Duncan put on an awkward smile. "Cough, nice weather we're having isn't it?"

"..."