The classroom buzzed with excitement.
For everyone else, today marked the beginning of a dream.
For Kael, it was the day the nightmare had begun.
He gazed out the window at the clear blue sky, remembering how that same sky would be torn apart by dimensional rifts only three years from now.
Cities would vanish overnight.
Kingdoms would fall.
Millions would die before the world even understood what it was fighting.
Not this time.
His fists clenched beneath the desk.
“I know every major disaster.
Every hidden dungeon.
Every traitor.
Every opportunity.”
This regression wasn’t just another chance at life.
It was humanity’s greatest advantage.
The academy bell rang.
“All first-year students, proceed to the Awakening Hall!” an instructor announced.
The room erupted with cheers.
Students rushed out, laughing and making bold predictions.
“I bet I’ll awaken an S-Rank Talent!”
“I’m definitely becoming a dragon mage!”
“My family already reserved a mansion for when I join the Royal Guild.”
Kael remained seated until the room emptied.
He had heard those same boasts in his previous life.
Most of those students had never survived their first dungeon.
The Awakening Hall was enormous, capable of holding thousands of people.
Crystal pillars lined the walls, feeding mana into a floating sphere suspended above a circular platform.
One by one, students stepped forward.
“F-Rank Strength Enhancement.”
“D-Rank Wind Affinity.”
“C-Rank Beast Tamer.”
Occasionally, someone awakened a rare talent, drawing applause from the crowd.
A young woman with silver hair placed her hand on the crystal.
The sphere exploded with brilliant blue light.
“SS-Rank Ice Sovereign!”
The audience gasped.
Kael recognized her instantly.
Lyra Valen.
In his previous life, she had become one of humanity’s greatest heroes before sacrificing herself to protect millions.
She glanced toward the crowd, her eyes briefly meeting Kael’s.
For a split second, an inexplicable feeling crossed her face—as though she almost recognized someone she had never met.
Then she looked away.
Hours passed.
Finally, the examiner called his name.
“Kael Ardyn.”
Whispers spread through the hall.
“Isn’t he the scholarship student?”
“I heard he barely passed the entrance exam.”
“He doesn’t look special.”
Kael stepped onto the platform.
The crystal hummed softly.
The moment his hand touched its surface, the world around him froze.
Sound vanished.
Light disappeared.
He found himself standing once again within the endless darkness of the Infinite Sword Archive.
Millions of blades floated in every direction, stretching beyond sight.
Some were ancient.
Some seemed forged from lightning.
Others pulsed with celestial energy so immense that Kael instinctively took a step back.
Then a gentle voice echoed through the void.
“Choose your first companion.”
Countless swords trembled.
One after another, they surged toward him, each radiating overwhelming power.
A crimson greatsword engulfed in dragonfire.
A white katana wrapped in divine light.
Twin obsidian blades that devoured mana itself.
Yet none of them reached him.
Instead, an old-looking longsword drifted forward.
Its silver blade was scratched.
Its guard was simple.
Its appearance was almost disappointing compared to the magnificent weapons surrounding it.
Still, Kael felt an inexplicable pull.
When he reached out, the sword lightly tapped his forehead.
A flood of information poured into his mind.
Name: Astra.
Classification: Sealed Divine Sword.
Current Release: 0.0001%.
Primary Ability: Absolute Sharpness.
Anything Astra touched could be cut.
Steel.
Magic.
Mana.
Space.
Even concepts.
As long as enough of its seal was released.
Kael inhaled sharply.
“A sealed Divine Sword as my first summon?”
No wonder the system had warned him.
Even in its weakest state, this blade defied reason.
The void shattered.
Reality returned.
The Awakening Crystal emitted only a faint glow before displaying a single line.
Unique Talent Detected.
Designation: Sword Summoner.
Silence.
Then laughter spread across the audience.
“A summoner?”
“Seriously?
That’s it?”
“Everyone knows weapon summoners are among the weakest classes.”
Even several instructors looked disappointed.
The examiner simply nodded.
“C-Rank evaluation.
Next student.”
Kael nearly smiled.
In his previous life, he would have argued.
This time, he welcomed the misunderstanding.
If the world believed he possessed an ordinary summoning talent, no one would suspect that hidden inside his soul rested an arsenal capable of toppling empires.
As he stepped off the platform, a cold breeze brushed past him.
Inside his consciousness, Astra spoke for the first time.
Its voice was calm, elegant, and unmistakably feminine.
“Master… I have waited through eternity.”
Kael froze.
The sword could talk.
Then Astra added in a tone almost bordering on amusement:
“And I must say… your fashion sense is dreadful.”
For the first time since returning from the apocalypse, Kael laughed.
Perhaps this second life would be stranger than he had imagined.