I WAS The Rank–1 Hero

I stood in front of a massive building, nearly twenty stories tall. Its glass exterior gleamed under the sunlight, reflecting the sky above.

A large garden surrounded the entrance, neatly maintained. I also noticed several guards stationed at various points.

Above the entrance, bold wooden-patterned letters spelled out: "Astral Tower."

"So this is the place?" I muttered, tapping my wristband once again to cross-check.

—--------------------------------

<Name - Zane Skylark>

<Rank - 190>

<Class- Year - 01, class A>

<Room - 07, Astral Tower>

—--------------------------------

'Looks great from the outside.'

Let's hope the inside is just as good.

As I approached the entrance, a guard stopped me, requesting my student ID. I handed it over, letting him scan it. After a quick analysis, he gave me a nod and gestured toward the reception desk on the left.

Seated behind the counter was a man, likely in his late thirties, engrossed in his wristband as he tapped away at it.

I made my way toward him.

"Umm... Hello," I greeted him.

He didn't respond.

"Excuse me," I tried again.

Still nothing.

I narrowed my eyes, finally noticing the earpiece tucked into his ear. His fingers drummed lightly on the desk, his head nodding to a rhythm only he could hear.

'Is he seriously ignoring me?'

Losing patience, I tapped the desk—not too hard, but enough to grab his attention.

This time, he paused his music and looked up, his gaze sweeping over me from head to toe in a single motion.

My eyebrow twitched at his action.

"You must be Rank 190, Zane Skylark." His voice was monotone. He seemed completely disinterested.

Without another word, he handed me a small rectangular card, then—without even waiting for me to respond—pressed play on his music again and turned his focus back to his wristband.

I blinked at him in confusion.

That was it? No instructions? No explanation?

I stared at the card in my hand, then back at him, who was already lost in his own world.

'Is this really the guy in charge here?'

Veins started popping on my forehead. I tapped the desk again, but this time, the force was a little too much.

BAAM!

'Shit! I didn't mean to do it this hard.'

"?!"

The guy at the reception flinched, almost falling over his chair.

I could see the anger building up on his face. He removed both his earpieces and, glaring at me, spoke.

"Hey, kid, what do you want?"

'Huh?'

I was on the verge of apologizing, but his question made me change my mind.

What did he mean by what do you want?

Can't he tell I need my keys and directions to my room? It's already too late. The rest of the students have probably entered their rooms by now. I waited for them to settle in before coming here myself. The place was swarming with students earlier.

I controlled the irritation bubbling inside me and politely answered.

"I want the keys to my room."

"I already gave it to you," he responded, pointing at the rectangular card in my hand.

This time, I properly examined the card.

It was made of metal, black in color. On one side, "Astral Tower - 07" was written in the middle in gold letters. At the bottom, in small text, my name was inscribed: "Zane Skylark."

I turned the card over. On the other side, a small pattern was inscribed. Looking closely, I realized it was a nano-computer.

"And... what is this?" I asked, placing the card on the desk.

The young man clicked his tongue before finally explaining.

The nano-computer on the card allowed access to all Astral Tower facilities—from training halls to the dining area. All relevant information was stored in this tiny device.

For each year, Nova had divided the dormitory into three categories.

The first category was only for students who ranked in the top ten of their year. They were assigned an elite dormitory called "Celestial Hall"—a luxurious penthouse-style room with a private training facility, a personal butler, and high-end meals.

The second category was the advanced dormitory called "Astral Tower"—a twenty-story building with high-end single rooms, a private study area, and shared but premium-level training halls and dining facilities. Only the top 200 rankers resided here.

The third category was the standard dormitory called "Orion Wing"—comfortable rooms, typically shared by two students, with a common training ground and dining hall similar to Astral Tower. This was where the remaining students resided.

Despite this categorization, Nova promised outstanding facilities for all students.

After bombarding me with information, the young man lazily gestured toward the elevator, as if indirectly telling me to "Just go to your damn room already."

I ignored his attitude, but I did note his name—Bobenheim—inscribed on his name tag.

What kind of ridiculous name is that?

From now on, he was just Bob. Simply Bob.

"Alright, thanks, Bob," I said.

Still lost in his own world, he didn't seem to hear me.

Shaking my head, I walked toward the elevator and pressed the button.

Ding!

My floor was the second, and my room number was 07.

Soon enough, the elevator stopped.

Ding!

The corridor was empty. There were ten rooms per floor, with the first floor serving as the common dining area while the upper floors housed dorm rooms.

Reaching my door, where 07 was displayed in bold letters, I took out the rectangular card and placed it against the tiny scanner on the door handle.

Click.

A clicking sound resonated.

'Please be a decent room.'

I prayed before pushing the door open.

As soon as I entered, the lights automatically turned on.

And the first thing that came into view was a neatly arranged room, which was quite bigger than I had anticipated. Not extravagant, but definitely not lacking in comfort either.

A single bed rested against the left wall, neatly covered in white sheets. Across from it, a large study desk stretched along the wall, equipped with a built-in lamp and multiple compartments. A high-backed chair was tucked underneath it.

At the far-right corner, a small kitchen area occupied the space. A black marble countertop, a sink, a single induction stove, and a few cabinets. It was simple, but it was functional.

But what truly caught my attention was the balcony.

A glass door led outside, framed by a massive window that gave an unobstructed view of Nova. From here, I could see a portion of the academy—its towering buildings, training grounds, and even the distant mountains.

The orange sun cast a golden glow over everything, its fading light reflecting off the glass.

I took a step forward, finally standing in the middle of my room.

"Not bad," I commented.

This was more than enough.

I slumped onto the bed.

Puff!

It was so fluffy.

Now I don't regret ranking 190. If I had somehow ranked above 200, then I would have to share my room with someone else.

And I liked privacy as much as Aria liked cake.

Talking about privacy.

"Hey Sera, you there?" I called out to her, not mentally, but with my own mouth.

'Yeah? What do you want?' she answered in my mind. She seemed angry.

"Are you angry?" I sat on the bed. "Did I do something?"

'Hmph!' She pouted, her ghostly figure appearing in front of me. And after so many days, I finally saw her again—her long, glossy white hair, her azure blue eyes, the white dress framing her figure, and the small tiara on her head.

Truly, she looked like a princess.

'What do you mean princess?' She narrowed her eyes at me. 'I am a queen.'

Sera didn't make me feel lonely. It had been a week since my consciousness had been shared with her. But for some reason, she didn't make me feel cautious. It was as if I had been with her for eternity.

"Sera, what are you?" I looked at her and asked.

She didn't exist in a physical form, but her consciousness was alive inside me.

She tilted her head in my direction and answered, 'I don't know... I don't really feel any different. It feels as if I were alive in my own body.'

She paused for a second before continuing.

'But I can still use my Authority. That means I am still alive.'

It was true. If an Authority holder died, then his or her Authority would automatically pass down to the next best candidate.

"You still don't remember anything? How you ended up in this condition?"

I didn't get much time in the Demon Continent to ponder this matter.

Sera lightly nodded her head.

'I am Seraphine Ellion, the Queen of Elves, and probably...' Her voice grew duller.

'...the last Elf in existence.'

I could see the sadness in her eyes—the way her head bowed, the way she clenched her fist. It was clear that she regretted not being able to save her people.

I made up my mind and asked the most important question I wanted to ask her.

"Sera, can I really trust you?"

'...'

Her eyes widened at my question. Her shoulders slumped down before a long silence stretched between us.

I could hear the crows swarming outside. I could hear the light breeze coming from the balcony.

Sera was lost for words, constantly rubbing both her fingers together.

I, on the other hand, kept my expression neutral.

Right now, she was genuinely scared of me. She was aware of my skill. After all, I was the Paradox. I could do almost anything.

And she knew that if I found even the faintest hint of malice from her, it would only be a matter of seconds before I completely erased her.

Noticing that I wasn't moving an inch, her figure suddenly appeared next to me. She sat right beside me.

"?!"

'Do you want to see?' Her lips were right next to my ear as she whispered softly.

I turned my head toward her, meeting her gaze, staring into her transparent figure.

"Yes," I said.

She formed a light smile—a smile that carried absolute trust.

She placed both her transparent hands over my cheeks and brought her face close to mine.

I didn't push her away. I was aware of what she was actually doing.

Placing her forehead against mine, she closed her eyes.

'Human...'

"Yes?"

'My memories are not a fairy tale, and I apologize in advance. What you are about to see is far worse than anything you have witnessed so far....'

'Do you truly wish to accept all my pain?' she asked one last time.

"I do."

There was a small pause before she spoke.

'Thank you, Zane... truly.'

She finally called me by my name, and those were the last words I heard before I lost consciousness.

A/N: Sorry for the slow updates—I've been busy moving houses. I'll be back to posting two chapters a day in 2–3 days. Thanks for reading! (PS: This A/N won't increase the chapter price, as it was added after I uploaded the chapter.)