“Hey… look at him again.”

A quiet voice broke the morning silence.

On a wooden bench at the corner of the school garden, a boy leaned back lazily, eyes half-closed, completely ignoring the world around him.

“He’s sleeping. Again.”

A soft chuckle followed.

“That’s Leo Vinces, right? The hero family kid?”

“Yeah. And still Mutacore Level E. What a joke.”

Their whispers weren’t loud, but they weren’t careful either.

Leo heard everything.

He didn’t open his eyes.

Let them talk.

“He won’t pass the Hero Academy exam for sure.”

“Imagine being born into a hero family and ending up like that.”

More quiet laughter echoed through the garden.

Leo’s black hair swayed slightly as the breeze passed. To everyone else, he looked lazy. Empty. Hopeless.

But inside, his mind was awake.

Rank E…

That’s all they see.

Footsteps approached.

“Leo.”

A teacher stood in front of him, arms crossed.

“Are you sleeping again?”

Leo slowly opened his eyes and looked up.

“No, sir.”

The teacher sighed. “Today is the entrance exam. If you fail this, there won’t be another chance.”

“I understand.”

His voice was calm. Too calm for someone about to lose their future.

The teacher stared at him for a moment, then turned away. “Get ready. Don’t embarrass your family.”

Leo stood up, brushing dust from his pants.

My family…

“Yo, Leo.”

A familiar voice called out.

Aaron Awa jogged over, smiling like usual.

“You okay? You look like you didn’t sleep.”

“I slept,” Leo replied.

Aaron laughed. “You always say that.”

He sat beside Leo on the bench.

“Everyone’s nervous today,” Aaron continued. “Some of them trained all night. You’re not worried at all?”

Leo looked toward the training field.

Students were showing off their powers flames exploding, bodies hardening, metal forming around arms.

“Worried won’t change anything,” Leo said quietly.

Aaron glanced at him. “You really are strange, you know that?”

“Maybe.”

Aaron leaned back. “Still, I hope we both make it in.”

Leo didn’t answer right away.

“…Yeah.”

For a moment, the world felt peaceful.

But inside Leo’s chest, something moved.

A deep, silent pressure slow, heavy, restrained.

Not yet, he thought.

If I let it out now… everything will break.

“Hey,” Aaron said suddenly. “Do you ever get tired of people talking behind your back?”

Leo closed his eyes again.

“No.”

Aaron frowned. “You’re lying.”

Leo opened one eye and looked at him.

“I’m just used to it.”

A whistle blew in the distance.

“All candidates, move to the testing zone!” a voice announced.

Aaron stood up. “Guess it’s time.”

He held out a hand. “Let’s go, sleeping hero.”

Leo stared at the hand for a second… then took it.

“Don’t call me that,” Leo said.

Aaron grinned. “Not yet.”

As they walked toward the testing field, whispers followed them.

“That’s him. The Rank E kid.”

“He won’t last five minutes.”

Leo kept walking.

They didn’t know.

No machine could measure what slept inside him.

No level could define his true power.

And when the balance of this world began to crack

Leo Vinces would be the one standing at its center.