In the shadows of the S Ranked Main character

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The gates were now in sight.

Massive, ornate, and carved from blackened ironwood, they stood at least four stories tall. Their surface shimmered faintly with mana-etched runes, faintly pulsing as though breathing. They were exactly as Kai remembered from the illustrations in the novel—Harlen Academy's front gate, the first real threshold into the world he'd only known as a reader.

It felt like walking straight into a story.

He almost couldn't believe it was real.

He kept walking, eyes tracing the towering spires in the distance and the perfectly paved road beneath his feet. The buildings beyond the gates looked like a fusion of medieval fortress and high-magic civilization—sleek, but ancient, glowing gently with enchantments built right into the stonework.

This was it.

Harlen Academy.

But even with all that grandeur, doubt began to creep into him again.

One month of training.

One spell.