I moved toward the gates like everyone else. Before anyone could pass through, it seed there was a mandatory scan with the ta-watch. After standing in line for what felt like forever, my turn finally ca. I had no idea where Everlin had wandered off to, but it didn't matter. If I got admitted to the Academy, this might be the last ti I'd speak to her. Once inside, my focus would be entirely on growing my strength—at least until the first arc began.
"Stretch out your wrist," the official instructed. I complied, mimicking what I'd seen the others do. He held up a small device—it looked like so sort of scanner, though it bore little resemblance to anything I'd seen on Earth.
"You may proceed," he said after a mont. I nodded and stepped toward the gate, flanked by two more officials on either side.
At the center of the circular portal was a thin, almost imperceptible veil of mana, shimring faintly.
I exhaled deeply.
Here goes nothing.
Stepping through, a strange sensation washed over . It was like having icy water poured over my body on a freezing day—a shock to the senses.
"Ha!" I gasped as the feeling vanished as suddenly as it had co. Before I realized it, I was through.
Just like in the ga, I thought, taking in my surroundings.
I stood in a massive hall—no, a palace hall. The sheer grandeur of the place took my breath away.
Damn.
The CGI hadn't done this justice.
The walls were intricately designed, every detail ticulously crafted. Paintings of the Academy's founding fathers were placed strategically—hidden, yet visible enough to catch the eye. Above it all, a colossal chandelier bathed the space in brilliant light.
The hall was vast, filled with people, many of whom were materializing out of thin air.
Ah, I see now.
The gate I'd used wasn't the only one. Others were arriving through different portals, though the newcors from the other gates seed worse off than I was.
Maybe the gate I used was less taxing than the general one.
"(Clears throat) Hello, candidates!" A voice rang out, cutting through the hum of chatter. I glanced around, trying to locate the source but found nothing—until I spotted a... flying cat?
"The assessnt will begin shortly, so listen carefully," it announced. "Though not all of you have arrived yet, we'll get straight to the point. As you know, while so of the courses you've applied for may involve minimal or no combat, there is a standard required for all Academy students: the ability to defend yourselves.
"Let cut to the chase. The examination will be conducted in two stages. The first is a general test to eliminate the weak among you. The second will be specific to the course you've chosen.
"The first stage," the cat continued, "will be a battle royale. All of you will be placed in a battlefield and let loose to fight one another."
I grimaced.
"The minimum score required to pass is one thousand points. That's the baseline for admission," the voice explained. "Once you hit that mark, you're technically safe. However, scoring just a thousand points will place you at the absolute lowest rank, with virtually no privileges. Worse, you likely won't get to choose the course you desire. Only those with significantly high or extraordinary points can secure the courses they want."
Hearing that, I felt a surge of determination. If I wanted any chance of studying alchemy, my dream subject, I had to go all out. Earning over two thousand points wasn't just a goal—it was a necessity.
"Alright then, without further ado, let's begin the first assessnt," the voice declared. Suddenly—
Fzzzzzzzzzz!
"Oh, one last thing! Your performance alone will determine your grading. Whatever advantages or status you enjoyed out there—forget them. There will be no preferential treatnt. If you were banking on family connections to secure a high rank… think again." I heard, and I could see so anxious faces. However…
"Shit," I muttered under my breath the mont my eyes t the person ahead.
She turned.
And looked at .
Her expression was hollow at first…
… but then…
It changed…
… drastically.
"Huh?"
What's with that face?!
I looked away as soon as she began rushing through the crowd to reach .
And for so reason…
… a reason I still couldn't even explain…
… I felt this strange feeling seeing her again.
That anger and annoyance.
'Christina,' I thought.
But before I knew it, my body broke into flickers of light as I teleported with everyone else.
[Ding!]
I heard, then suddenly a screen appeared before my eyes, and my heart instantly sank.
No.
[Reset now in progress]
[Reset complete]
[System now fully functional]
[Canonical Events now in progress]
[User's status reassigned]
[Dead>>>>>>Alive]
[Mana>>>Ether]
[User's Fate now Active]
[Villain]
[All Positive emotions will now be reduced to barest minimum]
[Ding]
[All negative emotions will now be maxed out]
[Ding]
[Error]
[Unknown abilities are reacting to system-made edits]
[Error]
[System cannot contain abilities]
[All negative emotions have transcended the bar due to unstable Ability]
[Abilities are trying to rge with user fully]
[System will now forcefully neutralize said abilities]
[Ding!]
[Error]
[Error]
[Error]
[Error]
[Error]
[Error]
[Error]
[Error]
[Error]
[Error]
[Error]….
[The system has tried a total of one hundred attempts to neutralize unknown abilities but has encountered innurable errors]
[Ding!]
[It has been discovered that user's bloodline is reacting to abilities]
[Unknown abilities detected: 7]
[Error]
[Error]
[Error]
[Error]
[Error]
[Error]
[All abilities have beco unstable and are now rging with user]
[Ding]
[Bloodline status]
[Dormant>>>>>Active]
[It has been ascertained that user has gone against the fates by activating bloodline]
[Ding]
[System has encountered more errors]
[User's sanity in danger]
[It has been ascertained that user's negative emotions have reached an unprecedented level]
[Ding!]
[First unknown ability now fully rged]
[Ability has been identified]
[Sins of Wrath]
[Ding!]
[More abilities have completed rging process]
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
In a distorted space between realities, Amael underwent a drastic change.
What was left of his past self—his left athyst eye—was now gone, replaced by blazing blue eyes.
He scread, craving for the pain to stop. To end.
But it wouldn't.
It couldn't.
For at this mont, a villain was being awakened.
[Ding!]
[All positive emotions have been sealed by the First Sin.]
…
"Where did he go?" Evelin muttered, as she hadn't seen him since back at the gates.
'I hope they didn't kill him,' she thought, smiling without the slightest hint of guilt for leaving him behind with Rodric and Aron. He deserved it, for being such an insufferable idiot—or at least, that's what she told herself.
But…
It wasn't as though she had completely abandoned him to die. She wasn't that kind of person.
She had used her ability to establish a connection with him—a link that would alert her if he were in danger. She'd felt his heart beating dangerously fast when she decided to ss with him by going along with Vena. It had amused her, seeing him keep that indifferent expression on the surface while inside, he was sweating bullets.
But after a while, it cald down. She knew he was fine. She couldn't spot him in the crowded area, though, and thought to herself that she'd tease him about it later. After all, she'd seen Aron and Rodric before entering the gates.
However, even after passing through the gates, she still hadn't seen him. At first, she didn't care. But when they were teleported again, she felt it.
An intense emotion surged from him.
At first, it was just like a spark. His heart rate spiked, and she figured it was nerves—fear of the exams, which was understandable given how weak he was compared to everyone else here. Most of them were probably a billion tis stronger than him.
But it didn't stop.
No.
It grew.
His heart rate increased to the point where it didn't feel like nervousness anymore.
'What happened to you...? Wait, I didn't even get his na!' she thought, feeling a twinge of sha. She rembered Vena asking for his na and realizing she hadn't caught it.
She looked around the massive forest she now stood in. It was overwhelming—too damn massive.
'What is this dark feeling?' she wondered, her frown deepening.
His heart rate hadn't just spiked. His very emotions had turned… dark.
And then, all of a sudden—
"What the…?" she stuttered, shocked.
His heart rate returned to normal.
No, it wasn't normal at all.
And then…
The connection cut off.
"What… happened to him?" she asked no one in particular. For the first ti in a long ti, she felt… scared.
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