The academy examination hall was enormous.
Thousands of students filled the massive chamber, each seated at separate testing platforms arranged in long rows.
A tense silence hung in the air.
At the front stood several professors overseeing the examination.
Among them was Professor Clara.
Her sharp eyes scanned the students before she spoke.
"Listen carefully."
Her voice echoed clearly throughout the hall.
"The first mid-term examination will be the Mana Core Evaluation Test."
A large crystal device was placed on the stage behind her.
It glowed faintly with blue mana.
"This test will measure the strength and stability of your mana core."
Several assistants began activating smaller versions of the crystal devices across the hall.
Students murmured quietly.
"Mana core already…?"
"I thought combat would be first…"
"This is bad…"
Clara raised a hand and the room immediately quieted again.
"The procedure is simple."
She pointed toward the crystal.
"When your name is called, step forward and place your hand on the Mana Resonance Crystal."
"The crystal will measure your mana capacity and assign a rank."
She paused briefly before continuing.
"The results will also affect your academy ranking."
Chrono leaned back slightly in his seat, watching the students one after another approach the crystal.
Some left looking relieved.
Others returned with pale faces.
The glowing crystal displayed their results above the stage for everyone to see.
D− Rank.
C− Rank.
Occasionally—
B Rank.
And sometimes even A Rank.
Small murmurs spread through the hall each time a higher result appeared.
But Chrono didn't pay much attention.
In the original novel…
He recalled the scene clearly.
If things had followed the same path—
Chrono Zephyr would have received a D rank at best.
Maybe even E, depending on how unstable his mana core was at the time.
Back then Chrono had barely trained.
His mana core had been weak, underdeveloped, and poorly controlled.
So naturally—
No one expected much from him.
Chrono rested his chin on his hand.
"…Honestly, I didn't care much either."
Even if he got a D rank now, it would still be better than the original timeline.
But his thoughts soon drifted toward someone else.
Leon.
In the novel, this was the moment Leon shocked the academy.
Chrono glanced toward the front again.
The crystal shimmered faintly as the next student stepped away.
Then—
Professor Clara's voice echoed through the hall.
"Leon Ardent."
The entire hall shifted slightly.
Whispers immediately spread through the crowd.
"Wow, it's Leon…"
"I wonder what rank he'll get."
"I mean, considering he's ranked number one, probably S− at least."
Leon calmly stood from his seat.
His footsteps echoed as he walked toward the crystal.
Chrono watched silently.
Here it comes.
The moment that made Leon famous among the first years.
Leon placed his hand on the crystal.
For a brief second—
Nothing happened.
Then suddenly—
The crystal began glowing brightly.
Mana surged inside the device as the runes across its surface lit up one by one.
Students leaned forward in their seats.
The glow grew stronger.
Brighter.
Until finally—
The crystal displayed the result.
And the hall exploded with noise.
SS+ Rank
Gasps spread across the chamber.
"What?!"
"SS+?!"
"That's insane!"
Everyone's eyes widened at the result.
Leon simply smiled.
His confident expression made it look almost as if he had expected this outcome.
Even Professor Clara was visibly surprised.
Her eyes widened slightly at the result.
But after a moment she quickly regained her composure.
"Next."
She called the next name.
"Dayne Desmund."
A girl with long silver hair calmly stepped forward.
She placed her hand on the crystal.
The runes glowed once again.
Moments later—
The result appeared.
SS+ Rank
The hall erupted again.
Another monster.
Chrono watched quietly.
Just like the novel…
Then came the next name.
"Liam Veridian."
The murmurs grew louder.
As the descendant of the Hero Veridian, enormous expectations were placed upon him.
Liam calmly walked forward and touched the crystal.
Mana surged again.
The result appeared shortly after.
SS+ Rank
Cheers erupted across the hall.
"Of course!"
"He's the hero's descendant!"
Then came the others.
Rina Emberheart.
Nia Veridian.
One after another—
They stepped forward.
And one after another—
The crystal displayed the same result.
SS+ Rank.
The hall was completely shaken.
But when Carl Vale stepped forward, the tension was slightly different.
Carl touched the crystal.
The glow appeared once more.
But when the result appeared—
It read:
S− Rank
Still incredibly high.
But compared to the others—
It looked slightly lower.
Still—
S− Rank was an incredible result.
Most students would have celebrated.
But Carl didn't.
He simply stared at the result for a moment.
Then quietly stepped away from the crystal.
No grin.
No joke.
No loud reaction like he usually had.
He just walked back to his seat and sat down.
Silently.
Chrono noticed it immediately.
Carl's usual personality was loud, energetic, and carefree.
But today—
He was different.
His shoulders seemed slightly heavier.
His gaze distant.
Anyone paying attention already knew why.
Kent Vale.
The head of House Vale.
Carl's father.
Killed only a few days ago.
Even now the news was still shaking the kingdom.
Carl rested his elbow on the table and stared at the floor.
He didn't react to the whispers around him.
He didn't react to the results either.
For the first time—
Carl Vale looked like someone carrying a burden far heavier than an exam.
Chrono watched him quietly for a moment.
Then looked away.
Because he remembered something from the novel.
Carl's father's death…
Was one of the events that slowly changed Carl as a person.
The carefree noble heir…
Would eventually become something much colder.
Much more dangerous.
Chrono leaned back slightly.
The story really is moving forward…
Professor Clara's voice echoed through the hall again.
"Next student."