The moment the results settled, the students in the upper rows began whispering among themselves, their voices low but filled with excitement and disbelief. "Did you see that?" one said.
"Two white-haired guys…breaking records."
Another leaned forward, eyes fixed on the arena below. "One has the highest mana gauge, the other has the strongest summon… they just dethroned Holden."
The name spread quickly. Holden Valero. The one who had always stood at the top. The highest mana gauge. The strongest summon. Untouchable and undefeated, until now.
Now there were two new names being whispered everywhere. Quinn, the boy with overwhelming mana. And Luke… the one with that strange, terrifying shadow.
"They're the strongest now…"
"No way Holden just got replaced like that…"
The murmurs only grew louder. Below, George stood silently, his expression calm, but his eyes shifted briefly toward Hannah, the woman holding the tablet.
She looked back at him, her face still carrying that same confused shock from earlier. For a moment, neither of them spoke, but the meaning was clear, powerful students filled their academy.
George finally stepped forward, his voice cutting through the noise like a blade. "Silence." The entire hall went quiet instantly.
He looked across all the students, his gaze steady. "The awakening is complete. But potential alone is meaningless without proof." A pause. "Starting tomorrow, there will be duels."
The words alone made the tension rise. "The freshmen will fight among themselves first. Those with weak summons will be disqualified immediately." His tone didn't change, but the weight behind it was clear. There would be no mercy.
A few students shifted nervously. George continued, "Those who pass… will face the sophomore's. And after that, the third years."
This time, the reaction couldn't be held back. Shock spread across the hall.
"Second years?!"
"Already?!"
"That's insane! They have more experience than us, even with our mana gauge higher than them they could still beat us."
Even some of the confident ones frowned. Fighting seniors this was too early.
George didn't care. "Only those worthy will remain in this academy." His gaze moved slightly… landing, just for a second, on Luke.
Then it moved away. "Prepare yourselves." The atmosphere changed completely. What was once excitement had turned into pressure.
"How can I fight against the experienced ones, I just got here, shit! I didn't see this coming." Luke muttered to himself, his face drained of expression and replaced with terror, he was certain he would be among the unqualified ones.
George raised his hand slightly, bringing everyone's attention back. "Those who are disqualified should return and pack their belongings," he said calmly. "You will be leaving the academy today." His voice didn't carry any pity. "Those who qualified… use this time to settle down. The final stage will be the duels and that's tomorrow, you're all dismissed."
The hall slowly began to empty. Some students left with lowered heads, their faces filled with disappointment, while others stayed behind, talking in low voices, preparing themselves for what was coming next. The ones in the upper rows stood up and started leaving, the noise gradually fading.
Before long, the place was almost empty. Ethan quickly made his way to Luke, his expression still full of excitement. "Let's go to the dorms," he said. "We should rest before the duels."
Luke gave a small nod. "Alright." The two of them left together, walking through the academy halls. The place was large, clean, and surprisingly modern. Lights lined the ceilings, doors were neatly arranged, and everything felt more advanced than Luke expected.
They finally reached their floor. Ethan stopped. "This is mine," he said, pointing to a door. Then he pointed next to it. "That one is yours."
Luke nodded, but before he could move, both of them paused. Someone was standing opposite their rooms. White hair. Calm posture it was Quinn.
He glanced at them briefly, his eyes passing over Luke for a second longer than necessary, then he said nothing and simply entered his room, closing the door behind him.
A short silence followed. Luke looked at the closed door, then said casually, "…He's quite the reserved type."
Ethan nodded. "Yeah… but he's strong." Then he stretched a little. "Anyway, I'm going in. Goodnight."
"Goodnight," Luke replied.
Ethan entered his room, leaving Luke alone in the hallway. Luke turned, opened his door, and stepped inside.
The room was simple but clean. A bed, a desk, a small shelf, and a window. Nothing too special.
He closed the door behind him and walked in, then dropped himself onto the bed without thinking too much. For a few seconds, he just stared at the ceiling.
"…So this world even has this level of technology," he muttered. "Not bad." he remembered seeing some students with phones.
He turned his head slightly, looking around. "I wonder if I have a phone…" Then he paused.
"…No." His eyes sharpened just a little. "First things first, the system." Luke sat up slightly and spoke calmly, like it was the most normal thing in the world. "Show me my stats." he knew everything about systems because of the novel he read in his past life so..
For a brief second, nothing happened. Then a screen appeared in front of him.
---
[SYSTEM INTERFACE]
[ Host profile]
* Name: Luke Aurelion
*Age: 17
* Rank: A
* Mana gauge: 73.9
Attribute | Current / Max | Gauge
HP (Vitality) | 1,250 / 1,250
MP (Mana) | 3000
SP (Stamina) | 800
[ Core Attributes ]
* Strength : 1000/5000
*Intelligence: 48/100
[ Unique Skills ]
{ Mana Forge } (Active): Convert raw energy into physical objects or weapons for 60 seconds.
{ Regeneration}
[ Equipment ]
Weapon: Staff of the Eternal Flux — Boosts spell potency by 25% and reduces MP cost.
Armor (Acquired from Thenatos): Midnight Silk Robes. Enchanted with [Silence] and [Magic Resistance +30]
Class: Shadow Summoner
[Summon]
Name: Shadow Warrior (Thenatos)
Tier: Emperor Tier (86.0) – passed mid stage.
Status: Active
[Skills]
Shadow Summon
Shadow Control
Luke stared at the screen quietly. "…Not bad," he said under his breath, a faint smile forming on his face again. Luke's eyes stayed on the screen for a moment before something caught his attention.
"Skills…" he muttered. He reached out and tapped it. The screen changed instantly, expanding into a much larger interface. This time, it wasn't just a few skills. There were many. Rows and rows of them.
[SKILL MENU – SHADOW SYSTEM]
He didn't see anything at first which made his face devoid of any expression until his gaze dropped to the bottom of the screen.
[Shadow Essence: 0]
His brows furrowed. "…What is Shadow Essence?" The system responded immediately.
[Shadow Essence: A unique resource used to unlock, upgrade, and evolve Shadow Skills and Entities, it can be gotten from killed enemies, but shadow essence are only for those with shadows as their summons, so they either come to the summoner or your summon would kill it for it to automatically come to them.]
Luke leaned back slightly, taking it in. "…So everything needs this," he said quietly. He tapped on one of the skills.
Luke's eyes sharpened slightly at that. He went back to the main list, his expression calm but focused now. Everything was locked, every skill, every ability. All because he had none of this… Shadow Essence.
He let out a slow breath and lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling again. "…Alright," he said quietly. A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Then I'll just get it, but where can I get it from." Just then he heard a loud ding inside a drawer. "Uhhh, what's that!?"