The whispers didn't stop.
"F-Rank trash…"
"What a waste of a slot…"
"Even commoners aren't this bad…"
Kang Jinhyuk ignored all of it.
He walked back to his place as if nothing had happened, his expression calm, almost bored.
But behind that calm—
His mind was moving fast.
An error… a hidden system… and that message…
This world wasn't as perfect as it seemed.
"Move."
A sharp voice cut in.
Jinhyuk stopped.
A tall student blocked his path—clean uniform, confident stance, and the unmistakable arrogance of a noble.
"Watch where you're going," the noble said, looking down at him with clear disgust. "Or did that F-rank brain of yours stop working already?"
Laughter rippled nearby.
Jinhyuk glanced at him once, then tried to walk past.
That alone was enough to offend him.
"…Did I say you could ignore me?"
A hand grabbed Jinhyuk's shoulder.
Tight.
Hostile.
The air shifted.
"Let go."
Jinhyuk's voice was low.
Flat.
The noble smirked. "Make me."
For a brief moment—
Silence fell between them.
Then—
Something flickered.
Not outside.
Inside.
A faint distortion passed through Jinhyuk's vision.
The world seemed to… overlap.
And suddenly—
A screen appeared.
Glitching.
Unstable.
[Skill Detected: Aura Flow]
[Analyzing…]
Jinhyuk's pupils shrank.
"…What?"
The noble tightened his grip, mana beginning to gather around his arm.
"You should learn your place."
The pressure increased.
Students nearby stepped back, sensing the tension.
But Jinhyuk wasn't looking at him anymore.
He was staring at the screen.
[Synchronization in Progress…]
[Compatibility: Unstable]
His heartbeat slowed.
Not fear.
Focus.
"…So that's how it works."
The world blurred for a split second.
Then snapped back.
[Skill Partially Acquired]
A strange sensation surged through his arm.
Unfamiliar.
Violent.
Like something was forcing itself into place.
The noble frowned. "…What is this?"
Jinhyuk moved.
Just slightly.
But that was enough.
CRACK.
A faint burst of energy erupted from his arm, forcing the noble's hand off his shoulder.
"…!"
The noble stumbled back, eyes wide.
"What did you just—"
Jinhyuk looked at his own hand.
Mana.
Crude.
Unstable.
But real.
"…Incomplete."
The energy flickered wildly before fading.
Like it couldn't hold itself together.
The surrounding students froze.
Even the instructor's gaze shifted slightly.
"That output…" someone muttered.
"Wasn't that—"
The noble's expression twisted, anger replacing shock. "You think you can mock me with cheap tricks?"
Mana flared around him again—stronger this time.
Refined.
Controlled.
A true noble's power.
"Stop."
The instructor's voice cut through the tension.
Instantly, the pressure disappeared.
"This is not a dueling ground."
The noble clicked his tongue but stepped back. "Tch… lucky."
Jinhyuk said nothing.
He simply lowered his hand.
But inside—
His thoughts were sharp.
I didn't learn it…
I copied it.
No.
Not perfectly.
Just a fragment.
And even that—
Was unstable.
His gaze flickered slightly.
The screen appeared again.
Faint.
Barely holding form.
[Skill Assimilation: Incomplete]
[Stability: 12%]
[Warning: System Interference Detected]
His lips curved slightly.
"…Interesting."
So there were limits.
Conditions.
Risks.
Good.
That meant it wasn't random.
It could be understood.
Controlled.
Improved.
Jinhyuk glanced at the noble one last time.
Not with anger.
Not with fear.
But with quiet calculation.
A source.
Then he turned away.
As if nothing had happened.
But behind him—
The noble's expression darkened.
And above—
Unseen by everyone—
The system flickered again.
Just for a moment.
As if watching him.