The light from the towering windows spilled onto the stone corridor, casting long, haunting beams. Kael and Ellarish walked ahead, their cloaks sweeping softly against the polished floor, while Pip trudged behind, his shoulders heavy as if he were carrying the weight of the world. Pip was still muttering, his footsteps echoing with resentment: — "Why Class F... I performed so well, didn't I?"
Kael, with his usual calm demeanor, sighed and gave Pip a firm pat on the shoulder, trying to lighten the mood: — "It's alright, don't worry. Who knows? Maybe Class F has some special policy."
Pip stopped in his tracks, eyes wide, then shouted in frustration: — "Special, my foot! You and Ellarish are Class S! Look at yourselves—S is for geniuses, while F... F is for those the academy has abandoned! WHY?!"
Kael sighed, looking at Pip with a meaningful gaze: — "Well, you saw it yourself. It wasn't by chance that the Headmaster placed us in Class S when we stepped up to the podium."
Pip paused, memories of the placement ceremony moments ago flooding back. On the stage, the air still thick from Pip's battle, the examiner's voice rang out: — "NEXT: KAEL."
Kael stepped up calmly and placed his hand on the crystal block. The world around the staff seemed to warp. The stone surface liquefied, absorbing the light of the entire auditorium into a deep, black mirror. Inside it, Kael didn't reflect himself, but a distorted space filled with endless, winding paths. The examiner nearby had to step back, eyes wide in shock: — "Ability to infiltrate the Mirror Dimension... Class S!"
Before the crowd could recover, the next name was called, accompanied by a biting chill that swept through the hall: — "NEXT: MAST ELLARISH."
The name "Mast" was like an alarm bell. Ellarish stepped up, her every movement dropping the room's temperature below freezing. She touched the staff; without any resistance, the entire object was instantly encased in thick, white snow. Exquisite ice flowers bloomed, radiating a cold aura that made the audience feel as if they were being pricked by needles. — "Absolute Ice Magic... Mast Ellarish, Class S!"
Back in the present, the academy hallway remained silent. Pip looked at his two friends, his heart heavy. He remembered that scene, then looked at his own hands, still trembling from the residual power of the beast within him. The image of that dark, ominous creature clinging to him made Pip frown in discomfort. — "Whatever. Even if it is Class F, at least I have a place to stay, it's not that bad..." Pip muttered to himself.
His footsteps echoed evenly along the hall. He noticed other students staring at him with strange expressions, and feeling the awkward atmosphere, he quickly hurried to his classroom. He stopped in front of a large wooden door, spray-painted with words like "Trash," "Scum." Pip sighed, realizing Class F was tucked away far from the others. He placed his hand on the door, his eyes heavy with worry. He pushed it open—the scene inside was exactly as he had imagined: noisy, chaotic, and disorganized. Hearing the door, the students of Class F turned their heads, their gazes locking onto Pip, making him flinch. Pip awkwardly spoke up: — "H-hi everyone, I'm—"
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Before he could finish, a metal rod flew through the air and slammed into the door right beside him. Pip's eyes widened in shock. Seeing their reaction wasn't as hostile as he thought, he gave a nervous smile and headed toward a charred chair a spiky-haired boy had pointed out. As Pip reached out to touch it, a vine instantly wrapped around his hand, making him recoil. The chair, still stuck to the vine, flew toward a tall, scarred boy. It smashed into his head and snapped in two, while the boy remained standing, unfazed. He turned to Pip, his golden eyes locking onto him, making Pip's skin crawl. Pip bolted toward a small, spiky monster, trying to reach out to it. The creature panicked and fired its thorns at high speed, striking Pip's hand. He winced in pain, but before he could chase after it, a warm hand grabbed his bleeding one, pulling him back. Pip froze. He looked up to see a girl with fair skin, wide eyes behind round glasses, and long orange hair tied back—she looked incredibly cute. Pip stared, blushing deeply: — "A-ah, classmate... could you let go of my hand?" — "Oh! I'm sorry."
Pip waved it off, noticing that where she had touched him, the wound had magically healed. The spiky-haired boy introduced himself: — "By the way, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Term, and my ability is to create and control iron." — "I'm Pip, nice to meet you."
Pip reached out to shake hands. Just as their hands were about to touch... BOOM. A massive sound destroyed the classroom door. Everyone turned to look, clearly used to this, but Pip was stunned. From the smoke emerged a boy with black hair, golden eyes, and a friendly, gentle smile: — "WHERE IS THE NEW STUDENT??" — "Slow down, Loper, he just arrived."
Pip looked at the teacher, feeling indignant: — "Are you seriously the teacher of Class F?!" — "Hmm?" The man slowly opened his eyes, looking lazily at Pip, then sighed: — "Ah, right. Every newcomer reacts the same way..."
Kaelen stood up, stretching his shoulders. He leaned against the desk, his voice deep and raspy: — "I am Kaelen, the teacher of Class F. Welcome to the class." — "What..." Pip replied, confused. — "If you don't believe in my power... I'll show you."
He slammed his hand onto the table. Instantly, the classroom transformed into a casino. Kaelen's ability, "Gambler's Luck," created a massive casino environment. In it, there was a machine; if he pressed the button and got four matching cards, he would hit "Four of a Kind," activating his power. Pip curiously stepped forward, placed his hand on the lever, took a deep breath, and pressed the button.
The machine spun wildly. The cards flashed by at dizzying speeds. Suddenly, the machine emitted a harsh "cracking" sound, the neon lights flickered and died. Pip panicked, pulling the lever again: — "Hey! Teacher, what's wrong with this thing? I didn't do anything, it just stalled and started making weird noises!"
Before he could finish, the machine exploded. The cards didn't fall; they swirled around Pip, burning with a dark, eerie light. Kaelen stood up, his lazy expression vanished, replaced by a terrifying seriousness: — "Interesting... You don't play by the rules; you're hijacking the casino's outcome. Kid, I have an idea for a much bigger investment. We're going to liquidate the Student Council's casino!"