Professor Ariadne led the Class S students through the winding corridors of the academy, finally arriving at a massive, circular hall adorned with ancient, pulsing runes.
In the dead center stood a towering crystal pillar—an artifact from a bygone era, humming with pure, primal energy.
Anyone standing near it felt their spirit tremble, as if their very essence were being scrubbed clean of all impurities.
"This is the 'Latent Talent Oscillator,'" Ariadne said, her cold voice cutting through the silence.
"You will step forward one by one. Do not resist the energy; let it flow through you.
Open the gates of your souls, harmonize it with your mana, and reveal what truly lies in your depths. Awaken your latent talents."
The students stepped up one by one, and the results were staggering, confirming why each was considered the pinnacle of their generation:
* Arshion: As soon as he touched the crystal, a piercing aura erupted outward, shimmering with the edge of a thousand blades.
"A Sword Saint talent!" A rare, faint smile touched Ariadne's lips; it was a talent of immense power.
Same old story, Arshion thought, suppressing a yawn.
* Decanis: As her talent awakened, dark crimson flames surged around her.
She manifested the "Dark Flame" talent, granting a necrotic property to her fire.
* Lancius: An intense frost swept the arena; he awakened the "Frost King" talent, exponentially increasing his control over ice.
* Valerian and Selina: The hall was flooded with a dazzling, holy radiance.
"Light Saint talent!" The siblings stood like twin beacons, and their affinity for light was so deep it granted them partial immunity to the element itself.
Then, it was Ray’s turn.
A suffocating silence blanketed the hall. Ray—the "failure" rejected by his family—had become the academy’s greatest enigma.
Selina watched him with guarded curiosity; he was no longer the arrogant boy she had
once despised, but a mystery who had forged a Perfect Grade core and awakened the elements of Death and Life.
Ray placed his hand on the crystal.
Arshion watched with sharp, narrowed eyes, thinking:
In the previous timeline, Ray never passed the entrance test, let alone joined Class S.
He never awakened his talent. Let’s see what you’re really hiding, Ray.
When Ray’s skin touched the crystal, there was no explosion.
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Instead, an eerie calm settled over the room as the crystal turned a deep, dark crimson.
Strands of jagged, red lightning danced and crackled around his fingertips.
Ray felt something painfully familiar—a fragment of Morthoth’s own power,
vibrating in his veins like a rhythmic echo from his past life. "Crimson Lightning talent!"
A shockwave of disbelief hit the room. Valerian shouted, his voice betraying his shock: "
Three elements? Death, Life, and now Crimson Lightning? How is this even possible?"
This is a dangerous variable, Arshion thought, his mind racing.
He might alter the course of events or ruin my plans.
The Headmistress, watching from the shadows, narrowed her eyes.
Ray now carried three powerful, volatile elements within him, all in a state of deadly discord.
A mysterious, faint smile played on her lips:
"It seems we have truly interesting individuals this year."
After the test, Ray headed straight to the Class S training room, a chamber reinforced with high-level runic barriers designed to absorb massive magical impacts.
He tried to summon the "Death" element, but the energy dissipated immediately, sending a searing pain through his chest.
He tried the same with "Life," only to meet the same result.
Damn it, Ray thought, gasping for air. This body is far too weak.
My Mana Core hasn't reached the level required to bear the burden of these ancient, conflicting elements.
If I try to use Death and Life together now, this vessel will be torn from the inside out.
Ray realized clearly that while the skills from his past life were burned into his mind, his current body could not yet translate them into reality.
He made his decision with cold, calculated resolve:
I won't waste energy on elements I can't yet control.
I need stability before I can practice true power.
He closed his eyes and focused entirely on the "Crimson Lightning."
He felt this element in strange harmony with his current body, as if it had been hidden in his bone marrow all along.
He began to adapt to the local refinement methods, rotating his mana with precision and slowly compressing it.
He was still at the first level of the Bronze Core.
Hours passed as mana saturated Ray’s veins.
By the time he opened his eyes, he had successfully broken through to the third level of the Bronze Core.
The breakthrough was remarkably fluid.
A satisfied smile touched his lips; he was closing in on the Black Iron level.
Feeling the ravenous hunger of a body in development, he headed to the cafeteria.
He began devouring massive amounts of food. Soon, Arshion arrived and sat beside him.
I must learn more about this variable, Arshion thought.
"Hello, I'm Arshion," he said with a practiced smile.
"Ray," he replied coldly.
Cold and antisocial, Arshion noted, though his expression remained pleasant.
"We’ll see each other a lot, since we’re in the same class."
"Indeed," Ray replied indifferently.
I have no desire to form bonds here, Ray thought to himself.
I will return to my world as quickly as possible.
There is no benefit or interest in associating with anyone here.
Lancius entered the cafeteria, sat beside them, and offered with a friendly tone: "Hello, I’m Lancius."
What does this cunning fox want? Arshion thought, offering a calm, emotionless nod.
Ray paid Lancius no mind. He finished his meal, paid the bill, and left.
He felt the potential of this body and was ready for more.
It was time to begin the second phase:forcing this vessel to synchronize with his true, ancient combat arts.