Lencar stood in the Kikka Arena, a vast coliseum pulsing with the magical noise of thousands of ambitious youth. He was hooded and silent, a ghost in a storm. He was in Heretic Mode, his true mana signature a perfect zero, rendering him sensorially invisible to the arrogant nobles who flared their power like mating peacocks.
This arena was not a test; it was a hunting ground, and Lencar was focused entirely on his variables.
He watched the observation deck, where the Captains of the Magic Knights took their seats. His analyst's mind, fortified by the meta-knowledge of Kenji Tanaka, cataloged them instantly:
Captain (Squad) Magic Attribute Plot Role (Lencar's Analysis) Threat Stage (Volume/Utility)
William Vangeance (Golden Dawn) World Tree / Light (Patolli) Primary Antagonist. Must be avoided at all costs. Direct observation is suicidal due to Patolli's hidden mana sense. Stage 0 (Volume) / Arcane (Utility)
Yami Sukehiro (Black Bulls) Dark Magic Arcane-level asset. Unpredictable, masters the "Ki" concept. Target for Devourment. Arcane Stage 0
Nozel Silva (Silver Eagles) Mercury Magic High-tier noble. Arrogant, predictable attack patterns, but immense mana volume. Stage 1 (Volume)
Fuegoleon Vermillion (Crimson Lion Kings) Fire Magic High-tier noble. Focused and highly destructive. Mana pool is vast but attack methods are straightforward. Stage 1 (Volume)
Jack the Ripper (Green Mantis) Slash Magic Stage 1 powerhouse. Purely offensive, fast, and unstable. His magic is unique but lacks complex utility. Stage 1 (Utility)
Charlotte Roselei (Blue Rose Knights) Briar Magic Stage 1 powerhouse. Highly versatile restraint/area denial. A predictable challenge. Stage 1 (Utility)
Gueldre Poizot (Purple Orcas) Permeation Magic Known Traitor. His magic is infiltration/utility, not combat. Easiest Captain to neutralize or bypass. Stage 1 (Utility)
Rill Boismortier (Aqua Deer) Picture Magic Arcane/Wildcard. Immature, but his magic has dimension-altering potential. Treat as Arcane threat. Stage 0 (Arcane)
Dorothy Unsworth (Coral Peacock) Dream Magic Arcane/Wildcard. Control over consciousness. Cannot be engaged directly. Stage 0 (Arcane)
His gaze snapped to the Captain of the Golden Dawn, William Vangeance. The masked man radiated immense, tree-like World Tree Magic. Lencar's highly refined mana-sense pierced the layer of World Tree Magic, and what he found beneath caused his internal calculations to freeze. Underneath the golden mask was a second signature: a bright, searing, agonizingly familiar light belonging to Patolli.
Threat Level: Critical. Do not engage. Do not observe.
Lencar snapped his gaze away, forcing his body to remain relaxed, just another hooded commoner. His primary objective had instantly shifted from 'data-gathering' to 'survival and silent infiltration.'
He forced his eyes onto the final captain: Yami Sukehiro of the Black Bulls. Yami's mana was chaotic and suppressed, but his Ki—a non-magical concept Lencar instinctively understood—was that of a master swordsman. Lencar marked him as Secondary Target: High Interest.
He was so deep in this new, panicked analysis that he barely noticed the wave of Anti-Magic Birds that flooded the arena. Finding a mana-less void, they swarmed Lencar in an instant, pecking harmlessly at his dense, Mana-Forged body.
"HEY! GET OFF ME! STOP IT, YOU STUPID BIRDS!"
The source of the new chaos—Asta—stumbled backward and bumped squarely into Lencar.
"Oof! Oh, sorry... Whoa." Asta stared, then squinted. "HAHA! LOOKS LIKE WE'RE IN THE SAME BOAT, HUH? ROUGH BREAK! Wait a sec... YOU'RE LENCAR! FROM SOSIE!"
The shout cut through the noise, drawing the attention of the man who stood alone in the center, Yuno.
"...Lencar?" Yuno murmured, turning and fixing a suspicious gaze on the bird-covered commoner.
"The qualifier was a data point," Lencar said flatly, his voice low. "Not a hard limit. I walked."
"Walked...?" Asta yelled, undeterred. "YOU'VE GOT GUTS! WELL, I GUESS THIS MAKES US EXAM RIVALS, TOO!"
Yuno stepped forward, his eyes narrowed. "You're different," he stated, sensing the invisible pressure that Lencar's Regulator was holding back.
"So are you," Lencar replied, giving a barely perceptible nod to the four-leaf grimoire.
A trumpet flared. William Vangeance (Patolli) stepped forward. Lencar immediately looked at the ground, daring only to glance through his periphery.
"Candidates," Vangeance's gentle voice echoed, yet Lencar felt the sheer, crushing weight of Stage 1 power. "Let the Magic Knight Entrance Exam... begin. The first test... will be a trial of flight."
A thousand brooms appeared on the arena floor. Asta was screaming. Lencar knew his choice was critical.
Heretic Mode (Asta): Instant failure. Unacceptable.
Mage Mode (Yuno): Instant success. Unacceptable. Draws Vangeance's (Patolli's) eye.
He clicked out of Heretic Mode, the flood of Stage 5 Mana instantly controlled and suppressed by the [Aura Cloak]. He focused on the smallest, safest power pool—the one copied from his parents. He needed to be competent, not brilliant.
He placed one hand on the broom. He applied his Regulator v3.2, drawing a smooth, steady, and perfectly Stage 6 stream of mana into the wood.
The broom rose.
It didn't shoot into the air like the nobles' or the prodigies'. It didn't wobble like the anxious commoners'. It rose smoothly, quietly, and stopped at a respectable ten feet, hovering with rock-solid stability.
Lencar stood there, a perfect, unmoving statue.
He had established his baseline. He was a commoner with above-average control. The Captains glanced over him without a second thought.
In the air, Yuno looked down at Lencar, his eyes narrowed in deep suspicion. Lencar ignored him. The perfect disguise was in place. He was now ready for the next test.