The hallway slowly returned to its tense silence after Octave's defeat. Smoke faded. Students whispered. Everyone was too afraid to even breathe wrong now.
Fifith clapped his hands once.
"Physical capability test begins now. Stay where you are. Move only when I call your name."
Students nodded like terrified soldiers.
"Talia State!"
A nervous girl with short black hair stepped forward and disappeared through the metal door. The room sealed shut behind her.
Minutes later, a giant screen descended from the ceiling.
[Talia State — 80 Stat Points]
[Grade: Advanced]
Whispers rippled through the crowd.
A respectable score. Nothing insane.
The display vanished.
Then—
"Dreyden Stella!"
A cold prickle traveled up my spine.
I stepped forward, trying to look calm even though my heart was pounding.
Inside the exam chamber, a stone pedestal with a glowing handprint waited for me.
"Place your hand on the panel," Fifith said without looking up from his clipboard.
I took a breath, pressed my palm to the cold surface, and—
Bzzzt—!
A scan traced the length of my arm. Light pulsed through my entire body, reading every stat I had.
Then the screen displayed:
[Dreyden Stella — 100 Stat Points]
[Grade: Elite]
Absolute silence.
Then—
"…what?"
Fifith slowly lifted his head.
His eyes locked onto the name Stella, and his entire demeanor shifted into something colder.
"You. Are you related to John Stella?"
My throat tightened.
John Stella — one of the top-ranked espers in the world, the head of the prestigious Stella clan… and the man who'd thrown Dreyden out like trash.
I forced my voice steady.
"No."
A lie. A truth. Both.
His stare lingered too long, judging me, measuring me, deciding my worth.
Finally, he grunted, pulled a lever, and a swirling gate of white light opened behind him.
"Go through the portal. Your skill test begins now."
My stomach flipped.
Here it comes…
I stepped through the light—and the world dissolved.
Voices echoed around me.
"Huh? One arrived early."
"Lucky kid. First one always gets a clean start."
My vision returned like a loading screen completing. Shapes sharpened. Colors returned.
Two exam proctors stood in front of me—one older man, one young woman with bright pink hair and warm eyes.
She smiled at me, the kind of smile that instantly lowered your guard.
"Welcome to the Triangle, Dreyden. You've passed the first stage. Now you're here in the Elite Testing Area." She tapped her clipboard. "That means you have potential."
The man pointed at a sandbag hanging from a reinforced stand.
"Next test: skill display. Hit that bag using your ability. Full power."
I walked toward it, heart hammering.
Not because of the exam—
but because this would be the first time I ever used a copied skill for real.
If I messed up, I could snap my arm in half.
"My Strength is only 12…" I muttered. "But Magic Energy is high enough."
I closed my eyes.
I pictured Octave's movements.
How he circulated magic through his arms.
How the flames ignited.
How they compressed into blue fire.
How the attack worked.
I pushed magic through my body—
FWOOM—
Flames burst over my arm.
Too hot. Too fast.
My skin stung as fire crawled up my elbow.
"Argh—!"
I gritted my teeth.
No backing down.
No hesitation.
I swung.
BANG!
The sandbag snapped backward violently.
The entire stand shuddered.
The ground vibrated beneath me.
The screen beside it flickered—
numbers flying upward—
165,983
A gasp.
The older examiner's jaw dropped.
The woman's eyes widened, though she stayed composed.
I collapsed to one knee, clutching my smoking arm.
"Dammit—!"
The girl knelt beside me and placed a glowing green palm over the burn.
"Relax. My ability is Short Time. I can rewind small areas of the body a few minutes. Just hold still."
My skin healed before my eyes.
"…Thank you."
She raised a brow. "Usually students tell me their skill after that."
I pretended not to hear.
She sighed, amused. "Fine. Keep your secrets."
She stood and motioned toward a door on the far side of the room.
"Go get your uniform, Dreyden.
Congratulations. You're assigned to Class A1."
My chest tightened.
Class A1.
The class where the main cast studied.
Where the strongest elites trained.
Where the hero sat.
Where danger lived.
But I nodded anyway and walked toward the changing room.
Inside, I pulled on the uniform:
gray fabric with a thick gold stripe, and a small digital badge over the chest.
Dreyden — 165,983 pts
It scrolled endlessly.
Mocking.
Impressive.
Terrifying.
I stared at my reflection.
"…damn."
The guy in the mirror wasn't me.
But he wasn't Dreyden, either.
He was something else.
Someone who might survive.
The door opened.
A boy with red hair and a smirk stepped in.
"Yo. Liam Strayford, Class B." He stuck out a hand.
I shook it with a polite smile.
"I'm Dreyden. Class A."
He blinked at the badge.
"Bro. You're crazy strong."
I shrugged.
Before I could reply, the white-haired girl from earlier walked in.
Dhara Silvius.
One of the chosen fan characters.
She didn't even look at us as she headed to the cabin.
And behind her—
Riven Dogers entered, uniform in hand, eyes sharp and friendly.
Liam waved to them.
Dhara ignored him completely.
Riven smiled stiffly and shook Liam's hand before heading inside.
The atmosphere dropped several degrees.
This world really was ruthless.
A moment later, the proctor returned.
"Students, line up. We're done here."
My muscles tensed.
This was it.
Once we stepped out that door…
We weren't candidates anymore.
We were part of the Triangle.
And I had no idea how long I'd survive.