The Veyron estate stood in a shroud of absolute silence, its towering marble pillars gleaming like bone beneath the pale, cold wash of the moonlight. Beyond the grand corridors and polished obsidian floors lay a sanctuary of isolation—a chamber few were permitted to even approach, let alone enter . It was a private training hall.
The room was vast, an architectural marvel of austerity. It was not decorated for comfort, nor was it adorned to flaunt status. It was a space forged for the sole purpose of discipline. Smooth white stone stretched from wall to wall, etched faintly with ancient, crystalline inscriptions that shimmered with a rhythmic blue light whenever mana stirred in the air. High, arched windows framed the infinite night sky, allowing silver beams of moonlight to spill across the floor like sacred, celestial markings. The ceiling rose to an impossible height, disappearing into a void of shadow, giving the hall the heavy, solemn atmosphere of a cathedral.
At the very center of the chamber, I sat cross-legged.
I was alone. My back was a rigid line of focused intent, his breathing was slow, measured, and deep. My hands rested lightly upon my knees, fingers twitching occasionally as I fought an internal battle. Despite the cool night air, beads of sweat traced quiet paths down his temples. The silence pressing in on him was heavy, suffocating—as though the mansion itself was a living entity, holding its breath to watch my progress.
My mana pulsed faintly. Then, it stilled into a dead calm. Then, it pulsed again—sharp and jagged.
Unstable.
"Focus…" I murmured, my voice barely a ripple in the quiet.
I reached inward, past the physical shell of muscle and bone. I pushed beyond the rhythm of my breath and the reach of instinct. I searched for that elusive, razor-thin state where reality began to fray—the place where time fractured, where the world's movements slowed to a crawl and an opponent's intent became visible before they even moved.
The Kaishi state.
For one fleeting, glorious second, the world sharpened. The drifting specks of dust suspended in the moonlight slowed until they were stationary stars. The faint, ambient hum of the earth's energy became a roar of clarity in his mind.
Then—it shattered.
My breathing broke rhythm. The atmospheric pressure inside my hest surged violently, a backlash of rejected mana, before dispersing into a dull ache.
"Tch…"
My fingers tightened against my knees, gripping the fabric of the trousers. It was still unstable. Still maddeningly elusive.
"How did Sherach manage to stumble into this technique and entered it so naturally?" I wondered aloud, a hint of bitterness in my tone. "That guy is a monster. A natural-born genius."
I looked at his trembling hands. "For me… it feels like trying to force open a sealed, rusted gate with my bare hands."
I closed his eyes again. "Again."
I inhaled slowly. Exhaled. The air in the chamber seemed to grow heavier as his focus deepened once more, the gravity of my own mana beginning to warp the air around me.
"If I can't enter Kaishi consciously," I whispered to the empty air, "I'll never survive what's coming next. The world isn't going to wait for me to get lucky."
I pushed myself for hours, diving into the abyss of my own consciousness over and over, pushing my spirit until my muscles began to twitch with fatigue and my mana veins felt like they were filled with liquid fire. Finally, my body neared its breaking point.
"Damn it, I quit!" I barked, standing up abruptly in a fit of sharp frustration. The sudden movement sent a shockwave of mana through the room, causing the wall inscriptions to flare bright violet.
I paced the length of the hall, trying to shake off the irritation. "With my current strength, I have to believe I can still hold my ground for tomorrow's exam. I'm not the same person I was a two months ago."
Stopping in the center of the room, I looked into the empty air. "System Sage, what's my current status?"
A faint, melodic chime echoed directly into my mind. Golden sigils began to coalesce in the air before him, knitting together like divine scripture burning into the fabric of reality.
[INITIATING STATUS WINDOW]
[NAME: OLIVER VEYRON]
[TIER: 0]
[RANK: A+]
[LEVEL: 20]
[STRENGTH: 2250]
[ABILITY: HEAVEN'S JUDGMENT THUNDER S+]
[SKILL: ZERO-POINT MARTIAL ARTS (LOCKED)]
[MANA: HEART OF NEBULA]
[UNIQUE SKILLS: ABSURDITY OUTLIER (LOCKED)]
[SHIDAN: RISHO BLUE]
[SPEED: 686 m/s]
[ULTIMATE SKILLS: (LOCKED)]
[EXP: 10,000]
I stared at the glowing text, my eyes lingering on the word LOCKED.
"C'mon, when are you going to unlock my skills?" I asked with a sharp edge of annoyance. "Or do you just enjoy watching me rely on raw talent every time? It's getting old, Sage."
I felt a flicker of something in my mind—a sensation like the system itself was sighing in exasperation.
[Requirement Not Met: To unlock the Core Skill Tree, host must clear a high-level raid portal or explore the forbidden zones beyond the barriers of Velerion Star City.]
"I wish I had total control over you," I snapped back, a smirk playing on my lips despite the mood. "If I ever do, I'm going to make you do all the heavy lifting while I take a nap."
[ Not possible. Such authority is reserved for those who transcend the limitations of the mortal tier system. Proceed with current parameters.]
"Oh, is that a challenge?" I laughed softly, walking toward the high windows, staring out at the sprawling lights of the city beneath the moon. "Let's see who hits the jackpot first, then."
Iwatched the silver light for a long time, my frustration cooling into a cold, hard resolve. "Tomorrow's exam awaits. Let's see what they've got."
The following morning, the atmosphere at the Vanguard Academy was electric. Thousands of students from different divisions circled the grand arena, a massive coliseum built to withstand the magical output of the elite. Students from Tier-one all the way to Tier-seven were present, their colorful uniforms signifying their different ranks and lineages. Among the sea of faces, I spotted Ria and Kael, both looking uncharacteristically tensed. I walked in casually through the main entrance, my movements fluid and relaxed, keeping one hand tucked into my pocket. I scanned the arena my gaze lingering among the crowds that came to watch the exam performance and also wandering upward toward the VIP stands. I scanned the seats for guests of honor—the power players of the city.
I noticed the headmaster Lyrion, looking with pride as stoic as a statue. I also glanced at the diamond elite seniors, their auras so thick they almost distorted the air around them. And then, I found a familiar face which was Suki.
She was seated in a high-backed chair to the left of the central throne and Wenta seating at her right hand side discussing something with her. She wore an expression of profound boredom, as if the entire event was beneath her notice. I stared at her, and as if sensing a predator's gaze, she suddenly shot a look back toward me.
Our eyes locked. It was a silent, momentary clash of wills. Neither of us looked away, instead, I flashed her a confident, catching smile. Suki stared at me for a beat, her cold expression unchanging, before she suddenly looked away there was a slight sharp smirk on her lips which was hard to notice.
My gaze drifted further down, noticing a student sitting nearby with a look of utter lethargy, the same guy who had been face-down on his desk in my Teir-one division. He was the one who I had first met in my class laying on his desk beside me. I was curious to know his special ability in the exam.
"Hey, Oliver!"
"Tch. That voice..."
"I didn't need to turn to recognize the voice. I glanced sideways as Ria approached me.
"What's up, Ria?"
"Can you guess what the exam format is going to be?" she asked, her eyes darting nervously around the arena.
"Why ask me? I don't have an inside track," i replied, shrugging. "But if I had to guess… probably a standard tournament bracket?"
"Wrong," she whispered, leaning in. "It's a battle royale. A test of endurance and last-man-standing."
I raised an eyebrow. "How do you know that? The instructors haven't said a word."
"My Guess Analysis skill," she replied with a wink. "It's rarely wrong when it comes to predicting structures."
I felt a chill. "That's a dangerous skill", I thought. "She could use that to analyze an opponent's weakness or guess their hidden abilities. Does she know about the System?"
[Negative.] the System Sage whispered in my mind.
[Her skill cannot penetrate the Absurdity Outlier shroud.]
Relieved, I nodded to Ria. "Well, that's a hell of a skill to have. Remind me never to play cards with you."
Before we could continue further discussions, a ripple of power silenced the arena. A figure appeared in the air above the stage, seemingly manifesting out of the sunlight itself. He descended slowly, landing with the grace of a falling leaf.
"Good day, ladies and gentlemen," the man announced. His voice wasn't loud, yet it echoed perfectly in everyone's ears. "I am the High Inspector, Luka Cinandra. I hereby declare the commencement of the Entrance Examination. As some of you have already surmised… this year's exam is a Battle Royale."
I stared at Ria instantly with surprise and she stared back giving a smirk. Suddenly, wave of murmurs broke out.
"A Battle Royale? That makes things way too chaotic!" one student complained.
"Wait, does that mean we can team up?" another whispered.
Luka raised a hand, and silence fell instantly. "The exam has three passing criteria. First, defeat magical beasts or high-level demons within the zone to earn points. Second, eliminate fellow contestant. But be warned—eliminating a high-level opponent grants minimal points. Eliminating a low-level opponent grants significantly more."
The crowd gasped. The rule was designed to force the elites to hunt the weak, and the weak to fight desperately for survival. Panic began to set in among the lower-tier students. "...And lastly, reach the prescribed final zone point clear it and get an automatic pass point." He concluded.
Luka smiled, his eyes closed in a serene, almost mocking expression. "Do not fear for your lives. I have automatically attached a specialized mana-bracelet to each of your wrists. These will preserve your main body upon the moment of death."
Everyone instinctively looked at their arms. In an instant, sleek metallic bands had appeared on their wrists as if they had always been there.
"Wait… when did this get here?!" people shouted, some frantically trying to pull them off.
"If you are killed by a monster or a contestant, you will be automatically transported back here," Luka continued, his voice turning cold. "However, those who are eliminated are no longer qualified to serve as Vanguard Elite graduates. You will return to your lives as ordinary citizens of Velerion Star City. The exam begins now… and you all have a set timer."
The bracelets began to glow, a digital countdown flickering to life in red numbers.
[02:10:00]
"You have two hours to prove your worth," Luka said. He pointed his index finger forward and traced a vertical line through the air. Space groaned and tore open, revealing a swirling purple vortex—a massive portal to the testing grounds.
"The exam commences."
With a shimmer, Luka teleported to the high seat beside Suki. Without hesitation, the crowd surged forward. Hundreds of students vanished into the purple light, diving into the unknown. Oliver took a deep breath, adjusted his collar, and stepped into the fray.