The next day arrived quietly—mercifully. Alex no longer had to sit through regular classes until the Nine Academy Tournament began, which meant no crowded hallways, no whispering students, and no awkward stares. During the first-period rush, while everyone else was in their classrooms, he slipped out of his dorm and moved through the empty corridors with practiced silence.
By the time he reached the Principal's office, not a single student had seen him.
Elena was already inside, standing beside her desk as if she'd been waiting the whole morning just for him. The moment her gaze landed on him, she smiled—not her usual cool, razor-edged smile, but something touched with quiet amusement.
"Good timing. You're quite the celebrity these days." she said. "Several students—and even a few teachers—have submitted complaints. Apparently, there are all sorts of theories about how you managed to take Rank 1."
Alex winced. "I didn't think I'd get this famous… in the worst way possible."
Aurora floated beside him, snickering. "Just wait until you reveal you can use magic. The uproar will be glorious."
'That is not comforting.' Alex thought, resisting the urge to sink into the floor.
Elena stepped forward, arms loosely crossed. Her voice softened—not by much, but enough for him to hear the reassurance beneath the steel.
"Most of them are simply refusing to accept reality." she said. "Strength breeds envy, and envy breeds noise. Once you demonstrate your abilities clearly, that noise will die. They complain because they haven't seen your strength firsthand."
Alex nodded. He had expected as much. Rumors always ran faster than truth.
Then Elena's expression sharpened, her posture straightening as she shifted into instructor mode. A glimmer of anticipation lit her eyes.
"So," she said, "before we begin your training, I need to evaluate something." She tilted her head. "Your magic. I need to see exactly what level you're operating at."
Elena was just about to speak when Alex raised a hand, stopping her gently.
"Before we start training," he said, "I need to clarify something. Since I'm planning to use magic openly from now on… I'd prefer we go with Ice magic instead of Dark magic."
Aurora blinked. "Oh? You're doing this now?"
Elena studied him with quiet calculation. "That would prevent certain… dangerous assumptions." she agreed. "But your Ice affinity is F-rank. You won't be able to produce meaningful spell output. That's why—"
"Principal," Alex cut in calmly, "I think I need to correct something."
Her eyes narrowed. "What exactly?"
Alex inhaled. "My Ice affinity… isn't F-rank. It's actually A-rank."
Silence—so thick it felt like a physical force.
Elena stared at him without blinking. Without breathing. Three full seconds dragged by like a lifetime.
Aurora leaned in and whispered, "Oh boy. Here we go."
Elena's voice dropped to glacial cold. "…This better not be another one of Priscilia's pranks."
Her suspicion sharpened to a blade's edge. And honestly? She had every right. Alex suddenly awakening magic affinity was already outrageous. Claiming he jumped from F-rank to A-rank overnight?
Her eyebrow rose slowly, expression unreadable. "Explain."
"That's all there is to it," Alex said truthfully. "The earlier test was simply wrong."
Elena did not look convinced.
"Enough. We're retesting."
Aurora floated beside Alex, whispering, "She didn't even consider waiting. Ruthless."
Alex gave a resigned smile. "She wants proof. Not unexpected."
Elena strode toward the door, her voice clipped and commanding. She didn't bother hiding her impatience.
"I do not tolerate ambiguity. If your affinity is truly A-rank, I need to confirm it with my own eyes." She looked back once—sharp gaze, perfectly controlled, full of unspoken tension. "Follow me."
◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆
Elena walked briskly through the hallway. Alex followed in silence, Aurora drifting beside him like a bored wisp of light.
They stopped in front of the Magic Testing Room.
Alex let out a slow breath. He remembered this place—not from his own experiences, but from the previous Alex's fragmented memories. He had been here once during the academy's entrance evaluations.
Every new student, regardless of background, was offered a chance to check for magic talent.
Some kids awakened early. Some kids awakened early—generally around the age of ten to twelve. The rare "late bloomers" awakened at fourteen or fifteen.
And the result for Alex back then?
Exactly what everyone expected. No affinity. Nothing.
It was why Elena had been skeptical yesterday. A proper academy test didn't just miss magical talent—unless something or someone had tampered with it. But when Alex explained that he awakened only months ago, Elena finally had a thread of logic to cling to.
But this?
Claiming to have jumped from "F-rank Ice affinity" to A-rank overnight?
That shattered whatever logic she'd pieced together.
According to Priscilia, Alex's Ice affinity was supposed to be the lowest measurable rank—F-rank. And now he claimed it's actually A-rank.
Elena turned toward him, expression sharpening.
"Since your awakening is already filled with irregularities," she said, voice cool and composed, "I will remove all speculation here."
Her gaze locked onto his.
"I will personally conduct the test."
Elena spoke while setting up the massive crystalline obelisk, her hands moving with practiced ease.
"This is the academy's crystalline affinity obelisk," she explained. "Extremely sensitive, capable of detecting trace-level elemental resonance. Place your hand on the surface and it will analyze your affinity. The holographic panel above will display the results."
Alex nodded quietly.
The obelisk powered up with a deep hum, faint runes activating along its base. Elena stood with her arms crossed—composed, but undeniably wary.
"Go on," she instructed. "Hand on the crystal."
Alex placed his palm against the cool surface.
Instantly, the obelisk ignited.
A deep, pitch-black radiance spread across three-quarters of the crystal—dense, oppressive, pulsing like a slow heartbeat.
The remaining quarter lit up in brilliant frost-blue. Sharp fractal patterns raced across the surface like ice rapidly forming on glass.
Aurora blinked. "…Whoa."
Elena's composure fractured for a single heartbeat—her eyes widened, the faintest break in her stoic mask.
Then the holographic screen shimmered, projecting the results:
Dark : S+ …error detected
Ice : A
Silence lingered for two seconds.
Then Elena muttered, almost too quietly, "…Well, I'll be damned." For her, that was equivalent to screaming. She pinched the bridge of her nose.
Alex didn't notice—he was staring at the Dark result.
"Principal," he said, brow furrowing, "why does my Dark affinity show S+ and then an error? I'm pretty sure it's SS-rank."
Elena stared at him as if he had just asked why water was wet.
"…You don't know?" she said flatly.
Alex blinked. "Know what?"
Elena folded her arms again, expression sharpening.
"The highest affinity any device as of yet can accurately measure is S+." she said. "When it shows S+ followed by an error, it means the reading exceeds the measurement threshold."
Her eyes locked onto his, unblinking.
"In other words, your Dark affinity is beyond S+."
Elena continued, voice low—heavy.
"SS-rank affinity is considered a myth. Historical anomalies. Only a handful of recorded beings possessed such affinity—and none of them were human."
She let the words sink in, watching his reaction closely.
"A human with SS-rank? Nearly unprecedented." Her voice dropped, heavy with historical context.
For the first time since he'd met her, Elena momentarily lost control of her internal composure. "Two…? An SS-rank and an A-rank? That is… beyond rare."
Alex felt his heartbeat spike.
Elena's gaze softened only slightly—not suspicion, but the quiet awe of someone realizing the boy in front of her was an anomaly that shouldn't reasonably exist.
"…So, Alex," Aurora asked quietly, "are you still planning to pretend you're ordinary?"
Alex sighed. '…Well. Too late to hide it now.'
Elena drew in a slow, steady breath as the holographic display faded and the obelisk dimmed behind them. The room felt quieter now—not because the sound had changed, but because the air itself seemed to hold the weight of what they'd just confirmed.
"So," she said at last, voice measured, "It really is A-rank Ice affinity."
Alex nodded. "That's what I've been trying to tell you."
Elena shot him a flat, unimpressed look. "Alex… you've told me an unreasonable number of unbelievable things recently. Forgive me for wanting evidence."
But her eyes—those sharp, calculating eyes—lingered on him with something rare. Not suspicion. Not caution.
Anticipation.
An SS-rank Dark affinity and an A-rank Ice affinity—two elements, both exceptionally high, in a single person.
A slow, almost predatory smile curved her lips.
'If I train him personally… his growth will be monstrous.'
"Before we proceed," Elena said, regaining her cool authority, "I need to assess your actual magical capability. Casting speed, mana quality, magic power, etc. Only then can I design a suitable training regimen appropriate for someone like you."
Alex swallowed once but followed without hesitation as Elena led him toward her private training room.