Times have changed.
Humanity abandon the ancient style to fight monsters.
Instead of manipulating magic directly, humans now rely more on technology to utilize magic efficiently.
No more intense training like in the past—with minimal and brief effort, people could already become strong.
There are three main technologies used to harness magic:
Predascion, Neobeast, and Monstrarium.
All three are created from monster corpses using nanotechnology.
Predascion is armor that resembles a swimsuit, but with a much more aggressive design, covering the entire body. This technology grants the wearer superhuman physical strength.
Monstrarium refers to weapons or items used to create supernatural phenomena. Monstrariums are often paired with Predascions. Among the three, Monstrarium is the most magical.
Neobeast is the most special of them all. It's a giant robot that humans can pilot. Neobeasts come equipped with a variety of combat gear and weapons.
While Predascion and Monstrarium are used to fight small or human-sized monsters, Neobeast is used to combat giant monsters.
But no matter how advanced the technology becomes, talent is still essential.
Yes, to use any of them, a user must have talent.
Finn doesn't have the talent to use any of them. That's why he's one of the few people in the world who still uses the ancient style to become strong.
Today, the first-year students are tasked with monster-killing practice.
They all gathered inside a massive building, which had been stocked with various Predascions, Neobeasts, and Monstrariums provided by the academy.
Students choose based on their talent and interests.
Seeing all the cutting-edge equipment, everyone was excited. It had always been their dream to use these kinds of technologies. They ran toward them enthusiastically.
Finn picked the Predascion assigned to him.
At first, it was a black cube. Once he touched it, the structure began to shift—turning into liquid and crawling over his body until it formed a perfectly fitted suit of armor.
The Predascion was pitch black, clinging to his skin and showing the outline of his body clearly. On his face was a plain silver mask with sharp eye-slits.
Even though it looked tight, Finn could move freely in it.
After wearing it, a UI screen appeared in front of his eyes.
It read: [Affinity = 15%]
That meant he could only use 15% of the armor's full potential. This was an average number for students. For someone untalented like him, this was normal.
Talented ones like Arnold had an affinity of 45%.
"No problem. I follow the ancient style."
Yes, Finn's true strength didn't come from modern styles—but from the ancient style.
He was highly gifted in them.
"Finn, what's your affinity?"
Ariel suddenly appeared.
She wore a blue Predascion with the same design as Finn's. It was a standard design, but more than enough to showcase her figure—so much that it turned on most of the male students.
"None of your business."
"Is it that low?" she asked with a smirk.
"Why are you here? Did it hurt too much to be around Arnold and Elena getting all lovey-dovey?" Finn didn't want his shame exposed.
Ariel's shoulders slumped.
It was surprisingly effective.
"What Monstrarium did you choose?"
She tried changing the subject.
"It's a sniper-type weapon."
Most Monstrariums are firearms. Not only do they deal massive damage, but long-range weapons allow users to kill monsters safely and easily.
Finn opened a crate in front of him. Inside was a two-meter-long black sniper rifle weighing around 300 kilograms.
Ariel's eyes widened when she saw it.
"Oblivion Lance!"
Her shout caught the attention of nearby students and caused a commotion.
"Is he really going to use that weapon?"
"Isn't that Monstrarium more of a suicide weapon?!"
"This is my first time seeing it in person!"
Oblivion Lance is a Monstrarium that doesn't require affinity to use. Instead, it consumes a huge amount of the user's magic. But the real issue isn't that.
This Monstrarium can deal devastating damage, even to giant monsters, despite being a portable human weapon.
Because of that, its recoil is so strong it can kill the user.
"You're seriously going to use that thing?"
"Yes, I'm serious."
To Finn, the drawbacks of Oblivion Lance weren't a problem—because he practiced the ancient style.
In fact, Oblivion Lance covered up his weaknesses.
"You'll die."
"No, I'll be fine."
"How are you going to use it?"
"Just watch."
"What about your Monstrarium?"
"I also picked a sniper rifle," she said, proudly puffing out her big boobs. "Listen, my affinity with Predascion is 38%, and with Monstrarium it's 43%. Impressive, right?"
Those were indeed amazing numbers for a first-timer.
With continued training, 99% wouldn't be out of reach in the future.
As Ariel showed off, a blue circle appeared beneath the feet of all the students.
"See you later, Finn." She returned to her friends.
"Yeah, see you."
That blue circle was teleportation technology.
When it lit up, all the students were teleported into the sky above a ruined city, sending them into a free fall. Ariel, who hadn't joined the training yesterday, panicked—but Arnold quickly calmed her down.
The silhouette of the city, once grand and majestic, now rose into the gray sky like the petrified bones of a giant. Skyscrapers that once gleamed now lay in ruins. The roads were cracked, riddled with gaping holes and puddles of pitch-black water. Rusted cars were piled like insect corpses, overgrown with moss and wild plants.
A massive wall encircled the city.
There were many monsters in the ruined city.
Alongside the other students, Finn plunged from the sky into the city. Thanks to the Predascion, he didn't feel any wind resistance directly.
[Check! Check! Check! Hello, can you all hear me? I'll just assume you can.]
The indifferent voice of Lucy came through the earphones built into each student's Predascion.
[This is just a training session. Those of you with talent—don't go overboard showing off by killing too many monsters. And those of you who are cowards—don't just hide. All the monsters in this city were bred by the government for training purposes. Dangerous? Of course. But don't worry, the school guarantees there will be no casualties in this exercise. Now, take a look at the monster in the center of the city.]
The monster had a slim body with long legs and arms that trailed to the ground. It had a huge mouth stretching from one side of its head to the other, filled with needle-like teeth. It had no eyes but detected its prey through sound. It was the largest monster in the city—twenty meters tall.
[That monster is called Screecher. It's the strongest monster here. Even though this is just training, if you manage to kill it, you'll get bonus points.]
The Neobeast users cheered excitedly.
Meanwhile, the Predascion and Monstrarium users shouted in protest.
It was clear that the Neobeast users had an advantage here.
Finn glanced at the five main characters of Ecstasy and Madness, who smiled confidently after hearing Lucy's announcement.
First, there was Arnold Virelian—the true hero with a heart of gold. He was often late to school because he stopped to help people along the way. That kindness is what made Ariel fall in love with him.
He was often called the Child of Destiny. With talent greater than the heavens, he had a noble goal: to become a Virtuous Paragon and lead humanity to the peak of glory.
The second main character was Selene Arkwyn.
She was the Virtuous Paragon from humanity's darkest era. After dying, she reincarnated into the future with all her memories intact. She was the strongest among all the protagonists.
The third main character was Darin Valentia.
In a world where magic meant everything, Darin was born without it. All his life he was mocked and bullied as human trash. That's why he vowed to become a Virtuous Paragon and prove one thing: even trash can become gold.
The fourth was Rhea Vaelstrom.
Her family was massacred by a mysterious organization in the past. She lived with a deep-seated hatred. Her only reason for living was revenge—and she was willing to do anything for it.
The fifth was Aiden Crossveil.
His childhood was full of suffering due to an incurable, deadly illness. One day, he got lucky—a System that let him level up like in an RPG. Thanks to it, he cured himself.
And… the sixth main character is—
NOOOOO! THERE'S NO SIXTH MAIN CHARACTER.
The last one is...
FINN OPHIS!!!!!!!!!!
Finn is… a side character. Or so he says.
His appearance? Not cool. Not edgy. He looks like a generic isekai protagonist from a fake mobile game ad.
His main power? Still a secret.
(even the author isn't sure yet).
His life goal? He used to want to be a content creator with a hundred million followers… and he achieved that. So now he just wanders around aimlessly, like an NPC that lost its script.
Does he have a dark backstory? Nope. An epic destiny? Not really. Is he important to this story?
…who knows. Maybe. But don't tell anyone.