As the gift pack opened, the three beams of light merged directly into Aris's sea of consciousness. An inexplicable surge of energy washed over him. He could clearly feel his mind undergoing a profound transformation, as if reshaped by some mysterious power.
In his previous life, Aris had always been considered a top-tier student—after all, one doesn't graduate with honors from both Peking University and Tsinghua University by being average.
But now, he felt an unprecedented clarity in his thoughts. His mental faculties had been sharpened to an inhuman degree. Every time he thought of a past event or concept, countless connections, possibilities, and implications emerged in an instant.
This level of insight, this superhuman cognitive processing, was undoubtedly far beyond what any ordinary academic genius could achieve—even those elite minds from the top universities.
The system's power... was truly terrifying!
And yet, the rewards were far from over.
Once the three talents fused with his being, the golden light of the gift pack reshaped itself into a massive roulette wheel. Ancient and ornate in design, it radiated a golden aura and hovered silently before Aris's eyes.
Then came that familiar mysterious voice once more.
[Now initiating magic talent extraction for the host. A strong magical talent will form the foundation for your future in the wizarding world. Best of luck...]
The roulette wheel spun gently, shimmering with a sacred brilliance that made Aris feel both reverent and anxious.
He examined it carefully.
The wheel was divided into five sections: white, green, blue, purple, and gold. The white section dominated nearly a third of the wheel. Then came green and blue, while the purple zone was smaller still. As for the golden section? Barely a sliver—only about one percent of the entire wheel.
An ominous feeling welled up in Aris's chest.
In an age where gacha and loot-box games were rampant, he didn't need much imagination to know exactly what this roulette design meant.
The white section clearly represented the weakest magic talent. Gold was obviously the rarest and most powerful. But the golden slice was so small that even calling it a "chance" felt optimistic.
A measly one percent…
For someone as notoriously unlucky as himself—who once got hit by a car just crossing the street—this was far from encouraging.
Was this the dreaded trash-tier protagonist template showing its fangs already?
Before he could spiral too far into self-pity, the golden roulette began to spin.
It started slowly… then picked up speed, spinning faster and faster until all Aris could see were streaks of color blending into a whirlwind. White, green, blue, purple, gold—an endless blur that made his heart race.
"One percent… Unless the sun rises from the west, there's no way," Aris muttered wryly to himself. He wasn't expecting anything.
But still—any magical talent was better than none at all.
Even if he ended up with the lowest grade of talent, he was still confident that, with the system and those three academic super-skills backing him, he could push beyond the ordinary. He was a top-tier scholar after all, and now, he had super learning talents to back him up.
Moreover, the system didn't seem like some ordinary cheat—it was far more potent than he initially imagined.
Aris remained calm, focused.
This roulette spin would determine his future in the magical world. It was only natural to be a little nervous.
In the magical world, talent was everything.
The legendary figures—Grindelwald, Voldemort, Dumbledore—none of them rose to power because of birthright alone. They carved their names into history through terrifyingly powerful abilities.
Even the noble Sacred Twenty-Eight wizarding families couldn't guarantee greatness in every generation. The decline of many ancient houses spoke volumes.
The magical world was far crueler and more pragmatic than any ordinary society. Strength ruled. The weak were forgotten.
Aris understood this all too well.
As the roulette slowed, the blur of colors resolved once more. The pointer moved steadily, sliding past the white zone... then into green... then blue...
Slower and slower.
The pointer wobbled on the edge of the purple section.
He held his breath, watching every fraction of movement with calculated calm.
"Looks like that's it…" he sighed inwardly.
Even though the pointer was creeping at a snail's pace, it still cruised right past the tiny golden sliver and landed... right back in the white zone.
No surprises.
Aris's expression didn't even change.
In truth, he had expected this.
As long as the Excellent Student System was still with him, he knew he had what it took to turn the tables.
So what if he had trash-tier magical talent?
This was metaphysics. Probability. Pure chance.
No amount of intelligence could alter that.
Just as he mentally prepared himself to accept the result and move on, the system's voice chimed again in his mind:
[Since this is the host's first roulette draw, unlimited re-rolls are permitted until a satisfactory talent is obtained. In the world of Academic Masters, there are no "unlucky" people—only predetermined probabilities. Wishing you a pleasant experience.]
Aris was momentarily stunned.
Then, a huge grin spread across his face.
Excellent.
Only the system could defeat metaphysical misfortune!
He'd underestimated it.
This system really was extraordinary.
This alternative kind of security... felt too damn good.
For an unfortunate soul like him, this kind of unlimited retry function was a literal godsend.
He immediately initiated another spin.
The magical vortex lit up once more.
Second spin—blue. Pass.
Third spin—white. Definitely pass.
Fourth spin—purple. Tempting, but still pass.
Are you kidding? With infinite re-draws, why settle for less than gold?
Dozens of spins passed. Not a single golden spark.
Metaphysical misfortune still held its throne.
Still, Aris remained composed.
No complaints. No frustration.
Time blurred as he continued spinning.
Then, finally—after more than twenty-one minutes of patience—a golden radiance burst forth from the center of the wheel.
Golden light—blinding and pure!
The pointer slowly came to rest, stopping precisely in that minuscule golden slice.
Golden Legend.
The dazzling light shimmered in Aris's wide eyes. A moment of brilliance. A dream fulfilled.
It was finally done.
His patience had paid off.
A satisfied smile formed at the corner of his lips.
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining the Golden Talent Template.]
The system's voice echoed once more, and with it, a detailed golden panel unfurled before Aris's mental eye.
[Talent Template: Merlin...]