The sky above Asa Academy reflected the dim twilight, parting the gray clouds that seemed reluctant to disperse. What was once an ordinary atmosphere now slowly filled with a strange and heavy aura, as if the air itself had thickened and become harder to breathe.
Dex narrowed his eyes, his pupils capturing details invisible to the ordinary eye. The figure stood calmly in the center of the training arena. His hair was white like cold silver illuminated by the moon, and around him, the wind swirled unnaturally. Right in front of him, empty space distorted, forming a small black vortex—a phenomenon that immediately made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.
"…Gravity manipulation, huh," Dex murmured softly, his voice almost like a breath.
Beside him, Van stared in confusion. "What do you mean? Wasn't that a 'Black Hole' just now?"
Dex didn't answer immediately. He sharpened his gaze, observing the energy fluctuations around the white-haired man. He assessed the magical waves, reading the rhythmic pulses within the vortex. "No, Van. You're mistaken. It may look like a black hole… but it's not perfect. What he created is extreme gravity on an incredibly small scale. Because of its imperfection, the surroundings aren't destroyed. Besides, there's no such thing as a 'Black Hole' skill."
Van swallowed hard. "But… isn't it still dangerous? Gravity like that… should absorb everything, even itself."
Dex nodded. "Exactly. That's where the danger lies, but also his mastery. Controlling such destructive power into a single point without harming himself… isn't something just anyone can do."
The wind slowly carried the scent of iron and scorched stone toward them. Distant rumbles echoed from somewhere, but they chose to ignore them.
Van tried to process Dex's explanation, which sounded more like technical jargon than ordinary human language.
"You know, Dex… aren't gravity skill books fairly common? If it's that powerful, why don't more people use it?"
Dex turned, his gaze sharp. "Because most die before they can master it. The human body isn't built to withstand spatial distortion. Creating gravity that powerful means your body must endure the same pressure. Most users would be crushed before they succeed."
Van bit his lip. "Maybe he has a protective skill?"
Dex didn't answer. He turned away. In his heart, he knew such power didn't come without a price. But Dex didn't want to judge immediately. 'Powerful' didn't necessarily mean 'evil.' Especially since that man had saved the world of Larion from destruction in the third Arena.
"APOLOGIES FOR INTERRUPTING YOUR TIME. DUE TO THE RECENT ARENA EVENT, ALL ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES ARE POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE."
The voice was firm and emotionless, like that of a machine, not a human.
"Huh?" Van furrowed his brow. "But it's only the second day… We haven't even learned anything yet."
Dex didn't respond. He watched the sky. For some reason, the wind now swirled in the opposite direction.
The atmosphere around him shifted, as if the laws of the world were slowly changing.
Van was still grumbling beside him. "I enrolled in this academy to learn, not just to mess around!"
Dex was about to reply, but his mouth hung open. He noticed something unusual. A flow of magic spread through the air, like an invisible spiderweb beginning to cover the academy's sky.
Before he could explain, a holographic screen suddenly appeared in front of them, materializing out of thin air. Blue light formed a rectangle, and text emerged.
[ CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WORLD OF LARION FOR COMPLETING THE 3RD ARENA. REWARDS WILL NOW BE DISTRIBUTED ]
As soon as the text disappeared, the ground shook violently.
"An earthquake?!" Van panicked. He grabbed Dex's hand and pulled. "Let's run!"
But Dex held his ground. He scanned the surroundings, analyzing, then pulled his hand free from Van's grip.
"You go first, Van. I need to… check something."
Dex leaped toward the tallest building. Using wind magic, he shot forward like an arrow, his body light yet precise. From above, the academy sprawled out beneath him. What he saw made his breath catch.
Dozens of new portals had opened around the academy. Towers rose, spewing purple mist from their peaks. And right above the arena artifact storage building—the sky cracked, and from the fissure, millions of strange cards began to pour out, floating and spreading.
Dex's eyes fixed on one card slowly descending toward him, surrounded by a pulsating red light.
"…What is that?"
The card rotated slowly, circling him as if waiting for a command.
Dex reached out his hand.
The moment his fingers touched the card, the red light vanished. The card stopped moving.
On its surface was depicted a coiled red chain, with delicate writing below it: "Chain."
He flipped the card over. It read:
Skill: Red Chain
Rarity: B
Description: Summon red chains to attack, defend, or bind.
Maximum chains: 4
Dex read it slowly, repeating it twice. But there were no instructions on how to use it.
As he turned the card over in his hands, it suddenly flew into his right arm.
"Aaarrgghh—!"
Excruciating pain shot through his bones. The veins in his arm glowed red. He fell to his knees, biting his lip until it bled, his body trembling violently.
Five minutes.
It felt like five centuries.
But once the pain subsided, a new power surged within him. Four red chains materialized from thin air, floating around his body as if they were extensions of his own mind.
"I know how to use them…" Dex marveled. The information flowed into his mind as if the card had injected 'knowledge' directly into his brain.
Suddenly, the sky shook again.
Above the arena storage, eight weapons appeared. Each rotated—a sword, a spear, a scythe, an arrow, an axe, a dagger, a pistol, and a chakram. They clashed against one another, then scattered in all directions, as if choosing their owners themselves.
One of them—a dark red scythe—shot toward Dex.
Dex tried to catch it.
But the scythe veered away, evading him, then flew off into the distance.
Dex stood frozen. "That weapon… has a consciousness?"
He began to understand. Both the cards and the weapons… they chose their owners.
The roar of the wind changed. Teachers, including the headmaster, began to arrive.
Not wanting to get involved in something troublesome, Dex chanted a trace-erasing spell.
His shadow and body vanished.
He turned and left.
***
Meanwhile, in many other places, similar events occurred—on both larger and smaller scales.
The world prepared to follow its destiny… or to carve out its own.
No one knew exactly what would happen—not even the Arena itself.
Chaos or peace? Powerful individuals with their uniqueness? Hard work or talent? Good or evil? Each of them stood ready to welcome the world anew once again.