"Come on."
Dex stepped out of his room after getting ready, while Van waited with a noticeably swollen bump on his head.
"Ready?" Van asked from a distance, holding an ice pack wrapped in thin cloth against his bluish forehead. The bump looked both pitiful and ridiculous, creating an eerie contrast with the serious atmosphere enveloping the morning.
They walked toward their class on their second day.
The atmosphere at Asa Academy was bustling. People along the pathways were buzzing about last night's events. It seemed everyone had received similar cards.
Asa Academy, where reality and the extraordinary intersected, was far noisier than usual today. The hallways, typically filled only with students rushing to class, now echoed with hissing and bubbling sounds, like water boiling in a fragile pot. Conversations, murmurs, and even laughter—all sounded unnatural. Like masks worn too tightly, hiding deep-seated anxiety.
"I got a card with a protective ability," a female student's voice came from their right. She spoke to her friend while showing off a thin, purple card that looked like liquid metal. "Level C. I tried it this morning—I can create some kind of invisible wall."
"So lucky…" her friend replied enviously.
Not far away, two burly male students were pushing against each other's backs, as if testing their new strengths.
"I only got a deception skill… class E," one of them said with a sigh. "But it's weird, right? Why did these cards suddenly appear last night? It feels like a dream, but it's real."
Dex closed his eyes briefly, trying to recall what had happened last night. The card had appeared without warning, shining in the air like a falling star, then embedding itself in his chest. It felt cold—not physically, but like a shard of ice piercing his very soul, striking at the core of his existence.
Dex looked up at the sky. The morning sky was brilliantly blue, its rays warm yet cool, as if everything he experienced yesterday was just a dream.
"Do you believe it's real?" Van asked softly, as if reading his thoughts.
Dex answered without turning. "Do you think a dream could leave a wound like that on your head?"
Van grimaced. "Good point."
Last night, precisely at midnight, every student without exception had received something inexplicable.
The card.
No one knew where it came from—perhaps it was the reward the Arena had mentioned earlier. At least, that was what everyone assumed.
Among the students, rumors circulated that the cards were gifts from the Arena itself, or even from something higher.
Some thought it was related to world contracts, to paths of power they didn't yet understand. Others believed the cards were personalized according to each individual's destiny and talent. The skeptics among them considered it a mass illusion.
But one thing was certain.
They had all received different cards.
And in a world that had changed so drastically, a single card was enough to alter someone's destiny.
Dex lowered his head, touching his left chest. He could feel a faint pulse from the card now embedded there—like a third heartbeat separate from his body. He hadn't fully understood its ability yet. Only one word had flashed in his mind when the card embedded itself:
*Red Chain*
**Skill:** Red Chain
**Rarity:** B
**Description:** Summon red chains to attack, defend, or bind.
**Maximum chains:** 4
"Damn, why is this academy so huge? We've been walking forever and still haven't arrived," Van complained, tired.
The hallway leading to the main classroom was located in the western part of the Astralis building. The structure looked majestic and ancient, yet not old—as if time couldn't touch this place.
Whoever designed it must have really loved ancient architecture in a modern era like this.
After passing through the exterior, the interior stood in stark contrast. While the outside was classical, the inside was ultra-modern, with security devices barely visible. Many people passed by, yet not a single footstep could be heard.
High above the ceiling, mana was stored—likely as an emergency security system in case of trouble.
As they walked down the hallway, Van and Dex arrived in front of their classroom from yesterday. The door still exuded an aura of grandeur.
The door stood without hinges, without handles, yet as they approached, it opened with an almost inaudible sound—as if the room behind it was inviting them in, not through mechanics, but by will. Magic, perhaps.
Dozens of students were already inside, even though class wouldn't start for another 15 minutes.
Some sat quietly, some discussed in low tones, and the rest just stared at the ceiling like disappointed people—perhaps unhappy with the cards they'd received.
Dex and Van sat side by side in the back row.
"Oh, by the way, what card did you get last night?" Van asked curiously.
"Luckily, I got a decent skill—Red Chain, Rank B."
Van's face looked surprised, but his expression quickly turned into a smile, his eyes seemingly expecting Dex to ask in return.
*Haha, his expression is so easy to read. He probably got a good skill and wants to show off,* Dex thought, amused.
"Really? What skill did you get, Van?"
"Hehehe, not to brag, but I got a Rank A skill."
**Skill:** Cut Between Breaths
**Rank:** A
**Description:** If the user stands still for 3 seconds without taking damage while locking onto a target within sight, they can slash the enemy from a distance in the blink of an eye (up to 15 meters).
"Not bad. But wouldn't it be useless in a one-on-one fight? The opponent won't just let you stand still, right? They'll attack immediately."
Van looked annoyed by Dex's remark. He had just been enjoying the thrill of gaining new power, only to have it dampened by a logical point.
"Can you just shut your damn mouth..."
Van began grumbling uncontrollably until 15 minutes had passed, and the woman with wavy blue hair walked to the front of the class.
She carried a fairly large stack of papers, with several spirits following behind her. She radiated an incredibly cheerful aura, as if surrounded by flowers.
On the first day of class, she had mentioned that even though she was a special spirit ability user, she would be teaching the basics of incantations.
"Good morning, everyone. Today, we'll be learning about the Fundamentals of Incantations."