I stood among the crowd of hundreds, feeling like a stranger in a strange land. It wasn't just the architecture; it was the students. Some had the long, elegant ears of the girl I'd bumped into, while others had thick, curved horns protruding from their hair. The air was thick—heavy with the static hum of thousands of different mana signatures.
After two hours of standing in the heat, a hush fell over the courtyard.
An old man stepped onto the high balcony. He moved with a slow, deliberate grace that made the hair on my arms stand up. His face was a map of wrinkles and wisdom, and though I couldn't place it, a flicker of recognition sparked in my mind. Where had I seen those eyes before?
"Welcome," the Principal's voice boomed, magically amplified to reach every corner. "Today, you face the Orb of Resonance. It will reveal your Magic Element and the form of your Spirit. Your Spirit is the mirror of your soul—it is the limit of your potential. Step forward and show us who you are."
I joined the long queue, my heart thumping against my ribs. I felt a presence behind me and turned to see the elf girl from earlier. Her ears were a vivid, burning red, and she was fidgeting with the hem of her sleeve.
"Hey," I said softly. "You're the girl I bumped into, right?"
She jumped slightly, her ears twitching as her face turned an even deeper shade of crimson. She gave a stiff, jerky nod but refused to meet my eyes.
"I'm Sogha," I offered, trying to be friendly. "What's your name?"
She looked like she was about to bolt again, her breath hitching in panic. Then, in a voice no louder than a whisper, she managed to speak. "I-it's Elphyete."
"Elphyete," I repeated, testing the name. "Nice to meet you. Good luck with the orb."
As the line moved forward, I looked at the glowing sphere at the front. For everyone else, it was a moment of discovery. For me, it was a moment of truth. What happens when a boy with no mana touches a magical artifact?
The guy in front of me was... strange. He wore a heavy black robe with a deep crimson lining, but that wasn't the weirdest part. There was a glare of light reflecting off his face—bright, sharp, and unnatural. I looked up at the ceiling and around the stone pillars, but there was no light source that could explain it. It was as if he carried his own spotlight.
He noticed me staring. With a smooth, practiced motion, he turned around and stepped into my space. He slammed one hand against the wall beside my head, leaning in close with a confident, dazzling smirk.
"Hello, beautiful," he purred, his voice dripping with charm.
A familiar irritation bubbled up in my chest. First the bandits, then the old man, and now this luminous weirdo. "Go away," I said, my voice flat.
He didn't move. In fact, he leaned closer, his "spotlight" practically blinding me.
I didn't think; I just reacted. I drove a short, sharp punch into his chest—not enough to break his ribs, but enough to send a message. He flew backward as if hit by a battering ram, skidding across the marble hallway and crashing into the opposite wall.
He slumped to the floor, coughing, then looked up with a dazed grin. "Yeah... haha... I probably deserved that."
"I'm a guy, weirdo," I snapped, crossing my arms.
The stranger's face went deathly pale for a split second. The "charming" mask shattered, replaced by a look of pure, unadulterated shock. Then, his expression twisted into a wide, manic smile. He leaped to his feet, seemingly unbothered by the fact that I'd just launched him ten feet.
"A guy?! Even better!" he shouted, his laughter booming through the hallway and making Elphyete jump behind me. "You're interesting! I've decided—you're going to be my best friend! AHAHAHA!"
The stranger—now my self-appointed "best friend"—dusted off his black and red robes as if he hadn't just been launched through the air. The mysterious light reflecting off his face seemed to pulse with his excitement.
"So, what's your name, my best friend?" he asked, throwing an arm around my shoulder with a strength that suggested he was far more than just a loudmouth. "You can call me Euphyne, the most dazzling man alive!"
I sighed, trying to shrug off his heavy arm, but he held on like a leech. "It's Sogha. And we aren't friends, Euphyne."
"Nonsense! A punch to the chest is practically a blood-brotherhood ritual where I come from!" Euphyne laughed, his voice booming so loudly that the students in front of us turned to stare. He looked over at the trembling elf girl behind me. "And who is this delicate little flower? Your sister? Your bodyguard?"
"T-that's Elphyete," I said, seeing her turn into a statue of pure social terror.
"Charmed!" Euphyne flashed a smile so bright it almost felt like a flashbang.
The line moved forward. We were finally at the front. The Orb of Resonance sat atop a pedestal of ancient, dark stone, glowing with a soft, pulsing violet light. The Principal watched from his balcony, his sharp eyes scanning every student.
"Next!" a proctor shouted.
Euphyne stepped forward first, his "dazzling" aura intensifying. "Watch closely, Sogha! Witness the greatness of your new best friend!"
Euphyne stepped up to the pedestal with a wink. The moment his palm made contact with the glass, the soft violet light didn't just grow—it exploded.
A roar of pure radiance filled the hall, turning the world into a blinding, featureless white. For five seconds, the entire building seemed to vanish into the sun. When the light finally receded and our vision cleared, five lines of glowing text hovered in the air above Euphyne's head:
Affinity: Light Magic
Affinity: Dark Magic
Strength: Level 8
Durability: Level 9
Unique Stat — [EGO]: The user's power scales directly with their self-worth. Strength increases proportionally to the user's arrogance and confidence.
Behind Euphyne, his Spirit began to manifest. It wasn't just a beast; it was a titan. A Phoenix-Lion hybrid, ten times his size, made of living gold and shadow. It let out a silent, majestic roar that rattled the windows of the University.
"Level 9 durability?" someone whispered in the crowd. "And dual affinities? He's a monster!"
Euphyne turned back to me, the "spotlight" on his face brighter than ever. "See that, Sogha? The world literally has to shine because I'm in it! Top that, best friend!"
He stepped aside, still laughing, but the proctor was pale, scribbling notes frantically. The entire atmosphere had changed. The students were intimidated, and the Principal was leaning over the balcony, his eyes locked on Euphyne.
Then, the proctor looked at his list and called the next name.
"Sogha. Step forward."
I stepped up to the pedestal, the eyes of a thousand students burning into my back. Before I could reach for the glass, a voice boomed from the high balcony—not the amplified voice of a principal, but the warm, shocked voice of the man from the road.
"You!" The Principal leaned over the railing, his eyes wide. "You're the one who saved me from those bandits! I knew that stance looked familiar. I must reward you for your bravery, young man, but first—proceed. Let us see what the heavens have gifted you."
A murmur rippled through the crowd. He saved the Principal? Who is this guy?
I gulped, my heart hammering against my ribs. I closed my eyes, reached out, and pressed my palm against the cool surface of the orb.
The orb flickered. It didn't explode with light like Euphyne's. It let out a low, bass thrum that vibrated in my very marrow. A dim, violet light pulsed once, twice... and then the glass went dark.
The floating text didn't show elements or levels. Instead, red letters began to glitch and flicker in the air:
[ ERROR ]
[ ERROR ]
[ ERROR ]
"The orb is malfunctioning?" the proctor whispered, tapping the side of the pedestal.
But then, the air behind me grew cold. The shadows on the marble floor began to crawl upward, knitting together into a terrifyingly beautiful form. It was a humanoid female spirit, draped in tattered obsidian silk, with curved horns and eyes that glowed like dying embers. She didn't roar; she simply stood there, radiating an aura of ancient, suffocating power.
The text flickered one last time, settling on a single, horrifying label:
[ SPIRIT TYPE: DEMON ]
The silence that followed was deafening. Elphyete gasped, covering her mouth. Euphyne's "dazzling" light dimmed as he stared in shock.
I stepped away from the pedestal, my mind racing. A Demon Spirit? I didn't feel evil. I didn't feel different. But as I moved, I felt the gaze of the humanoid female spirit lingering on me before she vanished back into my shadow.
The Principal began to descend the stairs, but I held up a hand. "Wait," I said, my voice steady despite the chaos. "I want to watch my friend first."
The Principal paused, a curious glint in his eyes. "Very well, young hero. Let us see what else your group has to offer."
Elphyete's name was called. She looked like she was ready to faint. Her knees were shaking so hard I could hear them knocking together. She looked back at me, her eyes watery and terrified.
"You can do this, Elphyete!" I shouted, giving her a thumbs-up. "Just breathe!"
Her ears turned a shade of red I didn't know was possible. She took a trembling step forward and reached out. But before she even touched the glass, the orb cracked down the center and shattered.
"I-I'm sorry!" she wailed, pulling her hands back. "I'll pay for it! I promise!"
The proctors quickly swapped the broken orb for a Heavy-Duty model. This time, when she touched it, there was no simple glow. A column of blinding black-and-white light erupted, piercing through the roof of the hall and shooting into the clouds.
The text that hovered in the air made the entire room go silent:
Affinity: Creation Magic (Lvl 10)
Capacity: Lvl 10
Potency: Lvl 10
Stamina: Lvl 2
Durability: Lvl 1
Unique Stat — [PRINCESS OF HEAVEN]: Can summon Lesser Angels and Archangels at will.
Behind her, a figure of pure, terrifying divinity appeared. An Archangel God Spirit, draped in wings of light that seemed to pulse with the rhythm of the universe. It was the polar opposite of my dark spirit.
Elphyete didn't wait for the applause or the gasps. She let out a tiny squeak of terror, turned around, and bolted toward me, hiding behind my back and using me as a human shield from the thousands of staring eyes.