A month had passed, and Bakvik had finally settled into the rhythm of university life. He attended his classes, blending in like any other student, yet he was already becoming well-known to many of his peers. Today, Professor Klars had called every student to the grand hall for a special selection—a day to choose those with extraordinary powers.
The hall was filled with a diverse crowd of students from the first and second years, along with a number of senior students. The university was an immense place, sprawling across ten distinct districts. Professor Klars was currently standing before everyone in District 10, Sector Three—an area known for its low academic standards, fiercely independent students, and persistent violence. When the murmurs died down, Professor Klars addressed the crowd with a powerful voice. "Today, you must all show me your true abilities."
Every eye was fixed on the formidable professor. He continued, his gaze sweeping across the students. "If you aren't ready... then leave. Go live a normal student's life."
On the balcony above, Konji and Litwe, two esteemed senior leaders of the entire university, had also come to watch the selection. Konji, a young man with a cunning yet charismatic smile, stood beside Litwe on the top-most level. "I'm sure I'll get some new recruits for my group today," he said, his eyes glinting as he surveyed the students below. "Just look at the serious expressions on their faces."
Litwe, a young woman with a sharp mind and an incredibly keen eye for detail, gazed down at the students. "There are very few second-year girls," she observed.
Konji then noticed a boy and a girl standing close together. They had an air of something extraordinary about them. "Who are that boy and the white-haired girl?" he asked, his curiosity piqued. "Why are they just standing there?"
Litwe followed his gaze and replied, "That's Asman and Sela, members of the Outgoing Group."
With a confident and playful air, Konji remarked, "They're quite impressive, huh?" He then thought to himself, "I'll have to find out more about these two."
The professor stood before the students and spoke once more. "Alright, I will call you one by one. You will test your abilities on this sack puppet, but be warned—it will take an immense amount of force to destroy it."
A wave of excitement and tension swept through the students. Klars began to call out names. "Starting with you, Will." A young, dark-haired boy with a sluggish walk came forward. "Got it," he said in a low voice. He stopped in front of the sack puppet and whispered something. Immediately, everyone felt an overwhelming exhaustion, as if their energy had been drained, leaving them on the verge of fainting. Will then walked away, muttering, "I need to practice controlling my power more."
Professor Klars performed a dispelling spell. With a light clap of his hands, a faint energy wave spread out at lightning speed, instantly dissipating Will's power from everyone else. The feeling of exhaustion vanished, and everyone returned to normal.
"Pass!" Klars announced.
Konji looked at Will with a sly grin, then turned to Litwe. "Wow," he said, impressed.
Nesvan, who was standing on the opposite balcony, looked at Will with a flash of pride in his eyes.
Lonner's Power
Bakvik and Lonner were sitting below, waiting for Professor Klars's selection. Bakvik turned to Lonner. "You never told me what your power was... even though we've been friends for so long."
Lonner simply said, "It's my turn."
Professor Klars then called the next student. "Lonner Rose."
Lonner walked to the arena, a sword sheathed at his waist. Every eye in the hall was on him. A group of delinquents sitting nearby began to taunt him. "What's that nerd going to show us?" one sneered. Another scoffed, "His long golden hair reminds me of the wig I gave to some girl."
Lonner unsheathed his sword and gripped it firmly in his right hand. "Alright then," he said, his voice surprisingly firm. A golden glow suddenly lit up his hand, and the onlookers were stunned, feeling the sheer, massive power radiating from him. One of the bullies stammered, "What... what is that immense mana power?"
Konji, from above, was genuinely surprised. "Is that a second-year kid?"
Then, Lonner swung his sword at the sack puppet, screaming with a frantic voice. "Haaah!" A wave of golden energy sliced through the air. Lonner's power had cut the puppet completely in half. Everyone was left in shocked silence by his abilities.
"I can't believe that guy!" a student yelled out.
Lonner, his body trembling, fell to the ground, utterly exhausted. A collective gasp of panic filled the hall. Bakvik immediately ran to the arena. "Lonner!" he cried.
Klars shouted, his voice cutting through the panic, "Call the paramedics!"
The paramedics arrived quickly and carried the injured Lonner away. He was seriously hurt and had to be taken to the university infirmary. Bakvik tried to run after them, but suddenly, Nesvan used magic to stop him in his tracks. Bakvik couldn't move his legs.
"My leg!" Bakvik exclaimed in shock.
Everyone was stunned by the incident. Nesvan, standing on the second-floor balcony, warned him in a firm voice. "Running out during the selection process is a violation of university rules. Get back here."
Bakvik reluctantly sat down, his face a mask of displeasure. A short while later, Lonner was taken to the emergency room. A third-year senior said urgently, "Quickly, go get Racquelna."
Another senior immediately agreed, "Okay."
Racquelna raced to the emergency room and found Lonner lying unconscious, his right arm broken. "Mr. Lonner!" she cried out in panic, immediately using her powers to heal him. She felt the exhaustion from overusing her magic, but a single thought ran through her mind: "I can't make a mistake... his fate, his life, depends on me."
She successfully healed Lonner, but then collapsed from sheer exhaustion. The seniors were shocked to see her faint. "Racquelna!" they cried, quickly laying her on the bed beside him.
Meanwhile, back at the selection grounds, Klars addressed the students. "Everyone... don't panic. This is normal here. I told you if you weren't ready, you should have left from the beginning."
He then continued, "Alright, I'll call the next person... come out, Bakvik."
Bakvik walked out reluctantly and stood in silence. Konji watched him intently. "It's time for me to see," he thought to himself.
As Bakvik stood before the sack puppet, Nesvan suddenly fired a gun at him from above. Instantly, bullets swarmed toward Bakvik's body. Everyone was shocked, but only a single bullet hit his shoulder, injuring him severely. Klars was horrified by Nesvan's actions. "What are you doing!?" he yelled.
Everyone was stunned by the situation, including Asman and Sela. Konji shouted, "Are you trying to kill your junior!?"
Litwe stared at Bakvik in shock, muttering to herself, "That's it!?" She then walked over and whispered something into Konji's ear. Suddenly, Konji's eyes changed, becoming intense and sharp.
Klars ordered, "Everyone, get him out of here immediately!"
But then Nesvan shouted loudly, "Don't come any closer!" He looked at Bakvik with a sly smile. "Just as I thought... you were able to dodge my attack, weren't you?"
The rescue team approached Bakvik, but he shouted at them, "Don't come any closer!" The team backed away.
Bakvik spoke, his voice low and full of a cold history, "I never thought I'd see you again... Nesvan."
Nesvan stood with his arms folded, a subtle, cunning smile on his face. "I never thought I'd see you again," he replied.
Litwe was startled by the intense dynamic between the two. "What's going on?" she whispered to herself.
Klars was confused. "What is this? You know each other!?"
Nesvan's smile didn't waver. "You're trying to change your history to forget everything, aren't you? If I hadn't shot you, you would have just pretended not to notice."
"You lunatic! You've gone too far!" Konji yelled before leaping down and rushing to help Bakvik.
Bakvik shouted with a sharp glare, "Don't come any closer!"
Everyone was shocked by his command, but Konji stepped back. Bakvik's gaze locked onto Nesvan with cold, tense intensity. "You!" he said, the single word carrying so much weight that everyone was taken aback. Nesvan simply said, "Rescue team... take him and treat his wounds."
Bakvik was forcibly taken away because he refused to leave. He lost consciousness and dreamed of his past. When he woke up, he found Lonner and Racquelna lying beside his bed. Forgetting his own wound, Bakvik rushed to Lonner's side. "Lonner!" he cried out with concern. "Lonner... you'll be fine."
Racquelna woke up and saw Bakvik's wound. "Mr. Bakvik!" she cried out. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at his bloodied shoulder. "What's wrong with your shoulder?"
Bakvik turned and smiled faintly. "It's just a performance wound... it's nothing."
"No way!" Racquelna said. "I'll treat it for you..."
Racquelna successfully treated Bakvik's wound, but she was completely exhausted afterward. Bakvik held her hand tightly. "Thank you..." All three of them recuperated for several days.
Nesvan's Dream
Later that night, Nesvan found himself in a mysterious place. The darkness was so overwhelming that only the ground beneath his feet was white, while everything else was shrouded in blackness. "Where is this place?" he wondered.
Suddenly, a sound came from behind him. Nesvan was startled and turned around. He saw a mysterious figure in the distance. "Who are you?" he demanded. There was no response. The mysterious figure stood motionless. "Where is this place? I asked who you were!" Nesvan shouted. Suddenly, he felt as if he were about to die. "What the hell! What are you doing to me!?"
A sharp pain shot through his chest, and he fell to the ground. "Aaaaahh!"
Afterward, the surroundings went pitch black. Nesvan cried out, "What the hell! I can't see anything!"
Then, a mysterious man appeared from behind him. Nesvan could only see his back. He was wearing a brown suit, with shoes and clothing that looked like a detective's. Nesvan was startled. Suddenly, the dark surroundings transformed into millions of images flashing by so fast he couldn't see them all. Nesvan woke up from his dream, shaken and confused.
"What the hell is going on?"