"Carnate him!"
Voices from the crowd echoed like a chant.
"Chair! Tree! Chair! Anything!" someone screamed in desperation.
Charles stood over a boy sprawled on the ground, having just defeated him in a formal combat duel. Around him, the watching students leaned in, eager to see the moment of transformation—the winner's right to carnate the loser.
To carnate was to will a person into another form—a tree, a chair, a beast—anything. White sparks would typically bloom around the defeated body as it morphed into whatever the victor desired.
But today… nothing happened.
The boy remained still. Silent. Breathless.
Not dead—because no one here knew what that meant. But something about the stillness unnerved even the most battle-hardened spectators.
A teacher stepped forward, muttering a binding spell under his breath. A shimmer of white light flickered into the air and surged into the fallen boy. With a sharp gasp, the student's eyes flew open, and he rose to his feet, dazed but alive.
Charles exhaled in relief. Panic and confusion melted into exhaustion, and he dropped onto the floor with a thud, heart pounding.
It had been several weeks since his arrival into the world of Gana—weeks spent playing the part of Robert Rous. His days were now divided between morning academic lessons, afternoon Gana theory classes, and evening combat training—his favorite.
Back on Earth, Charles had been spoiled, rich, and arrogant. The only child of indulgent parents, he had bullied others without consequence. But here, in this strange world, he had become the bullied. And so, he trained—fiercely, quietly, relentlessly—to rise above.
Today had been his first duel victory. His first chance to carnate someone. And it had almost gone wrong.
He'd learned much about this world. Any living thing could be carnated to earn Carnation Points, and one thousand points equaled a single Gana. Gana fueled one's level and magical status. There were six recognized tiers of carnation, based on the number of points earned:
Golden Tier: Over 1,000 points
Tier One: 1,000 points
Tier Two: 500 points
Tier Three: 300 points
Tier Four: 100 points
Tier Five: Less than 100 points
Charles had been reading up obsessively—desperate to understand his new life.
"Robert, wait for me in the office," a stern voice jolted him back to reality.
"Yes, sir," he muttered and walked out of the dueling hall.
Moments later, the teacher joined him. "What happened back there?" he asked, closing the office door behind them.
"I don't know," Charles replied, voice low. "I did everything exactly as taught in Gana class."
The teacher frowned. "What's your status?"
"Status?" Charles blinked.
"Don't play dumb. What does your status read?" The teacher's patience was thin.
Charles hesitated. Should I tell him the truth? No, not yet.
"Sir… I don't know what you mean."
The teacher stared at him for a long, silent moment, then sighed and stood. "Status is the record that appears when you link with the school system. It shows your name, level, Gana, carnation points. Come with me."
He dragged Charles by the arm to the wall-mounted screen outside the office.
"Place your hand on the reader."
Charles complied. The reader glowed briefly, then the large display lit up with glaring red text:
> Name: ERROR
Age: ERROR
Level: ERROR
Gana: ERROR
CR: ERROR
"What the—?" the teacher snapped, nearly swearing. He placed his own hand on the panel.
> Name: Peter Brown
Age: 45
Level: 5
Gana: 491
CR: 900
"It's working fine. Try again."
Charles tried once more. The same result.
The teacher stared in disbelief. "This explains what happened in the duel. Your case… it's irregular."
He took a step back. "You can go now. I need to report this to the General."
Charles left the office, head spinning.
Later, he spotted Isaac rushing by. "Where's everyone going?"
"You haven't heard? The General just announced a surprise grading assembly!" Isaac said excitedly. "Everyone's status will be displayed on the big screen—level, Gana, all of it!"
Charles's stomach dropped. "Oh… great."
"Don't you get it?" Isaac grinned. "Rankings will shift. Statuses will change. This is huge!"
"New bullies, huh?" Charles muttered.
As they joined the sea of students gathering in the grand courtyard, a voice echoed from above, amplified by magic:
"Welcome, students. Due to a technical anomaly discovered during today's duel, the ranking exam has been moved up. We will now perform a full-school status display and verification."
Charles felt sweat bead on his forehead. His pulse quickened.
Do they even have gods here? he wondered as he clasped his hands in a silent, nervous prayer.
Either way… I might need one.