"Did you hear? Yesterday at Fusion Academy, a first-year summoned a God during the final exam."
"No way, is that just another chat log rumor?"
"No, I saw it with my own eyes. Golden crispy chicken!"
"Watch your mouth… that was The Winged Dragon of Ra!"
The Fusion Academy finals officially concluded yesterday.
Freed from exam hell, the students should've been celebrating their upcoming break, but all anyone could talk about was the outrageous event that occurred.
Because something utterly unprecedented happened during yesterday's exams.
From the second-year summoning area, students reported feeling a wave of real heat and hearing a piercing cry.
Then came a blazing sun in the sky—and a monster appeared briefly within its flames before vanishing.
About ten minutes later, first-year homeroom teacher Miss Erin came rushing to the second-year side, anxiously consulting with Professor Field.
Shockingly, even the normally expressionless Professor Field—whose blank poker face was infamous—showed signs of genuine surprise.
In the end, the remaining first-years who hadn't summoned yet were relocated to use the second-year's mana-enhanced summoning array just to finish the test.
"What? The first-year summoning array's mana was completely depleted? That's impossible… that array was laid down when Fusion Academy was founded!"
Vice Principal Raiden nearly dropped his jaw when he heard about it after the exam. If Erin and Field hadn't come to him personally, he would've assumed his ears were playing tricks.
Long ago, the three Sages—whose authority surpassed kings and clergy—left behind two enhanced summoning arrays for Duel Monster summoning at Fusion Academy.
The school's hundred-year history was built upon those arrays.
While the energy inside could be consumed, thanks to the Sages' intricate circuits, the arrays gradually recharged over time. It typically took about six months to fully restore; That's why the summoning arrays are only activated during midterms and finals.
But in all these years, not once had the arrays ever run completely dry.
"It's true, Vice Principal Raiden. The first-year array has completely shut down. Lady Fiona also inspected it… mana exhaustion due to drained circuitry."
"Mana exhaustion…" Raiden broke into a cold sweat. "What about the circuit itself?"
"Still intact, thankfully. However, it'll take time for the energy to recharge."
"As long as it's not broken… good."
Raiden slumped into his chair with relief.
His old bones couldn't take shocks like this.
If the arrays left by the Sages had been damaged, not even money could find someone capable of fixing them.
"So, why did the Sages' array run dry in the first place?"
"We brought the culprit with us."
Erin and Field stepped aside in unison, revealing Aisha Yuna Carlos.
"Hehe, Grandpa Raiden, it's me again~"
First time being called to the teacher's office: meek.
Second time: clueless.
Nth time: grinning shamelessly.
"Why, if it isn't my favorite granddaughter? What brings you here?"
"Principal, it was Aisha Carlos's summoning that drained the array."
"Little Miss Aisha's summon?"
Raiden stroked his beard confidently and declared:
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! How could Aisha Carlos do something like that? Even if she summoned a whole basket of Kuribohs, there's no way she could deplete the array. You've got the wrong person."
"She summoned The Winged Dragon of Ra."
Miss Erin dropped the bomb promptly.
Thud—!
In one moment, Raiden was beaming confidently in his chair. In the next, he'd collapsed under the desk.
"R-Ra? The legendary Egyptian God, The Winged Dragon of Ra?!"
"Without a doubt… probably. It matched the textbook descriptions."
Even though Miss Erin had never seen a God Card in person, the overwhelming divine aura it radiated—like a sun—was beyond anything a regular monster could emit.
"So where's the summoned God Card now, Aisha?" Raiden asked anxiously.
"The God Card?" Aisha stuck out her tongue. "The summon failed."
She used up all the mana in the array but couldn't fully materialize the card.
In the end, Aisha was left empty-handed, the array was drained, and Miss Erin had no idea how to grade it.
So she brought Aisha to Raiden to pass the buck. As usual—Erin "The Scapegoat" Rockefeller.
"Summoned a God, but not quite summoned, huh?"
After a moment of thought, Vice Principal Raiden delivered his ruling.
"I'm giving Miss Aisha Carlos the highest possible grade. Because it was the Academy's mana deficiency that prevented her from successfully summoning a God. Even full marks don't do this justice."
Raiden was always generous when it came to nurturing students.
And he had a valid point: in his view, it was the array's lack of energy that prevented the card from forming.
Losing a God Card? Not even 300 top-tier skill credits could compare.
Gently patting Aisha's soft white hair, Raiden comforted her.
"Miss Aisha, even if you didn't succeed in summoning the God, there's no need to be too disappointed."
"I'm honestly not that bummed," Aisha said, making an indifferent Mokey Mokey face.
Miles was very satisfied. 300 credits—add 100 more, and she could craft an A-rank Spell Card.
Soon, Aisha could afford the real [Graceful Charity] instead of fooling herself with [Transcendent Wings] and pretending it was a bootleg Graceful.
Raiden added, "Since the God Card answered your call, it means your souls are now linked. When the time is right, I believe your card deity will respond again… rising from the earth to illuminate the sky."
...
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