The Practice Hall of Arcanum Academy was a towering dome of marble and mana-conductive steel, built for one thing only: power. This was where young mages tested their spells, dueled one another under the watchful eyes of instructors, and proved their worth in battle.
For Rowan Edevane, it had always been a theater of humiliation.
He remembered being hurled into the wall by gust spells, mocked when his fingers glowed with nothing but sweat. The laughter. The whispers. The bruises.
Most of all, he remembered Darian Voss.
Golden boy. Magic prodigy. Cruel prince of the Academy.
Darian had tormented Rowan for months with sneering charm and precise cruelty. Illusions of insects in his food, reverse polarity fields in his shoes, and even once, a phantom voice that screamed "FAILURE" every time Rowan opened a book.
But today, Rowan had come prepared.
---
[JOKER SYSTEM – STORE UNLOCKED]
With 105 Prank Points saved from a week of relentless mischief, Rowan accessed the System Store for the first time.
[AVAILABLE CURSED SPELLS – RANK C]
Pantom Logic (35 PP): Forces group belief into physical reality. The stronger the shared belief, the more real the illusion becomes.
Deliric Reflection (40 PP): Reflects damage and emotion onto the attacker.
Curse Echo (50 PP): Applies the last spoken insult as a hex for 10 minutes.
He bought Pantom Logic.
[Spell Acquired: Pantom Logic – Rank C]
> Effect: Shared hallucination becomes real within illusion space.
Cost: Temporary mental fog. Bleeding nose. Minor memory loss.
And then he waited.
The weekly sparring demonstration was perfect.
Each student would be randomly paired and given two minutes to impress the instructors.
Rowan's name was called.
And opposite him—by fate, rigging, or divine comedy—stood Darian Voss.
---
The room went still.
"This will be over fast," Darian smirked, stretching his fingers.
"I'm sure it will," Rowan replied, voice calm.
The bell chimed.
Darian shot forward, summoning a spear of glass-light mana.
Rowan didn't move. Instead, he activated Pantom Logic.
A pulse went out. Invisible. Unseen.
His passive triggered. 100% Fixed Hit.
Everyone watching was caught in the net.
What they saw was Rowan raising a single hand—and the air shattering like glass.
From the crack in reality descended a winged being of blinding gold, eyes veiled in wrath, wielding a spiral blade of holy flame.
Gasps. Screams.
Even the instructors stood.
"Is that an angel?!" someone cried.
Darian stumbled back, panic flashing in his eyes.
"I-it's just a trick!"
But the angel spoke.
"You dared mock the Chosen Fool. Now witness divine folly."
Rowan gave the angel a wink.
He whispered again: Mislead.
Suddenly, a massive shockwave blasted the ground—an illusion, but to everyone present, it was real.
Darian was flung backward, landing in a puddle of his own conjured light mana. His pants were scorched, hair frizzed, teeth chattering.
Rowan stepped forward.
"You know what the difference is between us, Darian?"
Darian, trembling, looked up.
"You cast spells to look powerful. I cast doubt and everyone believes it."
---
[+30 Prank Points!] [Pantom Logic: Shared Belief Successfully Reached - 94% Effect Realization]
The crowd roared in a mix of awe and horror.
Even the Headmaster, watching from the upper balcony, murmured, "This... this is advanced-level illusion magic... but there's no mana signature..."
Rowan bowed with a twisted grin.
"Your move, world."
---
After the duel, Rowan slipped out before the instructors could summon him. He didn't want questions. Not yet.
"Let's update the System first" said rowen in the mind
{Touchscreen}
[JOKER SYSTEM - UPGRADE TRIGGERED] Cost - 100 PP
> New Rank Achieved: D New Feature Unlocked: Aura of Absurdity – Minor passive effect that increases the chance others misjudge you. Prank Points: 100-> 0
He grinned at the prompt.
The higher he climbed, the more dangerous the illusion became.
But that night, lying in his bed, he felt something else stir.
A presence. A watcher. A faint smile not his own, reflected in the dark window.
Darian couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned, haunted by the memory of divine judgment.
But worse than fear was curiosity.
"What... are you, Rowan Edevane?"
END OF CHAPTER 4