[—Three Months Later: Magic Knight Entrance Exam, Capital City—]
The capital of the Clover Kingdom was a sensory assault for Kaito.
The Six Eyes rendered the intricate equations of civilization everywhere he looked: the tensile strength in the stone archways; the chaotic, high-density mana flow of a thousand mages; the relentless, suffocating pressure of a million individual Ki signatures radiating ambition, fear, and avarice.
Kaito stood on the edge of the sprawling exam grounds: a wiry, fifteen-year-old boy in workman's clothing with the dull, five-leaf Grimoire at his side and his Simple Reinforcement Magic. The fingers of his right hand drummed against the hilt of his short, reinforced utility blade—a tool he frequently used in conjunction with kinetic strikes.
He had spent the last three months training himself, not to get stronger, but to get quieter. He had mastered filtering, which allowed the Six Eyes to see the whole world and process only the most relevant 0.01% of that data. His goal for the exam wasn't the Golden Dawn, nor was it the Silver Eagles. His aim was efficiency: a squad that minimized social interaction and maximized high-level missions to hone his control.
He glanced over at his companions.
Yuno stood in silence, a pillar of perfect, soaring Wind Ki. His Four-Leaf Grimoire was an undeniable beacon, radiating talent. Kaito already knew the outcome of his exam.
Asta was screaming, waving his arms, his immense, chaotic Ki signature burning with a desperate, pure-gold intensity. His zero-mana index was an enduring paradox to Kaito's senses. He was an unstable variable yet somehow an indispensable one.
Kaito adjusted the simple leather straps of his gloves, the small motion perfectly calculated to conserve three micrograms of energy. Chaos is inefficient. Perfection is control.
The Exam: The Illusion of Mediocrity
The exam began. Kaito followed the instructions with meticulous, unenthusiastic precision.
1. The Flight Test: To make a flight on a broomstick.
Most candidates struggled, or flew with flashy, wasteful elemental auras. Kaito simply channeled a minimal constant flow of Reinforcement mana through his body and into the broomstick itself, seeing the precise density of the air currents.
[SIX EYES ANALYSIS: BROOM FLIGHT ]
Ideal Vector: 35 degrees upward tilt with a 5% lateral adjustment to offset wind shear.
Mana Cost for Stabilization: 50 units/second.
Competitor Output: 500 units/second average, 90% wasted effort.
Kaito moved with unnatural grace-not fast, but perfectly smooth. He flew the broom on a perfect silent trajectory, expending only what was mathematically necessary. He purposefully maintained a position in the middle tier of the pack. Too smooth to be a failure, he was too simple to be a genius. He didn't want the obsessive attention of Captain Vangeance of the Golden Dawn, whose Ki Kaito perceived as dangerously controlled.
2. The Destruction Test: A large pillar of magical power is created and then destroyed.
The mages went for volume: huge fireballs, tidal waves of water, swirling torrents of wind. It was a cacophony of wasted energy.
When it was his turn, Kaito didn't even use the mana pillar. He simply pointed to the largest, structurally sound pillar created by the previous candidate.
[SIX EYES CALCULATION: DESTRUCTION VECTOR]
Target: Compressed Earth/Fire Mana Hybrid.
Nexus Point: the point with the smallest surface area contact at the base (X: 12.35m, Y: 0.1m, Z: 0.00m).
Required Kinetic Force: 75,000 Newtons.
Reinforcement Mana Cost: 18,000 units.
Kaito channeled the mana, compressing it into his index finger, and turned it into a diamond-hard kinetic projectile. He did not yell any spell name; he merely flicked his wrist.
It was an invisible, silent, and instantaneous projectile that hit the chosen nexus point.
The enormous mana pillar didn't explode; it imploded, shattering inward into a shower of inert dust and small, manageable pieces. Devastating, but quiet.
The crowd had been silenced by the surgical precision, confused by the lack of flash. Where was the spectacle? Kaito was powerful, yet somehow boring.
The Sparring Match and the Predictor
The last and most chaotic stage was the combat test. Kaito was pitted against a nervous, upper-class Earth Mage named Tatius, whose Ki was jittery and predictable.
Kaito chose his utility blade. He didn't mean to kill or even injure, only to demonstrate absolute dominance through better information processing.
In an instant, Tatius summoned two thick stone walls. "Earth Wall!"
[SIX EYES ANALYSIS: TATIUS'S DEFENSE
Structural Integrity: High.
Mana Consumption: 25,000 units.
Defense Flaw: Open 45-degree angle of vulnerability due to slow movement of the casting arm.
Kaito didn't try to break the walls but, instead, used his enhanced legs in an instantaneous burst of speed, running on a path along the pre-calculated 45-degree vulnerability angle.
Tatius, fearing Kaito's speed, summoned a series of sharp rock spears to burst from the ground. "Earth Spikes!"
Instantly, Kaito's Ki flared, warning him of the intent: the sharp, malicious intent of spikes rising directly beneath his projected path.
Kaito didn't decelerate. Instead, he just made a precise, enhanced jump vertically upwards, at a height of exactly 2.5 meters—adequate for him to jump over the spikes. During his jump, through the use of the Six Eyes, he traced the Earth Mage's next movement.
Tatius, sensing Kaito was airborne focused his mana for a crushing overhead blow.
Kaito landed. He didn't attack. Instead he funneled Reinforcement Mana into a perfectly flat kinetic barrier across his palm.
With a roar, the Earth Mage brought his massive stone fist down. Kaito met it with his flat, reinforced palm.
The Six Eyes had calculated the precise angle and place at which to meet the attack so that all of the kinetic force was instantaneously neutralized and channeled into a high-frequency vibration rather than a blunt-force collision. Tatius cried out, his arm going instantly numb from the feedback shock, as the stone fist cracked.
Kaito hadn't budged an inch.
Then he drove his utility blade—still sheathed in a reinforced metal sleeve—into the ground beside Tatius's foot. The blade caused a minor, perfectly calculated shockwave that sent the Earth Mage stumbling off balance and out of the ring.
It lasted 15 seconds. Kaito had won without a scratch and with his mana reserves near 90% still.
The Judgment
The air was thick with tension in the judging hall as Yuno's name was called; the offers became overwhelming, culminating in the Golden Dawn. Kaito barely registered the cheers; he was running a different scan.
He noticed a subtle fluctuation of mana in the front row—a huge man in a dark, tattered coat, and a thin woman in heavy, defensive clothing. Captain Yami Sukehiro and Captain Charlotte Roselei.
[KI ANALYSIS: YAMI SUKEHIRO]
Signature: Colossal, contained, volatile. Signature of a force that requires absolute control.
Interest Index: High (Focused entirely on Kaito's subtle movements).
When Kaito's number was called, the offers were not as hot. Most captains had seen the simple Reinforcement Magic and the lack of flair.
"Reinforcement Magic is fine, but predictable," said Captain Gueldre of the Purple Orcas. "We offer two stars."
"He's efficient, but boring. One star," offered Captain Rill of the Azure Deer.
Kaito stood in silence, allowing the scanty offers to roll over him. He knew that the Six Eyes protected him from the obsessive captains' scrutiny; however, the effectiveness of his methods had brought him into the crosshairs of the two captains he couldn't ignore: Yami and the unseen Wizard King.
The sudden sound of Yami Sukehiro's voice sounded like an avalanche.
"Hey, efficiency boy."
Kaito looked at the Captain of the Black Bulls, "Captain Yami."
"You're a freak show," Yami said, flicking ash from his cigarette. "You move like a ghost, punch like a beast, and act like you're doing your taxes. Why did you hold back on the flight test? I saw your pathing. It was too perfect to be that slow."
Kaito answered with calculated candor, knowing full well he couldn't lie to this man whose Ki signature was so vast. "I perceived that gaining the obsessive attention of Captain Vangeance would be an inefficient use of my time, Captain. The Golden Dawn demands too much politeness."
The gathered Captains all gasped at Kaito's casual disrespect to the Vice-Wizard King; Yami, however, merely threw his head back and laughed, a massive, booming sound.
"Perfect. You calculate your rudeness. I like that," Yami grinned. "The Black Bulls are the least efficient, most chaotic squad in the kingdom. We make zero sense. We have zero order. We are a mathematical catastrophe. Which means, Kaito, that joining us would be the most difficult problem you could possibly solve."
Yami slammed his hand onto the table. "I will give you five stars. Come into my herd of misfits and see if your perfect, controlled little eyes can handle our beautiful chaos.
Kaito's Six Eyes immediately re-ran the Black Bulls' analysis.
[BLACK BULLS ANALYSIS]
Squad Cohesion: 45% (Volatile).
Average Mana Waste: 60% (Criminal).
Mission Difficulty: High (The highest failure rate, though the highest exposure to unique magical phenomena).
Challenge Rating: Extreme.
Bringing order to the mayhem of the Black Bulls was certainly the most challenging and perhaps most gratifying task. If he could manage this equation, he could manage anything.
Kaito nodded. "I accept your offer, Captain. I require a high-challenge environment to optimize my control.
"Good. Welcome to the nightmare," Yami said, grinning wider. Astar had been selected just after Kaito, receiving the same overwhelming offer. Now, the two anomalies were paired.
The Equation of the Black Bulls
Kaito showed up later that evening at the Black Bulls' run-down, volcanic headquarters; it was even more disorganized than the data indicated.
Within minutes, the self-appointed tough guy of the squad, Magna Swing, confronted Kaito.
"Oi! You're the efficiency brat who beat that fancy Golden Dawn mage with a poke!" Magna yelled, sparks of his explosive magic flying around him. Magna's Ki was loud, insecure, but fiercely loyal. "If you think you're better than the rest of us, you gotta prove it! Fight me!"
Before Kaito could decline the mathematically unnecessary engagement, Luck Voltia darted forwards, his Lightning Magic crackling with joyful mania. Luck's Ki was pure, uncontrolled fighting glee.
"A fight! Kaito! You look fast! Let's see if your perfect moves can dodge lightning!" Luck screamed.
Kaito let out his breath. Level of inefficiency: Critical. Variables impossible to predict surrounded him.
"Fine," Kaito said, falling into a minimalist combat stance. "One exchange each. I won't harm you unnecessarily."
First to attack was Magna, using his signature Explosion Magic: Soul Chain Deathmatch. From it, a chain of fire erupted, covered in small, explosive runes.
[SIX EYES CALCULATION: MAGNA DEFENSE]
Chain Trajectory: Predictable, wide arc.
Rune Activation: 0.2 seconds after contact.
Vulnerability: The flow of mana is weakest at the initiation points of the runes on the chain.
Kaito let the chain get close—within a calculated 0.05 meters of his chest. Then, he slammed his reinforced palm onto the chain. It wasn't a block. He was doing a micro-attack, sending a perfectly focused kinetic wave along the length of the chain to hit the runes' initiation points at the same time.
The runes fizzled out instantly, mana disrupted at its source. Magna's chain fell inert. Kaito had defused an Explosion Magic attack with a light tap.
Magna stared, dumbfounded. "You… you just made my magic stop!"
"The mana was not correctly synched into the sequence of runes," Kaito explained flatly. "A minor break in the stream cut it off. Next."
Luck was overjoyed. "Oh, that was so cool! Now me! Faster!"
Luck launched himself in a blinding flash of yellow lightning; his Ki was radiating pure, unadulterated joy.
[SIX EYES CALCULATION: LUCK DEFENSE]
Velocity: Extreme V=150m/s.
Attack Method: Chaotic, erratic punch sequence.
Key Strategy: Cannot analyze, relies on Ki prediction and reactive speed.
Kaito engaged his Ki sense fully now. Luck's merry intent meant his punches weren't aimed to kill, but to tag. Kaito could see the chaotic intent shift fractions of a second before Luck's muscles even moved.
Kaito didn't try to block. He used micro-bursts of Reinforcement Mana in his joints to give him superhuman reactive speed, countering Luck's chaotic energy with pure, controlled motion. He leaned back 2 centimeters to avoid a left hook, pivoted his hip 1 centimeter to the right to avoid a lightning-charged kick, and finally, using a kinetic deflection, he tapped Luck's shoulder.
The tap was soft, but kinetic force had been precisely calculated to throw Luck's centre of gravity off. He was forced to abort his attack and stabilize ten feet away.
Kaito crouched lower. "Your speed is mathematically impressive, Luck. However, your Ki is too erratic, which means you don't efficiently execute your attacks. You waste energy on movement you don't need.
At this, instead of getting angry, Luck was practically vibrating. "I wanna fight you every day!
Just then, a voice slurred from the corner. Vanessa Enoteca, the thread witch, swung down from the rafters on a thread of red yarn. Her Ki was mellow, friendly and laced with the constant protective low-grade mana emission that was the signature of her protective Red Thread Magic, which Kaito instantly saw weaving itself through the room.
"Well, well. Look at the new kid. The one who uses zero effort to ruin everyone else's fun," Vanessa purred, landing right in front of him. Her eyes were playful. "You see everything, don't you, little Kaito?"
Kaito's Six Eyes immediately tracked the subtle, looping thread of fate magic she had just deployed—a tiny, invisible thread that now attached itself to his coat, running back to her bottle of wine.
"I perceive the flow of energy and intent, yes," Kaito confirmed, his eyes unblinking.
"Do you perceive this intent?" she asked, bending close, her warm, alcoholic breath washing over him.
Kaito's Ki spiked slightly, registering playful interest. His Six Eyes, however, provided the immediate data: [VITAL STATISTICS: Pheromone Release Factor 1.2x. Intent: Flirtatious/Teasing. Thread Magic: Active, Defensive Placement: Optimized.]
"I perceive your Ki to be non-hostile, Captain Vanessa," Kaito replied clinically. "And your subtle thread placement suggests a highly protective nature toward your squadmates despite your casual demeanor. That thread is inefficiently placed, however. I could sever it in 0.003 seconds."
Vanessa burst into laughter, throwing her head back. "Oh, you are perfect. The most boringly fascinating man I've ever met. Welcome to the Bulls, efficiency boy."
Kaito stood amidst the noise, chaos, and bizarre complexity of the Black Bulls. He had sought the most challenging environment, and he had found it.
Standing in the doorway, Yami grinned as he watched his two new recruits-the mana-less screamer and the data-driven killer-start their integration into the madness.
Kaito looked down at the small thread Vanessa had left on his coat. He could see the magic in it, a beautiful little equation of protection and luck.
Fine, Kaito conceded to himself, a microfraction of real emotion supplanting the cold data. If this squad is the most chaotic variable, then my purpose is to find that one perfect constant which binds it all together.
For the first time since he was six years old, Kaito harbored a faint, almost negligible sense of something other than control—a tiny, irrational hope. The Black Bulls were inefficient but real. And solving them might just be the one equation that could finally quiet down the noise of the world.