The Evaluation Hall was a massive amphitheater built from white marble and reinforced glass. It smelled of ozone and teenage sweat. Hundreds of students from Years 1 to 3 were lined up, watching the central stage where the Mana Resonance Crystal stood.
The Crystal was a ten-foot tall shard of blue diamond. It measured raw mana output.
0–100: Civilian (F-Rank)
101–500: Soldier (D to C-Rank)
500–1000: Elite (B-Rank)
1000+: Prodigy (A-Rank)
Ren stood at the back of the line, his hands in his pockets. The chatter around him was deafening, but nobody looked at him. To them, he was a ghost. A statistical error that Summit Academy hadn't bothered to expel yet.
"Next! Damon Vance!" The instructor's voice boomed over the speakers.
The crowd cheered. Damon walked up the steps to the stage, soaking in the applause. He shot a glance at the VIP box where the Student Council sat. He was looking for Vanessa.
She was there, reading a datapad, looking bored.
Damon gritted his teeth. Watch this, Ice Queen.
He placed his hand on the crystal. He didn't just touch it; he pumped his mana into it violently. The crystal flared a bright, aggressive orange. The air shimmered with heat. The numbers on the holographic display climbed rapidly.
300... 550... 780...
[SCORE: 842] [RANK: B+ (High Tier)]
"Excellent!" The instructor clapped. "A new personal best for Mr. Vance."
Damon smirked, removing his hand. He walked down the steps, high-fiving his lackeys. As he passed the back of the line, he stopped. He saw Ren.
Damon blinked. He looked Ren up and down.
"You showed up?" Damon laughed, shaking his head. "I thought you'd be crying in your room after yesterday. Or maybe in the hospital."
Ren looked at him. For the first time in three years, he didn't look down. He looked Damon right in the eye.
"Move," Ren said.
The noise in the immediate area died instantly. The students nearby froze. Did the Trash just tell Damon Vance to move?
Damon's smile vanished. His face went red. "What did you say to me?"
"Ren!" The instructor called out from the stage, sounding annoyed. "Hurry up. We don't have all day for zeroes."
Ren stepped around Damon, his shoulder brushing against the fire mage's chest. It wasn't a shove, but Damon stumbled back a step as if he'd hit a brick wall.
Damon stared at Ren's back, confused. He felt... heavy. Like iron.
Ren walked up the stairs. The hall was filled with snickers and whispers.
"Why is he even here?" "Bet he gets a negative score today." "Waste of time."
In the VIP box, Vanessa finally looked up from her datapad. She rested her chin on her hand, her icy blue eyes narrowing slightly as she watched the boy walking across the stage. There was something... different about his gait. He wasn't slouching.
Ren stood before the massive crystal.
[SYSTEM ALERT] [Mana Resonance Crystal detected.] [Warning: Void Mana is incompatible with standard measuring devices.] [If fully released, the device will shatter.] [Active Skill: MANA DRAIN available.]
Ren placed his hand on the cold surface.
I don't need to shatter it, Ren thought calmly. I just need to send a message.
He didn't push mana out. He pulled.
[Skill Activated: MANA DRAIN]
The crystal, which usually glowed with a faint blue ambient light, suddenly dimmed.
The hum of the machine deepened, turning into a low, vibrating growl.
The numbers on the screen didn't go up. They started flickering.
Error... Error...
Then, the light inside the crystal turned black.
Not dark blue. Black. Like ink dropped into water, swirling shadows began to eat the light from the inside out. The temperature in the hall dropped sharply.
The instructor stepped forward, frowning. "What are you doing? Take your hand off—"
CRACK.
A spiderweb fracture appeared in the center of the diamond, right under Ren's palm.
The whispers in the crowd stopped dead. Damon's jaw dropped.
Ren felt a rush of energy flooding into his arm. The crystal was a pure mana battery, and he was drinking from it. It felt intoxicating. His [XP Bar] ticked up slightly.
[Mana Capacity Reached.]
Ren pulled his hand back right before the crystal could explode.
The black swirling vanished instantly. The crystal returned to a dull, lifeless grey—it had been drained of its ambient charge.
The screen flickered one last time.
[SCORE: ???] [ERROR: SENSOR OVERLOAD]
Silence. Absolute silence reigned in the amphitheater.
The instructor stared at the readout, tapping the screen frantically. "This... the machine must be malfunctioning. It's an old model..."
Ren turned around. He looked at the silent crowd. He looked at Damon, whose face was pale.
Then, he looked up at the VIP box.
He locked eyes with Vanessa.
For a second, the Ice Queen didn't look bored. She looked... intrigued. Her datapad lay forgotten on her lap.
Ren turned back to the flustered instructor.
"Can I go?" Ren asked calmly. "Or do you want me to break it for real?"
The instructor gaped at him. "I... uh... dismissed."
Ren walked down the stairs. The students parted for him like the Red Sea. Nobody laughed. Nobody whispered. They just stared, sensing an instinctive danger radiating off him.
As he walked past Damon, Ren leaned in close.
"You were right, Damon," Ren whispered, his voice smooth and cold. "The old Ren is dead."
He walked out of the double doors, leaving the chaos behind him.