The morning mist clung to the spires of Aethelgard, the Capital of the Kingdom of Oakhaven, like a silken shroud. High above the cobblestone streets sat the Exalted Academy of Valerius, a sprawling fortress of marble and iron dedicated to the art of the blade.
Leon Lancaster stood before the massive obsidian gates, his reflection staring back at him from the polished surface. He had sun-kissed blonde hair that fell perfectly over a sharp, aristocratic jawline and eyes the color of a summer sky. To any passerby, he looked like a prince of the blood.
In reality, he was the son of a village seamstress, and his pockets held nothing but a few copper coins and a recommendation letter dampened by nervous sweat.
As Leon entered the courtyard, he saw the banners of the Three Great Houses snapping in the wind. These were the families that dictated the fate of the realm:
House Valerine (The Iron Aegis): Known for the Heavy Heart style. Their swordsmen were walking fortresses who could shatter boulders with a single downward swing.
House Thorne (The Shadow Stitchers): Masters of alchemy and hidden blades. Their technique, The Vein-Seeker, focused on speed and lethal precision.
House Solari (The Solar Flare): The premier Magic-Sword family. They didn't just swing steel; they channeled raw elemental mana through their blades.
In this world, a swordsman's worth was measured by the color and density of their Aura Core. The ranking was absolute:
Iron Grade (Grey): The common soldier.
Bronze Grade (Brown): A seasoned mercenary.
Silver Grade (White): The threshold of true mastery.
Gold Grade (Yellow): The elite knights.
Platinum Grade (Blue): The "Sword Kings" of the realm.
Obsidian Grade (Violet): Legend status.
Leon Lancaster, despite three years of grueling self-training, couldn't even manifest a Grey haze.
The Entrance Exam: The Trial of the Resonance Stone
The Great Hall of Valerius was packed with hundreds of hopefuls. At the front stood Headmaster Alaric, a man whose Silver Aura was so potent it made the air vibrate.
"Leon Lancaster!" the proctor shouted.
As Leon walked toward the Resonance Stone—a jagged crystal used to measure latent potential—the whispers began.
"Look at his posture... he must be a secret scion of a Duke," one girl whispered.
"With that face? He's definitely House Solari's hidden genius," a young noble added, eyes narrowed in envy.
Leon placed his hand on the cold stone. He closed his eyes, praying for a spark. A flicker. Anything.
The stone remained dead. No glow. No vibration. Not even a hum.
"Leon Lancaster," the proctor announced, his voice dripping with sudden disdain. "Aura Capacity: Null. Mana Sensitivity: Trace. Talent Grade: F."
The silence that followed was deafening. Then, the laughter started.
"A commoner in noble's skin!"
"What a waste of good looks. He's a hollow shell!"
"Assign him to Class E-7," Alaric sighed, not even looking up. "The Trash Bin."
Hours later, Leon sat in the damp corner of the E-7 dormitory—a crumbling stone room near the academy's garbage pits. His hands were raw from clenching his practice wooden sword.
"I won't go back," he hissed to the empty room. "I won't go back to the village as a failure."
He reached into his bag and pulled out a strange object he'd found in a roadside ruin on his way to the capital. It was a rusted, jagged shard of a pommel, wrapped in strange, unreadable runes. As his blood from a blister on his palm touched the metal, the room went ice-cold.
The shard dissolved into a liquid shadow and raced up his arm, searing into his chest.
[...Initializing...]
[Syncing with Host: Leon Lancaster]
[Soul Bound Success.]
A translucent blue screen flickered before his eyes. It was cold, mechanical, and silent.
[Status Window]
Name: Leon Lancaster
Title: The Golden Husk
Level: 1
Strength: 8
Agility: 10
Stamina: 7
Intelligence: 12
Unallocated Stat Points: 5
Active Skills: None
Passive Skills: * [Noble's Grace (Rank S)]: Your natural charm and appearance make it 50% more likely for others to believe your lies, but 100% more likely for enemies to target you first.
[Limit Breaker (Rank ???)]: Physical fatigue is reduced by 20%.
[System Notification: Training Quest Generated]
Objective: Swing your sword 1,000 times.
Time Limit: 4 Hours.
Reward: +1 Strength, +1 Agility, [Skill: Basic Sword Mastery].
Failure: -5 to all stats (Permanent).
Leon stared at the screen. His heart hammered against his ribs. The mockery of the nobles, the disappointment in the Headmaster's eyes, it all blurred away.
He stood up, gripped his practice sword, and stepped out into the midnight rain.
One.
Two.
Three...
The "Hollow Prince" was about to fill himself with something far more dangerous than Aura.