I walked toward the center of the arena and stopped while hundreds of students watched from all sides. Most of them expected nothing from this evaluation.
Some were probably already waiting for the moment they could laugh. But their expectations didn't matter to me. At that moment, the familiar blue system screen appeared in front of my vision.
[ Task Triggered ]
[ Academy Evaluation Event ]
[ Objective: Reveal your hidden power ]
[ Condition: Shock the academy students and instructors ]
[ Reward: Aura Growth ×10,000 ]
My eyes paused on the final line. Ten thousand times. Even a tiny increase would become something ridiculous with that multiplier. I slowly raised my hand and looked at it.
In the memories of this body, Adrian had tried countless times to sense aura, and every attempt ended the same way, with nothing. But now things were different. Now there was a system, and the system didn't care about talent. It only cared about rewards.
I exhaled slowly and focused while the arena remained filled with quiet whispers. A few students were already watching with amused expressions.
"Look at him," someone whispered nearby. "He's trying again."
"Does he really think something will happen this time?"
The instructor standing near the arena folded his arms while observing me. "Begin whenever you're ready, Valemont," he said calmly.
I closed my eyes for a moment and followed the faint instructions appearing on the system screen.
[ Activating Aura Channel ]
[ Aura Growth Applied ×10,000 ]
For a brief second nothing happened. Then a strange warmth spread through my chest. The sensation expanded rapidly, like something inside my body had suddenly awakened after years of silence.
Energy surged through my limbs, gathering at my core before spreading outward across my entire body.
My eyes opened again.
A faint silver glow slowly formed around me.
At first it was weak, barely noticeable. But then it grew stronger.
The instructor's expression changed immediately. The laughter from the crowd stopped as students stared toward the center of the arena.
The aura surrounding my body continued to expand, the silver energy slowly wrapping around my arms like drifting mist.
Someone in the crowd spoke in disbelief. "…Wait."
Another student leaned forward, staring at the arena with wide eyes. "Is that… aura?"
The silver energy pulsed again, growing thicker.
The instructor suddenly stepped forward, his voice sharp with shock.
"Impossible."
Because the rankless noble had just awakened aura in front of the entire academy.
Students all around the training field were staring at me now. The silver aura surrounding my body continued to flow slowly, wrapping around my arms like drifting mist before fading slightly. What had started as a faint glow was now clearly visible to everyone.
For several seconds, no one spoke.
Then the whispers exploded.
"Wait… that's real aura."
"But he's rankless!"
"I thought he couldn't even sense aura!"
One of the nobles who had mocked me earlier stared with a stiff expression. "That's… that's impossible," he muttered under his breath.
The instructor stepped closer to me, his eyes focused on the faint aura still circulating around my body. "Release it again," he said seriously.
I shrugged slightly.
"Sure."
I focused again, letting the warmth in my chest spread outward. The silver energy surged once more, flowing through my body before forming a thin layer of aura around me.
The reaction this time was even louder.
Gasps spread through the students.
"Did you see that?"
"He actually did it!"
"That's not beginner-level aura…"
Even some of the instructors were exchanging looks now.
Among the crowd, a girl standing near the front watched the scene with quiet interest.
She had long silver hair tied loosely behind her shoulders and calm blue eyes that seemed to analyze everything happening in the arena. Her academy uniform carried a crest most students immediately recognized.
House Ravelyn.
One of the most powerful noble families in the empire.
Most students were focused on the shock of seeing a "rankless" student use aura.
But she wasn't looking shocked.
She was smiling.
"Interesting," she murmured softly.
Beside her, another female student frowned slightly. "What's interesting about that?"
The silver-haired girl didn't look away from the arena. Her eyes remained fixed on Adrian as the faint silver aura slowly faded around his body.
"Someone who hides their strength that well," she said quietly. "He's either very clever… or very dangerous."
The girl beside her scoffed softly, but she didn't argue. After all, everyone in the arena had seen it.
Aura.
Real aura.
And it had come from the one person nobody expected.
Back in the arena, the instructor slowly straightened his posture, the shock on his face gradually being replaced by a more serious expression. The murmuring students around the training ground had grown louder now, whispers spreading like wildfire through the stands.
"Adrian Valemont," the instructor said firmly while looking directly at me. "It seems we may need to reevaluate your ranking."
A ripple moved through the crowd.
Reevaluate.
That word alone carried weight inside the academy. Rankings determined everything here — status, resources, training privileges, even the attention of powerful noble houses.
And if a rankless noble suddenly awakened aura…
It meant the academy had made a mistake.
And noble families didn't like mistakes.
I slowly exhaled, letting the last traces of silver energy fade from my arms as if it had been nothing more than a simple exercise.
But the reaction around me said otherwise.
Students leaned forward in their seats. Some were whispering excitedly. Others stared at me with narrowed eyes, already calculating what this meant.
Across the arena, my gaze drifted toward the front rows.
For a brief moment, my eyes met the silver-haired girl watching from the stands.
Up close, she was even more striking than I'd expected. Long silver hair flowed down her back like moonlight, her posture straight and confident, the kind that only came from someone raised in a powerful noble family.
She didn't look away.
Instead, she gave me a small, almost amused smile.
Like she had just discovered something interesting.
I raised an eyebrow slightly before looking away.
Interesting.
But she wasn't the only one watching.
A tall blonde girl a few rows behind her leaned forward against the railing, her eyes openly studying me now, curiosity shining in them. Unlike the silver-haired girl's calm composure, this one looked almost excited.
"Well…" she muttered to herself with a small grin. "This just got fun."
Another girl nearby, a dark-haired noble with sharp features, clicked her tongue softly.
"Aura or not," she said coldly, "he's still a rankless noble."
Yet even she hadn't stopped looking at me.
Back in the arena, the instructor turned toward the other staff members gathered near the training grounds, clearly debating something in low voices. Whatever they were discussing, it was serious enough that several officials had started paying attention.
Which meant one thing.
My quiet academy life had just ended before it even started.
I rolled my shoulders slightly, pretending to stretch while the arena buzzed with tension.
Looks like the academy arc was about to get a lot more complicated.
And judging by the number of girls suddenly watching me…
Maybe a lot more interesting too.