“The weak die to injustice, the strong die to arrogance. Only those who perceive the true nature of the grains of sand that form the world can stand firm against the storm of fate.”
— Jean-Jacques Rousseau (adapted)

[Synopsis]
The world has never been fair. From the moment of birth, a person’s fate is already shaped by bloodline, status, and the amount of mana flowing through their veins.

Born into a powerful family, Cyan is nothing more than a “defective”—a discarded failure, constantly drowsy with a pitifully low amount of mana. In the eyes of arrogant prodigies, he is merely a faint shadow on the fringes of history.

But what they don’t know is that behind that endless lethargy lies a soul that once conquered the pinnacle of a game called Yggdrasil—a place where death was commonplace and the weak had no place to stand.

Yet, the harsh reality of this world is nothing like a game.

So… what will Cyan do when faced with trials far more unforgiving than anything he has ever known?

"The method to create this launcher is actually quite simple."


"With my Atomic Dominion talent, I can transform a tiny portion of my hand into a conductive platform—allowing me to discharge electricity more efficiently while consuming less mana."


"If it works… I might be able to cast two intermediate spells."


"And their power would increase by about 2.3 times."


"Of course, this effect only works for lower-tier magic, and higher-tier spells would require more of my body's molecules as a medium…"


"…but that's more than enough for me to reach 8 points."


"…is because at that level, I'll be granted a special potion that provides +100 mana for an entire year."


"That's equivalent to increasing a caster's mana by about 22.22% when using a high-tier skill."


"For me… that's no different from a treasure."


"Even if it only lasts a year and offers no long-term benefits…"


"…with my talent, it's a completely different story."


"I'm not aiming for a perfect 10 either—for that very reason."


"At 10 points, the reward is a scroll that grants 10,000 EXP."


"That means a Saint-tier lightning mage could jump directly from level 10 to level 20."


"At that point, their mana would be ten times higher than others of the same age."


"They'd save nearly two years of grinding, and even their daily mana cultivation would become far more efficient."


"…But for me, that reward is useless."


"And the 9-point reward isn't much different from 8 either."


"Even if this launcher boosts my intermediate magic to about 2.3 times its original power…"


"…what I really need is to cast two intermediate spells faster."


"I'll have to disguise it as an incomplete advanced spell."


"If it can take down the orc—the test target—"


"…then I might have a chance at securing 8 points."


"Fortunately, I can chant in Japanese."


"So no one will understand what I'm saying."


"That means I don't have to worry about exposing the incantation—


which would otherwise reveal that I'm using intermediate magic instead of advanced."


"The two lightning spells need to overlap to increase their size."


"This method is actually quite well-known."


"The examiners will probably recognize it and try to nerf my score…"


"No one has better non-elemental talent than me."


"They won't be able to tell just by looking."


"…However, there's a more important problem."


"I need a material with better conductivity."


"Unlike the real world, silver isn't the best conductor here."


"This world has countless rare materials that surpass it."


Chapter 4 - The calm before the storm