Adaptation

I reach out towards everything and take control of it, but only Kent was good enough to try to fight for control. However, my stigma was just too strong. I observe Orion's mana strings and wonder if I can replicate them while taking control of them too.

I take control of the golem, which keeps Thorn busy, and I take control of all the arrows in the air by using the mana that's powering them. I can already feel a huge headache, and I notice Thorn seems to be shocked by what I'm doing—so shocked that he doesn't even notice the five various bolt spells thrown by the other students that I took control of, flying behind him.

Only a lightning bolt hits at first. Thorn dodges the rest, although he thinks it's over. I try copying Orion's mana strings. The mana strings weren't an exact copy, but they were good enough for what I was trying to do. I grab his foot with the string while the spells he had previously dodged curve towards him, and another warning resounds.

[1 minute remaining!]

I feel the gazes of the other students on me, empowering me somehow. I definitely need to look into this later. For now, I relish the feeling even as I feel blood pouring out of my nose. I hit him twice. I'm in first now, but just in case, I take back everything that was under my control—the arrows, the golem, the weapons, and the spells—and launch them all at Thorn, who seems to be smiling like the battle maniac he is. He takes a stance with his spear and says one word as he thrusts his spear forward.

"Pierce."

Everything I launched at him is either deflected or dissipated with one simple thrust as a huge shockwave clashes with my attack. Damn it, I forgot about how strong his spear art is. I can only pray that this is enough to win the skill.

I finally deactivate the stigma, the blue crown around my head disappearing, and I fall unconscious with blood trickling from my eyes.

[0 minutes remaining. The event is over!]

I wake up in what I assume is the school infirmary. I'm not hooked up to anything. It seems I've been healed, except for a slight headache, which is expected since my brain was probably bleeding earlier.

It doesn't take long for a man with blue hair, who looks like he hasn't slept for a couple of days, to walk in.

He looks at me and speaks.

"Thorn will be here soon, and after you speak to him, you're free to leave. But I wonder what makes a student come in for brain bleeding when it was a simple 'catch the god' activity? I won't pry, but whatever caused it, you shouldn't use it for a while."

I nod. If I remember correctly, this guy's name is Jake Weiland, the school nurse. In the novel, he was a grumpy man with a soft side.

The older man simply leaves without saying anything else.

It takes a while for the burly man Thorn to come into the room, but he eventually does, holding a book I've been wanting the whole time. I accidentally let a smile creep onto my face.

He gives me a surveying look and speaks. "Weiland told me you should only have a minor headache, but you were suffering from brain bleeding."

"That blue crown… I won't ask much, but I assume it was your stigma?"

I nod.

"A very powerful one, but with extreme drawbacks. I admire your desire to win, but risking your life for an unknown prize is just stupid."

"I felt bad, so I swapped out the prize for something more suited for a meathead like you. I originally expected a mage to win, as most of the time, mages win this activity."

"I don't appreciate the insult."

"Shut up and take the skill," Mr. Thorn snapped back.

He drops a white tome with a gem inside on top of me. I immediately learn it.

[Adaptation skill gained!]

Although he said he swapped the skill, I didn't expect this. I bring up the information about the skill.

[Adaptation: You will adapt.]

I have mixed feelings about this. Originally, the skill I was supposed to get—or Kent was supposed to get—was Recharge. He would get hit and use the force to charge his next attack. But this could go both ways. When it comes to skills with really short descriptions, they're either extremely good or really bad—no in-between, I could only pray for the former.

"Also, here's the key to your dorm. Your dorm should still be in the Phoenix building, just on the third floor." He gets up and walks out of the room.

I get up and leave to head to my dorm

I notice some of my classmates roaming around. They whisper as I walk by but i cant hear them I assume they are talking about my little show from earlier., The weird feeling of empowerment comes on again and its starting to really bug me it seems that C has placed some sort of attention seeking stigma in me but I cant tell the exact effects as it blocked in my status. I don't see anyone important and continue to my dorm. It takes 10 minutes of walking, but eventually, I'm in my dorm.

The dorm is around the size of a normal bedroom and has a bathroom. I didn't completely unpack because I know this is temporary. After the ranking tournament, students will be assigned to dorms based on their ranking rather than randomly. The better the rank, the better the dorm—and vice versa and of course I would be aiming for rank 1 it wouldn't be 'entertaining' to that bastard if I scored low.