This is my Artifact?

The recorder stared at Ariase's halo in awe, his voice unsteady as he stammered, "S-St-Student… h-how many elements did you awaken? D-don't tell me did you awaken five elements?"

Hearing this, the nearby students erupted in shock.

"Five elements? Is that even possible?!"

"Three elements is already considered the absolute limit, and even then, only those with the strongest souls and a heaven-sent fate—like the 4th Ascendant—can achieve it!"

"Wait… don't tell me… is this guy fated to become an Ascendant?!"

Ariase immediately shook his head and raised his voice.

"No! I didn't! I only have one element—it's the Leaf Element! Sir Maglasang, please avoid spreading misinformation without proper verification."

Hearing this, the students let out a collective sigh of disappointment.

For a moment, they thought they were witnessing the rise of a legend.

Maglasang quickly apologized before activating his own element.

In an instant, a blue holographic interface materialized before him, its sleek design resembling something straight out of a futuristic game.

His element was an Unnatural Element—Technology.

With practiced ease, he began typing and recording information directly onto the glowing display.

Ariase's jaw dropped as he watched the scene unfold.

"Sir… is your talent like something from a game? Like a system where you can see your stats and everything?"

The recorder chuckled before nodding, "You mean a status window? Yeah, I have that."

Hearing it face-to-face almost made Ariase cough up blood.

Internally, he screamed in utter frustration, 'Th-this unfair world...!!'

'To think the system I had been waiting for since the beginning… was just another guy's talent?!'

He wasn't ungrateful for what he had, not at all.

But just saying "Status" to activate a talent was way cooler for him.

The realization hit him hard, and he felt like crying inside.

His element had already been set by fate, but if he had asked the Divine Tree Spirit for help, maybe—just maybe—he could have gained something like this.

The recorder, oblivious to Ariase's internal breakdown, continued, "So you belong to the lower branch of the Nature Element… Can I ask how many talents you awakened and their grades?"

Ariase, still sulking over his missed opportunity, sighed, "Two."

He then raised his right arm, activating his Ancestral Spirit Mark.

A green circle laced with leaves lit up, followed by the radiant glow of two talent glyphs—one gold and one purple.

The entire field went dead silent.

A Gold Talent was already an extremely rare occurrence, but to also have a Purple Talent?

Even if he had only awakened two, the weight of their potential was monumental.

At that moment, everyone present realized one undeniable fact—this student was bound to shake the Philippines' entire power structure.

When Ariase came of age, countless organizations and factions would fight tooth and nail to recruit him.

Even Eric, who stood beside Miles—the guy who had awakened the Dust Element—felt utterly defeated.

Internally, he cursed the sheer unfairness of the world, 'What kind of bullshit is this?'

Ariase not only awakened an Advanced Element but was also blessed with both a Gold and Purple Talent.

Meanwhile, Kevin who was looking from afar rubbed his nose and grinned, "That's my friend for you!"

Unlike Eric, Kevin felt no envy.

He had awakened four talents, and two of them were Red Talents.

He was extremely satisfied with them since they complemented his Beast Taming Element.

Among the onlookers, several seniors smirked, already seeing Ariase as a prime candidate for recruitment.

Then came the next request as the recorder assigned to Ariase asked him to demonstrate his talents.

Ariase nodded and activated his Golden Talent.

[Foliage of Four Seasons]

However, he had no intention of using the Earth Grade Leaves just yet.

He wasn't looking for unnecessary attention and envy for possessing such treasure.

Instead, he turned his gaze toward a tree three meters away, signaling for its leaves to come to him.

Since they were merely Tier 1 leaves, controlling them was effortless.

However, the limits of his talent became apparent.

At Tier 1, he could only control 10 leaves at most, though this number would increase exponentially with each Tier Evolution.

The ten leaves encircled Ariase's hand, ready for battle.

With a simple twist of his fingers, they spun violently, their speed so intense that the sound of whirring wind filled the air.

Ariase then pointed a single finger forward.

In an instant, the ten spinning leaves shot toward the tree like razor-sharp projectiles.

Shwip!

Faster than the normal eye could track, the leaves punctured its tree trunk, embedding themselves deep inside.

Ariase clenched his fist, and with a mere thought, the ten leaves returned to his hand in a controlled, fluid motion.

Both Mr. Gonzales and Mr. Maglasang stood there, utterly dumbfounded.

It was one thing to awaken a powerful talent, but to demonstrate such refined control immediately after awakening? That was exceptional.

After a brief silence, Mr. Gonzales finally spoke.

"Ariase, did you practice before coming here? I mean… how come your control over your talent is already this refined?"

Ariase, of course, couldn't say that he had spent time stealing leaves from the Replica of the Garden to practice.

So, he decided to lie.

"No, but isn't this just simple?" he shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "You just need to control them using your mind, create a visualization, and will them into action."

Mr. Gonzales' mouth twitched violently.

'Simple, my ass,' the same thought ran through both Gonzales and Maglasang's minds.

The other students were struggling to so much as make their elemental talents move in the right direction, yet Ariase controlled his leaves as if he had been training for days.

But the demonstration wasn't over yet.

Ariase activated his Purple Talent, causing leaf venation patterns to glow across his skin.

He took a moment to explain some of its functions to the recorder, Mr. Maglasang, who was growing even more dumbfounded.

Maglasang glanced at the other students, his thoughts a chaotic mess, 'What kind of kid is he? Most students couldn't even properly control their talents yet. Some were struggling with even basic activation, their elements flickering in and out of existence.'

'Yet this kid… his control was almost on par with those from the Golden Era. His mind visualization was sharp, and even his body talent was highly desirable. Was this boy really just a newly awakened student?' he continued his queries in his mind.

But little did they know, the true reason behind Ariase's refined control wasn't sheer talent or luck.

It was because his mind was already that of an old man—honed by experiences no ordinary student could comprehend.

And more than that, his soul had been nourished—and nearly destroyed—by the Genesis Essence.

The struggles he had endured from his past life and current life—the mental discipline, the soul-shattering pain, the near-death experiences—had forged his willpower into something far beyond his years.

To him, controlling ten low-tier measly leaves was nothing compared to what he had already practiced.

Suppressing his rising disbelief, Mr. Maglasang moved on to the final request, "Student, this should be the last assessment. Please summon your artifact."

Ariase exhaled, steadying his mind.

He had no idea what his artifact would be, but there was only one way to find out.

Closing his eyes, he uttered the command:

[Arcanel]

The moment the word left his lips, a soft, melancholic green light materialized in his left hand.

The gathered students and recorders of the association leaned in, anticipation thick in the air.

As the light faded, revealing the artifact, Ariase furrowed his brows in confusion.

It was… a fan.

'A jade fan? Is this really the artifact I invoked from that orb?' Ariase thought, his face twisting into a grimace.

The fan appeared worn and damaged, as if someone had discarded it over time.

Seeing this, Maglasang let out a chuckle, relief washing over his face.

"You had me worried for a moment there, kid. I thought you were about to reveal some high-grade soul artifact. But it seems like it's just an ordinary one—nothing too special. Don't be discouraged, though. Your talents alone are already remarkable."

Ariase barely heard him.

Because the moment he channeled his Mystic Energy into the fan to inspect it, a fragment of memory surged through him.

His eyes widened. His heart pounded.

From the memory, he learned that the fan's name was Moonlight Sonata Fan.

And more than that...

It once belonged to Habagat, the God of Wind and Rain.