Wheel of Fortune System
It happened in almost an instant… a fountain of blood spurted from the boy's fragile neck, who mocked the so-called Crybaby of the Avernus.
Except for the other direct blood running throughout this Void Graveyard and the overseer of the test, everyone was momentarily frozen from where they were seated. It was an act committed without an ounce of hesitation.
The killing weapon? It was Zil's undeveloped hand infused with fleeting mana—the driving force of this world, and the so-called gift of the Twelve Gods that integrated itself in nature. Everywhere.
Every child under the Avernus Clan was expected to learn how to use mana before the first exam of becoming void knights.
Besides overthinking and reading, Zil did not waste the resources of the Annex House to train his puny body and learn the ways of this world battle-wise.
Though he's very limited with training because of his physique that could be flicked to death by a veteran void knight, he did not slack off either.
"S-son… w-what, you son of a bitch! I'll kill you!"
The mother of the boy whom Zil slashed the neck of screamed, her eyes teary due to abrupt circumstances.
It was then, instead of feeling threatened, Zil glanced in the direction of this woman before slowly opening his mouth to speak,
"Why are you crying? Are you a crybaby?"
The words of mockery he had heard all these years were reflected under his mirror-like cold gaze. The mother was momentarily at a loss for words; the disrespect was palpable.
Not that Zil and his mother were respected because they lacked power.
"Y-You goddamn brat!"
The boy's mother stood up, extended her hand towards Zil, and was about to cast something… a spell or magic of a sort, only for a flick of a finger to interrupt it from a distance.
"This is a warning, Helene von Hargan, mother of Zack von Hargan, that if you attempt to interfere again during the honorable Void Graveyard Ceremony… See to it that your entire family will be executed." It was a chilling voice from the overseer, causing Helene to grit her teeth.
Then, before she could process her next course of action, Zack's lying body was flown in her direction.
"Remember, an asset of the Avernus Clan has certain privileges. Teach your child to use the sword to speak, not his mouth." The overseer added; the cut on Zack's neck was already closed, as though it was not there in the first place.
Helene then carried her son to leave the vicinity for immediate first aid for any possible complications.
Before that, she briefly stared at Zil and his mother seated on the other side; her tumultuous thoughts, though unspoken, were obvious.
*
'I've wasted some time. Let's get to it right away since it seems I've already sent the message I intended.' Zil thought.
Even without sparing them a glance, he could sense the hesitation and fear taking root in the children's hearts around him; their evading eyes seemed to pierce him.
"What are you doing? You're here for the exam, not a damn staring contest."
Zil then proceeded to hunt One-eyed Horned Rabbits.
Running towards these beasts, he wrapped his hand with mana, making it seem similar to a sharpened dagger.
'Weakness, eye…'
Stab!
Kyuu!
'Then the horns.' He muttered in his mind.
He then proceeded to sever the two horns above their adorable little heads.
Slash!
Spurt!
Unlike humans, demonic monsters, depending on what kind, possessed different vital points or vulnerabilities.
Thud!
The horned rabbit then quickly disintegrated into ashes, leaving a miniature, palm-sized diamond-shaped glistening purple gem—a mana crystal.
It was Zil's first kill.
[Ding!]
It was also the first time he received a kill confirmation from the Wheel of Fortune System he received since reincarnating into this world.
[You have slain a corrupted entity.]
[Wheel of Fortune (Darkness) proficiency increases.]
'So that's for any corrupted entities...'
Zil thoroughly studied the Wheel of Fortune System in his toddler years, and he discovered that the system was not a single wheel. Rather, the system possessed variations.
The wheel that lets him [Spin] during his every birthday—Wheel of Fortune (Birth)—was there to assist him in yearly development.
On the other hand, the [Wheel of Fortune (Darkness)], though unknown what kind of things this one had to offer, would only be spun if he killed a certain number of corrupted entities.
'There's also the Wheel of Fortune, Blood variation.'
"Is that the youngest of the Avernus Patriarch? I heard she's a genius, and it seems it's true."
"That's right. She swiftly dealt with the horned rabbits without causing them to bleed so much."
"I tell you, that's a characteristic of a genius assassin!"
Zil was snapped back to reality as his ears caught the praises of the other direct blood who joined the Void Graveyard Ceremony.
'If she's the youngest, shouldn't she be six years old or something? Since I'm already seven, and only seven years old up to nine is allowed here?' He muttered, seeing a little girl with serene eyes that resembled a lonely winter.
'Unless... her mother and my mother... were pregnant at almost the same time.'
Zil couldn't help but frown.
He did not want to think about it anymore as he proceeded to cut down a few horned rabbits on the way.
Stab!
Slash!
[You have slain a corrupted entity.]
[Wheel of Fortune (Darkness) proficiency increases.]
[Ding!]
It was then that another message different from killing confirmation echoed in his mind.
[Attribute: Nothingness proficiency increases.]
It was what he had acquired on his seventh birthday from the Wheel of Fortune (Birth)... an attribute that characterized his assassination skills in his previous life.
[Attribute: Nothingness]
Description: [You can erase your presence at your own volition.]
'I guess I'm getting immersed in killing these bunnies.' Zil sighed.
*
'Are you seeing this, Patriarch?' The void knight overseer muttered.
'It seems we have two geniuses in this generation.'
With that thought, he clapped his hands and gained the attention of the children in the Void Graveyard.
"I praise you for your initial achievements. However, I believe no one here thought that it would be that easy.
"Let us proceed with the second part of the ceremony."
It was part of the first test, and the difficulties just jumped from easy to hell in almost an instant.
"Kill these demonic beasts."
At that moment, even Zil had chills running down his spine.
'What the fuck is that...?'
*
Torn clothes, chained hands and feet, with their physique disfigured beyond recognition, three mindless individuals were summoned from the same miniature cage at the hands of the overseer.
"They are powerless, ordinary prisoners who succumbed to demonic power, turning them into artificial undead.
"Each one becomes a Rank-D threat..."
Even though it would be a walk in the park for some of the parents in the audience chamber, since they could not interfere in any way, worries filled their expressions.
It was the same for Zil's mother.
They were mere children who would fight against a transformed human, hence the artificial.
In other words, the instincts of these entities were still possibly present.
"But be careful. Before they were corrupted to this state, these transgressors were all convicted of murders by the Holy Empire of Divinica."
"...!"
"For this final part of the test, you are not asked to eliminate them but to survive for an hour.
"For the Avernus Clan, let's begin!"
*
The artificial undead rushed towards them—they were madmen and hungry to tear the living apart.
Meanwhile, Zil, though trying to be as composed as he could, racked his mind for his next course of action.
'This is do or die. I'll have to use everything I can.'
Similar to what the overseer did earlier, Zil extended his hand to the air, where a small crack appeared as he pulled something out of it.
It was something he received on his second birthday, thanks to the Wheel of Fortune Birth variation.
It was a white baby blanket.