Hell nah

[Daily Task Timer: 5 minutes remaining]

Kael sat on a stone bench in the middle of the now-familiar statue garden, staring up at the night sky.

'Guess I'm going to find out what "induced nausea" actually means.'

He had wandered around for a while, hoping to bump into one last stranger, but no luck.

The campus was dead quiet.

So he gave up.

Stargazing seemed like a better use of his final moments.

"How did I end up with such a lame system, anyway?" he muttered.

He thought back to all those webnovels he used to read, protagonists getting systems that handed out divine sword skills, unlimited mana, instant-level-up cheats.

His?

Made him smile at people.

[Daily Task Timer : 1 minute remaining]

[59 seconds...]

[58 seconds...]

"Oh, shut up with the counting. Just hit me with the punishment already so I can go to bed."

[20 seconds...]

[19 seconds...]

He glanced toward one of the statues the green-haired girl had "upgraded."

It had once been a dignified mage, beard carved in stone, robes flowing, staff raised in glory.

Now?

It had bright pink eyebrows, spirals drawn on its cheeks, and a crude smiley face sketched right on the crotch of its robe. A banana was duct-taped to the staff, and someone had hung a sign around its neck that said:

"Magic is for nerds."

Kael snorted. Then chuckled at the scene.

[Subtask Status: 3/3]

[Daily Task Complete]

"..."

'Wait… what?'

Kael stood up slowly, his eyes locking onto the statue.

It hadn't moved.

And yet… it felt different in his eyes now.

Like it had weight now.

More Presence.

The shadows around its base looked darker than they had a minute ago.

"…Oh hell no."

He turned and bolted.

Full sprint, no hesitation, no looking back.

He didn't stop until he slammed the door shut behind him at the boys' dormitory and leaned against it, heart pounding.

"I really need some sleep."

✦✦✦✦✦✦

The sun had barely climbed over the academy's eastern towers when the horns sounded.

Every first-year student had been ordered to gather at the Grand Combat Grounds, a vast coliseum-style field on the eastern edge of campus.

Dozens of training dummies, weapon racks, sparring platforms, and spell testing targets filled the space.

The entire area was packed.

A sea of black and blue, the Knights in black uniforms, Mages in blue.

Thousands of students swarmed filling the place with noise, nerves, hope and fear.

And somewhere in the middle of it all stood Kael, swaying slightly, eyes half-closed.

He yawned.

Loudly.

"Are you seriously still sleepy after sleeping like a dead log yesterday?" Theo asked, standing beside him with a raised brow.

Kael's head tilted just slightly toward him. "Well, I slept late, remember?"

"You mean after sleeping through the entire afternoon?"

Kael's lips twitched. "You know what? I don't think we're going to be best friends after all."

Theo didn't answer.

He just shook his head and adjusted his glasses.

[Daily Subtask: Ask a question or make a statement during public gathering.]

[Penalty: Loss of Voice for 6 hrs]

[Daily task timer: 18hrs remaining]

Kael glanced sideways at the glowing screen beside his head.

"…Yeah, yeah, i get it. Get out of my face."

'Useless system.'

Without warning, the air in the sky above the arena shimmered, mana threads twisting into a spiral glyph.

A familiar holographic projection appeared, hovering above the grounds with quiet authority.

Vice Headmaster Revek.

Silent fell instantly across the crowd.

"Cadets and Candidates. This is your final warning, those who are unprepared may leave now."

No one moved.

Revek's eyes scanned the crowd. "Very well."

"The Entrance Evaluation will now begin."

His voice was sharp, precise, every word carried with weight.

"There are three tests and you must pass all three. Failure in even one is failure overall. There will be no retakes."

"Your first test will be held individually. You will demonstrate combat aptitude. That means strength, control, stance, and response. Mages will be evaluated based on mana flow and channeling. Knights will be tested on physical capability and technique."

Revek raised a hand, and several floating screens appeared throughout the sky.

"Your name will appear on the screens when it's your turn. Report to the testing platform immediately. Do not make us wait."

"Scores will be recorded directly by the Archive. Cheating is impossible. Excuses will not be accepted."

"Let the trials begin."

The projection vanished.

And instantly, the crowd buzzed to life again.

Names began flashing across the floating screens. A line started forming near the main testing platform as instructors called out orders and pointed students to their stations.

Kael sighed.

"...I hate mornings."

✦✦✦✦✦✦

The first names appeared on the floating sky-screens.

Students stepped forward one by one towards the row of raised stone platforms at the front of the combat grounds.

Each platform held a target dummy glowing faintly with blue runes, enchanted to respond to force, accuracy, and killing intent.

An instructor stood beside each one, clipboard in hand, expression like carved granite.

The first Knight stepped forward, a broad-shouldered boy with a polished sword and a confident smirk.

"Strike when ready."

He took his stance, shouted, and delivered a clean diagonal slash.

The dummy flared briefly, light tracing across its surface, then dimmed.

The instructor gave a short nod. "Above average. Pass."

Another student followed, a smaller, leaner figure with fierce eyes. She nocked an arrow and fired it straight into the dummy's forehead.

Again, the glyphs flared.

The instructor marked something down. "Efficient. Controlled. Pass."

Then came the third.

He roared, charged forward, and swung....

....and barely made a dent.

The dummy flickered once, weakly.

"Fail. Next."

It went on like that.

Some passed.

Some didn't.

A few showed promise.

No one shocked anyone.

Then, a name lit up on the screen.

KAEL DARVEN

Kael blinked. "Oh. Guess that's me."

Strangely enough, they already had his full name, even though he hadn't told anyone yet.

Theo raised an eyebrow. "Try not to fall asleep mid-swing."

"No promises."

Kael shuffled toward the platform, dragging his boots like someone who had just rolled out of bed.

He didn't even look at the dummy until he was already standing in front of it.

The instructor gave him a look. "…Weapon?"

Kael blinked. "Oh, Right."

He was handed a basic training sword, no enchantments, dull-edged, just heavy enough to qualify.

He held it like someone holding a broom for the first time.

The instructor exhaled slowly. "You may begin when ready."

Kael looked at the dummy.

Then at the sword.

He shrugged.

"Alright. Let's just get this over with."

He had zero expectations of doing anything remotely impressive.

He had no stance, did no warm-up.

He just stepped forward and swung.

His swing was at a wrong angle and he had an awful grip.

The instructor almost shook his head mid-swing.

It looked like Kael was swatting a fly.

The dummy didn't flare....

.....It exploded.

A shockwave of blue light and splintered wood burst out from the impact point.

The dummy shattered like brittle glass.

A few nearby instructors flinched in surprise.

Even Kael stumbled back a step, eyes wide.

'What the...'

The instructor stared at the ruined platform, then slowly lowered his clipboard.

"...Candidate. Did you use mana?"

Kael scratched the back of his neck. "Uhm... no?"

'I don't even know how to.'

Silence.

Kael stood there awkwardly, still holding the sword.

"So… am I done?"

The instructor didn't answer.

He just pointed silently toward the exit ramp.

Kael nodded and walked off slowly.

'Am I OP?'