The frost-laced winds howled through the ravines surrounding the Academy's outer testing fields, carrying with them the scent of ancient magic and danger. Max stood still at the edge of the battlefield, the flickering blue aura of his "Mana Veil" skill pulsing steadily around his body. The crystalline trees in the distance reflected the pale moonlight, casting eerie shadows that seemed to move with intent.
He wasn't alone.
Behind him, Leo crouched with one knee pressed to the earth, daggers at the ready and lightning coiling subtly around his wrists. To his left, Reina muttered a chant under her breath, her plant-based mana wrapping around her like living armor. And above, flitting between floating mana crystals, a hawk-shaped construct watched them all—Thorn's surveillance device.
[System Notification: Party Synchronization 89% Complete.]
[Active Mission: "Break the Illusion Barrier" – Objective: Locate the Origin Core.]
They had been dispatched on this mission under the guise of a high-level evaluation. But Max knew better. Thorn's eyes were on him not just for his strength but for any cracks in his secrecy. Max had lied—again—saying his system skill was derived from a forbidden relic passed through his unknown ancestry. That had bought him temporary trust, but Thorn was not a fool. None of the instructors were.
"Movement, ten o'clock!" Leo whispered, his eyes narrowing. A ripple passed through the air, distorting the ground like heat waves on a summer day. The illusion spell that cloaked the enemy was unraveling.
With a crack of power, the barrier shattered.
What stepped out from the fractured veil wasn't a beast—at least, not one of flesh. It was a construct, an amalgamation of metal, fire, and corrupted mana. Its body shimmered like molten steel and its eyes were twin furnaces burning with hatred. Ancient runes covered its plating, humming with dark power.
Reina gasped. "That's… not in the Academy records."
Max's eyes narrowed. This thing… it had been hidden here long before the Academy was built.
"Leo, left flank. Reina, bind its legs," Max ordered calmly. "I'll go for the core."
They moved without hesitation, the battle erupting with brilliant flashes of elemental energy. Leo's daggers found weak points between metal plates, channeling lightning that arced and sizzled. Reina's vines surged from the ground, wrapping around the construct's legs, pulling it backward with nature's raw strength.
Max, meanwhile, had already activated his system's special function.
[SYSTEM BOOST: STATS MULTIPLIED TEMPORARILY x2]
He blinked forward using a dash-skill he had developed secretly—a mix of wind and space elements that blurred him from sight for a second. The construct turned too slow.
He stabbed deep into its chest—right where the runes converged.
A flash. A scream that echoed across dimensions. And then silence.
The construct fell with a hollow clang. The battlefield shimmered briefly as the remaining fragments of the illusion barrier disintegrated, revealing ancient ruins buried under the Academy's own foundation. Thorn's hawk-construct swooped lower and released a glowing crystal that hovered above Max's head for a moment before zooming away.
"Mission complete," Leo muttered, wiping blood from his lip.
Reina approached Max cautiously. "What was that? That wasn't a normal test."
Max sighed, looking into the ruins. "No… that was a remnant. A leftover from a time before mana even returned to Earth."
He didn't say what he really thought—that this place had something to do with the artifact. With the system. With him.
Later that night, after they returned, Max lay awake in his room. He held the necklace, which glowed faintly in the moonlight, its pulse synchronized with his own heartbeat.
[SYSTEM UPDATE AVAILABLE: Install Now?]
He hesitated. Every time the system evolved, it brought change—sometimes power, sometimes truth. But more truth was the last thing he needed. Not yet. Not while the world still thought he was just a lucky orphan with minor skills.
[Installation Paused.]
He turned over, hiding the necklace beneath his shirt.
A knock came at his door. It was Leo.
"We've got company," he said grimly. "Reina's intercepted a transmission. Thorn's requesting a full review of our mission report—and they're bringing someone from the Board."
Max's eyes narrowed. "Let them come."
He wasn't ready for war. Not yet.
But if war came to him… he'd be more than ready to end it.