The Awakening Ceremony ended with tension thick enough to cut.
Students whispered, instructors exchanged quiet glances, and the Obelisk still flickered with unstable violet light from Aren's awakening.
The word Unique echoed through the plaza like a curse.
Most students backed away from Aren as if he carried a disease.
One boy even muttered, "I bet it's a hidden debuff. Maybe he shortens his own lifespan."
Aren ignored them.
He had felt the distortion around him—felt his senses stretch, like invisible threads of space tugged against his skin. His perception had sharpened to the point he could hear footsteps dozens of meters away, feel the wind shift before it moved, sense the structure of the plaza itself.
It wasn't weakness.
It wasn't a defect.
It was potential.
"Students!" Instructor Talen bellowed, his voice echoing through the plaza. "All Awakened, proceed to the Academy Grounds for the Trial!"
Hundreds of students turned immediately.
Aren moved with the flow, hood pulled up, avoiding unnecessary attention.
Only one person looked back at him—
Kale.
The S-rank warrior cracked his knuckles and grinned smugly.
"Hope you don't collapse during the trial," Kale said loudly, loud enough for others to hear. "Would be embarrassing for the guy who tried to show off."
Aren gave him a calm glance. "You'll know soon enough."
Kale's grin faltered.
Then it twisted.
"We'll see," he said and walked off.
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The Academy Grounds
Fortress Academy wasn't a normal school. It was a military-grade training facility built on what used to be a university campus. Barricaded walls, gun towers, ability suppression zones, medical stations—it looked more like a war camp than anything meant for students.
And it needed to be.
Demons frequently tested the outer defenses.
The Academy Trials took place in the arena at the center—a massive circular training ground reinforced by layers of protective formations and steel barriers.
Inside, dozens of metallic humanoid machines stood silently.
They were painted gray, each around two meters tall, with glowing red cores on their chests.
Combat Golems.
Talen walked in front of the group.
"For your first trial," he announced, "you will fight Golem Units. They use non-lethal force, but be warned—if your profession is weak or your reaction is slow, you'll be knocked out in seconds."
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
One student whispered, "My brother said the golems hit harder than real monsters."
Another muttered, "They're fast too."
Talen raised his voice. "Your goal is simple: Survive for 60 seconds. Kill the golem if you can—though few manage that."
Eyes turned to Kale instantly.
S-rank.
He would crush it.
But those same eyes flicked to Aren too.
"Unique rank…"
"He might die on the first hit."
"Will they even allow him to fight? What if he breaks?"
Aren stepped forward calmly.
His heartbeat steady.
Breathing controlled.
He felt none of their fear.
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Instructor Kane Approaches
Kane appeared beside Talen silently, as if materializing from thin air. His gaze swept across the field, evaluating, calculating.
Then his eyes landed on Aren.
A faint shimmer distorted the air around the boy's shoulders. Barely perceptible—unless someone was specifically looking for it.
Kane's expression didn't shift, but the corner of his eye tightened.
That distortion hasn't faded… it's stronger than before.
He turned to Talen.
"Place him in Arena Five," Kane said quietly.
Talen blinked. "Five? That's—"
"I know what it is."
Talen swallowed and nodded.
Arena Five was the one with advanced golems—faster, stronger, more unpredictable. Usually reserved for high-rank candidates.
Everyone would notice.
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The Trial Begins
"First group! Step forward!"
Kale marched into Arena One.
Flames flared around Darin.
Ingrid murmured water spells to calm herself.
Aren stepped into Arena Five.
Students gathered near the reinforced glass barrier.
"That's the advanced arena!"
"Why is he there?"
"Maybe they want to see if Unique is really bad…?"
Aren stepped into the center.
The metallic floor hummed under his boots.
The golem across from him powered up, red eyes glowing, servos clicking sharply.
A countdown appeared on the hovering display.
3… 2… 1…
BEGIN.
The golem launched forward, steel fist cutting the air like a hammer.
Aren didn't move at first.
He studied.
The world slowed—not literally, but through his heightened perception.
He could see the trajectory.
The arc.
Even the openings in the golem's joints.
He leaned slightly.
The fist passed his face by a hair.
Gasps echoed from outside.
"He dodged that?!"
"That's an advanced golem strike!"
"No way Unique is weak!"
The golem attacked again.
Again Aren moved smoothly, bending space around him instinctively, his body flowing just out of range each time.
He felt something.
A strange instinct.
His fingers tingled.
He raised his right hand.
A faint purple spark flickered near his fingertips.
Like the outline of an arrow made of light.
Void Flicker Arrow.
Aren whispered the skill's name.
The spark sharpened—turning into a small, unstable arrow of swirling violet energy.
Students stared, stunned.
"Is that… magic?"
"Archers don't conjure arrows!"
"That looks like a spell!"
Aren released the arrow.
POP—FWOOM!
It vanished from sight—reappeared instantly at the golem's core.
A flicker—
A distortion—
Then a sharp impact.
BOOM!
The golem staggered backward, red core flickering.
Cheers erupted.
"He damaged an advanced unit!"
"What kind of skill has that range?"
"It teleported?!"
The golem stabilized and charged again, faster.
Aren exhaled.
He stepped backward, feeling space blur around his ankles.
He raised another void arrow.
Then a third.
Inside his mind, something clicked.
[Void Flicker Arrow (F) → Progress: 98%]
[Limitless Evolution activates.]
[Skill Evolution Speed Increased.]
The energy in his hand grew sharper, denser.
The system chimed softly:
[Void Flicker Arrow (F → E)]
Aren felt the difference immediately.
The arrow felt lighter, faster, hungrier.
He fired.
FWOOM—!
The arrow blinked through space—
CRACK—!
The golem's core shattered.
The entire machine collapsed onto one knee, then fell face-first into the arena floor.
Silence.
Total silence.
Then—
"WHAT?!"
"He beat an advanced golem!"
"In under a minute?!"
"S-rank Kale didn't even fight his yet!"
Students pressed their faces to the glass.
Even instructors struggled to hide their surprise.
Aren lowered his hand, breathing steady.
Not tired.
Not strained.
Almost… comfortable.
He could feel the void responding to him.
The countdown ended.
Time Survived: 60 seconds
Target Eliminated
Aren stepped out the arena.
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The Crowd's Reaction
Students parted like water as Aren walked past.
Whispers chased behind him like shadows.
"He defeated an advanced golem…"
"No way Unique is weak."
"Is his profession actually higher than SSS?"
"It can't be! Nothing is higher than SSS!"
Others looked frightened.
"That arrow blinked through space…"
"I thought space magic didn't exist."
"Is he human?"
Kale clenched his fists near Arena One, unable to hide his irritation.
"He just… got lucky," Kale muttered. "Unique rank is still trash. He can't beat me."
But there was doubt in his voice.
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Kane's Judgment
Kane approached quietly.
His shadow fell across Aren.
"That was impressive," Kane said with a rare, approving tone. "Your spatial distortion didn't fade. Instead, it strengthened."
Aren looked up, curious. "Is that… dangerous?"
"For others? Yes," Kane said. "For you? It depends on how fast you can learn."
He paused.
"Meet me after the trials. I want to test something."
Aren nodded.
Kane walked away, but his mind buzzed.
A Unique profession with evolving space manipulation…
And that pressure earlier…
This boy is not simple.
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Deep Underground…
Stone cracked.
Chains groaned.
The sealed dragon opened its massive violet eye again.
The awakened energy…
The spatial ripples…
The scent of void…
"He grows fast."
The dragon grinned within the darkness.
"This small world might finally become interesting."