In a world ruled by magic and supernatural powers, a person's strength determines their place in society—from the weakest to the highest… all the way to the absolute SSS-Rank, the symbol of ultimate power that everyone dreams of.
The Grand Academy, where every student is tested from a young age, reveals one's inner magical potential before the Sacred Crystal, deciding who is strong and who is… just trash. In this world, one wrong step could mean failure, and a single moment of hesitation could change the course of an entire life.
"Arthur Pendelton. Step up to the Awakening Altar."
The headmaster's voice echoed across the vast hall—cold, emotionless, final.
The noise died instantly.
Thousands of students held their breath.
Arthur stepped forward.
Each step felt heavier than the last, not because of fear… but because of expectation. This was it. The single moment that would decide everything.
Eighteen years of nothing.
Or the beginning of something.
He could feel their eyes on him—curiosity, indifference, mockery. To them, he was just another nobody. An orphan from the slums who had somehow made it into the Academy.
Arthur ignored them.
He had learned long ago that expectations only made the fall hurt more.
The Awakening Crystal loomed before him—massive, radiant, pulsing with ancient power.
He placed his hand on it.
Buzz—
The light changed.
Not gold.
Not red.
Not anything glorious.
A dim, sickly gray spread across the crystal like rot.
Even the air seemed to grow colder.
A translucent screen appeared above him.
[Name: Arthur Pendelton]
[Class Awakened: Necromancer (F-Rank Potential)]
Silence.
Then—
Laughter exploded.
"A Necromancer? You've got to be kidding me!"
"F-Rank trash!"
"He'll collapse after summoning one skeleton!"
"Even a cook is more useful!"
Arthur said nothing.
But his fingers tightened slightly.
Just for a moment.
At the front of the crowd, Oliver—the heir of the Silver-Blood Guild—stepped forward with a smirk. His golden badge gleamed under the light, his presence almost overwhelming.
"Trash will always be trash," Oliver said lazily, his A-Rank [Holy Knight] aura pressing down on the space around him. "Don't even think about applying to my guild."
A pause.
Then, with a faint sneer:
"We don't collect garbage."
For a split second—
Arthur felt it.
That familiar pressure in his chest. The urge to react. To say something. To prove something.
He let it pass.
Slowly… completely.
Then he removed his hand from the crystal and turned away.
No anger.
No excuses.
No acknowledgment.
He walked past Oliver as if he didn't exist.
The smirk on Oliver's face froze.
A vein pulsed on his temple.
But Arthur was already gone.
The noise of the hall faded behind him as he stepped into the quiet corridors of the academy.
His footsteps echoed softly.
His expression remained calm.
But inside—
His heart was pounding.
Not from humiliation.
From anticipation.
Because there was something the others didn't hear.
A second voice.
A voice that whispered directly into his mind.
[Ding!]
[Anomaly detected in host's soul.]
[Hidden SSS-Rank Talent awakened: Absolute Synthesis]
Arthur stopped walking.
Slowly, he opened his private status panel.
[Name]: Arthur Pendelton
[Level]: 1
[Class]: Necromancer
[Mana]: 20/20
[Skills]:
— Summon Skeleton (Lv.1)
[Talent]:
— Absolute Synthesis (SSS-Rank)
His eyes locked onto the description.
Fuse.
Evolve.
No mana cost.
A long silence.
Then—
Arthur exhaled slowly.
"…I see."
A faint smile appeared.
For the first time today.
He didn't waste another second.
By the time the academy behind him turned into a distant silhouette, Arthur was already heading toward the Beginner's Graveyard.
A place meant for weak students.
For practice.
For failure.
Perfect.
The graveyard was silent.
Cold mist drifted between crooked tombstones. The ground was damp, uneven, filled with death long forgotten.
Arthur stepped behind a broken grave marker and raised his hand.
"Arise."
Two magic circles flared to life.
[Mana: -10]
[Mana: -10]
The soil shifted.
Cracked bones clawed their way out.
Two skeletons emerged—fragile, incomplete, barely standing. Their limbs trembled, their forms unstable.
Weak.
Pathetic.
Arthur watched them quietly.
Then spoke.
"Use Absolute Synthesis."
[Ding!]
[Target confirmed.]
[Commencing Synthesis...]
Dark purple light erupted.
It wrapped around the skeletons, compressing them, crushing them together.
Bones cracked.
Shifted.
Reformed.
The air trembled.
Then—
Silence.
The light shattered.
Something stood there.
Not two skeletons.
One.
Tall.
Massive.
Its bones were pitch-black, dense like forged steel. A heavy bone blade rested in its hand, and blue flames burned deep within its hollow eyes.
[Synthesis Successful!]
[You have created: Level 5 — Elite Iron-Bone Knight]
The creature dropped to one knee.
The ground trembled.
Arthur stared at it.
For a brief moment… even he was surprised.
Then his expression returned to calm.
"…Good."
But before he could move—
The ground shook.
Violently.
Cracks spread across the earth.
A guttural roar tore through the mist.
Something massive burst from below.
A towering Ghoul—over three meters tall—its body twisted, its claws massive, its eyes locked directly onto Arthur.
The air turned heavy.
Dangerous.
The Elite Knight shifted slightly.
Waiting.
Arthur didn't move.
Didn't step back.
Didn't hesitate.
He simply raised his hand…
And pointed.
"Kill it."