The spacious office was imposing, its walls lined with ancient books and paintings depicting legendary battles.
A middle-aged man sat behind a massive desk of black wood, his sharp eyes fixed on the young man standing before him.
The headmaster smiled and spoke in a deep voice:
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Arin. I am the headmaster of Valorin Academy of Magic and Combat. Sit down—there's something I wish to discuss with you."
Arin took the seat opposite him, the headmaster's gaze never leaving him.
Then came the direct question:
"Tell me… how did you enter the academy without possessing a single drop of magic power?"
A faint smile crossed Arin's lips as he replied confidently:
"Actually, I do have magic power… and it's at the mid-rank level."
The headmaster's eyes widened in shock.
"Impossible… You were the only student in this academy with no magic power upon admission. All the tests proved it!"
"If you don't believe me, you can test me yourself," Arin said firmly.
The headmaster gestured to his deputy.
"Take him to the testing hall."
---
[Testing Hall]
The hall was vast, and at its center stood a massive training dummy made of steel. On its torso was a magic screen for measuring energy levels.
The deputy approached Arin and said:
"All you have to do is strike the dummy's head. The screen will display the strength of your energy."
Arin walked forward with steady steps.
He took a deep breath, gathered all his power into his fist, and struck the dummy's head with tremendous force.
Thud!
The entire hall shook, and the numbers lit up on the screen: 400.
The deputy's eyes flew wide.
"F–Four hundred?! That's impossible! I've seen you since you first entered the academy—there was never any magic power in you! How…?"
Arin smiled calmly.
"That doesn't matter now. Just inform the headmaster that I am mid-rank."
---
[Headmaster's Office]
The deputy stood before the headmaster and reported:
"The result… four hundred."
The headmaster's lips curved into a satisfied smile.
"I knew it was impossible for anyone to survive this academy's training without magic power. Update his records immediately—mark him as mid-rank."
---
[Student Dormitory]
Arin sat in his room, staring blankly into the distance.
The system always saves me… but isn't this cheating?
A system window appeared before him:
[The system has lost 1 Life Point out of 20 due to assisting the Heir]
[If Life Points reach zero, the system will disappear]
Arin clenched his fists.
Just as I thought… there's no help without a price.
Another window appeared:
[You must find a Legendary Sword to restore the lost Life Point]
"A Legendary Sword… Those are extremely rare in this world. How am I supposed to find one?"
Before he could think further, another message popped up:
[Daily reward activated after the Heir reached mid-rank]
[First reward: Skill – Consecutive Strikes]
Arin's brows shot up in surprise.
"This… this skill saved my life in the gate against the Silver Wolf… I'm lucky today!"
---
[The Next Morning]
As Arin woke up, another window appeared:
[Daily Reward: Power Enhancement – Duration: 1 minute]
Arin grinned.
"Perfect…"
He stepped out into the academy courtyard and noticed a crowd of students gathered around something.
Pushing through the crowd, he saw a burly student beating up a weaker one.
The bully sneered:
"Get up, weakling, and face me!"
Arin's expression froze. He immediately recalled his past… the days when Darin Falcon had bullied him without mercy.
He walked forward steadily.
"What are you doing?"
The bully turned with disdain.
"And who are you to interrupt me?"
"I'm someone who isn't afraid of you."
The bully laughed mockingly.
"Do you know who I am?! I'm from the Valen Family, one of the strongest families in this city!"
Arin smirked.
"Looks like you're more arrogant than I thought."
The bully lunged at him with a powerful punch—
but Arin didn't move. He simply raised his hand and slapped him.
The slap sent the bully flying two meters before he crashed to the ground.
Gasps erupted from the crowd.
"How…? He defeated him without even trying!"
The weak student approached Arin timidly.
"Thank you for saving me… My name's Linas."
"Nice to meet you, Linas. I'm Arin," Arin replied, shaking his hand.
---
[Academy Hospital]
The bully sat on his bed, his face swollen, while a massive man with an intimidating aura stood beside him.
"Uncle, you have to get revenge on that brat named Arin," the bully complained.
The man frowned.
"No one dares to insult the Valen Family… I'll take care of it."
---
[In Class]
Arin felt a strange sensation, a sense that this day would be far from ordinary.
But he whispered to himself:
It doesn't matter… what matters is getting stronger to protect my mother. As for my father… I don't believe he died the way they claim.
When class ended, he accidentally bumped into a girl with black hair and blue eyes.
"Sorry."
"It's fine."
He smiled faintly as he walked away. It's rare to meet someone polite around here…
---
[That Evening]
The system appeared again:
[New Mission: Clear a mid-rank gate]
[Gate access granted]
[Find any cave and touch the wall to open the gate]
Arin smiled.
"The forest is full of caves… I'll choose one far from the academy so no one interferes."
He lifted his gaze to the moon outside his window, his eyes burning with determination.
"It's time to grow stronger."
— To be continued —