The words "Spatial affinity" rippled through the classroom like a dropped stone in water. John's booming declaration was enough to turn every head. Conversations stopped mid-sentence, and a heavy hush fell for a heartbeat before the whispers began.
"Did he say spatial…?"
"No way… that's impossible."
"I only heard of one spatial affinity and that is from a legendary figure."
"Or he's just bluffing and bought Blink at the System shop."
Some students' eyes shone with awe, others with envy. A few smirked, already dismissing Ysaac as another dreamer bragging too loud before the assessment.
A boy near the back leaned against his desk, arms crossed, his expression carved with disdain. Adrel, the top student of their class—tall, sharp-featured, with the kind of self-assured smirk that dared anyone to challenge him. His Seed of Power had awakened a month earlier, gaining an A class appraisal, and he never let anyone forget it.
"Tch. Spatial affinity, huh?" Adrel voice cut across the murmurs, calm but edged with mockery. "Yet you ability can be bought by every awakend in the System Shop? Sounds like a glorified parlor trick to me."
The class chuckled uneasily.
Ysaac's face flushed. He opened his mouth to retort, but John was faster.
"Parlor trick?" John thundered, stepping forward like a wall of muscle. "You jealous, Adrel? Last I checked, your flashy flame arrows couldn't even singe my shirt."
The students erupted in laughter, some choking on their attempts to stay quiet.
Adrel's smirk didn't falter, but his eyes narrowed. "Enjoy the attention while you can, Van Risk. At the appraisal, the truth will burn away all these silly rumors." He leaned back, looking utterly unconcerned.
John turned back to Ysaac, clapping him on the back so hard it nearly knocked the wind from him. "Ignore him. You'll see, bro. Once you get that S-rank, people like him will eat their words."
Ysaac forced a grin, but inside his chest something twisted tight. S-rank… huh? The word sounded glorious when John shouted it, but now, with half the class staring at him with envy and skepticism, it felt like a weight pressing down on his shoulders.
What if Adrel was right? What if his Blink was nothing more than a weaker version of a common skill?
Still, Ysaac lifted his chin. "Guess we'll find out at the appraisal," he said, louder than he felt.
The classroom buzzed again, half in anticipation, half in doubt. And in that moment, Ysaac realized something: his life was no longer just about his own dreams. Expectations—both hopeful and hostile—were now watching his every move.
"Okay, to your seats," their teacher, Mr. Norris, called out, his voice sharp but calm as he began the lesson.
Ysaac barely heard him. His mind was drifting, thoughts heavy as lead.
"Hey, bro," John leaned over, grinning like he'd just uncovered a secret. "I heard your girl from Class A awakened over the weekend too. She's going for appraisal today too."
Ysaac groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Man, don't add to the pressure. You already put me in front of everybody. Now this?"
John chuckled, unbothered, while Ysaac sank deeper into his seat. The rest of the class blurred by, each second dragging. The weight of expectation gnawed at his chest until, without realizing it, his hand drifted up to clutch the small ring that hung from a chain around his neck.
That ring—the only memento left by the man whose shadow he lived in.
This is it. Everything comes down to today.
When the lunch break bell rang, it felt like a drumbeat in his chest.
---
The testing hall was alive with noise. Nearly eighty percent of the school had crammed inside, buzzing with anticipation. Students lined the walls, filled the seats, even perched on the stairs—most of them with their eyes fixed not on Ysaac, but on her.
Mina Son.
The belle of Class A, the school's untouchable star, and the only daughter of Son Wutang, Guild Leader of EverNight—the second-class guild that ruled the entire Q-Zone.
Ysaac stood beside her and another student, Fred Weally, a red-haired boy with a restless grin. Compared to Mina's calm, noble aura, Ysaac felt like he was melting into the floor.
At the center of the hall stood the testing stone, a crystal taller than a man, its surface humming faintly with suppressed power. It was not man-made. It was a relic, taken from the villages of the Gaean Realm itself. Its layers shone in seven steps, each representing the classification of a Seed of Power.
At the base of the platform stood Mr. Jun Lee, an official from the Unified World Government, his posture crisp, his voice carrying authority. "Fred Weally," he called. "Step forward and present your Seed of Power."
Fred's grin widened as he strutted up to the stone. "My Seed of Power is Wizard of the Order of the Gryffin. My foundational skill—Trickster."
Whispers spread through the crowd. "Wizard? That sounds amazing." "Gryffin… does that mean summoning magic?" "Trickster? That sounds shady…"
Fred placed his hand on the crystal. At once, light coursed upward from the base, layer by layer. First, second, third… climbing steadily until it stopped at the fifth.
"B-class!" Jun Lee declared.
The crowd buzzed in approval. "A B-class now he is going places" "That's incredible!" "He'll definitely make it into a real guild."
Fred pumped a fist, grinning ear to ear as he stepped back.
Jun Lee's eyes moved to the girl beside him. "Next—Mina Son."
The room instantly hushed. Even breathing seemed to pause.
Mina walked forward with graceful confidence, her dark hair swaying behind her. She bowed slightly to the official, her voice clear. "My Seed of Power is Holy Maiden. My foundational skill is Holy Blessing."
Gasps broke out. Even before the test, the name alone carried weight. "Holy Maiden? That's legendary!" "It sounds divine…" "No way… could she…?"
Mina placed her hand upon the stone.
For a heartbeat, silence. Then—
The testing stone erupted. A brilliant ray of light shot upward, so blinding that students shielded their eyes. Layer after layer ignited in less than a second until it reached the very top, and still the light poured forth like a beacon reaching the heavens.
Jun Lee's voice cracked, his composure breaking under sheer disbelief. "S… S-S-S CLASS!!!" he roared.
The crowd exploded. Cheers, screams, and gasps all at once shook the hall. Some students cried out in shock, others clutched their heads as if they couldn't believe what they were seeing.
"An S-class! Here, in our school?!"
"She's… she's the daughter of EverNight's leader—it makes sense!"
"No, that's impossible. There's only one in a million chance…!"
Mina stood in the center of it all, bathed in divine radiance, her calm expression never faltering. She looked like a goddess descended among mortals.
Ysaac swallowed hard, his throat dry. His heart pounded against his ribs.
And next… it was his turn.