A suffocating silence blanketed the Chamber of Awakening.
The violent thudding beneath the stone floor ceased as the black mist within the crystal pillar dispersed. Above the pedestal, the glowing runes spun frantically before freezing on a single, impossible string of text:
[ INDIVIDUAL EVALUATION: ASH KURAMI ]
Aura Density: 0
Attribute: NONE
"Wait... what?" Kaname was the first to break the stillness, his arrogant composure cracking as he pointed at the crystal. "Is my mind playing tricks on me, or does that display actually say zero?!"
"Zero?!" Sera gasped, pulling her hands back as frost flickered at her fingertips. "How is that even possible?"
Along the perimeter of the hall, the royal commanders, mages, and nobles stood rigid. The senior examiner overseeing the pillar backed away in terror, his voice squeaking as he bowed toward the dais. "M-My King! The boy's core is entirely empty! There isn't a single droplet of aura within his soul!"
Cold sweat slicked my forehead. "Zero...?" I whispered, my voice cracking under the sudden weight of hundreds of staring eyes. "What does that mean? Does it mean I'm useless? That I can't use magic or stand here as a hero?!"
The chamber erupted into a swarm of venomous whispers.
"A zero-density summon...?"
"Lower than a peasant..."
"He's defective!"
"SILENCE IN THE HALL!"
King Zelderis rose from his obsidian throne, his crimson cape flaring like a battle flag. His eyes locked onto me with absolute coldness.
"Ash Kurami," the King's voice boomed across the stone walls. "In Sumania, aura is the fundamental life force that fortifies the body, fuels magic, and allows a warrior to endure. To have nothing in your core means you are merely a fragile mortal. Step onto a battlefield, and the atmospheric pressure alone will crush you."
Anger—the same raw, bitter rage that had burned in me back in the slums when my parents abandoned me—surged through my veins.
"Wait, what?!" I shouted back, clenching my fists so hard my knuckles turned white. "Are you telling me I just don't have it yet, or is there no aura in me at all?! Give me an actual explanation, King Zelderis!"
"A zero-aura vessel is unheard of," Zelderis replied smoothly, unbothered by my outburst. "Every living creature in this world—from a high noble to a blade of grass—possesses a spectrum of aura. Yet you possess none. You are an absolute anomaly."
Beside me, the other summoned teens remained frozen in shock. Only Yui Amagi and Ren Itsuki kept their eyes fixed on me, calculating the variables without emotion.
Keita Ishizaki stepped forward, placing a hand over his chest as he bowed slightly to the throne. "Your Majesty, if Ash possesses no aura, he cannot fight or survive in this realm. What is his fate? Are you able to send him back to Earth?"
"There is no spell in existence that can reverse a summoning," Zelderis answered bluntly. "Aura does not merely power weapons—it sharpens human intuition and fortifies physical flesh. Without it, this boy cannot survive our dungeons. He will either perish, or live out his days as a helpless beggar in our streets."
Beggar. Defective. Trash.
The words snapped the last thread of my restraint. I had spent seventeen years on Earth fighting for scraps, starving in a slum while my mother moved on and my father gambled away my future. I hadn't been dragged to another world just to be thrown in the trash again.
"What do you mean you can't send me back?!" I roared, taking a violent step toward the throne. "Is this a game to you?! Am I just some toy you can summon and throw away when I don't fit your standards?!"
My defiance was a direct insult to the crown—and the imperial guards reacted instantly.
SCHWING.
Before I could take another breath, a razor-sharp gust of wind sliced past my collarbone. A blur of golden hair flashed in front of my vision, and a freezing steel blade was pressed directly against my throat.
"Know your place, outsider," the golden-haired knight whispered, his eyes gleaming like polished steel. "One more step, and your head rolls."
"Gideon Vance! Stand down!"
A sharp voice boomed down from the high balcony above the hall. Hearing the command, the knight instantly withdrew his blade and bowed toward the upper floor. "Forgive me, Star Elder. He threatened the sovereign; I merely executed protocol."
From the balcony, a figure leaped into the air, descending silently onto the cold stone floor directly between me and the throne. The moment his boots touched the ground, an invisible, crushing weight settled over the entire room.
Kaname swallowed hard, his face pale. 'What is this pressure...? I can feel it crushing my chest...'
'He's terrifying...' Hirata whimpered, ducking behind Sera.
Ren's hawk-like eyes narrowed as he studied the old man's posture. 'Out of everyone in this kingdom... he is the strongest.'
"Star Elder, my greetings," King Zelderis said, inclining his head from the dais.
"Lord Zelderis," the Star Elder replied, his deep voice echoing off the pillars. "Return to your seat. I shall handle this matter."
The King sat back down immediately. "Do you have an answer regarding the boy's condition, Elder? To exist without a core is a strange miracle, if not a curse."
"I have no answers," the Elder stated calmly, staring straight into my eyes. "Aura is bound to the soul at birth. It can be forged and condensed through battle, but it cannot be cultivated if the core itself is an empty vessel."
A fresh wave of shock rippled through the mages. Even Sumania's supreme authority had no cure for my zero-aura status.
"Ash Kurami," Zelderis spoke mockingly from his throne. "Without aura, you are weaker than a common peasant. What do you intend to do about your survival?"
The weight of the whole kingdom was staring down at me, waiting for me to break. I looked into the Star Elder's piercing eyes, remembering the bookstore, the dark streets, and the sheer grit that had kept me alive on Earth.
I took a deep breath and looked the Elder dead in the eye.
"I can't go back, and I can't fight with magic," I said, my voice hardening. "But I refuse to die. I'll train. I'll break my body to become stronger no matter what it takes. I will survive here, Mr. Elder."
Scoffs broke out among the nobles, and Kaname shook his head in disgust. "Look at the sewer rat holding onto useless hope."
"It's mathematically illogical," Yui added coldly. "In this world, aura acts like oxygen and muscle density combined. Without it, physical conditioning hits a hard ceiling."
The Star Elder stepped closer, his shadow falling over me. "You believe physical training can bridge the gap without aura? How naive. Aura is the absolute foundation of strength in Sumania. Do not blind yourself with hollow fantasies."
"I don't care about your absolute foundation!" I spat back, clenching my jaw. "I just refuse to die!"
The hall went dead quiet. King Zelderis leaned forward on his obsidian throne, resting his chin on his gloved hand. "Star Elder, our time is short and the dungeons grow restless. What shall we do with this boy?"
The Elder stood motionless for a long moment, evaluating the raw, stubborn fire in my eyes.
"Ash Kurami," the Elder finally spoke. "Your determination to survive is unusual. I do not know what kind of hell forged your spirit on Earth, but in Sumania, raw survival is not enough. If you stay alive, you must fight."
He turned slightly toward the throne before looking back down at me.
"I shall make you an offer," the Star Elder declared. "I will take responsibility for your training myself. Will you accept?"
Gasps echoed through the chamber. King Zelderis himself straightened up, his eyes widening. "Star Elder! Are you certain?! A warrior of your caliber shouldn't waste his time on an empty vessel!"
"Do not attempt to direct my time, King Zelderis," the Elder replied calmly. The King immediately shut his mouth.
The Star Elder looked down at me, waiting. "Now, Ash Kurami... state your answer."