The night after the assessment, Eryon did not sleep.
He sat upright on the narrow dormitory bed assigned to the lowest-ranked students, staring at the faint blue text hovering in front of his eyes.
It did not flicker.
It did not fade.
It was real.
[Evolution System] Status: Active Condition Trigger: — Repeated Spell Failure — Structural Instability Confirmed
Eryon raised his hand slowly.
Mana responded.
But something was different.
Before, his mana had always felt slippery, refusing to settle into stable patterns. Now, it felt sharper—compressed, almost restrained, as if forced into a narrower path.
He attempted the simplest construct again.
A basic mana sphere.
The energy gathered.
The familiar tremor followed.
Then—
The spell collapsed.
Pain surged through his channels, sharper than before. Eryon sucked in a breath, fingers digging into his palm.
And the system responded instantly.
[Failed Spell Detected] [Initiating Forced Adaptation] Analyzing instability... — Mana dispersion rate: Excessive — Structural cohesion: Insufficient Generating mutation path...
The pain vanished.
In its place came a cold, invasive sensation, as if something was rewriting him from the inside.
[Adaptation Complete] Result: — Spell Structure Simplified — Mana Flow Constrained — Efficiency Increased Warning: Current spell form deviates from standard academy models.
Eryon exhaled slowly.
He tried again.
Mana gathered.
This time, the sphere formed—uneven, darker than normal, its surface rippling like disturbed water.
But it held.
For three seconds.
Then it dissipated.
Eryon stared at his hand.
It had never held for even one.
A sharp knock echoed through the corridor.
"All first-year students," a voice announced, amplified by magic."Mandatory field assessment. Assemble at the outer gates in ten minutes."
Field assessment.
Eryon's eyes narrowed.
This was fast.
Too fast.
The academy's outer grounds lay beyond the main walls, where controlled danger replaced theory. A rift zone—artificially stabilized—had been opened for low-level testing.
Instructors stood in rows. Ranking crystals hovered nearby.
"Pairs will be assigned based on current rankings," an examiner announced."Objective: eliminate a Class-E Rift Creature. Evaluation based on survival and contribution."
A murmur spread through the students.
Eryon's name appeared on the assignment list.
Paired with: Unit F-7.
Translation—expendable group.
His teammates glanced at him with thinly veiled irritation.
"Great," one muttered. "Dead weight."
The rift shimmered, and the creature emerged.
A warped, hound-like entity, its flesh mottled and unstable, claws scraping against stone. Its presence distorted the air.
"Engage," the instructor ordered.
The group rushed forward.
Eryon moved last.
The creature lunged.
A fire spell struck its flank. Another student formed a barrier.
Eryon raised his hand.
Mana gathered.
Collapsed.
Pain flared.
And—
[Failed Combat Spell Detected] [High-Risk Environment Confirmed] Evolution Priority Increased.
The system flooded his senses.
[Mutation Path Generated] — Adapt spell for instability tolerance — Accept structural corruption: YES / NO
Structural corruption.
Eryon didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
The pain this time was different—deeper, burning, as if his mana channels were being scorched and reforged.
[Adaptation Complete] New Spell Trait: — Self-Stabilizing Core — Reduced Output — Increased Persistence
The hound broke through the barrier, sending one student crashing into the ground.
"Fall back!" someone shouted.
Eryon stepped forward.
Mana surged.
The spell formed—not as a sphere, but as a compressed shard, dark and vibrating violently.
He released it.
The shard pierced the creature's skull and detonated internally.
The hound collapsed mid-lunge, dissolving into unstable fragments.
Silence followed.
The surviving students stared.
"That was… you?" one asked slowly.
Eryon said nothing.
The ranking crystal flickered.
[Contribution Recorded] Minimal Output. Critical Hit.
An instructor frowned.
Another leaned closer. "That spell structure—did you see it?"
The head examiner's gaze lingered on Eryon longer than necessary.
"Assessment complete," he announced. "Return."
As the group dispersed, Eryon felt the aftershock hit.
His mana channels burned.
His vision blurred.
[Warning] Anomaly Level Increased. Repeated deviation from standard magic detected.
He steadied himself against the stone wall.
For the first time, his failure had killed something.
That night, as Eryon lay back on the narrow bed, the system displayed one final line.
[Conclusion] Weakness confirmed. However— Current growth rate exceeds academy projections. Subject classification pending.
Outside his door, unseen footsteps paused.
Then moved on.
Eryon closed his eyes.
He was still ranked last.
Still ignored.
Still expendable.
But now, when his spells failed—
They learned.
And the Arcane Academy had no system in place to stop that.