Chapter — Sparks, Smoke, and Silent Cracks
The results were posted at dawn.
Which meant half the academy was already screaming by sunrise.
Extra Exam Results — Blacksmithing & Alchemy
Lucien stood in front of the notice board with Elarion and Seraphine flanking him like spectators at a gladiator match.
Bron had warned him.
"If you pass, it'll be barely."
Seraphine had smirked.
"If you fail, I'll say I taught you wrong on purpose."
Lucien scanned the list.
Then blinked.
Then read again.
Lucien Valerius — PASS (Both Subjects)
Evaluation: Unorthodox methods. Abnormal learning speed. Dangerous curiosity.
Lucien pumped a fist.
"Yes!"
Elarion stared at the board.
"…You passed. BOTH."
Lucien nodded proudly.
"Never underestimate side skills."
Seraphine leaned closer, whispering near his ear.
"You know," she said softly, "alchemy professors don't like students who think."
Lucien smirked.
"Good thing I don't follow rules."
Her lips twitched.
🔨 Bron's "Gift"
Later that day, Bron stopped Lucien outside the workshop.
He tossed something wrapped in cloth.
"Don't open it here."
Lucien frowned.
"…Why?"
Bron leaned down, eyes sharp.
"Because if other humans see it, they'll ask questions."
That alone made Lucien's heart beat faster.
That night, in his dorm—
Lucien unwrapped it.
A fragmented blueprint, ancient and incomplete.
Runes etched faintly along the edge.
— Adaptive Weapon Core: Prototype
— Requires non-standard mana circulation
— Compatible with hybrid affinities
Lucien swallowed.
This… this wasn't supposed to appear until much later.
In the novel.
For Kael.
Lucien folded it carefully.
"I really am changing things."
Somewhere deep inside, his system pulsed—but remained silent.
Watching.
🧪 Alchemy Accident (That Wasn't an Accident)
Seraphine's lab session the next day went… wrong.
Very wrong.
Lucien was refining a stabilizing agent when a blue flame suddenly ignited inside the vial.
Not explosive.
Not hot.
Cold.
So cold the glass frosted instantly.
The flame twisted unnaturally, refusing to go out.
Seraphine's eyes widened.
"…That's not normal alchemical fire."
Lucien stared at it.
Neither was he panicking.
His mana reacted instinctively—
adjusting flow, reducing turbulence.
The flame condensed.
Then vanished.
Leaving behind a crystal droplet.
Seraphine picked it up slowly.
"…You just created an alchemical catalyst that shouldn't exist at F-rank."
Lucien scratched his cheek.
"Beginner's luck?"
She looked at him for a long moment.
Then smiled faintly.
"You're lying."
He grinned.
"Probably."
⚔️ Kael — POV
Kael stood alone in the training yard.
Sweat soaked his shirt.
His hands trembled around the sword.
Lucien's movements replayed in his mind.
The calm.
The efficiency.
The way power responded to him naturally.
Why him?
Kael swung.
Too fast.
Too aggressive.
His bloodline reacted violently—heat surged through his veins, crimson patterns crawling up his arms.
Pain sharpened his focus.
But also his anger.
"I won't fall behind," Kael growled.
He trained until his vision blurred.
Until his bloodline screamed.
Until his body begged him to stop.
But he didn't.
Because in the novel—
This was the point where he was supposed to rise.
And now?
Lucien stood where fate once placed him.
Kael tightened his grip.
"I'll surpass you."
🌙 A Quiet Shift
That night, Lucien sat by the academy window.
Moonlight spilled across his desk.
Blueprint hidden.
Crystal catalyst locked away.
He exhaled slowly.
Things are accelerating.
Not just power.
People.
Kael's gaze had changed.
Seraphine watched him more closely now.
Even Elarion asked fewer jokes—and more questions.
Lucien smiled faintly.
"This is fine."
But deep down, a strange certainty settled in his chest.
The story wasn't just changing.
It was watching him back.