The announcement came at dawn.
"All first-year students ranked in the bottom 20% must report to Arena Sector C for a mandatory combat evaluation."
Max frowned when he read the notice pinned outside his dorm. He wasn't surprised—he hadn't attended any classes in two days, and his grades were average at best. But something about the timing felt off.
Too precise.
Too convenient.
Still, if he refused, they'd investigate further.
So he went.
Arena Sector C was built underground, deep beneath the academy. It resembled a small coliseum, its walls made of reinforced stone laced with mana-absorbing runes. Several instructors stood on the observation platform above, among them: Julius Frost.
Max locked eyes with him for just a second.
The frost elder's expression didn't shift—but Max felt it. Pressure. Cold. Scrutiny.
He knew. Max was sure of it now.
But if Julius was going to test him… then Max would play along.
And win.
Ten students were lined up inside the arena, all of them low-ranked and nervous. A young instructor walked forward, reading from a clipboard.
"Today's trial will be a solo survival test. You will each face a Tier-3 mana beast. Survive for five minutes, or defeat the creature."
Gasps echoed. A Tier-3 beast? For students who barely had stable mana?
Max narrowed his eyes. This wasn't training.
It was weeding.
One by one, students were called in. Screams. Defeats. Some fled. A few were carried out on stretchers.
Then—
"Max Ardent."
He stepped forward, heart steady.
The gates slid open.
And a massive, four-eyed sabertooth beast padded into the arena, its body coated in mana-infused bone plates. Its tail lashed the ground, leaving scorch marks.
The announcer's voice rang out: "Trial… begin!"
Max didn't hesitate.
He spun into motion, wind boosting his dash to the side. The beast lunged, but he leapt over it, drawing fire into his palms.
This time, he didn't aim separately.
He fused them.
"Inferno Stream!"
A spiral of blazing fire roared from his hand, striking the beast's side and blasting it into the wall. It screeched but rose again, fury glowing in its eyes.
The crowd gasped. Even Julius's eyes widened slightly.
"Elemental fusion…?" Lena whispered beside him.
Max wasn't done.
The sabertooth charged again—but this time, Max raised an earth barrier to slow it, then coated his fist in lightning and jumped off the barrier—
CRACK!
The impact shattered the beast's jaw. It collapsed, stunned.
Max landed on his feet, panting.
The system blinked.
[EXP +310]
[Skill: Lightning Fist – Lv.1 Unlocked]
[Level Up: 8 → 9]
Above, murmurs spread among the instructors.
Julius's eyes narrowed. "He shouldn't have those affinities. His orb showed nothing."
Lena looked troubled. "This isn't awakening. This is something else."
Julius didn't answer.
He simply turned and left the arena with a single command:
"Prepare a full surveillance team. From now on, Max Ardent is a Class-A observation subject."
As Max walked out of the arena, victorious and shaking with adrenaline, he knew something had changed.
They weren't ignoring him anymore.
They were watching.
And soon... they'd act.