"Im… impossible…"
Natee muttered, eyes wide, his expression frozen between disbelief and shock.
Having someone you consider inferior display superior ability does more than just cause surprise—it evokes a certain feeling that is difficult to put into words.
It is a negative sensation far worse than being insulted or looked down upon by those of higher status. Natee was not the only one who felt that way; the majority of students from Asashi Academy shared the same sentiment.
Not a few of them lacked sufficient reason and patience, choosing instead to deal with these emotions in a way many people often do: by making excuses to deceive themselves.
"That bastard definitely cheated!
There's no way someone who didn't even study at Asashi Academy could use a skill like that!"
"Exactly! A spell of that level without artifacts? Even high-rank Mage-class Players struggle with that! He had to use something!" baseless accusations—yet they spread like wildfire.
In a crowd filled with the same bias, their echo chamber bloomed.Self-delusion quickly hardened into something they believed even more than the truth.
"Let's search him!
Don't let some cheater disgrace the reputation of all Players!"
Asashi students surged toward Nawa, intending to take matters into their own hands.
The remaining staff rushed to intervene, but they were too few in number—and too intimidated by the status of these students, who were largely children of the nation's powerful families—to push back effectively.
A small group slipped past the staff and neared Nawa——only to freeze in place.
A glowing fireball hovered before Nawa's face, radiating heat no weaker than the one he used earlier.
"You piece of trash!You dare use force against us—students of Asashi Academy!? You must have a death wish!"
Yet none of them stepped forward.They only circled warily.Without artifacts, they were essentially defenseless.If they were hit by that fireball, even if they didn't die outright, shattered limbs or crippling burns were guaranteed.
Unable to approach, they resorted to attacking him verbally instead.
"See!? That proves it!There's no way he can cast two fireballs without an artifact! No way he has that much mana!"
Nawa's gaze hardened.
"Normally, I wouldn't care about worthless insults," he said calmly.
"Mockery, arrogance—I can ignore those.
But slandering me without shame… and even attempting to harm me for no reason…
I won't be polite anymore."
He released killing intent—pure, oppressive, suffocating.
Many Asashi students nearly collapsed.The murderous aura rolling off him felt like a demon's presence—an entity capable of ending their lives in an instant.
"Impossible…
How can he emit killing intent of this level…?"
Even the examiner felt her breath catch.The pressure Nawa exuded was more terrifying than the high-level monsters she had encountered in the One-Ness.How could mere students—who had never stepped foot inside—possibly withstand it?
Among the hundreds of academy students, only Natee and his three companions managed to keep their composure.
Natee stepped forward.
"He's moving! Natee's going to deal with him!"
"Hah! That stupid trick won't work on one of the Four Heavenly Kings!
He should kneel and beg for forgiveness while he still can!"
Seeing Natee step up emboldened the crowd.
A few began shouting again, insisting on punishing Nawa.
"Silence."
Natee's voice cracked like a whip. His eyes were sharp and cold.
"Have you all lost your minds?Attacking someone who's not even a Player yet—are you insane?This is one of the academy's forbidden acts. Anyone who tarnishes Asashi Academy's name…"
His killing intent surged.
"…I, Natee, will show no mercy.
No matter who they are."
Instantly, the hall fell silent.
None dared to speak—not because Natee was the strongest second-year student, but because he was the son of the CEO of PPTP, the largest energy conglomerate in the country.
In terms of wealth alone, his family ranked among the nation's top five.And his three companions were also heirs of powerful households.No ordinary student would dare oppose them.
"We understand.We were wrong."
One student spoke up. Soon, the rest retreated to their places.
Seeing them withdraw, Nawa flicked his wrist and the fireball dissipated.
He glanced at Natee with genuine appreciation—but Natee did not look back.
Instead, he approached the examiner, bowed slightly, and spoke with courtesy:
"I apologize for everything that happened.I'll personally compensate for any damages.
All I request from the association… is that you uphold your standards."
He cast Nawa a sidelong glance.
The examiner nodded, fully understanding his implication, and replied sternly:
"Of course.The One-Ness Association follows a single global standard.
Anyone who disrespects our rules will not be permitted to use our services.
This, I guarantee with my honor."
Nawa was led away for questioning, while the Asashi students dispersed to receive their Player equipment.After orientation, they left one by one.
Eventually, only Nawa and the female examiner remained in the interrogation room.
"So? Are you ever going to tell me how you did it?"
She snapped for what must have been the tenth time.And once again, Nawa answered that he only used his basic psychic ability—no artifacts at all.
"You expect me to believe that useless telekinesis can produce a Rank C fire spell without artifacts!?
Do you take me for a child!?"
She yelled at him out of sheer frustration.
Yet no matter how many times she replayed the surveillance footage or scanned his body, she found nothing unusual.
"I'm telling the truth.If you understood how spacetime fields work, you'd see that telekinesis can easily produce results like that."
Nawa replied wearily.Explaining spacetime theory to the average person in a day or two was impossible—especially when modern science had conditioned people for centuries to see the world only through the lens of material objects.
After another hour or two of fruitless questioning, she finally surrendered.
Reluctantly, she handed him his Player equipment and allowed him to leave.
"Does this mean… I'll still get the title they mentioned?"
Nawa asked.
The examiner's expression twisted—as if she were resisting the urge to swear at him.
"Y–yes.Of course you will."
By the time Nawa made it home, it was nearly midnight.
He was starving, exhausted, and had not received any proper orientation like the others.When he reminded the staff, they scribbled instructions onto a piece of paper—so messy it looked like a cat had run through an ink pool.
He tried reading it for several minutes before giving up entirely.
When he opened the door to his house, he found only a note:his mother and sister had gone out and would return late.They told him not to wait up.
Worried but powerless—since he didn't even own a basic communication device anymore—he muttered:
"At this rate… I'll have to enter the One-Ness soon."
He killed time by examining the Player equipment he received.
Inside the box was a set of white clothing: short-sleeved top and long pants—somewhere between ceremonial attire and a karate uniform, though the material was unlike anything he had seen.
More durable than denim, yet light and soft like cotton.
There was also a small box the size of a phone case.Inside lay something resembling a Bluetooth earpiece—but the material looked much closer to an artifact.
The instruction manual was in English, which Nawa struggled with.He had barely passed the subject after retaking it twice.Still, after a while, he understood the basics.
He placed the device on his ear and gently stimulated his brain with a bit of psychic energy.
Immediately, the device activated.
Beep-beep.
The sound wasn't transmitted through air.
It echoed directly inside his mind.
"Downloading system…
Do not remove the device."
If not for the warning, he would have torn it off—because the device began to move on its own.
A sharp sting shot through his ear as it latched onto him like a living creature.
He checked in the mirror and saw part of it had pierced through his earlobe.
He tried removing it—but found no way to do so without cutting off his own ear.
Minutes later—
Ding.
A holographic display appeared before his eyes like a VR system.
System link established.
Player Registration No. 10,359,863
Player Name: Nawa — Rank E
Titles: [Gifted One]
Would you like to enter the introductory tutorial?
(No) (Yes)
Nawa was stunned.
Not even the Himmapan Forest had prepared him for such bizarre technology.
He was deciding what to choose when—
KNOCK KNOCK
Someone knocked on the door.
Nawa mentally chose (No), causing the hologram to vanish.
He didn't want his mother seeing it—not yet.
If she learned he borrowed money to become a Player and planned to risk his life in the One-Ness, she would never allow it.
Not forever…
Just not now.
He packed everything away and opened the door——and froze.
Because standing there was someone he recognized…
someone he never expected to see at his home.