Arca Academy
"Students! Step forward when your name is called. Place your hand on the Mana Core and manifest your mecha form!"
The instructor's voice echoed through the vast arena with the blue Mana Core sitting in the center of a raised platform. Fifty students stood around the platform waiting for their turn. The stands were filled with other students and faculty
A 20-year-old girl stepped forward. She had black hair tied neatly behind her head, thin glasses perched on her nose, and a white blouse tucked into a black skirt. Her hands trembled as she reached out.
The moment her fingers touched the Mana Core—
Yellow mana erupted.
It wrapped around her body in spiraling arcs of light, humming like a living engine. The energy compressed, folded inward—
—and in a flash of metal and heat, a red-and-black motorcycle materialized where she once stood.
The engine idled softly.
The arena went silent.
The instructor adjusted his tablet, eyes scanning the data feed.
"Marianna Sparks. Fourth-generation Frame. Vehicle-class: Motorcycle."
She paused.
"Awakened Tier: E."
A few students snickered.
"Your frame is lightweight," the instructor continued, detached and clinical. "Minimal armor. Single headlamp core. I recommend extensive upgrades if you wish to remain viable post-graduation."
The silence was shattered.
"Haha! Tier-E?"
A black-haired boy leaned forward, grinning. "At that level, she'll be lucky to land maintenance duty."
Another laugh followed.
"Seriously," a red-haired girl added, arms crossed. "Who would even ride that? One hit, and she's scrap."
The motorcycle trembled.
The mana flickered.
Then—without a word—the machine dissolved back into light.
Marianna stood there again, eyes wide, tears spilling down her cheeks.
She turned and ran.
No one called after her.
Not the instructor.
Not the guards.
She ran down the platform into the arena hallway. I stared at the platform, my chest tight.
Tier-E…
My mind raced—not in panic, but in disbelief.
Because I knew this world, it was like those games that were almost like anime.
I knew the rankings.
I knew the job market.
I knew the casualty statistics.
Tier-E Valkyries had a thirty-eight percent survival rate after their first real deployment.
Most were reassigned.
Some disappeared.
A few died quietly beyond the walls.
Others find civilian jobs that suit their skills to make a living.
And the worst part?
This ceremony was supposed to be a normal one, followed by the second part, the evaluation.
I swallowed hard.
This isn't a dream.
The awakening arena
Mana Core.
Awaken powers.
I'd read this. Played this. Studied this.
Which meant only one thing.
"…Where am I?" I whispered.
The instructor's voice rang out again.
"Next candidate. Step forward."
My name was coming.
And I already knew exactly how cruel this world could be.
Meteors fell from the sky.
Awakening?
War Maidens?
Core Pilots?
"No way! Did I transmigrate into the game?" I thought.
***********************
It has been 200 years since the meteor struck Earth. A few days after the meteor struck, swarms of Chthari invaded. The Chthari pushed humanity to the brink of extinction.
Humanity began losing living space as the Chthari invasion grew.
In response, humanity began building walled Megacities, while people began to experience previously unseen awakening powers.
When women come of age, they can transform into frames such as motorcycles, cars, tanks, aircraft, and even warships.
Men, on the other hand, awaken as Core Pilots.
When a male and female synchronize, they can enter combat mode, unlocking their Valkyrie, unleashing unimaginable power.
During the first few years after people awoke, wildlife began to change as well. It wasn't only the Chthari but mutated beasts.
*****************************
"Next. Asa Woods!" The instructor announced.
A 20-year-old blonde girl wearing white pants and a black off the should top with long netted sleeves walked to the Mana Core. She moved with grace as everyone watched her.
The moment Asa Woods placed her hand on the Mana Core, the room changed.
Not the light.
Not the alarms.
The pressure.
It felt like the air thickened, like every breath suddenly had weight. I didn't even realize I'd stopped breathing until my chest started to ache.
The Mana Core didn't flare like the others.
It compressed.
The glow folded inward, sinking into Asa's arm, her shoulder, her spine—like gravity itself had chosen her as an anchor point.
Someone whispered, "Something is happening!"
I couldn't look away.
Asa didn't scream. She let the mana pour into filling her with power.
The light faded as a silver-white twin cannon tank appeared.
Everyone gasped when they saw.
"Damn! She really transformed." I said. "This world is insane."
The Mana Core energy glowed on the tank as it moved its twin turrets.
"Asa. Fifth-generation Aegis-TX 'Bastion' Hi-tech Tank. Awakening tier-S"
System Message
Name: Asa Woods
Status: Pre-War Maiden
Frame Type: Armored Class
Frame Type: 5th Gen Aegis TX 'Bastion' Hi Tech Tank
Tier: S
Bond Status: Unbonded