The capital city went from a bustling fantasy metropolis to a screaming madhouse in approximately four seconds.Horses bolted, overturning carriages. Self-proclaimed noble mages forgot how to cast basic levitation spells and tripped over their own silk robes. The hairline fracture in the sky was bleeding a sickening purple miasma, and then, the sky literally began to vomit.They rained down by the hundreds, crashing onto stone roofs and shattering shop windows. I stepped back into the shadow of an alleyway, my eyes narrowing as I evaluated the threat.They were about the size of a fat chicken, but they sure as hell didn’t lay eggs. These things had a grotesque, multi-segmented body, like a wolf-centipede hybrid—and sported two snapping, rabid heads that oozed green saliva."What in the unholy name of the abyss is that?" I muttered, genuinely disgusted.I had fought mountain-sized behemoths, world-eating serpents, and demonic lords, but I had never seen a two-headed centipede-dog in m

"What the hell are you talking about?! Who is tracking me?!"I screamed like an absolute idiot, throwing my arms up to shield my face as I begged her to save me. "Geraldine, please! You’re the genius mage! Don’t let that thing crush me! I don't want to die!"Instead of saving me, her eyes flashed with pure irritation. She spun around and delivered a kick so fast and powerful it felt like getting hit by a runaway carriage. The boot caught me square in the chest, blasting me backward. My face hit the dirt hard, coughing up dust, and the ugly guard sword I’d been secretly gripping flew out of my hands, clattering uselessly behind me into the shadows."Shut up, you useless waste of space!" Geraldine snapped, completely ignoring me as she raised her staff toward the sky.Above us, the massive flaming black spear slammed into the roof of a nearby building, shattering the stone structure. But the real problem wasn't the spear, it was the creature that had ridden it down.A colossal, multi

“Yes. Our investigators analyzed the core wound on the beast," the Tower Master said proudly, pointing a bony finger at me. "No magic circles. No elemental residue. Just raw, localized kinetic violence that pierced a Grade-4 abyssal hide. A classic Hoke Berserker Awakening. You survived the poison, you faced a crisis, and your ancient blood answered."What the hell? No Elemental residue? And he knew about the poisoning? A slow, dangerous smirk formed in my mind, though I kept my face looking like a confused, innocent idiot. Oh, old man. You have absolutely no idea, but I am going to milk this misunderstanding until it runs completely dry."I... I had a Berserker Awakening?" I whispered, looking at my hands in mock horror. "Is that why everything went blurry? I just remember getting really, really angry because it stepped on my favorite boot, and then... then Geraldine was gone..." I squeezed out a fake sob, covering my face. "She was burned to ash! I couldn't save her!""Do not w

Ten minutes later, I was standing on the reinforced stone platform. Toby, the commoner kid, looked like he wanted to apologize a thousand times before the match even started. He held his wooden staff with trembling hands, clearly terrified that my supposed ‘Berserker Rage’ might accidentally trigger and liquefy his organs."Don't worry, buddy," I whispered to him, flashing a goofy, reassuring grin. "Just swing at me. I'm just going to dodge a bit and make it look good for the mana cameras."The referee raised his hand. "Begin!"Toby closed his eyes, let out a nervous yelp, and lunged forward, swinging his wooden staff in a clumsy, telegraphed arc. I easily stepped backward, letting the wood whistle past my nose by a fraction of an inch, making it look like a clumsy, accidental slip on my part."Whoa! Close one! Jeez, you're strong!" I yelled, flailing my arms wildly.To the crowd, I looked like a bumbling idiot who was barely surviving a remedial student's basic strikes. The cheers

By the time the carriage pulled up to the massive, mansion-style estate of the elite dorms, my mind was entirely focused on the next step. Gina, the sharp academy administrator, was waiting at the gates with an anxious look on her face, but I bypassed her with a weak wave of my hand, pretending to be too exhausted to speak.My butler was already waiting in my suite, a roaring fire crackling in the hearth and a fresh spread of high-tier, mana-infused delicacies laid out on the silver trays. I dismissed him immediately, locking the heavy mahogany double doors behind me.The room was silent, save for the crackle of the fireplace. I walked over to the sprawling stone balcony, looking out over the capital city as the evening sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in violent shades of crimson and violet.I pulled the blood-red contract scroll from my tunic, unrolling it across my lap under the amber glow of the firelight. One name down, eleven to go."They’re going to panic now,"