Once he began to grasp the basics, Mikael was about to attack a training dummy but noticed it wasn’t positioned in the middle of the room and was still he wall. He paused briefly to move the dummy to the ter.

  With the target in pce, he took aim and swung the ed sword downward.

  “Bang!” The sword missed the dummy and struck the ground with a loud thud.

  ‘...’ Mikael coughed awkwardly before silently retrying. “Swish.” This time, the sword followed the same motion but successfully struck the top of the dummy.

  After this initial success, he titag the dummy, alternatiween downward sshes and horizontal strikes, both from the left and right. He even attempted thrusts, which proved challenging but occasionally succeeded.

  Just as he finished a swing, a notification appeared:

  [Your profi creating and maniputing aura threads has reached the required level. You have learhe skill: Aura Threads Creation and Manipution.]

  [Aura Threads Creation and Manipution - Tier 1, Level 1 (Active/Passive Skill)

  Description: This skill facilitates the creation and manipution of aura threads while simultaneously enhang their strength. It is divided into two parts: Active and Passive.

  Active: When the user els extra aura into the threads, their durability increases signifitly at a higher aura cost. However, the durability-to-cost ratio remains highly effit.

  Passive:

  Threads created are 50% stronger.

  trolling and reinf threads costs 25% less aura.

  trolled threads move 50% faster.

  Threads are easier to trol.

  ditions for Level-Up:

  Bee profit iing and maniputing aura threads: 0/100%.

  Spend 250 LP: 0/250.]

  After reviewing the new skill, Mikael whistled, impressed. ‘My first Tier 1 skill, and holy, it’s pretty impressive. It’s also the first skill I actively use in bat. With this, I reinforce my threads using aura, which should help address one of the weaknesses in the fighting style I’m developing.’

  ‘The fact that the swords I trol are ected by threads, which could be cut. But using this skill will drastically reduce that risk. For now, though, this fighting style isn’t ready for real bat, so let’s get back to training.’

  He resumed his training, tinuing to attack the dummy. This time, he incorporated movement into his strikes, which added a level of difficulty pared to his stationary attacks.

  As he moved faster and faster while attag, it became clear his trol was improving. Just as he felt fident enough to try using his right-hand sword simultaneously with the one trolled by the thread on his left, another notification appeared:

  [You have reached a certain level of fame by being a oner who secured first p the sed test of the tral Academy’s entrance exam.]

  [First level of the "Famous" quest reached. +1.5K LP.]

  Seeing the notification he had been hoping for, a small smirk appeared on Mikael's face before he returo his training.

  This time, he modified his routine slightly. He grabbed a training sword in his right hand and simuted a fight, while simultaneously using his left hand to trol another sword, attag the training dummy.

  The training proved challenging as it required him to perform two different tasks at once, demanding intense focus, which was mentally exhausting.

  [You have pushed your mind hard by multitasking. +1 Intelligence.]

  “Oh,” he remarked, pleasantly surprised, before resuming his training.

  By the time he finished, he had gained 5 Intelligence points, but more importantly, he had made signifit progress in using the ed sword. It still wasn’t perfect, but it was much closer to being reliable. He knew, however, that to improve further, he would need real bat experieraining could only take him so far.

  Meanwhile, as Mikael tinued his training, articles about him had already begun cirg oer.

  A OHE STRO FIRST-YEAR AT TRAL ACADEMY?

  Below the headline icture of Mikael exiting the sed test, his expression indifferent and unreadable.

  Retly, the annual entry tests for the prestigious tral Academy took pce. As always, the event attracted a rge number of aspiring students, though the majority left in tears after being uo pass.

  What stands out this year, however, is the winner of the Academy’s sed test, which evaluates students' battle power—a oner! Yes, you heard that right. The top performer in a test desigo assess bat prowess is not a a oner. Naturally, one might wonder how he mao surpass nobles from powerful families, many of whom received superior training and education. Could he possess extraordinary talent?

  No! Surprisingly, while his talent is rare, it’s raordinary. Take a look below:

  Name: Mikael AngeliniAge: 21Talent Type: Double Talent TypeTalent Level: AveragePower Levels: F- Aura, F- Mana

  As you see, although he has the rare double talent type, his talent level is merely average. Even more astonishing is that his aura and mana levels are only ranked F-, far below some of his oppos, who had E- level aura and mana. This begs the question: how did he triumph against stronger oppos?

  Could he have cheated? While it might cross some minds, it’s highly uhat anyone could cheat uhe watchful eyes of the tral Academy. More likely, Mikael possesses an exceptionally trained body, a high level of on mastery, or extraordinary profi aura manipution. Perhaps he is a remarkably skilled spellcaster. For now, we only specute, but ohing is certain: his remarkable feat has captured the attention of everyone.

  Stay tuned for more updates!

  Oblivious to the articles being written about him, Mikael ed up his training session. After taking a quick shower, he left his apartment and headed toward tral Academy.

  Following a short walk, he arrived in front of the majestic academy and couldn’t help but feel impressed, just as he had the day before. He paused briefly to admire the architecture before passing uhe grand arched gateway.

  Onside the courtyard enclosed by the academy's walls, he followed the signs leading him to a crowded area filled with multiple boards dispying student names.

  The atmosphere was thick with tension and ay. Around 8,000 students had takeest, but only 1,000 would pass. Mikael approached one of the less crowded boards.

  “Damn, my name isn’t there,” a dejected man muttered.

  “Hell yeah, I passed! I freaking passed!” another shouted in joy.

  Mikael ighe chatter around him and focused oop of the board, sing for his name.

  Accepted Students:1st - Amelia Mournsky2nd - Lucas Henker3rd - Aria Cliffborh - Mikael Angelini…

  He stopped reading after spotting his name. However, seeing himself in 4th pce, despite winning the sed test, made him ch his fists in frustration.

  ‘I expected this, but it’s still frustrating. I got the best possible score, yet I’m stu 4th pce because my talent is only average. And that’s with a dual-talent type. Without it, I’d probably be lower, maybe around 10th.’

  ‘It’s not ideal, but I’m not going to cry about it. Still, it annoys me.’

  Just as he was about to let it go and move on, a notification popped up, lifting his spirits.

  [Quest: Student Life pleted.Rewards: +1K LP.]

  This brought a small smile to his face. He dismissed the notification and turned his attention to a smaller board o the main one listing the accepted students.

  Important Notice:All accepted students must proceed to the cafeteria to join their assigned groups.

  Group Assigs:

  Group 1: Students ranked 1st to 20th

  Group 2: Students ranked 21st to 100th

  Group 3: Students ranked 101st to 200th

  Group 4: Students ranked 201st to 300th

  Group 5: Students ranked 301st to 400th

  Group 6: Students ranked 401st to 500th

  Group 7: Students ranked 501st to 600th

  Group 8: Students ranked 601st to 700th

  Group 9: Students ranked 701st to 800th

  Group 10: Students ranked 801st to 900th

  Group 11: Students ranked 901st to 1,000th

  After firming what he o do, Mikael left the crowd and followed the signs pointing toward the cafeteria. Upon arriving, he was surprised by its sheer vastness. The immensity of the space was emphasized by its high ceilings and the marble floor stretg far into the distance.

  The white floor reflected the light streaming in through the rge windows, creating a bright and weling atmosphere. The white furniture added a modern touch to the room. The ly arraables and chairs made the cafeteria feel more like an upscale restaurant than a typical school dining hall.

  The space seemed rge enough to aodate thousands of students simultaneously without feeling crowded. At the moment, however, the cafeteria was empty of studeing. The only people preseeachers holding signs with group numbers written on them.

  Clusters of students sat around the teachers, corresponding to their assigned groups. Mikael quickly spotted the teacher holding the sign froup 1. She appeared to be ie twenties, with green hair and matg green eyes. Her gsses and serene expression gave her a gentle, approachable aura. A few students were already seated near her.

  Mikael approached quietly and took a seat not far from her. As he gnced around at the other students, he noticed a few familiar faces—some of them were individuals he had taken out during the sed test, though he didn’t know their here were also several people he didn’t reize at all.

  The only person he somewhat knew was Amelia, who was engrossed in her phone. Feeling someone’s gaze on her, Amelia looked up, spotted Mikael, and gave him a challenging smirk, as if to say, ime, I’ll win!

  Notig this, a few nearby boys, who clearly admired Amelia, ched their teeth in irritation. Their frustration was pounded by the fact that Amelia had smiled at a oner. However, none dared to cause trouble after what had happened with Eric Saurdahe previous day.

  Mikael kept a ral expression, unfazed by Amelia’s silent challenge. Seeing his ck of rea, Amelia shrugged auro her phone. Mikael also took out his own phone, having already assessed the students around him.

  Over the several minutes, more students arrived and took their seats. Eventually, a bell rang, and the teacher cleared her throat to draw everyone’s attention.

  She waited for a few seds until the surroundings quieted, then began speaking in a soothing voice.

  "Hello, everyone. I’m your homeroom teacher, Emily Auror. You call me Miss Emily, Miss Auror, or even just Emily—I’m not too ed about formalities. Oh, and I’m an SS- ranked Wind Mage."

  As she finished speaking, a miniature tornado formed in the palm of her hand, swirling with precision and power. A few seds ter, the tornado dissipated seamlessly, and she smiled before announg, “But before we begin, I o take attendance!”

  “Mikael Angelini.”

  “Here,” Mikael replied.

  “Hello, Mikael.”

  “Lucas Henker.”

  “Present,”

  The roll call tinued until Emily closed her notepad and said, “All good! All 20 students are present! Now, before we start, follow me to your homeroom .”

  After speaking, she stood up and began walking, with all the students following her. While they walked, she added, “Oh, and if you could remember the path, that would be best. After all, every time you have css with me, it’ll be in this room.”

  “But don’t worry if you fet; there’s a map on the wall and also on the bracelets you’ll receive. Though, I must admit, it sometimes be a bit unclear.”

  They soon arrived at a that, like the rest of the academy, was magnifit. The floor was made of intricately patterohe desks were beautifully carved from wood, and the chairs looked remarkably fortable. The ambiance of the room was enhanced by rge stained-gss windows that allowed sunlight to filter through in vibrant hues.

  Mikael took a seat at one of the desks he back of the . Seds ter, everyone else was seated.

  Emily’s eyes gleamed with satisfa as she saw that no one had caused any trouble. She began speaking, “Listen carefully. I have a lot of important information to share.”