A deep, synthesized voice echoed through the hall: "Do all members of both teams consent to the ritual? If so, manifest your HUDs now to sync your soul-data with the Pact. Failure to sync will result in immediate disqualification and forfeiture."
One by one, Kaelen's team stood up. Six Level 6 elites snapped their fingers, and six blue screens appeared, displaying their high stats and impressive titles. Finally, Kaelen stood, his Level 8 HUD glowing brightly, casting a shadow over the table.
[NAME: KAELEN]
[TITLE: WARRIOR]
[LEVEL: 8]
[ACTIVE SKILL: FLASH]
[PASSIVE SKILL: MANA STORE]
Then, it was Haruto's team's turn.
Toya manifested his HUD:
[NAME: TOYA]
[TITLE: KNIGHT]
[LEVEL: 5] (Hidden:60)
[ACTIVE SKILL: SWOARD MASTER]
[PASSIVE SKILL:MANA STORE]
The students whispered—a Level 5 Knight was impressive for a freshman, but against a Level 8 Warrior, it looked like a losing battle.
Then came the three girls. Ivory's magic flickered, presenting their "Academy-approved" roles:
Ivory:
[TITLE: MAGE] (Hidden: Goddess of Intelligence)
[LEVEL: 6](Hidden:99)
[ACTIVE SKILL: REALITY MENUPILATION]
[PASSSIVE SKILL: MIND READING]
—-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lustra:
[TITLE: HEALER] (Hidden: Goddess of lust)
[LEVEL: 6](Hidden:99)
[ACTIVE SKILL: LOVE CHARM]
[PASSIVE SKILL: MIND MANUPILATION]
—-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bellona:
[TITLE: WARRIOR] (Hidden: Goddess of War)
[LEVEL: 6](Hidden:99)
[ACTIVE SKILL: SPRIT SOMMON]
[PASSIVE SKILL: WEAPON MASTERY]
—-------------------------------------------------------------------------
The audience gasped at the Level 6 stats of the girls, but Haruto's eyes saw the truth hidden behind the digital veil—the glowing Level 99 marks that the Academy's scanners were too primitive to detect.
The teachers nodded. "It was a balanced team—a Knight, a Mage, a Healer, and a Warrior. On paper, they were perfect. But compared to Kaelen's raw Level 8 and 6 power, they still looked like underdogs."
Thanks to Ivory's Reality Magic, their screens showed high first-year stats, but nothing that broke the school's records.
Finally, only Haruto remained.
He sat motionless. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple. Internally, his mind was racing. He had never kept his HUD open for more than two seconds specifically to prevent the "System" or any onlookers from scanning his [STARCHILD] title or the glitched nature of his [EMOTION] skill or his HUD to turn wild. To open it now, in front of thousands of students and the entire faculty, was like exposing the source code of a virus to an anti-virus scanner.Kaelen leaned across the table, his face twisting into a mocking sneer.
"What's the matter?" Kaelen barked, his voice amplified by the room's acoustics.
"Scared the school will see that your Level 4 is just a fluke? Or maybe you're realizing that once you sync that data, I own every bit of it."
Kaelen's eyes turned cold and serious. He slammed his hand on the obsidian table.
"Stop wasting our time, kid. The ritual won't wait. Open your HUD and let the world see what a loser looks like, or forfeit your 'family' to me right now."
Haruto closed his eyes for a split second. He could feel Ivory's hand subtly brush against his under the table—a silent reassurance. He took a deep breath.
(Inner Thoughts):If I open it, the glitch might trigger a manual override from the Academy's main server. But if I don't, the game ends before I can delete this trash.
The silence in the Auditorium was no longer just a lack of sound; it was a physical weight, pressing down on every soul in the room. The air was thick with static, the kind that precedes a massive system crash. Thousands of eyes were locked onto Haruto's raised hand, their collective breath held in anticipation.
Professor Vane's rectangular glasses caught the light as he leaned forward. Show us, boy, he thought with a sneer. Show us the mediocre reality that hides behind your arrogance.
Professor Elara stopped her "fearful" acting for a micro-second, her pupils dilated. She knew she was about to witness something that would either make her career or get her executed by the Council.
Kaelen was vibrating with a cruel, manic energy. To him, this HUD reveal was the final nail in Haruto's coffin. He was already mentally cataloging the Goddesses as his new "slaves."
Chairman Fedric was sitting on his high balcony, he didn't move a muscle. His eyes were cold, unblinking lasers focused entirely on Haruto. He didn't care about the drama; he was watching the code of reality itself, waiting for it to stutter.
The pressure built until it felt like the obsidian table might crack from the sheer tension. Haruto looked around the room one last time. He saw the doubt, the mockery, and the cold curiosity. He felt the digital hum of the Axiom Screen waiting for its sacrifice.
Haruto slowly raised his hand. His fingers trembled slightly—not out of fear, but from the raw power he was trying to suppress.
"Fine," Haruto whispered.
With a sharp, final snap of his fingers, Haruto forced his HUD to manifest. Unlike the steady blue light of the others, Haruto's screen flickered violently, like a monitor struggling with a corrupted signal.
-- ZAP --
[NAME: HARUTO]
[TITLE: STARCHILD]
[LEVEL: 4]
[ACTIVE SKILL: EMOTION]
[PASSIVE SKILL: AURA CONTROLLED]
[PASSIVE SKILL: FLASH]
The auditorium fell into a deathly silence. The word [STARCHILD] glowed with an eerie, celestial light that didn't belong in this world. The professors stood up from their seats, their
The air in the auditorium felt like it was being sucked into a vacuum. Every eye was glued to the center of the stage as Haruto finally released his mana to sync with the Pact.
At first, the display looked like any other student's. A calm, steady blue screen materialized, showing standard parameters. For two seconds, the crowd breathed a sigh of relief.
"See?" Kaelen scoffed, leaning back. "Just a basic Level 4 file. Nothing but a common—"
-- GLITCH --
Suddenly, the blue light flickered violently. A sound like tearing metal echoed through the speakers. The serene blue screen turned pitch black, as if it had swallowed all the light in the room. Then, the text bled into a vivid, pulsating red.
Kaelen, feeling the sudden chill in the room, tried to hide his shaking hands by pointing and laughing.
"Ha! Look at that garbage!" Kaelen shouted, his voice cracking.
"What kind of cursed, broken HUD is that? You're so pathetic even the system is rejecting you! You're a virus that's about to be deleted!"
But no one joined in his laughter. The silence was absolute. The "Error" status didn't look like a weakness; it looked like a warning.
As the students and professors scanned the rows of data, a collective gasp rippled through the stands. It wasn't just the [STARCHILD] title. It was the mechanical structure of Haruto's power.
In this world, having two passive skills is a trait reserved for the Highest Rankers—warriors who have spent decades tempering their souls. For a freshman to manifest two passives was like a glitch in the laws of biology.
The crowd's eyes darted between Kaelen's HUD and Haruto's.
Kaelen had [FLASH] as an Active Skill. It required mana, focus, and cooldowns. It was a high-tier move he had trained years to master.
Haruto had [FLASH] as a Passive Skill.
"That's... that's impossible," a senior student stammered, gripping the railing.
"If Flash is a Passive, it means he doesn't 'activate' speed. He is fast. He's moving at speed just by THINKING!"
Professor Vane's glasses slipped down his nose, his elitist composure shattered. He knew the implications: If someone has [FLASH] as a passive, the system eventually stops recognizing 'Active' speed skills for them entirely. They transcend the need for buttons or triggers. They become a constant, uncatchable blur.
Professor Elara stood frozen, her heart hammering against her ribs. She looked at the black screen and realized that Haruto wasn't just a "prodigy"—he was a predator disguised as a prey animal.
Up on the balcony, Chairman Fedric didn't just stand; he leaned over the edge, his knuckles white as he gripped the marble. His eyes weren't on the level anymore—they were on that [STARCHILD] title and the way the shadows seemed to dance around Haruto's feet.
The professors bolted upright.
"This wasn't a "Curse" or a "Debuff"—this looked like the system's source code was being hijacked."
Haruto didn't look at Kaelen. He didn't look at the screaming fans or the terrified professors. Instead, as the obsidian floor beneath him began to dissolve into the portal of the first floor, he tilted his head back and looked directly at the high balcony.
Chairman Fedric was no longer sitting. He had already turned his back to the arena, his heavy, charcoal-colored coat billowing behind him as he walked toward the exit of the VIP lounge. He didn't look back, and he didn't offer a single word of praise or condemnation.
But Haruto saw it—the slight, almost imperceptible pause in Fedric's stride.
He's leaving because he's seen enough, Haruto thought, his eyes narrowing. He didn't come here to watch a fight. He came to confirm a theory. And now that I've triggered a Dual-Sync, he has the 'data' he was looking for.
The Chairman's departure felt like a silent declaration of war. He wasn't scared; he was going to prepare for a "glitch" that could no longer be ignored.
Suddenly, every HUD in the auditorium—Kaelen's, the guards', even Haruto's own team—snapped shut simultaneously. A massive notification slammed onto the floating obsidian screen:
[SYNCHRONIZATION COMPLETE]
[CHALLENGE: ACCEPTED]
The screen cleared, and a new title appeared in massive, glowing letters:
[WIZARD QUEST: THE PROTOCOL OF RUIN]
The system's synthesized voice boomed: "Data confirmed. The Pact is sealed. Rules Phase beginning. First Decision: Determine the Nature of the Conflict."
The screen displayed two flickering options, waiting for the Captains to vote:
[PHYSICAL BATTLE] (Strength, Magic, Combat)[MENTAL BATTLE] (Psychology, Illusion, Willpower)
Kaelen slammed his fist on the table, his eyes locked on the Goddesses. He knew his Level 6 guards were physical powerhouses.
"Physical! I want to break every bone in your body before I take your levels, Haruto!"
Kaelen's voice was still echoing through the auditorium, his face twisted in a mask of violent anticipation. He was already imagining his Level 6 bodyguards crushing Haruto's "Level 4" frame into the obsidian floor.
But Haruto didn't even flinch. He sat there, with a slow, chilling smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Physical, huh? You're so limited, Kaelen," Haruto said, his voice cutting through the tension like a system override.
"There are no rules, right? And the players decide the game?"
Haruto leaned forward, his shadow stretching across the table until it touched Kaelen's hands.
"Then why choose one when the system is wide open? I don't want to just break your bones, and I don't want to just shatter your mind. I want to destroy every single thing that makes you think you're superior."
Haruto raised his hand and slammed it onto the center of the holographic screen, right between the two options.
"I CHOOSE BOTH. PHYSICAL AND MENTAL. A TOTAL SYSTEM OVERHAUL."
The auditorium went deathly silent. Students leaned forward in their seats, their eyes wide, trying to capture every millisecond of this historic event in their memories. This wasn't just a quest anymore; it was a Dual-Sync Massacre. No one in years had dared to merge the two types of combat because the strain on the mana core was usually fatal.The air in the auditorium crackled with static. Haruto's decision to merge Physical and Mental combat into a single nightmare hadn't just broken the tension—it had shattered the reality of everyone watching.
Kaelen's breath hitched. For a moment, his heart hammered against his ribs like a trapped bird. But then, he looked back at his six Level 6 guards. He looked at his own Level 8 stats. A Level 4 can't maintain a dual-sync for more than a minute, he thought. He's trying to scare me into a forfeit.
Kaelen wiped the sweat from his brow and forced a jagged, ugly grin.
"Fine. You want to suffer twice as much? I'll accommodate you. Both of them are!"
As soon as he agreed, the massive holographic screen shifted. The bruised purple light turned into a stark, cold white, and eight empty slots appeared—four on the left under Kaelen's crest, and four on the right under Haruto's glitched icon.
A heavy, mechanical voice boomed from the ceiling:
[PHASE 3: RULE ESTABLISHMENT]
[LIMIT: 4 RULES PER TEAM]
[CONSTRAINT: DIRECT OPPOSITION IS PROHIBITED. RULES MUST SUPPLEMENT THE GAME, NOT NEGATE THE OPPONENT'S PREVIOUS RULE.]
The crowd leaned in. This was the most tactical part of the Wizard Quest. You couldn't simply say "My opponent can't use magic" if they had already ruled that magic was allowed. You had to be smarter. You had to build a trap, line by line.
Kaelen didn't hesitate. He wanted to ensure Haruto couldn't run, and he wanted to make sure his numerical advantage stayed absolute. He tapped the screen with a trembling but eager finger.