The battlefield was silent.

  Every pair of eyes was locked onto me—the students, the spectators, even Alden, our strict homeroom teacher. No one spoke. No one moved.

  The shadows that had erupted from my body began to settle, but their presence still lingered in the air, twisting unnaturally around me. The sensation was foreign, yet familiar. Like something I had always possessed but had just now remembered.

  Dark magic.

  One of the three rarest affinities.

  Alden finally stepped forward, his frosty blue eyes assessing me with an unreadable expression.

  “This battle section is over,” he announced, his voice sharp and authoritative. “Everyone return to the stands.”

  The students hesitated. Some were still on the ground from the shockwave of my awakening. Others exchanged nervous glances before reluctantly obeying. The arena, once filled with the clash of spells and combat, now felt eerily empty.

  I remained in the center, my breath still uneven, my hands still tingling with lingering energy. Alden turned toward me, his gaze colder than before.

  “You have awakened.”

  I swallowed, nodding. I wasn’t sure what to say. This wasn’t just any awakening—it was something… more.

  “Follow me,” Alden ordered.

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  I obeyed, following him toward a raised platform where a large, intricate mana-measuring crystal stood. I had seen other students use it earlier. It was how Alden had assigned everyone their grades.

  Students with low magic potential had received D and C grades.

  The average students were B-grade.

  Those with rare talents had earned A-grade.

  And then there were the exceptions—the ones with powerful bloodlines, immense mana pools, or extraordinary control. S-grade.

  But even the S-grade students had been thrown back by my awakening.

  What would the crystal show for me?

  Alden placed a hand on the crystal. It pulsed, releasing a soft blue glow. “Place your hand on the surface. The crystal will determine your mana capacity, elemental affinity, and overall grade.”

  I nodded and stepped forward.

  The moment my hand touched the crystal—

  CRACK!

  The entire room shook.

  A surge of dark energy burst from the crystal, engulfing it in a swirl of black and violet. Strange symbols flickered across the surface, shifting too quickly to read.

  The students gasped.

  Alden’s expression finally changed—his icy calm replaced with something I had never seen before. Shock.

  The crystal pulsed wildly, glowing brighter, brighter—

  Then it shattered.

  BOOM!

  The explosion sent shards flying, forcing some students to shield themselves. A cold wind rushed through the room, the residual energy of the broken crystal lingering in the air.

  I stared at my hand. Did I just… break it?

  Alden didn’t speak for several long seconds. His gaze remained fixed on the shattered remains of the measuring device. Slowly, he turned to me.

  “This… has never happened before.”

  His voice was calm, but his eyes told a different story.

  The students murmured among themselves.

  “Did he just destroy the crystal?”

  “No one’s ever done that!”

  “What does that mean?”

  Alden ignored their whispers. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a small silver plate. With a swift motion, he pressed his finger against it, inscribing my name through magic.

  Then, he turned the plate over.

  A single grade had been burned onto the surface.

  "Minus."

  The murmurs turned into complete silence.

  “…Minus?” someone whispered.

  “Wait—what does that mean?” another asked.

  No answer came.

  Because there wasn’t one.

  Elixir High had ranked countless students for centuries, from the weakest D-rank to the legendary S-rank.

  But Minus?

  It was a grade that had never existed before.

  Even Alden looked disturbed. He stared at the plate for a long moment before finally speaking.

  “…You are dismissed for today.”

  His words echoed throughout the silent hall.

  Students hesitated, unsure if they should leave, but Alden didn’t repeat himself. One by one, they gathered their belongings and exited the training ground, casting wary glances my way as they left.

  I didn’t move.

  I kept my eyes locked on the silver plate in Alden’s hands.

  Minus.

  I didn’t know what it meant.

  But soon… everyone would.