//Okay so a few things out of the way before we get this novel fully underway, because I don't want any misunderstandings. I'm doing this solely for the purpose of establishing a solid fan base for an original novel I'm writing, as well as to build up some monetary value so I can do this full time. That's it.

I love Black Clover to death so I'll do it justice, no half assed shit or whatnot, but I wanted to establish my main purpose. It won't affect the novel of course since I'll be updating one a day by default so no worries there either. Going forth however, I want you to keep in mind that the more you donate, be it powerstones or (preferably) monetary contributions, the more chapters get dropped on both the free end and the P@treon end. The more chapters that get dropped the further the plot gets and the faster we get to the good parts of the story with action, adventure, and smut for those who are into that kinda thing. Unfortunately I can't do this just for fun as any other author since I have a goal I'm striving for.

That being said, I won't stop writing until the story is finished so some support is greatly appreciated. Hopefully we can get to the day where I'm dropping 3 full chapters each day without fail. Obviously though I'll need financial support if it can given.

P@treon link will be at the end of every 5 chapters. Donate if you can, powerstones are also free if you can't afford it.

Without further ado, enjoy the novel. I ain't gonna explain much of anything else, I'll let you piece things together yourselves as that's part of the fun. Any questions, you can join my discord and drop them there.

Join my discord?

https://discord.gg/uQUcWbm

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The air was thick, mixed with an almost palpable tension and an unreal amount of magic that shifted and swirled, pouring through the surrounding area. It was enough to make one pause and contemplate, to rethink what they were doing and if it was truly worth it to proceed forward. For Jak Yanda however, he wasn't even aware of what was going on, at least not enough to truly grasp the situation unfurling before him.

All the redheaded youth was aware in that particular moment was that he wasn't in the same spot he had been some half a minute ago.

An explosion. A wave of magic. A tear in space.

Everything had happened far too fast for anything to make proper sense. Gone was the large dome shaped room with the sculpted glass ceiling, the carefully tiled floor depicting waves of red, brown, and gold, and the giant marble statue dedicated to Nereus Entoka, the Hero of Water. In its stead, a large coliseum expanded outwards, large grey walls forming a cylinder around him in what could only be described as an enormous stone colosseum. What had previously only been a few dozen people had quadrupled, unrecognizable faces gazing at Jak as he struggled back onto his feet.

(("Where....am I?")) Jak questioned internally, crimson hues flicking every which way. (("Am I back on Ornera?"))

Ignoring those around him, the fiery redhead quickly gave his body a once over, ensuring that he hadn't lost any limbs in the ensuing explosion. Surprisingly, Jak found himself completely unharmed, a feat miraculous in and of itself considering he had taken an exploding magic necklace directly to the face. Normally, magic devices, such as the one that had transported him, were extremely rare and extremely dangerous when used incorrectly and caused catastrophic damage to the surrounding area with very few exceptions. In this case, the explosion didn't seem to have any lasting effects other than simple teleportation.

But that still begged the question, where the hell was he?

Up until the cursed contraption warped him into a new plane of existence, Jak had been on the world of 'Ard Araml, a desert world with two suns. Having taken on a quest to subdue a rogue noble hellbent on illegally trading off worlders as slaves Jak had just been on the verge of making the capture when the plan went belly up. Utilizing both a teleport necklace and a tampered explosive, the corrupt noble had almost taken himself, Jak, and the entire hidden base out in the process of his own escape. It was still a mystery how the young redhead had even survived such an ordeal, though he definitely wasn't going to throw a hissy fit over the matter.

If he was alive than he was alive. Wasn't much use dwelling on it.

Narrowing down the possibilities of where he ended up was the current priority for the time being. If he could find out the world than the process of getting back was that much higher.

"A singular sun. A colosseum. Crowd of humans." Jak placed a hand on the hilt of the sheathed katana strapped to his hip. "Krotega? No, they have four moons."

"Hey. What exactly do you think you're doing?"

Deep vocals, ones filled with an undisguised hostility, reached Jak's ears, prompting him to look in the voices general direction. At the very front of the architecture, a bit above the wandering dregs on the ground sat a total of nine individuals, most of which radiated a mixture of caution and raw power. Three of those battle ready entities were on their feet, magic pouring off of them in waves, enough for Jak to almost physically grab from the air. The one who had spoken, a silver haired man in late twenties to early thirties, was probably the most hostile of them all, a deadly look plastered on his visage.

"Are you a participant? I haven't seen you in the Exams until now?"

(("Exam?")) Jak tilted his head.

Ignoring the questions shot in his direction, the redhead took a closer look at his environment. There were two humans in his immediate vicinity, one on each side of him, and each one possessed a glowing colored book that hovered in the air. The people themselves weren't much to look at, their magic being subpar at best, but the luminescent tomes floating beside them were another matter, each one wreaking of freshly cast spells. Added to the fact that Jak was exactly in betwixt the two individuals, there was only one logical conclusion.

(("They were fighting.")) Jak glanced from one person to the other. (("For the Exam? What's with the books? Tomes maybe?"))

Tomes weren't meant for fighting though so it didn't really match up.

Pulling his attention away from the two combatants, Jak once again fixed his gaze onto the one who had spoken, the hostile one with the frontal braid. Out of all the ones who was up and ready to trade blows, he was the one who looked as if he was out for blood.

"My name is Jak Yanda. I'm afraid I ended up in the wrong place."

"If you are apart of the Exam, please make your way back and await your turn," A man with a bright red hair, almost as bright as Jaks, spoke up, also raising from his seat. "If you are not, please leave the area. If you do not comply, you will be escorted out."

Jak waited for them to finish before speaking. "Fine."

There was just so little to go on and Jak couldn't just walk away from the situation. Additionally, he couldn't just outright start a conflict with anyone when he still needed information on his own whereabouts, especially the nine individuals sitting above the crowd. Though his own magic was quite considerable, it wasn't enough to contend with nine full powered unknown entities. He had no idea what was going on but he had e every intention of joining the Exam unless those in charge stepped in to interfere. Judging by how no one moved to when he moved towards the crowd, Jak reasoned they were mainly keeping him around out of precaution and curiosity.

It was reasonable considering the sizeable crater that the redheads appearance had left behind.

"You may continue with the match," One of the nine powerhouses announced after Jak had fully vacated, a man in a colorful mask.

(("So a combat Exam.")) Jak watched as the two individuals with floating books began to fight each other with an assortment of spells. (("And I appeared out of nowhere during it."))

A few things were starting to make sense at least.

The reason for all the hostility was due to Jaks explosive appearance, the crater in the ground indicating that the redhead had appeared from a sudden outburst of energy. Unsure of what had transpired, the two contestants had backed off and the ones conducting the Exams were rightfully on guard, ready to move at a seconds notice. Not knowing whether Jak was friend or foe, they waited to see what action the newcomer would take rather than straight up ejecting him from the colosseum altogether. The act of not fully forcing him out of the Exam was also erring on the side of caution since they knew nothing about him or where he came from. It was easier to keep him there and monitor his movements accordingly. Since Jak had been cordial and very compliant in his actions, they were probably not worried about him being an enemy or spy from some foreign power especially given he probably looked extremely young to them.

Watching the two book wielders from earlier exchange magical attacks, pages from their tomes fluttering with each spell, Jak felt underwhelmed.

The spells were weak and the magic was less than ideal, far lower than he had expected it to be.

Even when a golem appeared from the very ground, the caster controlling its movements, the redhead merely shifted his weight. Though he had no plan on interfering, he wasn't too interested in participating either after such a poor showing.

"You're looking for a sparring partner aren't you Asta? I'll partner with you ha-ha."

"REALLY SEKKE??!! YOUD TAKE ON A CHARITY CASE!! YOU'RE SUCH A NICE GUY!!"

(("Someone's got some vocals on them,")) Jak noted, looking through the crowd for the voice. (("Louder than a Wodennall."))

"Jak Yanda."

The crowd surrounding Jak parted, peeling back as one of the nine entities from before called on the youth directly. Without a word, Jak turned his attention towards the speaker, the masked man from earlier.

"Though you aren't a registered Examinee, you have chosen to partake in this Magic Knight Exam. Your sole purpose here is to take the Exam? Is that correct?"

"Yes."

"Very well, an exception will be made this once upon the agreement of the Magic Knight Captains. Should you provide a decent showing and one of the Knights raises their hand, you will be permitted to join a Magic Knight Squad. You should be honored by this act of leniency after such an interruption."

(("The heck is a Magic Knight?"))

"Choose an opponent to spar with and show us what you got."

"So I'm free to pick?" Jak asked, glancing around the colosseum.

After receiving no answer, the redhead took it as confirmation. Truthfully, the idea of fighting people who didn't interest him was boring and a waste of his time. If he was to play along with this scenario, he needed to gauge a few things, mainly about whom he was dealing with in particular. There was only one clear concise way to properly figure everything out, to see whom he was actually dealing with.

"Then," Jak held up his hand and pointed to his choice, one of the nine powerhouses, a buff black haired individual with a white tank top. "I choose you."