"Oh, I forgot, don't point any energy monitor toward Kensei. His power can't be quantified yet,"
Dr. Park remarked, a bit too late.
"Why didn't you stop him, Dr. Park?" her assistants frightened
"Too late," she replied with a resigned tone.
"Don't worry, Junjie. I'll design a better one for you."
"Hehe, as expected from the best world technician," Kensei said playfully
Kensei then nudged Junjie out of the training hall and towards the stadium.
He grabbed a microphone, his voice booming through the speakers.
"Ladies and gentlemen, students of Ryuhai Shinmyoung Academy, allow me to introduce a new face among us – Shi Junjie!!" Kensei exclaimed, pressing a button with popping confetti.
Junjie, caught off guard, sprinted into the middle of the stadium just as Kensei ordered. Presenting himself in front of everyone
The students looked a mix of annoyed and embarrassed for Junjie tobe one of Kensei's victims of over-the-top introduction.
Suddenly, the watches on every student's wrist alarmed
"Red danger! Red danger!"
In an instant, all of the students leaped towards Junjie.
Kensei, with a flick of his finger and a burst of bright energy surrounded the students, sending them flying back to their seats.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you guys to turn off your watches."
"Damn you, gray hair old man," a girl with green hair mumbled.
"Annoying old man" a dark hair boy mumbled after
"Round sunglasses, teacher" the youngest girl boo after
"Junjie is an E rank cursed user," Kensei continued, still smiling as bright as ever.
The stadium fell silent for a moment, the students processing the information and turned their glance at the dark-haired boy, who also looked shocked.
"Junjie, Haruki is also a curse user." he pointed at the dark-haired boy and gestured to him to come down from the stadium bench.
"Hey, I am Haruki Kobayashi, a shadow user"
Then the alarm on everyone's watch blared with yellow light
"D rank monster detected!"
"D rank monster detected!"
All the students, including Haruki, sprang into action. They swiftly filed out of the stadium, each moving with urgency.
"Hold on, Haruki," Kensei said, handing him a piece of paper.
"There's one more student who'll be joining us today. I need you to fetch her."
Haruki glanced at the paper, his expression annoyed at being made to run an errand.
"She'll be arriving this evening. In the meantime, help Junjie with his stuff and show him to his room," Kensei instructed.
Haruki pouted and turned to Junjie, still annoyed, knowing that he can't say no
"Come on, let's get your things sorted," he said, a slight edge to his voice.
As they walked away, another assistant came running up to Kensei, his voice shaky.
"Sir, it's the S rank...portal"
Kensei, however, seemed already aware of the news. He walked casually, almost lazily, toward the assistant, waving goodbye to Haruki and Junjie.
Junjie, following Haruki, couldn't help but notice the distinct uniforms of the students. Each wore a black uniform, but with unique designs on the neck and waist collars and the same golden button, likely signifying their ranks or specializations.
Haruki led Junjie through the immaculate hallways of Ryuhai Shinmyoung Academy.
They arrived at Junjie's new room, where all his belongings were neatly arranged by the members of the academy. The room was twice as big as his old bedroom and Junjie was amazed.
"Didn't you meet the principal yet?" Haruki asked leaning toward the wall
"No, not yet," Junjie replied. Was he supposed to?
Haruki sighed, any look of irritation crossing his face.
"So, Teachers didn't take you there, huh? Let's go meet Mr. Principal then"
"What for?" Junjie's eyes widened slightly.
"Interview"
"Interview?"
"Yeah, it's standard procedure here. It'll determine whether you can officially become a student or not" Haruki explained as they walked towards the principal's office.
"Do I need to prepare anything for it?" Junjie asked
"No," Haruki said, pushing open the heavy wooden door to the principal's office.
As the door opened, flames arose on the row of torches litting the rooms. At the far end, the principal, a formidable figure with a stern expression, lay waiting on his seat.
"Welcome, Junjie, to Ryuhai Shinmyoung Academy," the principal greeted in a deep, resonant voice.
Junjie stepped forward. "Thank you, sir. My name is Shi Junjie. I am grateful for the opportunity to be here and learn."
"Why do you want to be a student at Ryuhai Shinmyoung Academy?" The principal wasted no time.
Junjie's mind raced. Huh? What should I answer?Is there a correct answer to this?
As he tried to think, his mind recalled a conversation with Kensei earlier at the cafeteria.
"You possess power derived from curses, in short you feed off on black energy. If not properly handled, you'll end up destroying everyone around you. But if harnessed correctly, to its max level, it could have a similar energy to Valfar the king of demons, and for you to be born as his vessel, you are humanity's best bet at potentially sealing him,"
Kensei said, his blue-glass eyes piercing.
Through the conversation his mind flashbacks of his family, his comatose grandfather, and the painful experiences he had endured flooded his thoughts. He remembered his grandfather's words before falling into the coma, "Junjie, you must find your purpose." ,and another painful experience he went through from the past.
He clang his teeth, taking a deep breath, Junjie answered "I want to become stronger"
The principal's expression remained unchanged. "Wrong answer,"
And without warning the principal unleashed his power, transforming the room into a maelstrom of energy. Flames from the torches detached themselves, swirling around in the air, converging into fireballs that homed in on Junjie. Each fireball grew in size and intensity as it rained down on him.
Junjie, caught in the eye of this fiery storm, moved with an agility he barely knew he possessed. He ducked, weaved, and leaped, each movement more desperate than the last as he barely avoided the ball. The fireballs grazed past him, singeing his clothes, scorching his hair, the heat licking at his skin. He could feel the sweat on his brow, the rapid beating of his heart, the adrenaline coursing through his veins.
"Tell me, is this how you want to become strong?" the principal's voice boomed over the roar of the flames.
Junjie's mind raced as he hid behind a wooden pillar.
How was he supposed to avoid that? The flames are unending, each dodge a narrow escape from searing pain. If it hits him it's game over.
"Think, Junjie, think. What am I supposed to do?" Junjie's thoughts were a whirlwind of panic.
"Power... I need to use my power. But how?"
"Tell me, boy, what do you possibly hope to achieve from this weak?" the principal taunted.
The word "Weak" echoes in his mind. A flood of past memories, break through like a broken dem.
"Weak"
"Loser"
"Pathetic"
"Poor thing"
"What a pity"
The word sneered at him, like he was standing in the presence of all the people that were mocking him.
The fireball formed together into a big flame of explosion charging full speed towards him, burning the torch on top of his head.
His eyes flashed a brilliant red, he instinctively raised his right hand against the oncoming inferno. A dark aura, black and shadowy, emanated from him, enveloping his hand. The mark on his forehead showed itself once more.
Something within Junjie has awakened !
The fireball exploded on contact, burning both the torch and the giant temple pillar behind him into ash, but Junjie remained unscathed. Not a single flame touched him. His body stood amidst the chaos, untouched, surrounded by a terrifying aura of dark power.
The principal and Haruki watched in alarm, the former's expression one of surprise, the latter's of disbelief. Junjie lowered his hand, the aura dissipating, his eyes returning to normal. He stood there, breathing heavily, trying to comprehend what had just happened.
"Was that Valfar? No, it wasn't him, It was me !" Junjie realized, filling something in his core
"You did well," the principal smiled slightly. "I entrust you to Kensei's care. You have passed."
Junjie nodded silently.