Ingrit stood under the shower, water cascading over his body. His hands pressed firmly against the tiled wall, his head slightly lowered as if burdened by a heavy weight. His eyes were distant, unfocused, as if lost in thought.
"Sein, I swear I will kill you," he muttered under his breath.
The thought of Sein's face flashed in his mind, causing his expression to twist into a scowl, disgust and anger rippling through him.
Not long after his intense battle with the merman monster, reinforcements had arrived at the scene. They found Ingrit unconscious and floating in the sea, pulling him to safety.
When he regained consciousness, a barrage of questions about the mission followed. The inquiries were relentless, but what truly shocked him was the revelation: Sein had betrayed the Magic Association, escaping with all the stolen goods.
Finishing his shower, Ingrit dressed in casual attire—a plain black t-shirt and matching black shorts. Once ready, he threw himself onto his floppy bed, arms tucked behind his head as a makeshift pillow.
He stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.
"I still can't believe I've become a Chosen. Man, yesterday was exhausting."
Just then, a sharp purple notification cut through his thoughts.
[Notification: It's time for your 'Daily Training Quest.']
"Huh? What training?"he murmured, frowning at the notification with confusion.
Another screen appeared, offering a brief explanation:
[Training Quest is a must for an E ranker.]
[Once you reach A level, you don't have to participate in the training quest.]
===
[Training Quest]
[Participate] [Delay]
===
He glanced at the options.
'I need to go to school now, so I'll delay it.'he thought, selecting the 'Delay' button.
However, as soon as he did, a follow-up notification popped up.
[Training quest has been delayed. But you must complete this quest within today. Otherwise, you will have to take two training quests in one day as a penalty.]
He sighed, his expression remaining neutral. He figured the training quest couldn't be too difficult.
Turning his head, he glanced at the wall clock. Realizing he still had an hour before school started, he sat up.
'I might as well spend some time learning about this new power.' he thought.
He then summoned his rune.
===
[Status]
Name of the holder: Ingrit Cloudines;
Title: ??;
Status: E rank;
Power obtained: 10%;
Name of the power: Dracid;
Main abilities: Sphere of Dracid, Wings of Dracid, {more to be acquired};
Extracted abilities: Blood Manipulation, Medium Swimmer, Magic Energy Blocker;
Skill: Dominance over abilities;
Craft: [Click here];
===
He studied the screen intently, his gaze lingering on the details. Then, something caught his eye: the 'Craft' option. It piqued his curiosity.
With a hint of eagerness, he clicked on it.
A new screen appeared before him.
[What do you want to craft?]
[Input--]
He stared at the blank prompt, his mind racing. After pondering for a moment, he leaned forward and tapped the screen.
Now, his interest was fully captured. His eyes sparkled with renewed energy as he straightened up, a sense of anticipation coursing through him.
Closing his eyes, Ingrit crossed his arms, his thoughts sharpening. It didn't take him long to settle on an idea.
Determined, he typed out his request.
[Create a cool poison-resistant full mask which looks like the head of a dragon]
[Click]
With a decisive press, he clicked the button.
[Crafting failed]
Ingrit frowned, his lips pressing into a thin line.
'Why?'
[You do not have enough resources to craft a dragon-like mask.]
[To craft such a mask: first, collect the head of a sea dragon.]
He stared at the message, his expression twisting in disbelief. The realization hit him hard: crafting required resources. He had naively assumed it would be effortless. But, as he thought about it, it made sense. Nothing could be made from nothing.
With a resigned sigh, he cracked his neck and muttered to himself.
'Anyway, why was I chosen as one of the "Chosens," and what is their purpose?'
[Chosens have one and only purpose: to defeat the "Ultimate."]
'Who is the Ultimate?'
[Ultimate is the greatest evil, whom you Chosens will face in the distant future.]
[Thousands of years ago, the Ultimate was sealed away. Those who sealed it were nine extraordinary giants, also known as Colossus, who sacrificed their lives to imprison that evil being. They were called Supreme Mages or Supreme Heroes.]
Ingrit's eyes widened in astonishment as he read those words.
First of all, the mention of the giants stunned him. They were part of the mythology he had read so many years ago. He had always thought Colossus were nothing but mere legend.
Secondly, the reference to the nine Colossus intrigued him.
He didn't know about these so-called Supreme Mages or Heroes. But now, if Ingrit was truly one of the nine Colossus incarnations, it meant there were eight others like him. That also implied Lightning-Clown was one of the incarnations too.
Struggling to process this flood of revelations, Ingrit scratched the back of his head, his face contorted in confusion.
[Also, beware of Darkens.]
Raising an eyebrow, he asked, 'Darkens? What are they?'
[Darkens are extracted forms of the "Ultimate"]
[Before the Ultimate was sealed, it scattered parts of its power across the world, embedding them into living beings. These Darkens now lurk in the shadows, seeking to break the Ultimate's seal]
The sheer magnitude of this information made his head spin. Giants existing in the past, Supreme Mages, the Ultimate, Darkens—this was all too overwhelming to process at once.
With a deep frown, he stood and muttered, "Wait. I need to get ready for school. Let's save this for later."
He quickly changed into his school uniform, hurriedly descended the stairs, and exited the house, which was located in the middle of other similar looking houses.
Ingrit's mom was adamant about him attending school and studying like a normal kid, unlike other mages and Divers. Though Ingrit didn't like school, he couldn't go against his mom's wishes, so he reluctantly complied.
But there was another reason—beyond his mother's insistence—that made Ingrit attend school every day.
You'll see why soon....
As he stepped out of his white wooden house, he began walking toward the gate.
Ingrit belonged to a prestigious clan known as the "Cloudines." Alongside the Aintraz, Raihen, Munchener, Heartfilla clans, and many others, the Cloudines were among the most feared and powerful clans in the world.
Yet, despite being born into such a renowned lineage, Ingrit was a weakling—a failure who didn't even have the right to carry the Cloudines name with pride.
As usual, while passing his neighbors, he noticed their disgusted looks aimed his way. Ingrit ignored them, thinking:
'Just wait a little longer. I'll show you who's strong.'
Reaching the entry gate of his clan's territory, he decided to do something different for once.
'I don't feel like walking to school today. Maybe I'll take a cloud taxi.'
He stood there for a moment until he saw a white taxi approaching. Raising his left hand, he signaled, and the driver stopped beside him.
The taxi was oval-shaped, made of condensed clouds. Its exterior and interior gleamed with a dense, mist-like texture, and the seats were soft and pliant, offering a comfortable place to sit. The glass roof provided a view of the sky above, and the vehicle floated five to seven centimeters above the ground, completely wheel-less.
He climbed in, settled into the seat, and gave the driver his destination. Without delay, the taxi sped off toward the school.
The taxi dropped Ingrit off in front of the school gate, where he unexpectedly ran into Givan. It wasn't common for them to meet outside the school gate, and seeing Ingrit arrive by taxi—especially a cloud taxi—took Givan by surprise.
"What's up, man? It's unusual to see you take a taxi, let alone a cloud taxi," Givan said.
"Nothing's up," Ingrit replied with a straight face. "I just felt like it today."
But Givan could sense something was different. Even though he'd checked on Ingrit yesterday after hearing about his underwater mission going south, concern still lingered.
As Ingrit's childhood friend, Givan could immediately tell if something was wrong. Even though Ingrit usually kept a straight face when talking, today there was an air of secrecy about him.
Though Givan wasn't one to pry, but his worry grew.
"Is that so?"
Ingrit didn't respond, and the two walked into the schoolyard. The yard was vast, covered in lush green grass, and at the far end stood a large, white-painted school building.
As they walked, Givan glanced sideways at Ingrit and said, "You know, if something's bothering you, you can always tell me. I'll do whatever I can to help."
Hearing this, Ingrit's eyes widened slightly. Relief washed over him, and for the first time in a while, he felt happy. Smiling faintly, he said, "Thanks. I'm glad to have a friend like you by my side, Givan."
Givan was momentarily taken aback by Ingrit's sudden openness, but it pleased him. Smiling warmly, he replied, "Don't mention it."
After their conversation, Ingrit's mind felt lighter, the burden of his thoughts easing slightly.
They didn't say much after that and headed straight to their classroom. However, as they entered, a commotion caught their attention. A group of female students had formed a circle around someone, their voices filled with excitement.
The boys tried to peek through the crowd, but the tightly packed girls formed an impenetrable wall around the person.
"What's this about?" Givan asked, confused, casting a glance toward the scene.
"Beats me," Ingrit replied with a neutral expression.
Finally, the crowd of girls broke apart, revealing someone breathtakingly beautiful.
She had long pink hair tied in a ponytail, sparkling blue eyes, and a delicate yet enchanting face. Her presence was mesmerizing, almost otherworldly, leaving everyone captivated at first glance....