A boy with white hair and pale eyes — his physique completely average — walked toward the enormous academy.

  The massive gates stood wide open, welcoming hundreds of students.

  He blended among them, quietly observing.

  His name was Dark.

  > “I hope I can pass the exams... If I don’t, I’ll never be like my master...”

  Dark muttered as he stepped through the entrance.

  Inside the grand hall stood statues of heroes from the past.

  At the center towered a Valkyrie warrior, holding the sacred blade Excalibur.

  > “So this is the place...? The hall where heroes and villains once stood before following their own paths?”

  he whispered, before heading to the Entrance Exams.

  Dark placed his hand on the crystal orb and focused.

  But no matter how hard he tried, not a single drop of mana flowed from his core.

  The orb remained dull. Lifeless.

  The instructor scribbled something on her clipboard and sighed.

  — “Alright, your test ends here. Proceed to the next exam, please.”

  — “Right... I will...”

  Dark’s voice wavered, disappointment tightening his chest as he walked away.

  It was a friendly battle between students.

  Dark watched the earlier matches — a graceful female swordswoman wielding a massive blade with perfect precision, and a boy fighting with twin daggers, his style fast and precise like an assassin’s.

  Then, his name was called.

  His opponent: Tyson Zawa, a noble-born student.

  The instructor raised his hand.

  — “No fatal blows. Whoever falls out of the arena loses.

  Using any illegal items or mana enhancements is strictly forbidden.”

  Tyson smirked, raising his sword lazily toward Dark.

  — “This weakling’s my opponent? Couldn’t they give me someone easier?”

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  Dark drew his twin daggers, his eyes steady.

  The match began.

  Tyson rushed in, his sword slashing downward. Dark blocked by crossing his blades, sparks flying. He staggered backward, gasping.

  > “Why... is this so hard...?”

  he muttered, his breath trembling.

  He charged again, but Tyson sidestepped with unnatural speed, sending Dark tumbling toward the edge.

  Tyson advanced with a smirk, ready to push him out—

  — “The match is over!”

  the instructor’s voice boomed.

  Tyson froze.

  — “What?! Why?! He clearly lost! I—”

  — “You used mana to enhance your strength and speed,”

  the instructor interrupted, cold and sharp.

  — “Maybe go back home and play noble instead of cheating. Your family used to have better manners.”

  He passed by Dark, glancing at his daggers.

  — “The Headmaster wants to see you after the last exam.”

  And with that, he moved on.

  The room was filled with scratching pens, rustling papers, and the faint tapping of pencils.

  The instructor sat up front, her sharp eyes scanning the students.

  Dark stared at one of the questions:

  > “If a being existed beyond the laws of nature, what kind of chaos could it create?”

  > “Seriously...? That’s a question?”

  he thought, before reluctantly writing:

  > ‘If a being existed beyond the laws of nature, it could bring chaos—or perhaps be the source of it.

  The only one capable of such existence would transcend far beyond the level of gods themselves.

  But no such being could possibly exist... not even a god.’

  Dark knocked on the door.

  — “Come in,” a calm voice said.

  He stepped inside.

  — “Excuse me, sir— Wait... old man?! It’s you?!”

  The Headmaster looked up and smiled.

  It was the man who had once cared for him after his master was gone.

  — “Ah, so it’s you, Dark! Glad to see you came. I was wondering if you’d answer my letter.”

  He poured two cups of black coffee and handed one to Dark.

  — “Of course I’d come, Mr. Kuroda.”

  Dark sipped.

  — “Come now, forget the formalities. You can just call me Masaki.”

  Masaki paced around the room.

  — “So, you came here for a reason, didn’t you?”

  — “Yeah... I did. I want to be like my master.”

  Masaki turned to the window overlooking the main gate, hiding his expression.

  — “Forget that foolish dream. Your master wasn’t someone you should try to follow.

  She was good in the end... but not a saint, Dark.”

  — “Maybe... but neither you nor she ever told me what she did before taking me in...”

  Dark’s eyes lowered, sadness in his tone.

  — “Anyway... if you pass the written test, you’ll be admitted.”

  Masaki turned to him.

  — “I... still can’t use mana. It’s like an unbreakable curse.”

  — “Yeah, I didn’t expect you to.

  If that’s all, you can go now.”

  — “Fine... I’ll be going. See ya, old man.”

  Dark left quietly. As he walked down the hall, he glanced at the bright sky outside.

  > “Master... What did you do to make the old man like that...?

  Minutes later, the great hall was filled with new students waiting for the Headmaster’s speech.

  Dark stood among them.

  Masaki stepped up to the stage and began to speak.

  But his speech was more than words — it was a hidden test.

  He released an overwhelming wave of mana.

  Students gasped, some collapsing, others kneeling.

  But a few... stood tall.

  Among them — Dark, who didn’t even understand what was happening.

  He couldn’t sense mana, yet somehow, he remained standing.

  Alongside him stood the assassin-type boy from before, the swordswoman, and a saint struggling but holding firm.

  Masaki stopped his release, smiling faintly.

  — “Now then... our top student —

  Ingrid Yumi!”

  The swordswoman stepped forward. Her hair was black streaked with glowing blue, and her dark-blue eyes were fierce and captivating.

  Her beauty was mesmerizing — her presence, commanding.

  She faced the crowd.

  — “I’m Ingrid Yumi.

  I didn’t come here to play heroes or make friends.

  I came here to become a true hero.

  If you get in my way... I’ll crush you.”

  The audience fell silent.

  She wasn’t joking — and Dark knew it.

  After the speech, students gathered around the results board.

  Dark scanned for his name when someone threw an arm around his neck.

  He turned — crimson eyes, black hair with red streaks, a confident grin.

  — “Need a hand?”

  the boy smirked.

  — “Ah, yeah... that’d be great,” Dark said with a smile.

  — “Name’s Dark, by the way.”

  — “Weird name,” the boy chuckled.

  — “Here it is! Number 894. Congrats, you made it in.

  Name’s Lavin Rouge.”

  — “Nice to meet you, Lavin. Thanks for helping me.”

  — “No problem. Anyway, I’m heading out—”

  — “Wait! Could you help me find the boys’ dorm? I have no idea where it is.”

  — “Sure, sure... let’s go.”

  Lavin’s tone dimmed slightly — maybe his curiosity about Dark had faded when he realized Dark had no mana.

  Still, the two walked side by side...

  unaware that their meeting would one day shake the entire multiverse.

  ______________________________________________

  If the translation is horrible, I'm sorry, I don't know much English and that's why I used Translator