Charles scrambled to his feet, hands shaking, a sharp pain searing his palms.
The explosion he'd caused echoed in his ears, and the air was thick with dust and a faint burnt smell.
The two kids sitting beside him groaned—one clutching his arm, the other wiping blood from a scratch on his face.
Charles blinked, still dazed.
'Shit, what did I do?' he thought, surveying the chaos around him.
His black tunic was caked in dirt, and his hands burned like he'd dunked them in boiling water.
As the smoke cleared, the instructor sprinted toward them, his tunic flapping behind him.
His face showed concern, but above all… curiosity.
"Who did this?!" he shouted, stopping before the group of Aspirants now circling them, murmuring among themselves.
"An explosion?" a tired girl asked.
"Who caused it?" another girl said, curious.
"I saw it… when that old guy sat down…" a boy started explaining to the others.
Charles raised his hand slowly, feeling every eye locked on him.
'No way out of this one,' he thought, a knot forming in his stomach.
The instructor stared, eyes narrowed.
"What? You awakened already, Rian?" he asked, his tone more incredulous than accusing.
Charles swallowed hard, realizing he'd screwed up.
His plan had been to mimic the two kids beside him, but he hadn't expected his power to act like that.
Worst of all, the system hadn't given him any warning!
Denying it would be too suspicious, especially with the small crater he'd left in the dirt.
'Lira's gonna kill me…' he thought, recalling her warning not to reveal his power.
But he had no choice.
Still, Charles saw a potential way out.
"Yeah," he said, trying to sound confident. "I think so…"
The instructor crossed his arms, completely ignoring the two injured kids still groaning on the ground.
"What's your element?" he demanded, his tone calling for a clear answer.
Charles thought fast.
He couldn't say lightning; that would draw too much attention, and from his talk with Lira, he'd gathered no one in the clan controlled it.
Since he'd caused an explosion, with its bright flash and smoke… it could pass for something else.
"Fire," he blurted, scratching his neck like he was embarrassed. "It was… fire, I guess."
Not claiming absolute certainty about his element gave him an out—if his true element was ever discovered, he could lean on that ambiguity.
To his surprise, the instructor smiled, a reaction Charles hadn't expected.
The man stepped forward, clapping a hand on Charles's shoulder with a firm grip.
"Fire! And you awakened it in record time!" he exclaimed, his laugh booming across the field. "Now I see why Lira assigned you to this unit. You've got talent. I'll notify the superiors of your promotion, Rian."
The Aspirants around them murmured, some with surprise, others with obvious envy.
"Lucky jerk…" a boy grumbled, annoyed.
"Bet that bastard already had powers…" a girl muttered, jealous.
Charles let out a nervous laugh, heat creeping up his neck.
One Aspirant, the same short-haired kid who'd tried to fight him in the dining hall, stepped forward, face red with rage.
"This is unfair!" he yelled, pointing at Charles. "We've been here longer, and he's already getting promoted! That's not right!"
The instructor turned to the kid, his glare so icy it seemed to chill the air.
"Unfair?" he repeated, voice mocking. He let out a dry laugh, shaking his head. "In this clan, we seek talent, not whiners. All of you in this rank are powerless trash until you prove otherwise. Want fair? Train till you awaken something, or shut up!"
'What kind of motivational scolding is that?' Charles thought, baffled.
The kid shrank back, face pale, while the other Aspirants looked down, intimidated.
The instructor turned to the two injured kids, now sitting up, panting and clutching their wounds.
"Get them to the medical area," he ordered, pointing at a group of nearby Aspirants. "Hurry."
Then he looked at Charles, his expression softening.
"You too, Rian. Get those hands checked. And again, congrats on the promotion. Keep climbing."
He clapped his hands in the air, like he was celebrating, then strode to the field's center, shouting orders at the others.
Charles stood still for a moment, processing.
'So I jumped to Novice rank just like that…' he thought, a mix of relief and worry. 'That means I'll train my power… or rather, I'll have to train it while pretending it's fire.'
He glanced at his hands, still throbbing, and muttered, "System, guide me to the medical area."
A blue panel appeared:
[Navigation Activated: Route to medical area.]
Charles started walking, following the floating arrow in his vision.
As he moved through the clan's paths, his thoughts churned.
'That explosion could pass my lightning off as fire,' he thought, frowning. 'The flash, the smoke… it fits. But I'd have to cause an explosion every time I use my power.'
He didn't like the idea. Not only was it hard to control, but it left him injured.
"System, show my stats."
The panel updated:
Name: Rian Cole
Element: Lightning
Level: 5
Stats
Health: 71/100
Energy: 85%
System Intelligence: 3
Control Level: 2
XP: 71/1600
Available Upgrade Points: 0
Charles grunted at his health.
"71…" he muttered. "That explosion took out nearly a quarter of my health. This isn't sustainable."
His energy was high, likely because he hadn't used much power, but the physical damage was a problem.
'If every time I use my "fire" I end up this banged up, I'm in trouble,' he thought, worried.