"Next candidate, Kael Veldt."
The name cracks through the air like a whip. I snap my gaze back to the training grounds—and the breath dies in my throat.
Four elemental hues erupt in a violent waltz:
Crimson burning,
Emerald rushing,
Sapphire flowing,
All outlined in molten bronze, a searing 12/2 polygram binding the chaos into form.
How?
His mana reserves should cap at 250 MP—barely enough to conjure a 2-3 meter projection. Yet this monstrous projection circle dwarfs every royal and noble present. Just like the original game.
But his stats deviated.
I'm certain of it.
The numbers don't lie—so what the hell is he?"
Wait…
"Temporal Anchor, Inhabitant ID Kael Veldt"
And to my horror… or relief?
Name: Kael Veldt
Class: Adept-Class Mage
Title: Archon of the Element's Accord
Stats:
- Strength: 5-Star
- Vitality: 5-Star
- Agility: 5-Star
- Intellect: Unreadable, your difference is too great
- Stamina: 100%
Attributes:
The Chosen One: The protagonist of the game, whether he realizes it or not, this attribute grants him all the 4 Main Elements and receives a 15% boost in magical power.
Artificial Spiritual Sensitivity: The one attuned with building blocks of nature. He is extremely sensitive to mana, being almost one with it, therefore spirits will be more easily perceived by him.
The Second Blessing of the World: The world has taken favor to Kael, his spells consume less mana than the average individual. An additional boost of 30% in magical power is too gained.
The Phylogenetic Root: An individual possessing the necessary genomes to be the pinnacle of humanity. Grants an increase of all physical stats by 1-Star. Alongside the opportunity to learn multiple sources of powers.
Element Affinity:
Earth (Main Element): 4-Star
Wind (Main Element): 3-Star
Water (Main Element): 2-Star
Fire (Main Element): 1-Star
Mana Remaining: 450/450 MP
What the fuck?
I mean—thank the gods they're back to normal. But how? Overnight, he star-upgrades his entire stat sheet? What kind of back-alley divine intervention is this?
Archivist Orlan's voice crackles through the hall, dripping with stunned reverence—like he's trying to one-up my shock from earlier.
"Kael Veldt… To call this 'outstanding' would be an insult. Five meters. On the dot. Proceed to the spell test."
He's back to his awkward self, but now every step he takes now screams authority. The entire student body leans in, whispers fraying at the edges—equal parts awe, naked confusion and jealousy.
And there it is. The princesses' gazes lock onto him, sharp as drawn blades.
Good. Perfect. Just like the original script.
Kael, you beautiful bastard—just hit 5 PSI with two elements. Do that, and we're golden.
For the first time—nervousness coils in my gut like a live wire.
Gods, just this once—Stick to the script without my intervention. All you need to do is cast all 4 elements flawlessly. The less I interfere, the better. The safer. He raises his arms and mana begins to swirl—red and blue first. Water and Fire.
You originally dual casted spells together, impressing everybody present. But I don't mind if you single cast. As long as you do something similar I'll be happy. So please, for me and the world.
The Archivist's quill hovers. The princesses lean forward. History holds its breath.
Prove me wrong, Kael. Be the shitty protagonist you're supposed to be.
The spells erupt in rapid succession.
A 1-Star Stone Shot.
A 1-Star Wind Slash.
"D-dual casting?!" The assistants' voices crack. "U-uhm... both registering at 5 pascals, Professor."
"To say I'm impressed, Mr. Veldt, would be—"
"A-ah, Archivist Orlan… I-I have two more…"
The air shatters as two more elements burst forth:
1-Star Water Pulse.
1-Star Fireball.
"5 pascals on Water Pulse... 4 on Fireball..." The professor's quill snaps from gripping too tight.
"Adept-Class." A beat of stunned silence. "That's it. Next."
The silence that follows isn't just quiet - it's the sound of paradigms shifting.
A boy. A commoner. Quad-elemental casting.
The academy's foundations just trembled.
And me?
THANK YOU, KAEL.
Keep this up, my guy. At this rate, you'll have the princesses utterly smothered up by sundown. I wish you all the best—and, gods know, all the stamina.
I love you, brother.
That's a flawless start. With this, at least Act I is rolling out like the original script. This is my baseline. My literal temporal anchor.
For now…Nothing's derailed yet. No disasters. No world-ending butterflies. Just a commoner shaking the heavens.
Exactly as he should.
I'll ponder on how you increased your stats so fast another time but at LEAST something is going my way in this world.
.
.
.
Ah, but let me offer my sincerest apologies to all the other prodigies who had to take their MCAT right after Kael.
Don't get me wrong - you were all brilliant in your own right. But stacked against the literal protagonist?
Yeah… Hope y'all get your own spin-off game someday.
The harsh truth? As Archivist Orlan declared, most of us fell squarely in the Intermediate-to-Apprentice Class range. Myself included. Of course we can all grow. But our potential is only limited by our effort to work hard. Whereas these geniuses have it all at birth.
The curse of being NPCs in a hero's story, I suppose.
.
.
.
The MCAT finally drew to a close, leaving every student branded with their classification rating. As the last evaluations concluded, we were herded back toward the grand auditorium—where the headmaster would deliver his inevitable, grandiose speech.
And I?
I floated there on cloud nine.
Not only had I met my own expectations, but Kael had performed his role flawlessly—no, spectacularly. The protagonist had shattered records like cheap glass, just as the original story demanded. My relief was so palpable I nearly skipped through the academy's gilded corridors.
The auditorium loomed before us, its vaulted ceilings echoing with the chatter of hundreds of students. I found my original seat and collapsed into it with the grace of a sack of potatoes. Finally, rest.
At the podium, the headmaster cleared his throat. The room fell silent as his voice boomed:
"Congratulations to you all," he began, "Whatever your results may be. Remember today's evaluation is but the first step in your journey. Do not let these rankings limit you. After all, in a duel or out in the world, Your intellect, creativity and application of theory will be the victor's determining factor."
A pause for dramatic effect. Somewhere in the crowd, a first-year sniffled.
"You will now embark on a full tour of our esteemed academy. Your assigned instructor will be determined by your student ID number. Please group up in scales of 10." His gaze swept across us like a lighthouse beam. "Dismissed once again."
And then came the twist of fate.
As the crowd dispersed into designated groups, I found myself lumped in with legends - a ten-person ensemble that included none other than Alyssa, Lysandra and Kael
Then there was me.
The dynamic was almost comical. Alyssa immediately became the sun of our little solar system, with the other six group members orbiting her like desperate planets. Meanwhile, Lysandra had cornered Kael, her piercing gaze dissecting his every word as she interrogated him about his unprecedented performance.
Uh, but isn't holding his hands over his heads too extreme? And maybe a bit too unlike a princess… their proximity wasn't just professional curiosity—they stood closer than academy decorum typically allowed, their body language speaking of familiar ease.
Oh wait…The pieces clicked together.
I forgot these two fuckers were childhood friends.
Of course. The original game's lore came flooding back. How had I forgotten this crucial detail? Their history explained Lysandra's unusually personal interest—and that meant we were in for far more drama than the standard orientation tour promised.
All I could do was give a chuckle as the tour began, it will be interesting with these two lovebirds.