Noir Sullivan stood frozen, his eyes fixed on the camouflaged figures watching the Misfit Class from the rafters of the Greenhouse Tower. He didn't have to wait long for an explanation.
Asmodeus Alice, effortlessly channeling his mana, created a vibrant, pink flame over his seed, patiently encouraging it to sprout. He noticed Noir's unusual distraction and walked over quietly, leaning in conspiratorially.
"Don't mind them, Noir-sama," Alice whispered, his eyes still fixed on his pot. "Those are members of the Student Council. Now that the Rank Assessment is complete, they undoubtedly come to scout the new first years. They observe talent, especially those with high ranks or unusual profiles."
A hush fell over the class as the students realized they were under official observation. A small, winged student cautiously glanced upwards.
"The Student Council?" the student murmured. "Do you think that could be the President up there?"
The question hung heavy in the air. The Student Council President of Babyls was a legendary figure, known for impeccable power and flawless control. Every demon strived to earn their notice.
The class resumed its focus on the "Quan Quan" spell, eager to impress the silent observers.
The attention soon shifted to the back of the room where Sabnock Sabro was attempting the assignment. Sabro didn't whisper; he roared the spell, his sheer ambition translating into aggressive magical output.
SABRO: "Quan Quan! GROW, you insignificant sprout! Grow large and powerful, fitting of a future King's harvest!"
His seed responded immediately, but violently. It shot out of the soil, rapidly growing into a plant that resembled a battle-axe handle made of thorny, dark-red wood. The flower at the top was a fearsome, armored crimson bloom, radiating the raw power of conflict.
Stolas Suzy-sensei examined the axe-flower with caution, marking her clipboard.
SUZY-SENSEI: "Sabnock-kun, certainly powerful, but lacking refinement. A bit too aggressive. We'll give that a B+ for effort and vigor."
Sabro scowled, clutching his chest in theatrical disappointment. "B+?! The flower of a king should be S-rank or higher!"
Alice, meanwhile, had perfected his output. He held his hands over his pot, channeling a stream of gentle, controlled pink fire. His seed slowly, beautifully, unfurled into a towering, elegant Fire Lily. The bloom was impeccably symmetrical and pulsed softly with contained heat, a stunning testament to his fine control and aristocratic lineage.
Suzy-sensei beamed, her spectacles sparkling.
SUZY-SENSEI: "Asmodeus-kun, flawless control! The elegance and precision are remarkable. A clear A+!"
Sabro's jealousy boiled over. He saw Alice's success not just as a better grade, but as a slight against his own ambition to prove his worthiness for the throne.
SABRO: "Unacceptable! Such delicate vanity will never withstand true demonic conflict!"
Before anyone could stop him, Sabro grabbed a pitcher of water and furiously poured it directly onto Alice's exquisite Fire Lily.
A fierce hiss erupted as the fire flower battled the deluge, its petals sizzling. Alice, in response, erupted in a righteous, pink inferno, spinning to face Sabro.
ALICE: "Sabnock Sabro! How dare you commit such an act of botanical atrocity! I challenge you to a duel of immediate satisfaction!"
The two high-ranking students immediately crashed into a chaotic brawl of fire and heavy-impact armor, tossing desks and seedlings across the Greenhouse Tower.
Noir watched the disruption, realizing a crucial flaw in his plan. He had focused so much on disguising his rank, but the reality was: In the demonic field, those with immense magic or exceptional control stood out just as much. Alice was a high-ranked talent, and his power was attention-grabbing regardless.
Noir turned, sighing, seeking a brief moment of quiet observation from Valac Clara.
NOIR: (Quietly) "Clara, what did you manage to grow?"
Clara held up her pot, beaming. Her plant was... abstract. It didn't look like any known flora. A thin, brightly colored vine twisted up from the soil, forming a structure that resembled a corkscrew ending in a cluster of tiny, brightly colored, smiling disembodied eyes that blinked occasionally. The entire plant radiated a palpable aura of cheerful, nonsensical wrongness.
CLARA: "It's my 'Fun Plant'! It looks hungry!"
Noir forced a smile, slightly disturbed by the result of Clara's limitless, chaotic magical affinity. Her power isn't strong, but it's fundamentally unsettling. He decided it was time to address his own pot before the observers took note of his inactivity.
Noir picked up his own small pot. He lamented his current condition—looking powerful but being paralyzed by the fear of his chaotic mana.
NOIR: (Whispering to the pot) "Quan Quan... I wish I could make you grow big, but my control is terrible."
He attempted a minute release of power, concentrating intensely. Nothing happened. He tried a second time, pushing the energy just a fraction harder.
Suddenly, the Ring of Solomon on his right hand began to pulse with a low, steady golden light. The seed in the pot didn't sprout; it glowed with the same amber light as his eyes.
Just as the magic started to coalesce, the phone Lord Sullivan had given him rang—a loud, cheerful, jarring jingle. Noir fumbled for it, annoyed.
NOIR: (Into the phone) "Hello?"
SULLIVAN: (Voice bursting with pride and excitement) "Noir-chan!? I know the Ring of Solomon keeps eating your mana, so I researched it the ring acts like a catalyst to your overflowing mana, it's highly stable, high-output power"
Noir's eyes widened in horror. "Huh??!"
SULLIVAN: "Yes! Now you don't have to worry about running dry or overflowing! Just a massive, perfectly stable reserve! But please, dear, do not try to use it until Opera teaches you the fine control. The output is... immense!"
Noir looked at the glowing pot in his hand, then at the golden ring, which was actively dumping a truly terrifying amount of stable mana into his body, ready for immediate channeling.
NOIR: "Grandpa, I think it's too late!"
The minute, tentative amount of mana Noir had just tried to use was instantly amplified by the Ring's new, immense power reserve. He lost all control. The gentle, simple 'Quan Quan' spell was executed with the equivalent force of a magical supernova.
The pot didn't just sprout; it exploded in a blinding flash of kaleidoscopic light and unstoppable growth.
The small seed shot into the sky, growing into a gargantuan, impossible tree that ripped through the glass dome of the Greenhouse Tower and towered over the entire Babyls Academy. The growth was so rapid and aggressive that it felt less like a plant and more like a cosmic event.
The resulting structure was a single, monstrous, beautiful botanical fusion:
Jacaranda Trees: The main branches were covered in soft, purple, trumpet-shaped flowers.
Angel Oak: The massive, gnarled trunk was ancient and covered in thick, twisting moss, anchoring it with impossible strength.
Blooming Cherry Trees: Delicate, bright pink cherry blossoms burst forth alongside the violet blooms.
Stunningly Colorful Maple Trees: The massive leaves covering the branches transitioned through impossible shades of fiery red, brilliant orange, and electric yellow.
Spectacular 144-Year-Old Wisteria: Massive, fragrant, blue and purple vines, dripping with flowers, hung like curtains from the lower branches, wrapping around the wreckage of the Greenhouse Tower.
The resulting structure was majestic, terrifying, and utterly impossible—a single, ginormous, multi-hued, multi-species tree of ultimate beauty and devastation.
The fight between Sabro and Alice immediately stopped. The observers in the rafters scattered, terrified.
Kalego, who had just arrived, watched the destruction and the cosmic botany. He simply opened his mouth in a silent scream, realizing that this was not just a disastrous day, but the beginning of an ecological catastrophe.
Noir stood beneath the shade of the single, perfect, impossible trunk, clutching his phone and staring up at the carnage.
NOIR: (Into the phone, horrified) "Grandpa, I think I got an A+."