Chapter — Breaking the D-Rank Wall
Lucien Vale had learned one important rule at the Imperial Academy:
Rank-ups were not cinematic.
They were painful, dangerous, and deeply inconvenient.
The underground training chamber was sealed tight.
Reinforced walls. Mana-suppression runes. An isolation barrier personally rented using three favors, one lie, and a suspicious amount of paperwork.
Lucien sat cross-legged in the center, breathing slowly.
A translucent screen hovered before him.
STATUS — LUCIEN VALE
Rank: D (Peak)
EXP: ██████████▉ 98%
Talent: Heir of Converging Fates (S)
Affinity: Ice (B) — Locked
Physique: Arcane-Adaptive Body (A)
Bloodline: Vale Bloodline — Dormant Sovereign Strain (B)
Requirement to Rank Up:
EXP: Fulfilled
Body Reinforcement: Fulfilled
Mental Stability: Questionable
Conceptual Alignment: Pending
Lucien stared at the last line.
"…Pending my ass," he muttered. "Just say you want drama."
THE PROBLEM WITH RANKING UP
Most students ranked up by absorbing mana naturally.
Lucien did not have that luxury.
His Arcane-Adaptive Body didn't accept mana.
It argued with it.
Mana surged through his veins, twisted, adapted, compressed—then demanded more. Always more.
If he failed to control it, the backlash could cripple him.
Or worse.
BONDS STIR
A warmth spread through his chest.
Not mana.
Connection.
Faint threads shimmered—nearly invisible.
Kael — burning, volatile, restrained rage
Elarion — calm, flowing harmony
Seraphine — cold hunger wrapped in discipline
Bron — solid, unyielding foundation
Lucien exhaled slowly.
Right. I'm not alone anymore.
His talent responded.
Heir of Converging Fates activated (Passive).
Growth accelerated through bonds, conflict, and will.
THE ASCENSION BEGINS
Lucien opened his eyes.
Mana exploded outward—then snapped inward like a collapsing star.
Bones screamed.
Muscles tore microscopically, reforging stronger.
His heart thundered as mana carved new pathways, more efficient, more dangerous.
The pressure crushed down on his mind.
This was the wall.
D → C Rank was not power.
It was capacity.
ICE STIRS — AND IS SUPPRESSED
A familiar cold tried to surface.
Ice mana, sharp and elegant.
Lucien clenched his teeth.
"No."
He reached deeper.
Something hotter. Denser.
A flame bloomed in his core.
Not red.
Not gold.
Blue.
Silent. Condensed. Controlled.
Blue flame wrapped around his mana like a regulator, preventing overflow.
No one in the novel used it.
Which meant—
Perfect.
BREAKING THROUGH
The final barrier shattered.
Mana flooded outward—then stabilized.
The pain vanished.
Lucien gasped, collapsing forward as the screen flickered.
RANK UP COMPLETE
STATUS — LUCIEN VALE
Rank: C
EXP: █░░░░░░░░░ 5%
Physique: Arcane-Adaptive Body (A → A+)
Mana Capacity: Increased (×2.4)
Mana Control: Improved
Hidden Resistance: Developing
New Passive Unlocked:
Adaptive Mana Circulation (C Rank)
Mana efficiency increases under combat stress.
Lucien lay on the floor, staring at the ceiling.
"…Nice," he said weakly. "Didn't explode. Big win."
AFTERMATH — OUTSIDE
Kael stood up abruptly.
"That pressure—did you feel that?"
Elarion nodded, eyes narrowed. "Someone just ranked up. But… it wasn't normal."
Seraphine smiled faintly.
"…It was him."
Bron crossed his arms. "Humans shouldn't do that."
LUCIEN'S GRIN
Back in the chamber, Lucien finally laughed.
C Rank.
Still hiding his true affinity.
Still hiding his full strength.
And already—
He could feel it.
D Rank was a cage.
C Rank was a doorway.
And beyond it—
The story was no longer following the novel.
Next stop, Lucien thought, eyes burning with quiet excitement.
Dungeon floors… and problems that punch back.