But not everything was positive discoveries…

When Ren tried different steps and different combinations, he quickly realized he didn't understand all of them. And worse still, not all were useful.

Some made him slower, the mana flow becoming sticky and resistant like honey instead of water. Others made him heavier, as if the weight of the energy itself multiplied, pressing down on his limbs and core. And some even retracted mana to his center, making skill activation harder instead of easier, counterproductive…

It was like learning a new language where some words had multiple meanings and others were accidental insults that could get you in trouble.

Ren spent hours each night experimenting, annotating results with meticulous detail, trying to understand the underlying patterns that connected everything. Building a framework from fragments and failures.

He was just beginning to understand all this…

Had barely scratched the surface of what the ancient runes could do, what secrets they held, what powers they could unlock.

But it was a beginning.

A starting point toward understanding how crystallization worked. Because if he could decipher the language of mana, if he could understand how to direct energy in specific ways through movement and intention...

Maybe he could find a way to reverse what had happened to Sirius and Dragarion.

Maybe.

♢♢♢♢

And then, before he felt he'd had enough time to truly master what he'd learned...

The day of the exams finally arrived.

The final exams.

The ones the nobles had bet on, against him, wagering fortunes and pride in equal measure.

The ones supposedly altered specifically to challenge him in ways that wouldn't make winning as easy as last time.

The first of the interschool competitions would be gathering.

The Directors summoned all fifth-year students for the official explanation of the first final interschool exam.

The auditorium was full, packed with students whose futures hung on the next few days.

The announcer climbed to the podium with a scroll in hand, his expression carefully neutral in the way of people delivering news they knew would be controversial.

"Teams have been randomly combined again," the Director announced, his voice resonating through the space with magical amplification.

Which was another way of saying they'd deliberately broken up the successful teams from the previous semester with hopes of affecting Ren specifically.

The Director simply pointed toward the enormous announcement board that had been updated with fresh assignments.

"Team assignments are posted," he announced without further explanation. "Please review your groups and report any discrepancies."

The mass of students moved toward the board like a wave crashing forward. Ren waited for the crowd to clear a bit before approaching, unhurried and observing the reactions of others.

When he could finally see the list for Group 15...

Klein Goldcrest.

The name jumped to his eyes immediately, impossible to miss.

Ren stood staring at the board for a long moment, processing the implications. Klein, who'd been avoiding him for months with dedication bordering on obsession.

On his team.

For a three-day evaluation.

"Klein Goldcrest..."

Klein, who was several rows ahead, tensed visibly even from the distance. Ren could see how his shoulders went rigid, how his posture shifted defensively.

There were other students on his team that Ren vaguely recognized but with whom he'd never worked directly, names familiar from hallways and dining halls but not from personal interaction.

When Ren looked toward where Klein was seated, the lion boy looked back at him with an expression that mixed guilt, discomfort, and something that might have been fear. Emotions written across his features that couldn't quite hide what he felt.

The Director continued... "To ensure all students are evaluated fairly on their own merits, regardless of previous connections. The announcer will give you the new details."

And the announcer began reading from his prepared scroll...

"The final gathering exams will have some modifications this year," he began without preamble, getting straight to the controversial changes everyone was waiting to hear. "These have been implemented to ensure a fairer and more realistic evaluation of all students' abilities and not just a few outliers."

A murmur ran through the auditorium.

"First modification," the announcer unrolled the scroll in theatrical fashion. "The territory limit will be the Silver ring. No team should gather in Gold-rank zones."

The murmur became exclamations of surprise and confusion, voices rising in volume and pitch.

Why? That was the general question on everyone's faces, written in furrowed brows and exchanged glances. But the answer came right after, explanation following revelation...

"It's normal that many students don't want to cultivate their beasts to their maximum rank at this age," the announcer continued, clearly reading from a prepared script that had been carefully worded. "Taking beasts to Gold 1 so soon is riskier at this early age and would invite errors, planting a precedent for future generations that being Gold rank is necessary for 5th year. It's better for many students to study the method before launching into evolution."

He paused, allowing the words to settle and sink in, letting students process the justification.

"Therefore, it's unfair that 'precocious students' who took risks and got 'lucky' already with beasts at maximum level delimit the scope of evaluation. By restricting gathering to the Silver ring, we give equal opportunity to students who are 'more cautious' with their future."

Ren exchanged a look with Liu, Taro, and Min. They all knew exactly who this was directed at, the target painted in invisible ink that everyone could somehow see.

"Precocious" students with beasts at "maximum level".

It was him and his close associates, the group that had dominated previous competitions.

But this was surely directly against him specifically.

Almost like elevating the way opportunistic nobles "wait for the best opportunities", staying on the sidelines while others take risks, praising caution over courage...

And almost like completely ignoring that Ren's methods weren't like the old family ones that had success rates between 50 and 80 percent, because those added useless things and invited further experimentation that introduced failure points.

It seemed many still didn't understand that Ren's methods weren't just faster, more efficient, and cheaper... They were also 100% infallible if followed to the letter, eliminating the risk that supposedly justified caution.

And they were far from "maximum level"...

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