CHAPTER 37: FIRST CLASS(3)

Chapter 37: First Class (3)

The next cadet stood. Chris. His presence was quieter, steadier, like stone weathered by time. He placed his hand on the orb without ceremony.

The glow deepened. Thrum. Metallic light rippled, sharp and unyielding. Beneath it, a heavier pulse earth, solid and immovable.

"Metal and earth."

Evelyn nodded once.

"Strong, stable. You will be a wall others can rely on."

Chris said nothing. He returned to his seat with soldierly silence.

A few murmurs followed.

"Typical of the Blackthorn line."

"Reliable, but not flashy."

---

Leon rose next. The air shifted. Every gaze followed him, reverence and envy laced together.

He laid his palm on the orb.

✨ WHOOOSH!

Golden flame erupted, brighter than Lyra’s, blazing with purity. It burned not like chaos, but like a beacon—holy fire and Wind meant to lead. Even seated rows away, the heat prickled my skin.

Mouths fell open.

"The Lionheart flame..."

"So brilliant..."

"No wonder he’s Rank second"

Evelyn studied him with a measured smile. "A noble flame. Yet even the brightest fire can consume its wielder. Be wary, Mr. Lionheart."

Leon inclined his head, respectful.

I watched, lips quirking.

Predictable. The script is intact here.

---

Selena followed. Quiet, serene, like the calm after Leon’s blaze.

The orb responded instantly. Feathers of light shimmered within, pure and radiant. A current of wind swirled around them, carrying warmth and divinity in equal measure.

The class gasped louder than ever.

"Wind and... light?!"

"Light affinity is... legendary!"

"She’s... blessed."

Even Evelyn’s composed mask slipped for a moment, her eyes glinting with rare surprise.

"...Light. Rare indeed. With wind to carry it... the heavens favor you greatly, Miss Selena."

Selena bowed gently, humility untouched, though a subtle glow of pride lingered in her gaze.

Leon looked at her sidelong, something unspoken flickering across his expression.

I leaned my cheek into my palm.

Light affinity. That was never in the original story. Another shift. My presence is distorting the chain further.

---

The row continued. Ramon revealed earth. Strong, but unremarkable. Then came Eric.

He swaggered forward, theatrically cracking his knuckles.

"Prepare to be dazzled."

The orb lit up with crackling lightning, sparks dancing violently. Then wind joined, whipping through the room with static force.

And Lastly a dark figure emerge is the shadow element

Perfect synergy.

The class groaned collectively.

"Of course he gets lightning and wind... also the William Bloodline Elements Shadow"

"Show-off."

Evelyn tilted her head, smirking faintly. "A storm in human form. Let’s see if you burn bright, or burn out."

Eric winked. "Guess you’ll have to keep watching, Teach."

Groans rippled again.

---

Ren stepped up next, visibly trembling. The orb glowed faintly—earth, weak and subdued.

Snickers broke out.

"Rank 19 indeed."

"Pathetic."

Ren’s face flushed. But Evelyn’s voice cut sharp.

"Do not mock. Even the humblest stone is vital to a fortress. What you forge matters more than what you’re born with."

Silence crushed the laughter. Ren blinked, stunned, then hurried back to his seat. Eric clapped his shoulder. "See? Told you you’re useful—like a brick."

Ren groaned.

---

Row by row, affinities revealed themselves. Wind. Water. A dual of fire and lightning that drew gasps. A rare earth-metal mix.

The atmosphere thickened with each reveal—every success raised tension, every disappointment deepened rivalry. The orb had become both executioner and crown-giver.

I watched it all, resting my chin against my palm, expression unreadable.

The story is unraveling faster than I thought. Affinities that shouldn’t exist, strengths that shouldn’t manifest this early... All because I took Rank 1. The butterfly effect is alive and flapping.

Then Evelyn’s eyes found me.

Her gaze lingered, sharp and amused, like a predator savoring its prey’s anticipation.

"Mr. Michael," she said softly. "Your turn."

The room shifted instantly. Every cadet turned to me, whispers slicing through the silence.

"Finally..."

"Let’s see what the commoner’s really hiding."

"He can’t back up his speech if he flops here."

I stood slowly, brushing invisible dust from my sleeve. Each step echoed louder than it should have, the weight of a hundred stares pressing against my back.

The orb glowed faintly ahead, waiting.

My lips curled.

So... my reveal becomes the stage, does it?

-------

The room felt heavier with each step I took toward the front.

Dozens of eyes stabbed into my back—some sharp with hostility, others gleaming with anticipation, but all of them waiting. Waiting for me to succeed or fail. Waiting to confirm whether the loud-mouthed commoner who seized Rank 1 was nothing but smoke.

Even the air carried a pulse of pressure. The scraping of my boots against the polished floor echoed like a countdown to judgment.

Did I provoke them too much at the ceremony? The thought drifted by, dry as sand. Maybe. But it’s too late now.

I stopped before the podium. The orb sat in the center like an idol, glowing faintly in its cradle of runed silver. It was small—no bigger than a grapefruit—but the weight of its presence pressed against my skin.

The crystal seemed alive, like it was already peering back at me. Its surface shimmered faintly, colors swirling like trapped clouds inside glass.

I reached for it.

The whispers started immediately.

"He’ll embarrass himself."

"Just wait, the orb won’t react at all."

"A commoner? With affinity? What a joke."

Someone in the back muttered, "Watch it crack in half. That would be hilarious." Snickers rippled faintly.

Not all of them were sneers, though.

A girl from the third row whispered softly, "Still... what if he really shows something? He did reach Rank 1..."

"By cheating." Another hissed. "No way he did it honestly."

I ignored them. Noise. Just noise.

My eyes flicked briefly across the class.

Leon sat in the front row, straight-backed, his arms crossed. His expression was calm, but his jaw was tight, his gaze sharp. Selena sat beside him, her face unreadable, hands folded neatly, though I noticed the faintest tilt of her head—watching carefully. Lyra leaned slightly forward, her golden hair cascading like liquid fire, lips faintly curved as if amused by the spectacle.

Eric? That bastard was grinning, eyes practically glowing, like he was about to watch a fireworks show. Ren, beside him, fidgeted nervously, as if praying nothing insane would happen.

Even the other cadets—Zack slouched at the back, Aiden calm beside Aurelia, Elara studying me with sharp curiosity—were caught in the orbit of this moment.

And above it all, Evelyn stood with her arms folded, eyes half-lidded yet gleaming like sharpened ice. She looked... entertained.

"Whenever you’re ready," she said softly. Her voice carried effortlessly, brushing against every ear.

I inhaled, steadying my pulse.

Then, I pressed my palm against the crystal.

Cold. Like touching a block of winter itself.

The orb pulsed.

✨ FWOOM.

A shiver ran through me as mana surged from my core, pulled without consent. My breath fogged in the air. Frost spread inside the orb, spiraling into jagged flakes and crystalline shards. The glow turned white-blue, swirling like a blizzard captured in glass.

Gasps erupted instantly.

"I-Ice affinity?!"

"That’s... that’s so rare!"

"Commoners shouldn’t have that!"

The temperature in the room dropped several degrees. I could see my own breath curling faintly in front of me.

For a heartbeat, I almost let myself relax. Ice. Exactly as expected.

But the orb wasn’t finished.

The frost began to twist, bending, warping. The glass shimmered like water, but instead of ripples—space itself bent. The air warped around the orb, distorting lines, making the world ripple like a heat mirage.

A wave of whispers crashed across the room.

"W-what the hell...?"

"Is that... space?"

"No way. No way that’s possible!"

Even Evelyn’s eyes widened slightly, though her lips curved in fascination.

Space affinity. Legendary tier.

The tension in the room snapped taut like a bowstring. Half the cadets looked ready to faint. The other half looked like they wanted to kill me.

But then...

The orb began to shake.

I froze. Wait. This isn’t—

✨ BZZZT. Sparks exploded inside. Lightning bolts cracked violently, dancing across the inner surface.

✨ FWOOOSH. Flames erupted, twining around the lightning, licking like hungry serpents.

💧 DRIP. Water welled up, droplets falling inside the orb in miniature.

🌪️ WHOOSH. Wind tore through, swirling violently.

🌍 RUMBLE. The glow darkened to brown as earth pressed against the glass, shuddering.

Light. Darkness. Every element—all at once.

The orb screamed.

✨ KRRRRSHHH!

It shattered with a deafening crack. Fragments of glowing crystal scattered into the air, shimmering like falling stars. The explosion of light surged outward, rattling desks and flinging loose papers across the classroom. Hair whipped, capes snapped, eyes clenched against the brilliance.

Then silence.

The shards dissolved into motes of light, vanishing as if they had never existed.

I lowered my hand. Not a scratch on me.

The podium was bare. The orb was gone.

And the classroom was frozen in stunned silence.

Dozens of faces stared at me, pale, wide-eyed, disbelieving.

"He... he broke it..."

"That’s impossible..."

"It showed everything..."

One cadet whispered hoarsely, "Full affinity... that’s... only in myths..."

Another muttered, trembling, "No. No, it has to be a mistake. It has to—"

I swallowed hard, keeping my face neutral, though inside my chest thundered like war drums.

This wasn’t supposed to happen.

Ice and space. That’s all I had. That’s what I knew. But for the orb to spit out every other affinity... fire, water, lightning, earth, wind, even light and shadow?

The system’s voice whispered in the back of my mind like a cruel reminder.

[Hidden Potential Revealed.]

[Affinity Paths Locked. Future Quests Required for Unlock.]

My lips twitched. So that’s it. I do have all affinities. Not now not usable yet but in the future... quests will unlock them, one by one. The system just outed me as a walking disaster in front of everyone.

Great. Just great.

I turned, walking back toward my seat slowly. The silence followed me like a shadow. Each step echoed louder than the last.

Leon’s eyes tracked me, sharp as a hawk’s, jaw tight. Selena’s lips pressed together, her gaze unreadable, though her hand clenched in her lap. Lyra tilted her head, eyes narrowed, clearly intrigued by the impossible. Eric was beaming so wide I half-expected his jaw to split.

Ren looked like he wanted to crawl under his chair. Zack scowled, his fist clenched. Aiden’s brows furrowed in thought, while Aurelia bit her lip faintly, clearly unsettled.

I dropped into my seat with a sigh, elbow on desk, chin resting in hand.

Congratulations, Michael. You just painted a target the size of the continent on your back.

---

Evelyn finally broke the silence.

Her smile was razor-thin, her voice velvety. "Well... that was unexpected."

Some students shuddered at her tone—it wasn’t mocking. It was hungry.

"It seems Mr. Michael has quite the... unique potential. Consider this a reminder that affinities are not the ceiling, but the foundation."

Her eyes lingered on me just a fraction too long, cold calculation shimmering behind the warmth of her smile.

Then she clapped her hands gently. "Next."

The tension in the air eased slightly as another cadet stood reluctantly, clearly dreading stepping into my shadow.

But the whispers didn’t stop.

"Full affinity..."

"No one will believe it."

"He’s... a monster."

I tuned them out, staring blankly at the window.

Butterfly effect? Forget flapping wings. I just set off a nuke.