As I entered the Vice Chancellor's office, it felt like walking into a royal chamber. Not at all what I would have expected. The room was huge, with tall ceilings that seemed to touch the sky, and sunlight streaming through large windows.

But my eyes focused on the Final Boss here.

"Sir, I have brought Nova," Lucian's tone reflected the perfect respect, and I was amazed by the man's skill.

The Vice Chancellor glanced up from his desk, acknowledging Lucian with a nod before turning his attention to me. "Thank you, Lucian. You may leave us," Dismissing Lucian with a wave of his hand.

Lucian gave Nova a reassuring smile before stepping back and exiting the room, leaving Nova alone with the Vice Chancellor.

"Nova, have a seat," the Vice Chancellor said with a warm smile, gesturing toward a plush chair in front of his desk.

He was a massive figure—with gray eyes and a long white beard. His eyes were the strange eyes of a snake, with vertical, slit-shaped pupils that leisurely scanned him.

I couldn’t help but feel that gaze pierced right through me.

A flick of the man's eyes toward the doorway caused both doors to shut with a creak.

I was startled, realizing that I was trapped inside the Boss room. Luckily, there was no sound of a bolt sliding. So maybe I could run if the situation desired.

I took a deep breath and tried to steady my nerves as I sat down.

"Thank you, sir," I replied, doing my best to match his politeness.

“Don’t bother with all that politeness. I’m not one for formality, at least not when I'm alone. And the name is Aiden.”

Without waiting for my reply, the man gestured towards the letter. "Mind if I read your letter?"

My heart skipped a beat as I nodded, giving the letter that Lucian had returned earlier.

“Hm.” The chancellor regarded him for a moment with those serpentine eyes, then tented his fingers in front of him. “Interesting. Nova, could I ask you a question?”

“Yes, sir.”

"Don't bother with 'sir,' remember? Just Aiden will do," he interjected with a hint of impatience, his eyes momentarily leaving the letter to fix on me.

Shaking his head, he muttered under his breath, "Young men these days are always so caught up in formalities."

"Never mind, back to question. Have you ever been subject to a… magical event before? A catastrophe? A mana explosion?”

I grew uncomfortably still. Did transmigration count?

Perhaps I was imagining it, but it sure seemed like the chancellor's eyes were glowing in ethereal gold.

I fought to keep my face straight with Aiden's stern expression trained on me from across his desk.

At that moment, I was reminded of how intimidating the man was: towering, ancient, and with a gaze that seemed to cut through flesh, magic, stone, and deception.

“No, not that I’m aware of… Why?” I asked, but not daring to share anything that might create trouble down the road.

The chancellor’s eyes narrowed. “Now and then, there is… You know, never mind, that was a foolish question to ask. And a frightening one.”

His eyes lingered on me. And I don't dare not ask about it. What if he used the chance to probe more? Better to act ignorant.

When there was no reply from me, Aiden squinted at the letter in his hand, then glanced up at me with a puzzled expression. "Hmm, something doesn't seem right," he mused, tapping his finger against the parchment.

I shifted nervously in my seat, wondering what could possibly be wrong. "Is there a problem with the letter, sir?" Trying to keep the worry out of my voice.

He raised an eyebrow and gestured towards the letter. "Not with the letter. The problem is with you. Your mana signature seems... different," he remarked, his tone laced with curiosity. "Mind if I check your mana?"

Caught off guard by the chancellor's request, I felt apprehensive.

"Of course, sir," I managed to say, my voice steady despite the flurry of questions swirling in my mind. What did he mean by my mana being 'different'?

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He is asking politely, so there is only a slight possibility of it being harmful.

Aidan reached into the depths of his robe, producing a small, sapphire crystal that sparkled with an inner light, its facets catching the dim illumination of the office.

He held it out towards me, a dull glow present throughout. "Hold this, and allow it to draw a bit of your mana. It's quite harmless," he assured, his voice calm, betraying none of the excitement his words implied.

Hesitantly, I reached out, the crystal cool and smooth against my skin. Almost immediately, I felt a gentle tugging sensation, like the crystal was sipping at the edges of my mana, drawing it into its depths from his fingers. Same as the sensation I felt during the Mana signature check and why I was in this office.

Then, as quickly as it began, the sensation faded, and the crystal's glow intensified, satisfied with the taste it had taken.

I passed the crystal as soon as there was no more change.

Aiden's eyes narrowed as he scrutinized the crystal, then darted a keen glance my way. "Ah, just as I suspected," he remarked, his voice tinged with intrigue. "You have a mana mutation."

My heart skipped a beat, and I swallowed hard, unsure what he meant. "Mana mutation?" I echoed, my voice barely above a whisper. That sounds like a problem.

He nodded, a faint smile playing at the corners of his lips. "Indeed, It's quite rare in common folks, about one in a hundred years, but it seems your mana mutated. Your mana still retains its uniqueness, but it has fundamentally changed. Another word is Attunement. Think of it like your mana gaining properties of another, like fire or moon."

Or maybe a power up.

A sense of excitement washed over me as I processed his words. To think that my mana had undergone such a transformation was both thrilling and daunting. What kind of powers would this newfound aspect bring? What kind of trouble would this bring?

The vice chancellor's gaze softened as he met my eyes. "This changes things," A note of reassurance in his voice. "I'll need to examine this further. Do you mind if we check your mutation..."

"No, sir, not at all. I also wanted to know about my mana," I watched with a mix of anticipation and apprehension as he leaned back in his chair, his eyes scanning the cluttered surface of his desk.

Papers, folders, and assorted items littered the space, making it seem like finding anything would be challenging.

"Now, where did I put the crystal to check mana attunement?" he muttered, his voice barely audible.

Aiden let out a low sigh and began rummaging through the drawers, his movements slow and deliberate. Papers shuffled, and the faint clink of objects echoed in the quiet office as he searched.

Now that I had a moment where his mind wasn’t threatening to race out of control, I decided to take in the chancellor’s circular office.

Right behind the Chancellor, the wall was carved with a multitude of glyphs, runes, hieroglyphs, and scenes of wizards practicing magic or in battle with terrible creatures: demons, shoggoths, and things I didn’t recognize.

The intricate glyphs, runes, and hieroglyphs seemed to dance under the soft glow, pulsing with a beat.

Wizards locked in battle with creatures of nightmare, their spells illuminating the carved battles with an ethereal light that seemed almost real under the enchantments.

Only the wall behind the Chancellor has weird panting things. Looking up, I saw the ceiling was super high, about as high as a three-story building, and there were balconies with tons of books on them.

The shelves weren't just filled with books; there were also some weird-looking objects that I couldn't figure out. Were they for magic spells or just cool stuff the chancellor collected? Either way, this office was exactly what I would have expected from a man for his position.

To his right, a miniature landscape captured his attention—a meticulously crafted model of a mountain, its slopes covered in tiny, detailed trees, encircled by a shimmering lake that seemed almost alive under the room's enchanted light.

And beyond that—

I gasped.

There, mounted in a dramatic pose as if frozen in time, was the skeleton of something I could only term a dinosaur, reminiscent of skeletons I had seen once on a school trip to a museum.

The sheer size of it was breathtaking, its bones arched and poised as though it might spring to life at any moment.

The sight of such a creature, displayed here in the heart of a place dedicated to studying magic, reminded him about the dangers in this world.

“Ah, I see you have found my greatest foe,” Aiden said with some satisfaction, following my gaze. “What you see there are the remains of the enemy that came closest to taking my life: Xarverorth, Dragon Lord Of Fire.”

My eyes widened, and my voice barely whispered as the realization hit me. "A dragon..." The word felt unreal, even as it escaped my lips. Being in a magical world and talking mythical names as if real was totally a different feeling.

And he used Dragon Lord? Maybe leader type or something.

Aiden, catching the astonishment in my voice, turned back to me with a nod. "Yes, a dragon. Xarverorth. Few can say they've faced a Dragon Lord and lived to tell the tale." There was a hint of pride in his voice mixed with a reflective respect.

I blinked, trying to reconcile the image of the man before me, a chancellor in an academic robe, who was someone who had faced down a creature as legendary and terrifying as a Dragon Lord. "You fought him?"

"Yes, and it was a battle that nearly cost me everything," Aiden admitted, his gaze drifting back to the skeletal remains. "But let's just say I had a bit of an ace up my sleeve."

My mind raced, trying to imagine the epic confrontation. The chancellor, Aiden, versus Xarverorth, Dragon Lord of Fire. The very thought sent shivers down my spine.

Just whose attention I have attracted this time.

Yet, as I looked closer at the skeleton, a detail I had previously overlooked caught my attention—a slight difference in the bone structure that didn't match what I knew of dinosaurs. Not like I was experienced in it.

I had decided not to check the Lvl of the Vice Chancellor in case he might notice, but now I wanted to know how high he was. Though I wouldn't get the number, the headache that might come with it will give an approximate value.

The anticipation was enough that I didn't want to face the man without all the knowledge I could glean, so I decided to risk it.

As soon as I concentrated on activating the skill, the most significant migraine hit me like a meteor, but that was not only a minor shock compared to what I had seen.

[ Dragon Lvl: ??? ]

[ Identify Lvl 3 -> 4 -> 5 ->6 ]