Shards of the transparent cube scattered in every direction. Many shattered further upon hitting my passive defensive circle, while others were intercepted with a sharp sound, indicating they had been blocked by some sort of barrier.

Releasing my consciousness, along with the adamantine in my hand, I checked myself for injuries. Pressing my palm to ease the ache, I felt relieved that this reckless move hadn't caused any serious consequences.

A projection appeared before me, displaying what looked like a list. The list scrolled down quickly, stopping at the bottom, where my name appeared, followed by a number--zero.

Wait, what does that mean?

Scratching my ear, I tried not to let the curious stares around me overwhelm me with an embarrassing amount of awkwardness.

I noticed Master Sunflare getting up, looking quite pleased. As he left, everyone automatically made way for the towering dragon.

Among those avoiding him were other dragons as well, sparking my curiosity. But I decided to shelve that thought for later and refocused on the chaos before me.

The room was littered with transparent shards, some embedded into the walls. While surveying the damage I'd caused, I noticed a door that hadn't been there before. It was probably my way out.

I certainly had the urge to disappear from everyone's sight immediately, but there were still some things I needed to finish first.

Scanning the room once more, I extended my domain and took control of the shards of the transparent cube, suspending them in mid-air. With my mind, I gently touched and enveloped each one.

There was no way I could understand such intricate designs in such a short time, but if it was just a matter of putting the pieces back together, that was no problem. I inspected the edges of each shard, matching the ones that fit, and began reassembling the cube. Rotating the growing transparent structure in front of me, I wrote new commands to record the features of the shards, speeding up the process.

Before long, the transparent cube was fully reformed. I placed it back on the platform where it belonged. Then, I tapped its surface, feeling the junctions where the shards met and reconnecting the crystal lattice, repairing its internal circuits.

It wasn't particularly difficult--just following the original pattern--but when I finished, I felt a deep sense of satisfaction. As a final touch, I made a few gestures, dividing the adamantine back into twelve spherical segments and placing them on the central platform.

The commotion in the stands made me feel like bowing for a grand finale, but the sight of numerous massive antlers reminded me of Kotetsu senpai 's advice, so I held back. Apparently, I had a bit of a showman in me.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Shaking my head to dismiss the stray thoughts, I prepared to head for the exit.

But at that moment, the same searing heat that nearly set me ablaze washed over me again. Instinctively, I turned to find Master Sunflare glaring at me with his fiery, golden-red eyes--he no longer smiling.

"Impressive." Kotetsu senpai stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall, looking over at me. "Who trained you?"

"Uh... Qana." I scratched my ear, quickly glancing around the small room he had just stepped into. "Qana Snow." There was no point in hiding it any longer, so I figured it was better to be upfront.

"Winter of Europa?" He whistled, raising an eyebrow. "That's quite the legend. Some of the records he set still haven't been broken."

"Oh," I nodded, thinking it made sense. A swordmaster like Qana would definitely be the kind of figure to make waves. "Qana doesn't really talk about that stuff much."

"There have been cases before where psychics received training before being recruited by the Academy," Senpai straightened up and gestured for me to follow. "But none of them were at your level."

"I had a good... teacher?" I tilted my head, wondering how accurate that statement was.

"No, it's more than just that." He made a vague motion in the air, seeming slightly excited. "Do you know how many people still alive have successfully broken a 'Touchstone'? Just nine. They're all Alpha-level psychics." He pointed at me. "You're the tenth."

"Qana more or less told me..." I muttered, not wanting to come off too... arrogant? "He was pretty sure I'm Alpha- level."

"I imagine everyone here today knows that now too. But they probably didn't notice the real highlight." Senpai's voice turned distant, a little detached. "You repaired the Touchstone. Until now, everyone believed only Darkfang, its creator, had the ability to do that."

This was the second time I'd heard that name. I should probably look into this person at some point.

"How did you do it?" Senpai turned to look at me, his expression... complicated. "It almost looked like entropy reversal..."

"Isn't that supposed to be impossible?" I raised an eyebrow at his comment. "I just mimicked the structure of the original crystal, reconnected the lattice." I hurriedly added an explanation, not wanting to cause any misunderstandings. "It was just copying an existing template--nothing too difficult."

"Nothing too difficult..." Senpai repeated quietly, and I could feel the tips of my ears growing hot. "As if you're saying reaching out and plucking a star is as simple as stretching your arm far enough."

"Sorry... I didn't mean to sound like a jerk..." But no matter how I phrased it, I really did sound like one. "I just... wanted to explain." I noticed that deer ears droop down in situations like this, and it made me feel even guiltier.

"No, I'm not blaming you. Talent is just that way sometimes." Senpai offered a faint smile, his tone soothing. "It looks like we'll be seeing each other in class."

"Oh, well..." I scratched the back of my head, noticing the hair around there seemed to be thinning alarmingly fast during this whole conversation. "Please... I'm looking forward to it?"*

Senpai's response was a hearty laugh, followed by a sudden slap on my back. This time, I was prepared and didn't jump.

"I'm certain you're going to become the target of every faction's recruitment efforts--one way or another." Absentmindedly, he fingered a pendant around his neck through his clothes. "In that regard, I'm afraid I can't give you any advice. There are... conflicts of interest." He shot me a sidelong glance.

The dangers that come with power, huh... I thought, realizing that diving headfirst into the unknown often meant crashing into things you'd never dreamed of encountering. In this case, faction politics were about to hit me like a freight train. I might need some time to adjust from being unwanted to becoming a hot commodity.

"But if a Master takes the initiative to approach you before a mentor is chosen, I can at least share with you some... inside information that's already public knowledge." He gave me a sly smile, winking. "Including all the juicy, scandalous gossip."

"Uh..." I searched my mind for a polite way to make it clear I had no interest in gossip. "Sounds... interesting." Wait, that doesn't seem right.

"For instance, want to know why Master Minsan only mentors female students?" Senpai's excitement clearly wasn't going to be quelled. "At first, no one noticed, and even when they did, they didn't believe it..."

For the rest of our conversation, I practiced my social skills, trying to master the art of politely but successfully declining offers without offending anyone.