Ugh... Clutching his head, Kai felt disoriented. What is this? Wet. A puddle? It seemed like he was sitting in one. The surroundings were dim, but he could make out bright shapes—shelves filled with books standing before him, many scattered on the ground, a few burning, flames reflecting in his eyes. Where was he? Glancing at his hand, Kai was taken aback.

Blood. He was sitting in a puddle of blood. Kai recoiled at the gruesome sight, a thick spike sticking out of his abdomen. The blood had come from him... or maybe the body he was in? The body was mangled and broken.

How was he alive? With that much blood loss, he should be dead. Had the records put him in the body of the dead? Maybe a zombie? And what was that horrendous smell? It smelled like rubber burning.

Kai was no stranger to blood. Living in the outer walls, he had witnessed plenty of violent altercations, and he had been involved in a few himself. As a scavenger, it was impossible to avoid such conflicts. But this...

He sucked in a deep breath. This was different. Despite the harshness he'd seen in society, he was still a stranger to such gruesome death. A voice spoke in his mind. He shook off the feeling; useless thoughts would not help him.

Maybe the records were suppressing his emotions? Possibly. He might have reacted very differently under any other circumstance.

Kai looked around the room again, finding nothing but blood and a few scattered books. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a book. A thick tome, its pages open with something scribbled in blood. He focused on the page, managing to make out the words.

"Maarduk… What's that?"

Kai struggled to move his body, reaching for the book. Maybe there was a clue there, he thought. He hoped there was.

{Participant, welcome to the trial of the Tower.}

"What? Who's there!"

{Trial starting in 3... 2... 1...}

His heart beat escalated rapidly as the countdown rang inside his head. Kai forced himself to remain calm. Breathe. He braced for whatever was about to unfold.

A soft, gentle light. Odd. He was glowing, radiation a warm glow. The world around him began to shift, as if time itself were rewinding. The pools of blood on the floor spiraled backward into his body, and his battered form began to mend itself. The scattered books gracefully returned to their shelves. Time. Was it reversing?

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As the grand library restored itself, a shadowy figure flew out through a shattered window. The building was mending itself around him. Kai found himself hurtling through the halls, where time raced by even swifter. Was it taking him back to the beginning of the trial? What was the point of sending him to the end first?

Everywhere he looked, there were scenes of death, blood, and fire; the building seemed to have endured a brutal siege. Gradually, everything dissolved into a hazy blur, and Kai could no longer discern any distinct details. Then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the world came to a standstill. Kai, now seated in a massive auditorium, let out a sigh. There must be at least a thousand people here...

Kai was seated at the rear of the auditorium. The seats, elevated, providing a clear view of the stage in front. On either side of the stage, massive banners hung, each with an embroidered logo. He found himself wearing a white tunic with gold embroidery, bearing the same logo as the banners. Looking around, he saw others wearing similar attire. Everyone appeared nervous, excited, and anxious. Was he in some kind of academy? Maybe an elaborate illusion?

As Kai observed his surroundings, a screen filled with runes popped up in front of his eyes. Startled, he looked around, but no one else seemed to notice the floating runes. Calming down, he focused on the runes.

/***

Dormant Kaiser Class: ---

Profession: ---

Core: ---

Attributes: {Moerae}; {Mark of the raven}

***/

Strange... He didn't know the runes, but he could read them anyway.

He didn't have a class or profession yet, and it appeared he would have to wait to acquire one. Examining the attributes, Kai frowned.

Moerae… What does that mean? And what's with the Mark of the Raven? Focusing on them, it seemed the runes had descriptions, courtesy of the record.

{Moerae: destiny as it is assigned}

{Mark of the raven: Mana is your friend}

Reading the descriptions left Kai even more confused. Destiny as it is assigned? Is it saying the future is fixed? And mana wasn’t a living entity; how could it be a friend?

At some point, the people around him had started chatting with each other. Kai focused on their words to get an understanding of the situation. Amid the chatter, he heard some interesting things.

“Hah, you think? It’s true! The principal is appearing today!”

“Seriously? Isn’t he one of the few Rank-4 Grand-mages in the world!”

“Of course! It’s said that he’s the closest to achieving the Arch rank; He’s the only one with a starlight core in all of Erundal!”

“No wonder he’s so powerful! If only we were born with such luck.”

Grand and Arch ranks? How powerful were they? And a starlight core… what kind of core is that? The old man, Reinhardt, had told him that he had to complete the trial to get a class and core. He hadn’t mentioned anything about core ranks. Did core ranks determine strength? Or maybe it determined potential? And would he be graded in the trial? Since the class and core were given for completing the trial, his speculation was probably true. He'd have to gather information given the chance.

Moreover, the trial wasn't even the end. He would have to become a kindled on top of that to go back to his world. Kai sighed at his situation.

The surroundings quieted down. He turned his attention to the stage. An old man with a monocle, wearing a gilded gray coat, walked onto the stage, followed by a few other figures. With a clap of his hands, the lanterns in the auditorium dimmed, and the light focused on the stage. The old man smiled, addressing the crowd.

“Students, I welcome you to Ancient Erundal Imperial Academy!”