The results of the Shototsu had finally been announced.
Earlier that morning, students had crowded around the academy's massive bulletin board, eagerly searching for their names among the newly updated rankings. Cheers erupted from some groups while others groaned in disappointment. The hallway was filled with excitement, frustration, and endless discussions about promotions and rank placements.
However, among all the rankings posted that day, one result stood out more than any other.
Ryusei Ryugu.
Despite displaying incredible power during the Shototsu and defeating Flick Blaze in a manner that shocked the entire academy, his name had been placed under the lowest category possible.
F-Rank.
The weakest rank an Elementalist could receive.
Even now, whispers spread throughout the classroom as students discussed the controversial decision.
Some were confused.
Others were suspicious.
A few even believed the academy had made a mistake.
Near the window, Ryusei sat quietly at his desk, seemingly unbothered by the commotion.
Unfortunately, someone else wasn't willing to let it go.
Kayosha Mizu suddenly stood up from her seat.
SLAM!
Her palms struck the desk hard enough to make several nearby students jump.
"Why?!" she shouted.
The classroom instantly fell silent.
Every student's attention shifted toward her.
Kayosha's blue eyes burned with frustration as she looked toward the front of the room.
"It doesn't make any sense!"
She pointed directly at Ryusei.
"Everyone here saw what happened during the Shototsu!"
Her voice echoed throughout the classroom.
"Ryusei displayed mastery over his Elemental Art and incredible swordsmanship! He completely overwhelmed Flick!"
The more she spoke, the angrier she became.
"So why is he still ranked F-Rank?!"
No one answered.
Many students secretly agreed with her.
They had witnessed the battle themselves.
The Ryusei they saw during the Shototsu wasn't the same weak student they had known for years.
His speed.
His strength.
The mysterious sword made of light.
None of it matched the academy's decision.
At the front of the room, Professor Hexio let out a long sigh.
He rubbed the back of his neck as if he had been expecting this question all morning.
"Ryusei Ryugu's Elemental Art remains unidentified."
The room grew quiet once again.
Professor Hexio adjusted his glasses before continuing.
"The academy conducted a full investigation into the incident that occurred during the Shototsu."
He paused briefly.
"That includes the pillar of light, the sword he summoned, and the sudden increase in combat ability."
Several students leaned forward.
Even they wanted answers.
Unfortunately, Professor Hexio simply shook his head.
"The investigation produced no conclusions."
Murmurs spread throughout the room.
"No conclusions?" someone whispered.
Professor Hexio nodded.
"The academy's specialists could not determine whether the pillar of light was an Elemental Art, a spell, an enchantment, or an entirely different phenomenon."
He crossed his arms.
"Because of that uncertainty, the council was unable to properly evaluate Ryusei's abilities."
Kayosha clenched her fists.
"So they ranked him F because they don't understand it?!"
Professor Hexio shrugged.
"I understand your frustration."
His voice remained calm.
"But the decision was made by the academy's higher authorities."
He looked directly at her.
"And that decision has already been finalized."
Kayosha looked ready to continue arguing.
However—
"It's okay, Kayosha."
Everyone turned toward Ryusei.
The white-haired boy smiled awkwardly while scratching his cheek.
"I really don't mind."
Kayosha blinked.
"But Ryusei—"
"It's fine."
His smile remained gentle.
The truth was that he still didn't understand what had happened during the Shototsu either.
The mysterious void.
The dragon.
The sword of light.
Everything felt unreal.
Like a dream he couldn't quite remember.
Arguing about rankings wouldn't change that.
After several seconds, Kayosha finally sighed and returned to her seat.
Professor Hexio immediately clapped his hands.
"Now then!"
The class straightened instantly.
"Since everyone has received their rankings, we can finally move on to the next stage."
Excited whispers spread throughout the room.
Many students already knew what was coming.
Professor Hexio glanced down at a document in his hand.
"I will now be announcing the Chima pairings."
The classroom erupted with excitement.
The Chima System was one of the most important traditions within the Elementalist Academy.
Students were never expected to face the world alone.
After rankings were determined, each Elementalist would be assigned a partner known as a Chima.
A Chima was far more than a teammate.
They trained together.
Completed quests together.
Protected each other during dangerous missions.
Many Chima pairs eventually became lifelong friends.
Some even became family.
Usually, students were paired with someone possessing a similar rank or combat ability.
Professor Hexio slammed his hand onto the desk.
"SILENCE, YOU MAGGOTS!"
The room immediately quieted.
The professor opened the list.
"Let's begin."
One by one, names were announced.
Cheers erupted whenever close friends were paired together.
Groans followed whenever rivals became partners.
Eventually, Professor Hexio reached another name.
"Kasai Hoño."
Kasai immediately sat up straight.
"Your Chima partner will be..."
Professor Hexio glanced at the paper.
"Sora Kuki."
Kasai blinked.
Then blinked again.
Slowly, his face turned red.
Across the room, a brown-haired girl shyly raised her hand.
"Hello..."
It was Sora Kuki.
A kind and quiet student from another class.
Ryusei immediately grinned.
"Looks like fate is on your side."
Kasai buried his face in his hands.
"Please shut up."
His ears had already turned bright red.
The classroom burst into laughter.
Professor Hexio continued reading.
"Kayosha Mizu."
Kayosha looked up.
"Your Chima partner will be Yuki Ryugu."
The room immediately became silent.
Even Kayosha looked surprised.
"Yuki... Ryugu?"
The Vice President of the Student Council.
One of the strongest students in the entire academy.
Kayosha slowly raised her hand.
"Professor?"
"What is it?"
She hesitated.
"Yuki has completed numerous quests already."
Professor Hexio nodded.
"Correct."
"And I'm just beginning mine."
Kayosha tilted her head.
"What happened to her previous Chima?"
The professor adjusted his glasses.
"Yuki Ryugu is a special case."
Now the entire classroom was listening.
"During her Shototsu examination, she achieved an exceptional score."
His expression became serious.
"In fact, no student in her generation was capable of matching her performance."
Whispers immediately spread throughout the room.
Then Professor Hexio looked toward Ryusei.
"And speaking of special cases..."
Every eye turned toward him.
"Ryusei Ryugu."
Ryusei straightened.
"Yes?"
"Just like your sister before you, you will also be treated as a special case."
The classroom erupted into confusion.
Ryusei scratched his head.
He had absolutely no idea whether that was supposed to be good or bad.
After classes ended, Ryusei and Kayosha headed toward the cafeteria.
The lunch crowd had already begun gathering around the various food stalls.
They soon spotted familiar faces sitting together near the window.
Yuki Ryugu.
Shizen Ryugu.
And Shadow Kageryu.
The moment they arrived, Shizen leaned back casually in his chair.
"So."
He crossed his arms.
"I heard the Chima pairings were announced."
His gaze shifted between Ryusei and Kayosha.
"You two got your partners already?"
Kayosha nodded.
"Yeah."
But Ryusei remained silent.
Yuki immediately noticed.
She tilted her head.
"Ryusei?"
Her expression softened.
"Who did you get?"
Ryusei sighed.
"I'm apparently a special case."
Yuki blinked.
Then smiled.
"That's okay."
She gently patted his shoulder.
"I'm sure they'll find someone soon."
Before the conversation could continue, Shadow suddenly laughed.
"At least someone finally got paired with Yuki."
Kayosha looked curious.
"What do you mean?"
Shizen raised two fingers.
"There are two reasons why Yuki never had a Chima."
"The first is obvious."
He pointed toward his sister.
"She's ridiculously strong."
Yuki groaned.
"Shizen..."
Ignoring her, he continued.
"She became the youngest B-Rank Elementalist in the academy's junior division."
The table fell silent.
Even Kayosha looked impressed.
"There simply wasn't anyone capable of keeping up with her."
Ryusei nodded.
"What's the second reason?"
This time, Yuki immediately looked embarrassed.
Shizen smirked.
"Her Elemental Art."
"Frost Moon."
Kayosha leaned forward.
"What does it do?"
Shizen answered calmly.
"It allows her to freeze everything within the surrounding area."
Shadow grinned.
"And when she gets emotional..."
His smile widened.
"Things become problematic."
Yuki immediately turned bright red.
"SHADOW!"
Ryusei looked confused.
"Did something happen?"
Shadow nodded.
"Once."
He casually leaned back.
"We were on a date."
Yuki froze completely.
The entire table stared at them.
Shadow continued.
"I accidentally scared her."
Yuki covered her face.
"Please stop talking."
"And she froze the entire park."
The table went silent.
Kayosha's jaw dropped.
"The entire park?!"
Shizen nodded.
"It took several weeks to repair the damage."
Yuki lowered her head.
"It was his fault..."
Shadow simply laughed.
After lunch, Ryusei decided to visit the Chima Center.
The building stood near the center of the academy and served as headquarters for all student quests and mission assignments.
The moment he stepped inside, his eyes widened.
The hall was enormous.
Dozens of Elementalists moved throughout the building, accepting assignments, submitting reports, and preparing equipment for upcoming missions.
For the first time, Ryusei felt like a real Elementalist.
"So this is where quests begin..."
His excitement was impossible to hide.
Then a familiar voice interrupted him.
"Ryusei!"
He turned around.
Kasai approached with Sora standing beside him.
Ryusei immediately smirked.
"I see you've been spending time with your girlfriend."
BONK.
Kasai lightly smacked him on the head.
"Shut up."
Sora giggled softly.
"It's nice to meet you properly, Ryusei."
Ryusei smiled.
"Please take care of him."
Kasai turned red again.
Soon after, Ryusei approached the reception desk.
A young woman with pink hair and pale white eyes greeted him politely.
"Welcome."
She offered a professional smile.
"My name is Yukino Ashigaki."
"I'm the assistant manager of the Chima Center."
Ryusei nodded.
"I'd like to accept a quest."
Yukino opened a large register.
"Name?"
"Ryugu."
She paused briefly.
"Oh."
Her eyes widened slightly.
"You're a Ryugu too."
Without thinking much of it, she reached beneath the counter and retrieved a green mission scroll.
"This request comes from the Village of Yohei."
She handed it to him.
"A number of Elementalists have disappeared recently."
"The village has requested an investigation."
Ryusei accepted the scroll.
"Thank you."
Without realizing anything was wrong, he left the Chima Center.
Only a few minutes later, Yuki, Shizen, Shadow, and Kayosha entered the building.
Yukino immediately greeted them.
However, Shizen walked directly toward the counter.
"I'm here to collect the mission assigned to Mr. Ryugu."
Yukino froze.
Her face immediately lost all color.
"Oh..."
A terrible realization struck her.
"Oh no."
Shizen frowned.
"What happened?"
Yukino swallowed nervously.
"I already gave the quest to..."
She hesitated.
"...a Ryugu."
Silence.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Then Shizen's eyes widened.
"Who?"
Deep down, however, he already knew.
Yukino looked away.
The answer was obvious.
A sense of dread settled over the group.
Without wasting another second, they rushed outside.
Kayosha's heart sank.
"Ryusei..."
Shadow crossed his arms.
"Relax."
He tried to remain calm.
"It's just a quest."
However, Shizen slowly shook his head.
His expression had become deadly serious.
"No."
The single word immediately made everyone nervous.
Shadow frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Shizen took a deep breath.
"It's an A-Rank mission."
Everyone froze.
Kayosha felt her blood run cold.
An A-Rank quest wasn't something students normally accepted.
Even experienced Elementalists treated such missions with extreme caution.
But Shizen wasn't finished.
His next words were even worse.
"I investigated the case personally before deciding whether to accept it."
The atmosphere became heavy.
"The reason Elementalists are disappearing in the Village of Yohei..."
His voice grew darker.
"...is because a Necromancer has appeared."
Complete silence followed.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody moved.
Meanwhile, miles away from the academy, Ryusei continued walking down a forest road with the mission scroll tucked beneath his arm.
A small smile remained on his face as he imagined completing his very first quest.
He had no idea that the mission he accepted was never meant for a student.
He had no idea that elite Elementalists had already classified it as an A-Rank threat.
And he certainly had no idea that every step he took was bringing him closer to a dangerous Necromancer responsible for the disappearance of countless Elementalists.
For the first time since awakening his mysterious power, Ryusei Ryugu was walking directly toward a life-and-death battle.
And he didn't even know it.