Chapter 6 : Disruption

The stands were packed with students.

Some held number cards, lining up for their turn to be tested; others had already finished and were here for the spectacle.

All in all, Lin Yue was the oddest one among them.

It was like those college entrance examinees who already got early admissions—why join the crowd when you’re already accepted?

But Lin Yue had to watch in person.

This was the main character’s most crucial moment in the story: the instant he awakened the power of the Law.

Lin Yue crossed his arms, gazing down at the massive mana-testing stone.

According to the game’s original plot, the protagonist Ailun would awaken the Law—Blade here.

This was also the biggest “cheat” the protagonist had from beginning to end.

Just as Lin Yue was watching intently, someone tapped him gently on the back.

“Lin Yue, so here you are.”

Lin Yue turned around and found it was Airella, who had entered the city with him that morning.

Airella’s voice was filled with delight.

She held a wooden number plate in her hand, her brown hair tied into a neat ponytail, smiling as she looked at him.

“How did you…”

Lin Yue glanced around and noticed whispers already starting nearby.

I knew it…

“Ah… Did I just do something unnecessary?”

Seeing the situation around her, Airella looked a little flustered.

Her unique black hair and brown eyes, combined with the recent news of her being kicked out, and now this beast-tamer girl who’d just shone in her test coming up to talk—there was no way to keep a low profile.

“It’s fine, have a seat.”

Since things were already like this, he might as well let her sit next to him—just in case the plot had any loopholes later.

Lin Yue scooted over, leaving enough space for Airella to sit.

“When we came into the city this morning, why did you sneak off on your own? I had to look for you for ages.”

Apparently, the commotion she’d just caused was too much, so now the girl leaned in close to Lin Yue’s ear, whispering.

“That’s too close…”

Sis, please stop doing things that might get me killed in the early game.

The moment she drew near, a few sharp gazes from the crowd locked onto him.

Not just students and main characters—even some high-level magicians who wanted her as their apprentice were looking this way.

Airella didn’t seem to notice.

Thinking of something else to show off, she said, “Oh right, guess what my talent level is?”

Lin Yue glanced at the excited Airella and replied blandly, “Three and a half marks.”

Don’t ask a player such an easy question.

But even though Airella’s magic talent wasn’t otherworldly, with her beast-taming ability she was more than a match for some geniuses.

“Ah, did you peek at my result?”

Seeing how accurate he was, Airella was a little incredulous.

“No, just a guess.”

Lin Yue didn’t seem interested in talking, answering perfunctorily.

“Oh…”

Seeing Lin Yue distance himself, Airella pouted and sat back down, propping her chin on her hands, unconsciously looking down at the arena.

Two girls in matching pale mage robes walked side by side, immediately becoming the focus of the whole place.

They were Isabella and Isabena.

Isabella walked on the left, her demeanor gentle, wand slung at her waist, fingers occasionally caressing the wand’s engravings, her expression calm as a deep lake.

On the right was Isabena, the exact opposite.

Her chin was raised, her eyes sharp and unapologetic, and even her steps exuded confidence as she passed through the crowd.

Lin Yue also noticed the sisters and was quite looking forward to seeing them test together.

After all, in the original, Isabena was his fiancée, but in the game, only Isabella had a solo test scene.

Even so, Isabella’s solo test had the magic stone shining over four-fifths full, dazzling plenty of onlookers.

He hoped their joint test wouldn’t cause a huge stir.

Isabella and Isabena stood before the testing platform.

Isabella seemed to be talking calmly with the teacher in charge of registration.

Isabena, meanwhile, happened to turn her head and spotted Lin Yue at once.

Their eyes met, and Isabena immediately frowned, face showing undisguised contempt and disgust.

She even let out a silent snort before turning away, as if one more glance would dirty her.

Auto-lock enemy mode still on?

Out of all these people, she found me instantly.

“Lin Yue…”

Airella, chin in hands, suddenly spoke.

“Do you know them?”

For some reason, her tone sounded a little off.

“Nope.”

Lin Yue replied decisively.

If she found out about his deeds, Airella might one day slay him in the name of justice.

“Good then.”

For some reason, she was back to normal.

Women…

Just then, a commotion erupted at the front.

Isabella stood before the magic stone, wand in hand, focused.

The tip of her wand glowed with a soft blue light.

As she softly chanted, the glow intensified and poured into the massive stone before her.

The stone lit up instantly.

A blue halo climbed from its base, rising rapidly—soon surpassing three-fifths of the scale, nearly breaking the four-fifths threshold before slowly fading.

The stands erupted in gasps, even the elderly mage in charge of testing beaming with satisfaction.

“A true prodigy, marvelous! Another who could become a fifth-tier Grand Magister.”

“That’s Isabella of the Valiana family, isn’t it? As expected of her reputation!”

“Amazing! I heard she’s only eighteen—this level of talent is seen maybe once a century!”

Isabella bowed slightly, retrieved her wand, her face still expressionless.

Talent at mark four and above was a different realm entirely.

Throughout the magic academy’s history, only a handful had reached that level.

It was the difference between “once in a century” and “once in a millennium.”

Anyone who reached mark four was guaranteed to be a fifth-tier Grand Magister at minimum; most would go on to become sixth-tier Ultimate Magisters.

There was even one who went straight to mark five, but that was after reaching sixth-tier, so it didn’t really count.

As Lin Yue reminisced, that trace of blue mana began to slowly climb upward again.

“What’s this?!”

The high-level magicians, most sensitive to mana, all focused on the stone.

The students in the stands erupted—the scattered attention now laser-focused on the stone as the blue halo pushed past the four-fifths mark, the academy’s “mark four” threshold, then stalled and stopped right at the line.

The instant the blue glow stopped at mark four, the entire testing ground fell into brief silence—even the old mage forgot to flip his register, muttering to himself: “Mark four, it’s really mark four…”

A second later, the explosion of excitement nearly blew the roof off.

“Mark four! Is the Valiana family rising again?”

Airella grabbed Lin Yue’s arm in excitement and shook it: “Lin Yue! Mark four! She really reached mark four!”

Lin Yue couldn’t help but smile at Bella’s result.

Perfectly on the mark four line—just like the original.

Good, looks like the plot isn’t straying too far.

He looked at Bella on the testing platform.

The girl was as calm as ever, though the hand at her side quietly gripped her wand tight.

Her gaze briefly flickered to the corner where Lin Yue was, eyes complicated, then shifted away.

Next, Isabena stepped up for her test.

Her personality was much more flamboyant than Isabella’s.

As soon as she began, a powerful magical wave burst out, red flame-like mana dancing in her palm, full of explosive power.

She’d even glanced at Lin Yue during her sister’s test, only to find him utterly unperturbed, unlike anyone else.

Putting on a show, scum!

As her chant ended, flames surged into the stone.

The red halo soared rapidly, even higher than Isabella’s at the start, stopping just short of the mark four threshold.

“Another monster! The Valiana twins are outrageous…”

“Hey, will she pull off the same trick as her sister?”

The previous twist had left everyone rattled—both anxious and eager for more.

Lin Yue’s face stayed impassive.

After all, he already knew what would happen.

“Tch.”

So this is the limit?

Isabena stared at the red glow hovering on the stone, her fingers tightening around her wand.

She’d poured everything into the test, but the light stubbornly hovered just below mark four, no matter what she did.

The murmurs from the crowd pricked her heart like needles.

Her younger sister had always outpaced her, no matter how hard she worked, never quite able to catch up.

Being the elder by a year, she couldn’t help feeling a little resentful.

Was her talent just limited after all…?

Just as she was about to give up, Isabena glanced again at Lin Yue’s spot—he was the same as that day, legs crossed, chin propped on his hand, utterly unmoved.

And he had a pretty girl sitting beside him, which just made her angrier.

She remembered the humiliation she and her sister had suffered, and the powerlessness of being treated as a bargaining chip.

Isabena gripped her wand tightly, feeling something break through within her.

Suddenly, a fiery red halo flared, even the air seeming to tremble.

Red mana, like a fiery serpent, slowly consumed the rest of the area below mark three, until…

“What’s this…?”

The old mage’s voice shot up an octave.

His quill pen fell with a “thud,” and he stumbled up to the stone, squinting as he checked repeatedly, “Mark four! Another mark four!”

The red glow rested firmly at the same level as Bella’s.

“No way! Both sisters are mark four!”

“Good thing the Valiana family didn’t marry them off to the Hawk family, or they’d be gnashing their teeth right now.”

Isabena stared at the red halo, fingers unconsciously stroking her wand handle.

When she channeled her mana earlier, she’d felt a power inside that wasn’t fully released.

It wasn’t until she saw Lin Yue that a nameless fire ignited within, letting her force out that last bit.

“Whew…”

Seeing the result match her expectations, Isabena’s tense brow finally eased.

She looked toward Lin Yue in the stands.

The girl lifted her chin, eyes full of arrogant pride, her gaze targeting his direction, lips curled in a provocative smile, as if saying, “Regret it now, huh?”

This girl sure can hold a grudge…

The sisters slowly took seats high in the stands.

Those nearby made room, leaving a big empty space for them, making their status obvious.

But Lin Yue was in no mood to pay them any more attention.

Since nothing went wrong, it was time for the main event.

Lin Yue looked toward the entrance.

A girl in a pale purple mage’s robe led the way.

She was Lilian, the main character’s childhood friend from the original story.

Though she came from the countryside, her appearance was lovely, her temperament outstanding, and her manners graceful and well-bred.

At her side, a boy with a slightly thin build, wearing a leather-belted white shirt that looked straight out of a novice village, was none other than the story’s protagonist, Ailun.

Lin Yue’s eyes instantly sharpened.

Here he comes.

The protagonist of the story has finally arrived.

Lilian was clearly used to this kind of attention.

She smiled and led Ailun to the testing platform.

“Ailun, don’t be nervous. You can do it.”

Lilian encouraged softly.

Ailun nodded but still clenched his fists nervously.

His talent was poor.

Before coming to the academy, he’d barely managed even the simplest spells, and his aptitude test was likely to be at the lowest level.

Soon, it was Lilian’s turn to be tested.

She stepped onto the platform, placed her hand on the stone, and slowly channeled pale purple mana into it.

The halo on the stone quickly climbed, finally stopping at halfway past the third mark, drawing a chorus of admiration.

“No wonder the dean personally invited her.”

“Amazing! She’s not much behind those two sisters!”

Everyone was intrigued by this girl with neither background nor influence.

Lilian withdrew her hand, satisfied, and stood aside to encourage Ailun:

“Your turn, Ailun. Don’t be afraid, just do your best.”

Ailun took a deep breath, stepped up, and reached out with trembling hands.

He was here thanks to Lilian.

He absolutely couldn’t let her down.

Several seconds passed with no reaction from the stone.

After a while, a faint white halo barely lit up at the base of the stone, only just reaching the academy’s minimum entry standard before refusing to climb any higher.

The stands instantly fell silent.

“Hey, did he just barely pass? That’s a bit…”

“Someone like him next to Lilian? Doesn’t seem a good match.”

“Poor guy…”

Ailun’s face flushed bright red, his head hanging lower, looking utterly resigned.

Lilian wanted to defend him, but Ailun pulled her back.

At that moment, a mocking voice rang out: “Well, with such lousy aptitude? I thought he’d be amazing.”

Lin Yue looked over and saw a richly dressed noble boy, flanked by cronies, staring at Ailun with a smirk.

This boy was one of the early bullies from the original—Charles.

Does this guy have the same role as me?

Lin Yue looked at the guy in front of him, a bit speechless.

No, my level should be a bit higher than his.

Funny thing is, this guy later realized his magical talent was less than his writing talent, so he went off to write novels instead—and ended up better off than Lin Yue.

If you compared him to someone in real life, he’s the well-off kid who hasn’t “awakened” yet.

Charles swaggered up to Ailun, deliberately bumping into him: “Trash is trash. You dare come to Avilina Academy? Get lost and stop being an eyesore.”

Ailun stumbled, nearly falling.

Lilian hurried to support him, scolding Charles angrily: “Don’t go too far!”

“Too far?” Charles sneered.

“Am I wrong? A loser who barely scraped the passing line—keeping him here just wastes academy resources.”

Those around joined in the ridicule.

Ailun’s face grew paler and he trembled uncontrollably.

The students in the stands looked uncomfortable but didn’t dare offend this young master.

Lin Yue frowned.

According to the script, Charles would provoke Ailun to awaken the Law—Blade, then Ailun would split the testing stone in two and pass out.

Now, with Lilian outnumbered and no one else daring to stand up to Charles, awakening was as good as guaranteed.

Just like countless stories and anime, the protagonist would grow under the oppression of supporting villains, finally shining at the end of the first chapter.

And Lin Yue needed to give him a little push before the chapter ended.

Just as Lin Yue was planning when to make his move, a cold voice suddenly rang out: “Charles, haven’t you had enough?”

Everyone froze and turned their heads.

The speaker was none other than Isabena.

At some point, she’d walked over, her voice icy: “This is Avilina, the sacred place of mages. Not your playground. If you want to bully someone, go back home.”

Charles hadn’t expected Isabena to step in and was stunned for a moment before retorting with disdain: “Isabena, this has nothing to do with you, does it? I’m just teaching a loser a lesson.”

Isabena’s voice stayed cold, and hearing his tone seemed to remind her of someone she hated to the core.

“Is that so? I haven’t seen you do anything better than him.”

She glanced at Ailun behind her and added: “He, at least, is better than someone who only knows how to bully the weak.”

Charles’s face turned ashen, but he didn’t dare go against Isabena.

After all, though the Valiana family had declined, Isabena’s talent was obvious.

No one wanted to offend a future Grand Magister.

He glared at Ailun viciously: “Trash, consider yourself lucky!”

Then he left with his cronies in tow.

Ailun looked up gratefully at Isabena: “Tha… thank you.”

Isabena didn’t look at him, only replied coldly: “I wasn’t helping you. I just can’t stand bullies like him.”

She shot a glare at Lin Yue in the stands, then returned to Isabella’s side.

Isabella looked at her, eyes surprised: “Sis, why did you suddenly…”

“Nothing.”

Isabena cut her off.

“Just too noisy.”

Ailun, after suffering humiliation and Isabena’s “help,” seemed different—somehow, the heavy feeling in his chest had vanished.

“You H A V E G O T T O B E K I D D I N G M E…”

Lin Yue muttered through gritted teeth, one word at a time.

This girl just wrecked the whole plot!