My F-Rank Sagea is Secretly an EX-Rank Calamity

Chapter 10: The Weight Of The Merit Trials

>>>>ARCANE WARD<<<<<

The tension continued to increase.

[DO YOU WISH TO ACCEPT OR DECLINE?]

’Why does it have to be me?!’ Asher screamed internally.

’I thought Rowan would be the one making enemies!’

[DO YOU WISH TO ACCEPT OR DECLINE?]

’Mom and Dad... you said I was only going to live with him. Not get involved in all this! Just why?!’

[DO YOU WISH TO ACCEPT OR DECLINE?]

’Just shut up!’

Asher clutched his head even tighter.

Rowan stepped forward, completely blocking Seraphina’s view of his brother.

"What’s with the sudden change? And why are you after him?"

Seraphina looked conflicted for a fraction of a second, but she quickly masked it with a harsh frown.

"I ask that you forgive me, but this does not concern you, Rowan."

"He’s my family! Of course it does—"

"Stay out of it!" Seraphina interrupted, her voice dropping. "Lord Malovik already established this anyway. I just have to finish it off."

Rowan stepped back slightly, a cold wave of betrayal hitting his chest. ’Just what is going on?’ he thought bitterly.

Asher sat perfectly still on the medical bed.

[DO YOU WISH TO ACCEPT OR DECLINE?]

Suddenly, a strange thought crossed Asher’s mind. He directed his focus toward the pulsing crimson screen.

’What are you?’

[I AM VESTA. YOUR SYSTEM.]

’Vesta, huh? My system?’

Another high-pitched sound resonated in his mind.

DING!

[YOU ARE CORRECT.]

The silence stretched in the room for a few moments longer before Asher’s voice suddenly cut through the heavy air.

"I accept. I accept your challenge, Seraphina."

Seraphina nodded back, her expression shifting into something entirely unreadable.

[ASHER FLYNN HAS ACCEPTED THE CONTRACT.]

Rowan looked between the two of them, panicked. "Asher! You have no clue what this is even about! What if something happens—"

"Save it," Asher countered. He swung his legs off the bed, stood up, and approached Seraphina directly.

"Trying to act tough so soon," Seraphina scoffed. But as she looked into his eyes, a sudden, jarring thought crossed her mind.

’Wait... how did he... he’s only fifteen, right? Wait, what’s going on here? Does he already have a system?!’

She instinctively took a step back, quickly hiding her shock beneath a deep scowl.

"Well, see you around. I hope you do survive."

With that said, she turned sharply on her heel and exited the ward.

> > > > > GRAND ASSEMBLY HALL<<<<<

Lord Malovik stood at the grand podium.

The air in the massive hall was suffocatingly tight; the mere presence of a member of the Order of the Veil guaranteed that today’s gathering was of utmost importance.

"It seems like you all have been far too comfortable lately," Lord Malovik’s voice boomed, echoing off the high stone walls.

"The recent incidents that have occurred are not things you should continue to re-manifest. Else, you will be expelled."

Headmaster Maverick stepped forward, his eyes scanning the crowd.

"We’ve decided to begin the Merit Trials, starting tomorrow."

Immediately, the rows of students broke into a chaotic wave of murmurs.

"Tomorrow? Are we all going at once?" a freshman whispered frantically to his peers.

"This is the most exciting part! I’ve been looking forward to this!" an upperclassman countered.

"Silence!" Maverick ordered.

The entire hall went dead silent in an instant.

"Each faction will have completely different merit trials and assignments," Maverick continued, his authoritative tone cutting through the quiet. "It will begin from the highest tier to the lowest."

Lord Malovik waved his hand, summoning several massive, floating Aetherscopes that flickered to life mid-air, revealing the map coordinates and territories each faction would focus on.

Maverick gestured toward the glowing displays. "Each faction will be taking part at the same time and will be designated to your respective locations."

"For the Auric Circle, you will be tackling The Vanguard Cataclysm Raid, which has just recently opened at the far end of the city."

Several elite students from the Auric Circle began taking meticulous notes.

Among them, Seraphina stared at the screen, her jaw set with a fierce determination to prove herself worthy to the council.

"Further information regarding rewards and your secondary Merit Trials will be announced after the first trial has been completed," Maverick stated. "The same rules apply to all other factions."

In the middle rows, a student cautiously raised his hand.

Lord Malovik gave a curt nod of approval.

"Speak."

"Will... will Edgar Salmore be taking part in this?"

The hall instantly erupted into furious whispering and low muttering.

Some students tried to hide their comments, while others openly glared toward the front.

"No, he will not," Malovik replied harshly, his tone leaving no room for negotiation.

As the murmuring increased, Asher felt a familiar, suffocating pressure tighten around his chest. He looked down, but Remi gently placed her hand over his, reassuring him silently without a word.

"But that’s not fair! It’s all Asher’s fault!" a wealthy student suddenly yelled from the elite section.

"Yeah! Why should an elite be banned over a fraud?!" another chimed in, causing a domino effect of angry shouts across the hall.

Suddenly, Seraphina stood up from her prominent seat.

The moment she straightened her posture, the surrounding students immediately went silent out of respect.

"The others are right," Seraphina declared smoothly, turning her gaze toward the headmaster.

"This is a general academy assignment. A student shouldn’t be prohibited from taking part in the Merit Trials because of unverified, false allegations. The case is not that serious. However, if it should happen again, then a fair judgment can be passed."

Maverick glanced at her, then back at Lord Malovik, who simply offered a slow, calculating nod.

"Very well," Maverick conceded.

"Edgar Salmore’s suspension is temporarily lifted for the duration of the trial."

"Ha! That’ll show that squirrel guy!" a student whispered triumphantly nearby.

Seraphina sat back down, smoothing her uniform. She could practically feel Rowan’s lethal glare burning into the back of her neck from across the room, but she didn’t care. She had to go to any length to secure her place in the academy.

"Moving on," Maverick continued, his icy voice restoring order.

"The Argentum faction will be demonstrating leadership skills and executing flawless tactical missions. This will be conducted by choosing ten students from the lowest tier—the Umbrax faction. Similar to the Auric students, you will be guiding them through hazardous terrain while providing absolute protection. They should be able to learn a thing or two from your expertise."

Remi’s heart instantly sank.

She looked over at Asher, terrified at the sudden realization that they might be separated for the exam.

Lord Malovik took over the podium once more.

"Now, for the Aerius faction, your goal is to take on The Alchemical Breakthrough. This will involve synthesizing a rare elixir or successfully upgrading a weapon template in the public crafting wards to benefit your entire faction."

A collective sigh of relief swept through the Aerius rows, many of them already making smug assumptions about how easy their task would be.

"The Terra faction," Malovik continued, "is instructed to publicly hold subjugation battles with wild beasts in the city’s squares. And finally... the Umbrax faction."

The hall grew eerily quiet.

"You will make your journey to The Forbidden Sector Salvage—a highly hazardous zone that even the Terra and Aerius factions deem too tedious and dangerous. The Umbrax faction is expected to venture deep inside and return with a lost artifact."

"That’s completely unfair!" an Umbrax student muttered angrily across the hall, causing a chain reaction of complaints.

"Exactly! Why do we have to go to a dead zone? We’re not even capable of surviving without a proper Sagea bond, and our skills aren’t refined!"

"Silence!" Lord Malovik’s voice roared like thunder, seizing the noise in a single split second.

"Consider it a collective punishment for demanding Edgar’s release back into the Merit Trials. Keep it in mind that you will only be teleported by our academy’s transport system to the outer perimeter. You will be given a map and expected to make your own way through. Return in two days. Dismissed."

The heavy iron doors opened, and the students began exiting the grand hall, all of them chattering anxiously about the high stakes of the upcoming trials.

Asher remained completely silent on his way out. Even with Remi walking closely beside him, he felt like the weight of the entire world was pressing down on his shoulders.

’What should I do?’ Asher thought, his fist clenching at his side. ’I know for a fact I’m not going to get chosen by any elite in the Argentum faction... so I’ll probably end up on my own.’