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

Chapter 16: Not A Pet Anymore

The arrival of the students was nothing short of a celebration.

The grand assembly hall buzzed with energy as merit points and special honours were distributed to those who had executed their duties flawlessly and led their teams to survival. To kick off the ceremony, every single participating team was awarded a baseline of 500 merit points.

However, the true spectacle lay in the unique rewards reserved for the faction leaders.

From the Auric Circle, Rowan Flynn was awarded the prestigious Grand Champion Medal. To cement his achievement, a statue of him restraining the dragon was to be placed in Ravenwood’s town hall.

Most notable of all, he was granted exclusive access to the Restricted Archive—an opportunity to study forbidden ancient texts capable of exponentially increasing both his mana and Sagea powers.

Seraphina Malovik was awarded an Aether Core, a rare crystal catalyst meticulously crafted by Lady Vespera herself to expand her mana pool permanently.

Next, Fang Richter was called up to receive the Beast-King Pauldrons—a heavy, defensive combat relic that allowed his Sagea to absorb kinetic impact and translate it directly into raw physical strength.

Sapphire Leanne, representing the Argentum Faction, was gifted Frost-Lotus Extract. The rare, consumable liquid would allow her Sagea to process multiple commands from Sapphire simultaneously, executing its frost attacks with effortless speed.

From the Aerius Faction, Kael Vane received a Resonance Feather. The artifact fused directly onto his Phoenix Sagea, permanently evolving its wings and granting the duo absolute sensory synchronisation, allowing his Sagea to effortlessly read and ride the wind currents.

When Xana Valerius, leader of the Terra Faction, stepped forward, she was rewarded with Lithic Quake-Marrow. The dense substance fused seamlessly into her Iron-Hide Badger’s skeletal structure, triggering a painful but awe-inspiring physical evolution. Its coarse, iron-like fur calcified into interlocking plates of tectonic slate armor, and its claws lengthened into diamond-hard excavation blades, completing its transformation into a monstrous Tectonic Dread-Badger.

The rewards didn’t stop with the faction heads.

Remi Faye was given the Starlight Veil Cloak, an item that fused with her stealth and dark abilities, evolving her shadow-craft into a Cosmic Shadow variant that allowed her to blend seamlessly even into pure light.

June was rewarded with the Titanium Vanguard—a heavy, mana-conductive weapon designed to absorb elemental damage and unleash it back in a single, devastating swing, massively boosting her frontline capabilities.

Edgar Salmore, on the other hand, received a survival medal and a sum of over 1,000 merit points—a practical, yet visibly lesser reward compared to the elite relics.

Finally, it was Asher’s turn.

"Asher Flynn, step forward," Maverick’s voice boomed.

Asher stood up, swallowing hard as he made his way down to the podium where Maverick and Lord Malovik stood waiting.

Lord Malovik reached into the elite rewards case, retrieved the glittering Sovereign Crest, and pinned it directly onto Asher’s lapel. Asher stared down at the shiny, golden-turquoise crest resting against his uniform. His eyes went wide.

’Huh?! But how?!’

The crowd immediately erupted into frantic murmurs. Several students visibly clenched their fists in envy. Lord Malovik offered no explanation. Instead, he handed Asher one more item: a Vault Wildcard Voucher.

Asher froze on the spot, his hands trembling.

’Isn’t this...?’

This legendary voucher allowed a student to either select any single item from the Academy’s heavily guarded underground vault, or completely bypass an academy rule of their choice. The moment Asher’s fingers brushed the paper, it pulsed with a sudden violet glow before settling back to normal.

DING!

[ANOMALY IDENTIFIED: CONVERT VOUCHER INTO SYSTEM ESSENCE POINTS?]

’Wait... I can do that?’ Asher thought, a spark of excitement cutting through his shock.

[NOVA VESTA AT YOUR SERVICE.]

[THIS WILL ENABLE YOU TO UNLOCK CRAFTING ABILITIES FOR KAITO.]

[CONVERT VOUCHER NOW?]

[YES / NO]

’Go ahead,’ Asher confirmed internally, eager to see what his companion could achieve.

[CONVERSION IN PROGRESS...]

[CONVERSION COMPLETE!]

[5,000 SYSTEM SHOP CREDITS AVAILABLE UPON CONSUMPTION.]

Before Asher could fully process the system notification, a solitary, rhythmic applause echoed from a corner of the hall. The students turned to look. It was Riley and Ria Cloverwick. Despite the hundreds of confused stares directed at them, the twins kept right on clapping.

Slowly, the students Asher had led during the trial joined in. Then Marnie, Remi, and June added their applause. The rest of the student body watched in utter confusion, but the momentum was unstoppable. Rowan followed suit, a proud smirk splitting his face, alongside Fang.

Stunned by the sudden wave of support, Asher felt a profound warmth bloom in his chest. Lord Malovik and Maverick joined the applause, both offering him a firm nod of approval before dismissing him back to his seat.

Once the clapping finally died down, Maverick continued.

"As you all know, the Merit Trial has officially concluded. Unfortunately, there will be no secondary trials for any of you. You will all return to your standard classes and resume intense training—with the exception of a select few who will remain behind after dismissal."

Maverick gestured to Lord Malovik, who stepped forward to read the list.

"The following students will stay behind in the assembly hall: Rowan Flynn, Seraphina Malovik, Fang Richter, Sapphire Leanne, Kael Vane, Asher Flynn, Remi Faye, Marnie Cortez, Edgar Salmore, and Xana Valerius."

The entire hall collectively held its breath, curiosity peaking.

"These students," Lord Malovik continued, his voice carrying an unyielding weight, "will be engaging in combat exercises against the Order of the Veil, alongside myself. The exercises will be held in the main arena. But before that happens, a duel tournament will be held exclusively among the ten of you. Whoever emerges victorious will earn the right to spar with me directly."

A collective gasp rippled through the stadium. The whispers grew deafening.

’Get to spar with a High Lord? That’s insane!’ Asher panicked internally, his mind racing.

"Alright, that is all for today. Dismissed," Maverick concluded firmly.

Once the doors of the grand assembly hall slammed shut and the rest of the student body had departed, only the ten chosen students remained.

​The silence didn’t last long.

​Without warning, the space in front of the podium warped. In a flash of distortion, the remaining members of the Order of the Veil materialized out of thin air.

The sheer pressure radiating from the continent’s most powerful figures hit the room like a physical wave, causing the students to instantly tense up.

​"Lord Malovik?" Lady Vespera called out softly, her voice carrying a melodic yet terrifying weight.

​Lord Malovik simply gave her a firm nod, gesturing for her to take the lead.

​Lady Vespera turned her gaze toward the ten students, her eyes scanning over them.

"Now, I am well aware of the curiosity—and the fear—running through your minds. However, let me assure you that this is simply a special training regimen designed exclusively for the ten of you. We have hand-selected each of you because you possess an immense, untapped potential that needs to be forcefully unleashed."

​She paused, her eyes locking directly onto Asher. "And that is something you quite desperately need to work on, even long after this special training is over."

​Asher tensed up, feeling the eyes of the entire room shift to him. He frantically nodded. "Y... Yes! Understood!"

​Beside him, Seraphina’s expression darkened. She raised a hand to speak.

​Lady Vespera offered a slight nod of approval.

​"Do you care to explain why the Umbrax students are joining us?" Seraphina questioned, her tone laced with a thin layer of aristocratic pride.

"They do not even possess a Sagea... with the exception of him." She tilted her head slightly, pointing a dismissive finger right at Asher.

​Asher’s face contorted into a deep frown. He didn’t back down. "You dare question the Order of the Veil about their decisions?" he countered, his voice sharp. "Yeah right, someone like you gets nosey all the time."

​Seraphina turned her head to fully face him, her amber eyes narrowing into a dangerous glare. "And what exactly do you know, Flynn?"

​"Silence! Both of you!" Lady Vespera’s command cut through the air like a blade, instantly shutting them down.

​Seraphina snapped her gaze back to the front, her jaw clenched, while Lord Ignatius stepped forward, his hulking frame casting a long shadow over the podium.

​"Listen well," Lord Ignatius rumbled, his voice vibrating through the stone floor. "The ten of you have been chosen for private reasons dictated by the Order of Veil. Any further questioning or bickering regarding our judgment will not be tolerated."

​Seraphina practically burned with an internal rage, her fists clenching tightly at her sides.

​’They are just trying to annoy me on purpose!’ she thought, her pride stinging from being silenced in front of the very Umbrax students she looked down on.

>>>>> UMBRAX CAFETERIA <<<<<<

The cafeteria was a absolute warzone of gossip. Students were frantically placing bets on the upcoming tournament, shouting over one another about what the High Lords’ true motives could be.

At a large circular table near the center, Asher and his friends sat in awkward, tense silence. Asher found himself squeezed firmly between Remi and Marnie, trying his best to look small.

Breaking the silence, Riley Cloverwick, his sister Ria, and a few of their core squad members sauntered over and slid into the empty seats.

"Hey!" Riley said excitedly, leaning over the table.

’Not this guy again...’ Asher groaned internally, offering a polite but entirely nonchalant nod in return.

DING!

[NOVA VESTA NOTICE: KAITO REQUIRES IMMEDIATE NOURISHMENT.]

’Wait, what?!’

Asher jolted in panic. His knee slammed violently against the underside of the table, rattling the plates and silverware, startling everyone around him.

They all stopped and stared at him.

"Um... Asher? You okay?" Remi asked, raising an eyebrow.

[NOVA VESTA NOTICE: FORCIBLY RELEASING KAITO TO PREVENT STARVATION.]

’Wait, no, don’t—!’

With a soft flash of light, Kaito materialised directly onto the middle of the lunch table. The pristine white fox let out a tiny yawn, stretching its legs and rolling onto its back right next to someone’s salad.

"Kaito!" Asher yelped, lunging forward to snatch up the fox before it caused a scene.

But it was too late. His friends froze, their eyes wide with absolute amazement as they stared at the incredibly rare, mythical creature resting in Asher’s arms.