As Kael stood alone in the courtyard, the echoes of Belle's dragon roars still faintly resonating through the sky, something clicked in his mind.
"…Wait."
His eyes narrowed, mind sifting through hazy fragments of the original story he remembered.
"The book mentioned an unknown character… the one with the most potential in the younger generation. A prodigy in both the Water and Beast core. Could that have been Belle all along?"
His expression darkened thoughtfully.
"If I'm right… she has a third core too. But I guess I'll find that out later."
He turned away from the field and made his way back to his dorm room. The walk was quiet, broken only by the hum of wind brushing through the academy's old trees. Once he reached his room, he sat on the edge of the bed and pulled up his system.
The familiar soft blue screen flickered into view.
---
Name: Kael Vernier
Age: 16
Level: 6
Sword Art: Shadow Arts
Core: Awakened (Active during "Cloak of Glass")
Class: Swordsman
Title: The Shadow Prince
---
HP: 500/500
Stamina: 400/400
EXP: 210/500
---
Attributes:
Strength: D+
Agility: C
Endurance: D+
Intelligence: D
Perception: D
Willpower: D
Mana: ??? (Locked)
---
Skills ↓
Story ↓
---
Mission:
Summon at least one Meta Being.
---
Kael blinked.
"…W-what?"
He stared at the mission log.
> Summon at least one Meta Being.
"…That's ridiculous," he muttered. "Isn't that something event the most high rankers struggle with? What kind of broken questline is this?"
He dragged a hand down his face and leaned back, the glow of the system screen still lingering in the dim room.
"…No pressure, I guess"