Fantasia Library

In the dimly lit underground storage facility, a massive stream of green energy, composed of concentrated mana, swirled continuously.

Aizen stood at the center, holding the activator form of Ser-Veresta. With his eyes closed, he bathed in the crimson light radiating from the weapon's Urm Manadyte, exuding an eerie yet captivating presence.

The green energy stream flowed under the influence of the crimson glow, circulating around Aizen before gradually being absorbed into his body.

Through this process, Aizen could feel his strength steadily climbing.

His physical capabilities were growing, and the prana within him surged stronger, radiating an intensity he had never possessed before.

Surrounding him was a mountain of Manadytes, ensuring this process of empowerment could continue uninterrupted.

At least, that was the plan…

"Hm?"

Suddenly, Aizen's brow furrowed, and he opened his eyes.

"Hold on, Ser-Veresta."

He commanded the weapon to cease its operation. The crimson glow from the Urm Manadyte dimmed, and the swirling green energy dispersed, fading like mist into the surrounding air.

Raising his hand, Aizen clenched and unclenched his fist a few times.

"My strength is increasing too quickly. If I keep going, I'll lose control over my body and prana."

That was the issue.

The rapid surge of power was disrupting Aizen's ability to control his own body and energy. If he continued recklessly, he risked a complete breakdown, his body and prana spiraling out of control.

"I need to adapt to these changes before pushing further," he muttered.

Acknowledging this, Aizen refrained from indulging in the intoxicating feeling of rapidly growing stronger and decisively paused the process.

"Zing!"

A moment later, he activated Ser-Veresta, and its pure white blade materialized once more.

Like before, Aizen channeled his prana into the weapon, causing dark patterns to emerge around the blade. The patterns spiraled toward the crimson core, which absorbed them and released the weapon's full power. The blade transformed from pristine white to jet black.

After gauging the prana consumption, Aizen's lips curled into a faint smile.

"With my current prana reserves, I can sustain Ser-Veresta's maximum output for several dozen seconds."

Previously, he could only maintain the weapon's peak output for a few attacks.

Now, having extended that time to nearly a full minute marked a significant improvement.

"Still, several dozen seconds is far too short. There's no need to keep it running at full power all the time."

Deciding this, Aizen reduced the flow of prana into the weapon, lowering its output.

Instantly, the blade's jet-black color began to fade, turning into a dark purple hue.

"This must be Ser-Veresta's normal operating state," Aizen said to himself.

In the original story, when the protagonist wielded Ser-Veresta, this was its usual state. The difference was that the protagonist couldn't adjust the sword's size, forcing him to wield it as an unwieldy greatsword, which limited his combat efficiency early on.

Now, even with the weapon's output set to its standard level, Aizen could maintain complete control over it, keeping it at a manageable longsword size instead of its massive greatsword form.

"Even at normal output, Ser-Veresta isn't something just anyone can handle," Aizen mused.

The weapon's ability to burn through anything was infamous. At full power, nothing could withstand even a single slash.

Even at its current level, most standard Lux weapons would shatter upon contact. Only other Orga Lux of equal caliber could block its strikes.

"This is more than enough," Aizen concluded with satisfaction.

"In this state, I should be able to wield Ser-Veresta for over an hour with my current prana reserves."

An hour of sustained use was a considerable improvement, giving him ample time to rely on the weapon in combat.

"With this level of power, I should be able to make it onto the Named Charts."

Aizen couldn't help but think of the academy's ranking system.

In Asterisk, all academies had their own ranking systems to evaluate their students' combat prowess.

At Seidoukan Academy, this ranking system was known as the Named Charts, featuring a list of the top 72 students in the school.

The top 12 students, recorded on the first page of the register, were given the prestigious title of Page Ones.

Rankings on the Named Charts could only be claimed through official duels. Defeating a ranked student meant taking their place on the list, with the possibility of climbing to the Page One positions.

Previously, Aizen's abilities were considered mediocre. He wasn't even close to making it onto the Named Charts. Among the hundreds of students in the High School Division alone, not to mention the Middle School and University Divisions, Aizen's mid-tier abilities placed him somewhere in the lower hundreds—far from the top 72.

But now, with his enhanced physical capabilities and prana, Aizen felt confident he could break into the rankings.

"If I include Ser-Veresta's power, I might even stand a chance against the Page Ones."

The thought stirred a sense of anticipation in Aizen.

He wanted to test his newfound strength.

"Speaking of which, the official ranking battles should be coming up soon," Aizen remembered.

In Asterisk, anyone could issue a duel challenge, even within the academy.

However, for a duel to be valid, both parties needed to agree. If one party refused, the duel wouldn't take place.

Because of this, most students who managed to climb the ranks of the Named Charts were reluctant to accept challenges. Losing meant giving up their rank, along with the privileges that came with it.

At Seidoukan Academy, ranked students enjoyed numerous benefits, including special permissions and access to resources. The Page Ones, in particular, held significant privileges, such as quick approval for borrowing Orga Lux.

To prevent ranked students from avoiding challenges indefinitely, the academy organized Monthly Ranking Battles.

During these battles, lower-ranked students could challenge those ranked above them, and the higher-ranked student was obligated to accept.

This mandatory system ensured fair competition and allowed ambitious students to climb the ranks.

"Let's see…"

Aizen raised his hand and accessed the ranking battle information through his holo-display.

He quickly confirmed that the next Monthly Ranking Battle was scheduled for three days later.

Furthermore, students could register for the event and specify their target opponent up to one day before it began.

"Well, isn't that convenient?"

Aizen chuckled.

Three days would give him enough time to adapt to his enhanced strength and prepare for the ranking battle.

"So… who should I challenge?"

Pulling up the Named Charts, Aizen began browsing the list of names.

Challenges weren't unrestricted, of course.

According to the rules, students were divided into three tiers:

Page Ones – The top 12 ranked students.

Ranked Students – Students ranked 13th to 72nd.

Unranked Students – Everyone else.

A student could only challenge someone from the tier directly above their own.

As an unranked student, Aizen could only target students from the second tier—the Ranked Students ranked from 13th to 72nd.

"Well then… might as well aim high!"

With that thought, Aizen set his sights on the first name on the second page of the register.

Without hesitation, he reached out and tapped the Challenge button.