Multiversal Manifestation System

In a sleek, modern room bathed in a soft glow, Alexander Nedeir sat comfortably in his high-backed chair.

Around him, multiple screens streamed live footage of the Awakener Academy Freshman Competition, each displaying different perspectives of the plaza and rankings. His audience, thousands of eager viewers connected through the Virtual Brain, filled the chat with excited comments.

"This competition is off to a strong start," Alexander said smoothly, sipping tea from a porcelain cup.

His suit was immaculate, as always, his blonde hair catching the light of the screens. "Lucius Jaeger takes the first place - no surprise there. Stellar Ascension Academy continues to impress. And... this Maylure. Hmm."

"What do you guys think?" He tilted his head slightly, pondering. His chat erupted in speculation.

"Do you think Maylure can challenge Lucius in the later rounds?"

"Who's that fatty in third place? Wang Zi? Never heard of him."

"Alexander, who do you think will win it all?"

Alexander chuckled lightly, setting his teacup down. "We'll get to predictions soon enough. But for now, I'm more interested in... unanswered questions."

His gaze shifted briefly to the corner of the room where his butler stood, hands clasped politely.

Alexander muted himself before asking,

"Anything on Rengoku?" his tone casual but his eyes sharp.

The butler shook his head, bowing slightly. "No, sir. All our searches have come up empty. It's as though this... Rengoku... doesn't exist outside of the virtual colosseum."

Alexander tapped his fingers on the desk, a faint crease appearing on his brow.

"Interesting."

Before he could ponder further, the door to his room slid open, and his uncle, Ray Nedeir, stepped in.

Dressed in his usual tight-fitting suit, his battle-worn frame and buzzcut gave him an imposing presence.

"Alexander," Ray greeted, his tone gruff. "I came to check on your progress, but it seems you're busy."

His sharp eyes scanned the screens. "What's this? The Freshman Competition?"

Alexander stood and gestured toward a chair for his uncle. "Indeed, Uncle Ray. Why don't you join me? There are some promising contenders this year."

Ray nodded, taking a seat and crossing his arms as he observed the rankings. His expression remained stoic, but his eyes lingered briefly on Wang Zi's name and his frame.

"A fatty in the top three? Hmph. I hope that's not a sign of what's to come."

Meanwhile, in another part of the Virtual Brain, Feifei, the bubbly pink-haired streamer, was hosting her own watch party.

Her cheerful voice filled her viewers' ears as she giggled over the competition.

"Okay, chat, tell me - who do we think is the most handsome so far? Lucius, right? I mean, those cold, blue eyes? So dreamy! And Maylure! Isn't she just adorable with those glasses and how she fidgets?"

Her chat exploded with agreement and suggestions, her audience far more focused on appearances than rankings.

"Lucius is husband material!"

"Maylure is definitely waifu tier!"

"What about Wang Zi? LOL."

Feifei leaned closer to her screen, "Wang Zi? Wait, that's... the fatty who got third place?"

She squinted at the rankings, her mouth forming a perfect 'O' of surprise.

"No way! How did he manage that? He looks like he doesn't have time for anything besides eating!"

Her viewers burst into laughter, and Feifei herself couldn't stop giggling.

"Oh my gosh, chat, we need to find out his secret! Is it stress-eating or some new training method?"

As the competition continued, the streams of Alexander and Feifei painted starkly different pictures of the same event - one analytical and probing, the other lighthearted and entertaining.

But both streams kept returning to the enigma of the top three contestants, particularly the unexpected presence of Wang Zi.

Meanwhile, Wang Zi stood in the plaza, still pondering the results, the shimmering light of teleportation signaled another arrival.

The figure of Xian Mei emerged, her calm and elegant demeanor unchanged as she stepped forward. She glanced around lightly, her expression still unchanged. Wang Zi could have sworn her eyes stayed on him for a little longer... Or maybe he was imagining things.

He smirked slightly, not surprised to see her name light up the rankings just moments later:

4th Place: Xian Mei – 3 minutes, 39 seconds

"As expected. 99% compatibility is no joke after all..."

He had expected this result. With her Psychic class, known for its requirement of precise mana control, and her exceptional compatibility, it was only natural she would excel in this challenge.

The crowd murmured appreciatively, impressed by her ranking.

"Look at her! That control must be part of her psychic abilities."

"Fourth place! Nexus Academy has two in the top five already!"

Xian Mei ignored the noise entirely. Her glowing purple eyes scanned the rankings briefly before she closed them, her expression calm and unreadable. It was as if her mind was somewhere far away, contemplating something the rest of them could not grasp.

Immediately after, another flash of light signaled the arrival of another contestant, Nila Skymere.

"One of the twins huh." Wang Zi briefly glanced at her.

The water-elemental twin from Lumina Nova Academy walked forward, her movements as serene as a flowing stream.

The rankings updated again.

5th Place: Nila Skymere – 3 minutes, 40 seconds

The crowd buzzed with admiration, but Nila paid no attention to the murmurs or the glowing rankings.

She frowned slightly, her eyes scanning everyone there, but she ended up closing her eyes as though meditating. Whatever she was thinking, she kept it entirely to herself. 

From the principal's booth, Gregory Solis gave an approving nod.

"Impressive, as always, my dear Nila. Being the big sister of the twins and wanting to take care of her sister gave her a calm personality with great attention to detail. Isn't that right, Anton?" He shot a sly glance at his rival.

Principal Anton Wanderer grumbled under his breath, clutching his beard.

A moment later, a bright, Bea Might appeared, her holographic butterflies fluttering faintly around her.

The rankings updated again.

6th Place: Bea Might – 3 minutes, 58 seconds

"Bea?" Wang Zi blinked, genuinely surprised.

He had expected her playful and carefree nature to land her much lower in a test requiring focus and precision. Perhaps she had more depth than she let on.

Bea turned her gaze to the crowd of contestants, scanning briefly until her eyes landed on Wang Zi. Her lips curved into a radiant smile, and she flashed him a peace sign.

Wang Zi sighed but couldn't help the small smile tugging at his own lips as she sat down to rest.

The audience was delighted by her charm.

"She's adorable! And sixth place? I didn't expect that!"

"So cute!"

As more contestants arrived, the rankings continued to fill out. Familiar names from various academies began to populate the leaderboard.

In the audience, Alexander's stream remained focused on analyzing each arrival.

"Well, well," Alexander mused.

"It seems Nexus Academy isn't as mediocre as people think. Two in the top five already. And Bea Might - how unexpected. Charming, but clearly more capable than she lets on."

Meanwhile, Feifei's stream had a very different tone.

"Chat, Nila and Xian Mei are so pretty! And Bea with those butterflies? Gorgeous!" she squealed.

Her audience chimed in enthusiastically.

"Nila's dress is perfect for her vibe!"

"Can we talk about Bea's peace sign? She's adorable!"

In the shadows of the Awakener Academies' observati00on room, the silhouettes murmured among themselves.

"A surprising level of control from that one, Bea Might. I wasn't expecting her to rank so high," a voice said, thoughtful.

Another figure nodded.

"A psychic in this backwater place? That's interesting... If her compatibility ends up more than 95%, I'll have dibs on her." This was said by the silhouette of a woman. Around her space seemed to be bending and visions could be seen from time to time.

"Lulu, aren't you overreaching? She hasn't decided on anything yet." this voice came from a silhouette that looked more like a ball than a person.

"Hmph, so what? Can any of you teach her what I can? I'll be her personal teacher! Any problems?!"

But only a hushed silence answered her.

"Hmph!"

The conversation trailed off as the rankings solidified, and the next phase of the competition loomed closer.

As the final contestant completed the first stage, the massive holographic rankings solidified above the plaza. The announcer's voice boomed once more.

"The first round has officially ended! Congratulations to all participants!"

Cheers erupted from the audience, while murmurs spread among the contestants as they scanned the rankings, comparing their results.

Final Top 10 Rankings

Lucius Jaeger – 3 minutes, 19 seconds

Maylure – 3 minutes, 25 seconds

Wang Zi – 3 minutes, 34 seconds

Xian Mei – 3 minutes, 38 seconds

Nila Skymere – 3 minutes, 39 seconds

Bea Might – 3 minutes, 49 seconds

Cassian Drake – 3 minutes, 51 seconds 

Victor Hensley – 3 minutes, 53 seconds 

Lina Skymere – 4 minutes, 02 seconds

Damien Wolfe – 4 minutes, 10 seconds 

Wang Zi glanced at the list, his mind on his 3rd place finish, but his attention shifted to the reactions of his classmates as they filtered in.

Wang Zi's gaze moved to Kain Arclight, who had managed to secure 14th place.

Though not in the top 10, Kain seemed calm as he observed the rankings, his arms crossed and his expression unreadable. Beside him, Ji Min appeared slightly frustrated, his name landing at 29th place.

Further down, Alicia Frost had managed 24th place. Her brows furrowed as she stared at the hologram, disappointment flashing in her eyes. Despite her effort, she had hoped to rank higher.

Bea Might, still brimming with energy despite her own impressive 6th place, placed a hand on Alicia's shoulder.

"Don't sweat it," Bea said with a cheerful smile. "You still made the top 30! That's incredible."

Alicia shook her head, her voice low. "I tried my best, but... maybe you were right, Bea. I should have followed my family's will and awakened as a Frost Swordsman instead of going the mage route."

Bea frowned, then gave her friend a quick hug.

"Nah, you'll prove them all wrong. You just wait - next round, you'll shine."

Alicia just hugged her back and gave a soft hum.

Meanwhile, the Aetherion Institute warriors, Cassian Drake and Victor Hensley, stood together as they read the rankings.

"Seventh and eighth," Cassian muttered, his tone quiet but sharp.

"We're warriors, not mana manipulators. Let the mages have their fun. The next rounds will show who the real champions are."

Victor grunted in agreement, his stoic face betraying just a hint of irritation. "Combat's where we belong. We'll get our spots back then."

Not far from them, Damien Wolfe, who had barely made it into the top 10, adjusted his stance, clearly unsatisfied.

"I'll admit, the precision test wasn't my strongest area. But like Cassian said... just wait for the combat rounds."

From his streaming room, Alexander Nedeir sipped his tea thoughtfully.

"Stellar Ascension is dominating as expected, but Aetherion Institute's warriors aren't too far behind. And Nexus Academy... well, Wang Zi, Xian Mei, and Bea Might, looks like this year's Nexus Academy is full of surprises."

Beside him, his uncle Ray Nedeir nodded, "This first test was a mage's best friend. Their need for control is much higher than warrior classes who just imbue their body with mana. The next round will probably be combat, and the rankings will be completely different."

And as the plaza was blazing with discussions, the announcer stepped forward, his voice amplified and resonant.

"Ladies and gentlemen, contestants and spectators alike, the time has come to begin the second round of the Awakener Academy Freshman Competition!"