After a moment, a sense of calm returned to me. The adrenaline from the confrontation faded, leaving behind a cold curiosity.

What exactly had happened?

I opened the academy's interface on my terminal. Every new student had access to a basic digital library. I typed "Aura" into the search bar.

Dozens of manuals and guides appeared. I clicked on the first one: "Fundamental Principles of Aura - Year 1."

Text appeared, floating in front of me. I began to read.

Aura is the life energy that resides in every Awakened. It is the source of all abilities. The flow of Aura can be controlled and shaped to produce various effects, such as creating elements, strengthening the body, or manipulating the environment.

This was the basics, the stuff everyone learned in elementary school. I scrolled down.

Every ability has a unique Aura signature. A fire power will have a hot, expansive signature. An ice power, a cold, constricted signature. This is what scanners measure to determine a person's rank.

I frowned. My dagger... what was its signature? Cold? No. Hot? Definitely not. It had nothing. It was empty.

I kept reading, looking for something about power nullification.

Defensive abilities work by countering with an equal or greater Aura. A wind barrier can stop a fireball if its Aura is dense enough. An energy shield can block a physical impact...

The text went on, but nothing matched what my dagger had done. It hadn't "countered" a force. It had "absorbed" the big guy's strength. It had erased it.

The manual didn't mention it. It was as if that possibility didn't exist.

I closed the guide, a strange feeling washing over me. What I had wasn't in the books. It wasn't normal.

And in this academy, anything that wasn't normal was either very valuable or very dangerous.

I spent the rest of the evening in my room. No one else came knocking on my door. The rumor must have spread as quickly as the one about my failure at the Draft.

The "last place" wasn't so harmless, after all. That was good. Doubt was a better armor than contempt.

Around nine o'clock, my stomach started to growl. I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. I hesitated to go out. The thought of running into other students wasn't appealing. But hunger was stronger.

I opened the academy interface to look at the campus map. The Gamma building's cafeteria was in the basement. Convenient. I wouldn't have to cross the whole campus.

The hallway was silent. Most of the doors were closed. As I went down the stairs, I passed a few students. They looked at me, whispered to each other, then quickly looked away when I met their gaze.

It was a new feeling. Strange. I was no longer invisible. I was some kind of curiosity, an anomaly.

The cafeteria was a large, windowless room with metal tables and neon lights that buzzed slightly. It wasn't very crowded. It smelled of bland, overcooked food.

I went to the meal vending machine. There were several options, each with a point cost. The "Standard Meal" cost 5 points.

I swiped my terminal over the reader.

[Purchase: Standard Meal -5 points]

[Remaining Balance: 395 points]

A plastic tray dropped into the compartment. It held rice, a few vegetables, and some unidentifiable meat.

I took my tray and headed for an empty table in a corner.

Finally, I could eat in peace. Or so I thought.

I was about to spear a piece of the dubious meat with my fork when another tray was set down on my table, right across from me.

I looked up, immediately on guard.

A boy I'd never seen before stood there. He was thin, wore large round glasses, and had a smile that didn't reach his eyes. He seemed more like he was analyzing the situation than being friendly.

"Is this seat taken?" he asked in a calm voice.

I stared at him without answering. My first instinct was to think this was more trouble.

The boy took my silence as a yes and sat down. He placed his own "Standard Meal" in front of him.

"All the other tables are full of... noise," he said, making a vague gesture toward the rest of the room. "I figured this corner would be quieter."

He pushed his glasses up his nose. "My name is Lee Min-Soo. Rank D."

He paused, then his smile widened slightly. "You're Kang Ji-Hoon. Rank F. But... not really, right?"

I stopped eating. I put my fork down on the tray. My eyes never left him.

My quiet meal was over before it had even begun.

Lee Min-Soo didn't seem intimidated by my silence. He began to eat his rice, methodically.

"Rumors travel fast here," he continued between bites. "Especially interesting ones. A Rank F humiliating Choi Jin-Woo's group isn't something you see every day."

He looked at me over his glasses. "Choi Jin-Woo isn't a threat. Just a petty Rank C bully with a rich father. But what you did... it's drawn some attention."

"What do you want?" I asked, my voice flat.

Min-Soo swallowed his rice. "An alliance."

I almost laughed. An alliance? With me?

"Look," he said, putting his fork down and leaning forward slightly. "You have a strength that no one understands. That's an advantage. But you're alone. You don't know the unwritten rules of this place. You don't know who the real players are. You're an easy target for anyone smarter than Choi's group."

He resumed his analytical expression. "I, on the other hand, am not strong. My ability is 'mnemonics.' I can just memorize and analyze information very quickly. It's useful for exams, but useless in a fight. But I know things. I know how the system works, how to exploit it. I know who to avoid and who to approach."

He finished his speech with a simple sentence.

"You have the strength. I have the brains. Together, we could do more than just survive here."

I watched him for a long moment. He ate his rice unhurriedly, waiting for my answer.

What he said made sense. I might have a strange power, but I knew nothing about this place. I was like a man with a sword walking blindfolded through a minefield. Sooner or later, I was going to make a mistake.

But I didn't trust people. Especially not those who came to me with a ready-made plan.

"And what's in it for you?" I asked.

Min-Soo finished his bite before answering. He was methodical about everything.

"Survival," he replied simply. "I'm a Rank D with a non-combat ability. Alone, I'm easy prey for the rankings and the 'taxes' from others. With you, I become the brains of an unpredictable duo. I'm no longer a victim; I'm a strategist. It's a fair trade."

His honesty was disarming. He wasn't trying to pretend he wanted to be my friend. It was a transaction. A partnership based on mutual need.

It was a logic I could understand.

I thought for another second.

Then, without a word, I picked up my fork and went back to eating.

The alliance wasn't sealed with a handshake. Just with a shared silence over a mediocre meal.

We finished our meals in silence. When our trays were empty, Min-Soo pushed his glasses back up his nose.

"Good," he said, as if he had just solved an equation. "First thing you need to know: classes. They start tomorrow. Your Draft ranking will put you in the lowest-level classes. Basic theory, physical exercises without Aura... It's a waste of time."

I listened in silence, absorbing the information.

"But," he continued, a small smile on his face, "there's a way around that. The 'Special Quests' posted on the mission board. Most students ignore them the first week. They focus on classes. But some quests give a lot of points and, more importantly, 'Contribution Points'."

"Contribution Points?" I asked. It was the first time I had heard the term.

"Exactly. It's the real currency of the academy. They aren't transferable. You earn them by completing tasks for the school. And with enough Contribution Points, you can 'buy' access to higher-level classes, even if your rank doesn't allow it."

He tapped the table with his finger. "There's one quest that's been posted for a week. Nobody's taking it. That's why it's perfect for us."

My interface lit up. It was a notification from Min-Soo.

[Quest Share from Lee Min-Soo]

[Title: Clearing Spectre-Rat Nests - Basement 4]

[Recommended Difficulty: Rank C (group)]

[Reward: 500 points, 10 Contribution Points]

I looked at him, raising an eyebrow. Clearing rat nests?