Reddy pressed his boot down onto Kerr's head with brutal force. A sickening crack echoed as Kerr crumpled—his life extinguished in an instant.
"It's over," Asta muttered, stepping forward. He lifted the Demon-Slayer Sword. Although Reddy had erected a magical earthen barrier, Asta's anti-magic blade shattered it effortlessly—as if cutting through mist.
Reddy's confident sneer dissolved into panic.
"No!"
With a powerful swing, Asta brought the Demon-Slayer Sword crashing down on Reddy, obliterating the final threat. When the dust cleared, the Raptor Bandits—132 strong—lay defeated, many unconscious, some fatally injured.
System Prompt: "You defeated red-ranked mid-tier magic criminal Reddy. +500 points."
Asta wiped his blade, satisfied. He'd earned a grand total of 19,000 points from the battle—enough to buy nearly anything he wanted.
A chorus of terrified voices rose from behind the line of defeated bandits:
"Did he slay them all by himself?"
"If we weren't with Asta, we'd be dead for sure!"
"He has to become a Magic Knight!"
Yuno approached, his expression a blend of pride and disbelief. "When did you get this strong, Asta?"
Asta shrugged, modest. "Gotta keep up with you, Yuno."
A beautiful teen girl, Lisa from Lanlin Village, timidly stepped forward. "Thank you... I'd planned to go to the Magic Knights Exam, but after that… I think I'll return home."
Several others followed her lead—shaken by violence, they couldn't face the long journey ahead.
Asta gave her a casual smile. "That's fine. Don't force yourself."
Yuno's voice followed quietly: "Courage isn't measured in magic power."
While walking, Asta accessed the system's shop:
Single‑Tomoe Sharingan – 10,000 points
Shadow Shuriken – 50 points
Clone Spell – 50 points
Transformation Spell – 50 points
Kunai x10 – 1 point
Healing Potion – 1 point
Cold Medicine x10 – 1 point
He pressed purchase on everything.
Purchased! Single‑Tomoe Sharingan activated; Remaining points: 8,800.
Asta felt his perception sharpen—movements and magical threads became visible. His eyes burned scarlet before returning to amber.
Next, he tried Shadow Shuriken on a passing bird. It froze mid-air for half a second, enough to catch its snow-white wings mid-flap.
Shadow Shuriken: injects power, halts movement for 0.5 seconds — three uses per day. Asta grinned, impressed.
He ordered Clone and Transformation spells last—enticing, but minimal bonus.
Remaining points: 8,800
Asta chuckled. "Got plenty of funds left."
After surviving the Raptor ambush, he and Yuno finally reached the Clover Kingdom's royal capital. Towering spires, bustling streets—it truly resembled a grand fortress.
They checked into a modest inn near the exam grounds, their funds more than replenished by the bandits' stolen wealth.
Three days later, the capital buzzed with excitement—fireworks lit the sky as thousands gathered at the grand coliseum for the Magic Knights Entrance Exam.
"Go for it!" cheered the crowd. "For Clover!"
Families stood proudly behind their children.
Asta caught sight of one fashionable girl after another and chuckled. "Wow, so many cute faces!"
"Focus, dummy," Yuno scolded softly.
Inside the arena, nobles clustered in elegant robes. Commoners and fellow villagers huddled elsewhere.
A flock of mana-sensing birds suddenly swept into the area—magic-averse creatures that flock to low or null mana users. They gravitated toward Asta.
"Huh? Why are they following me?"
Asta slapped them away in mild surprise. The onlookers snickered.
One noble murmured, "Seems he has no magic at all."
Asta's face darkened. Without warning, he unleashed an anti-magic wave, causing the birds to disperse in panic.
Stunned silence fell.
"Did he... release mana?" whispered Yuno.
"Nobody else caused the birds to flee," a townsperson noted.
Yuno met Asta's eyes. "Good timing."
With that, the exam began. All nine Magic Knight captains would arrive to witness the next generation of recruits—commoner or noble, mage or not.
****
"So cute, these little birds!"
As the candidates continued to gather at the Magic Knights Entrance Exam grounds, a figure landed among them with exaggerated flair—wearing robes adorned with embroidered feathers, and hair puffed into a ridiculous afro. It was none other than Hao Fan, a foreigner from a distant region under the Clover Kingdom's rule, whose eccentric entrance turned more heads than intended.
The skies above the capital were clear, and scattered across the testing field were fluttering birds—small, white, and harmless in
qqpearance. But these weren't just ordinary birds.
As if drawn by some unseen force, a swarm of them flocked toward Hao Fan, perching on his shoulders, arms, and even atop his oddly styled hair.
"These birds... they really like me!" Hao Fan exclaimed, stretching his arms with a contented smile. "It reminds me of the doves from my hometown square... so peaceful."
His moment of self-delusion was short-lived.
"Pfft! Look at that guy!" A sharp giggle rang out.
"Is he actually enjoying being surrounded by anti-magic birds?" sneered a short, sharp-faced noble youth clad in flashy, gold-trimmed robes.
"Seriously, doesn't he know what they are? Anyone even halfway competent in magic knows that magic-avoiding birds are drawn to weak magic users! The more birds that flock to you… the more pathetic your mana is!" another noble snorted. "What kind of backwater dump did this guy crawl out of?"
Their words quickly spread across the field, and the atmosphere shifted. What was once curious amusement turned into uncomfortable murmurs.
Candidates—especially the girls who had initially admired the birds—began frantically waving them off.
"Ew, get away from me!"
"If the Magic Knight Captains see too many around me, they'll think I'm weak!"
Magic-avoiding birds, native to the Clover Kingdom, were known for one trait: they were repelled by powerful mana and drawn to weak or unstable magical energy. It was one of the unspoken tests during the Entrance Exam. Even Asta, who had no magic at all, had suffered this humiliation—but he bore it with stubborn pride. Hao Fan, on the other hand, was oblivious.
Until now.
A thick black line creased Hao Fan's
"If you pests don't leave right now…" he growled, his tone low and threatening, "...I'll roast you alive."
"Tw-tw-twitter!"
As if sensing the shift in aura, the magic-avoiding birds scattered in a flurry, wings flapping in panicked urgency. A sudden ten-meter radius formed around Hao Fan—completely devoid of birds… and people. His bloodlust alone cleared the air.
"Whoa… did you feel that?!"
"What terrifying killing intent…"
The arrogant nobles who mocked him seconds ago paled and quickly blended into the crowd, swallowed by their own cowardice. Regardless of the birds' previous behavior, none dared approach Hao Fan now.
But just then, another voice broke the awe-stricken silence.
"Look at that black-haired guy over there!"
All eyes shifted toward the quiet figure standing amidst the crowd—Yuno. Tall, calm, and composed, he stood like a pillar of serenity. Not a single bird fluttered near him. Even the air seemed to shimmer around his powerful mana.
"No way… there aren't any magic-avoiding birds near him…"
"That's unreal. Even nobles have at least one or two birds circling them!"
"I heard he has a four-leaf clover grimoire—just like the First Wizard King!"
"The rumors must be true…"
While Yuno's presence stirred whispers of admiration and envy, Hao Fan's existence was almost completely overlooked.
"Tch. These mortals… so blind," Hao Fan muttered under his breath, brushing invisible dust from his shoulder. "They can't even tell the difference between real strength and borrowed prestige…"
But his words were lost in the wind, and for now, all glory belonged to Yuno.
Still, one couldn't help but wonder: if Hao Fan's power could clear a ten-meter radius of all living beings with a single glare… what was he really hiding?
And more importantly—when the real tests begin—who would be left standing?