Inside the examination hall, staff began calling out the candidates one by one. Each chosen individual had just three seconds to make the decision that would determine the course of their life. For many, those three seconds felt like the heaviest burden they'd ever carry.
"It has to be now... I have to be chosen!" muttered Candidate No. 1, visibly trembling. Being called first meant he had no buffer time—no chance to compose himself or study others' outcomes.
"Candidate No. 1, step forward!" the examiner announced.
"Yes!" he replied, forcing himself to walk forward on shaking legs. He looked up to the second-floor balcony, where the nine captains of the Magic Knight squads stood in solemn judgment. Hope flickered in his eyes as he waited... one second, two seconds, three seconds—
No hands raised.
The crushing reality hit him harder than any spell. He dropped to his knees, defeated, and had to be escorted out by the staff.
"That's so cruel..."
Candidates from poor and common backgrounds watched in despair. For many, joining the Magic Knights was their one shot at escaping poverty and changing their fate. But clearly, the road to glory was lined with thorns.
"Although the path lies open to all, success demands the courage to walk it alone."
Hao Fan stood silently amid the chaos. His expression was calm, but his gaze was sharp, dissecting every reaction around him. In this world, the lower the entry bar seems, the more grueling the climb to the top truly is. Just like those heroes of legend—Naruto, who bore the burden of a beast inside him, and Rock Lee, who fought on without the gift of magic—true greatness required struggle, pain, and madness.
If you want what others don't have, you must work harder than anyone else. And if you fail? Don't ask what the world owes you—ask if you gave everything you had.
One by one, the candidates stepped up and made their choice, each scene lasting just three seconds. Joy and heartbreak passed like flickers of light.
Then it happened.
Yuno, usually so composed, clutched the pendant on his chest. The unknown can shake even the strongest.
"The boy chosen by the Four-Leaf Clover grimoire is next," murmured someone.
"Except for losing to that silver-haired guy, he aced every test," said another. "No doubt a captain will raise their hand!"
As Yuno walked to the front, tension peaked. All eyes were on him.
"If you are interested, raise your hand!" called the staff.
Every single captain raised their hand.
Gasps echoed across the room. The previous top candidate had only drawn three hands. But Yuno, a boy from humble origins, was now the most coveted talent in the room.
"Even Golden Dawn and Silver Winged Vultures raised their hands!" someone cried. "He just leapt over the dragon's gate!"
The envy in the room was thick.
Yuno, barely fazed, nodded once.
"I choose... Golden Dawn."
The Golden Dawn captain smirked knowingly. He had expected this. The other captains quietly acknowledged their loss. A rare gem had slipped through their fingers.
"Candidate No. 165, step forward!"
All eyes shifted. It was time for the final act—the boy who failed every test but defeated even Yuno in combat.
Hao Fan.
He walked calmly to the front, his posture straight, his eyes unwavering.
"Isn't he even a little nervous?" someone whispered.
"Why would he be?" said another. "He beat the top contender."
Only Hao Fan knew the truth.
"My life is mine to command."
That was the creed he lived by. Whether mocked, betrayed, or underestimated—he kept walking. Strength wasn't something granted by bloodline or birthright. It was earned.
"If you are interested, raise your hand!" called the staff.
But no one moved.
The captains remained silent. The ones who had eagerly raised their hands for Yuno now looked away. Some frowned. Some hesitated.
Not a single hand went up.
"He has no magic!" someone finally said. "That's why!"
Laughter followed.
"Hah! I feel better now. I thought I was weak, but at least I've got magic!"
"Guess he ticked off the gods in a past life!"
"It's over for him. No squad, no future."
The sneers filled the air like poison.
Asta—calm and composed—heard them all. He turned, eyes like cold steel.
"Do you think your mockery affects me?"
The strength of the truly powerful doesn't require recognition. Asta didn't need their approval. He wanted to join the Magic Knights only for convenience—access to missions, information, and growth. But even without them, he would walk his own path.
Still, it was time to show them who they had underestimated.
At the last second, one hand rose.
"The Black Bulls' captain!"
"What? Him?! The worst of the squads?!"
The crowd burst into renewed laughter.
"Tch. Took you long enough," Asta said, throwing a side-eye at the Black Bull captain, who looked more like a farmer than a leader.
Then, Asta walked straight toward his loudest critics.
"You think physical skill can't match magic? You've already lost."
He clenched his fists. [Open the Gate]! [Shut the Gate!]
His body roared with uncontainable strength. A sickly green aura erupted around him like a wildfire.
"Captain," he smirked, "didn't we just destroy the testing grounds? That against the law?"
"What do you mean we?" the Black Bull captain shouted. "Stupid brat, don't wreck public property!"
Then he accidentally slammed his palm into the second-floor railing in frustration.
"Whoa! What are you doing?!" the other captains scrambled to cast spells and stabilize the collapsing floor.
Asta only grinned.
"Then let me give them a proper show."
Raising his sword, he poured every ounce of strength into one devastating strike. The sheer force of it cracked the air like thunder. A cyclone erupted, leveling the examination room. The whirlwind lasted five full seconds.
When the dust settled, every eye was fixed on Asta.
Even the captains were stunned.
"That attack… even our elites couldn't pull off something like that," murmured the Golden Dawn leader.
"Damn it. I underestimated him," growled the Red Lotus Lion King.
"Just physical strength?!" The Emerald Mantis leader touched his stinging cheek—his pride had been slapped.
The Black Bull captain's eyes gleamed. "He's a monster. Who says you need magic to be great?"
Asta turned once more to the stunned candidates who had mocked him earlier.
"You think joining the Magic Knights makes you my equal?" he said coldly. "With the strength I just showed, how long will it take you to catch up?"
The silence was deafening.
"You… You're a devil!" cried one noble youth, trembling.
Even a lifetime of training wouldn't be enough to surpass what they had just witnessed.
"How... how does he have that kind of power?!"
Shalim, hiding in a corner, stared in disbelief.