George led Kyle straight to the magic evaluation chamber.
The moment Kyle stepped inside, his eyes were immediately drawn to the crystal orb resting at the center of a long table.
It was about the size of two cupped hands, completely translucent, with a mirror-smooth surface that occasionally emitted a faint mist, as if it were breathing. Even the golden tray holding it was adorned with intricate runes along its edges, and beneath it lay a light purple velvet cushion.
Kyle, dressed in tattered clothes, carefully approached the crystal orb.
George, disinterested, instructed, "Now, place your hands gently on the crystal."
Kyle, filled with anticipation, slowly extended his hands.
"Hurry up," George said impatiently.
"Oh—okay."
Kyle placed his trembling hands on the crystal orb.
One second, two seconds…
Ten seconds, twenty seconds…
Both Kyle and George stared at the orb, their eyes wide open. But there was no reaction—not even the faintest flicker of light.
"This… this doesn't make sense…" George muttered in disbelief. "Is it broken?"
He quickly motioned for Kyle to step aside and placed his own hands on the orb.
At once, it glowed with a soft yellow light.
"No, it's working fine."
George muttered to himself and stepped aside.
"Alright, try again."
Seeing George's reaction, a sense of foreboding crept into Kyle's heart. His body shook.
Forcing himself to stay calm, he reached out once more and placed his hands on the crystal.
Still, nothing happened.
George's expression darkened. "Impossible. The only people who elicit no response from the orb are those with absolute zero elemental affinity. And such people… just don't exist. Even someone with the weakest magical aptitude should produce at least a faint glimmer."
"This is impossible."
"Since the dawn of human existence on the Nolan Continent, every single person has possessed natural elemental affinity. There has never been—never could be—a person with zero affinity."
Just as George finished speaking, the chamber doors suddenly burst open with a loud bang.
Sebastian Hoffmann strode in, flanked by his two servants, laughing mockingly.
"Hah! I never thought I'd witness this—a person with such abysmal talent actually exists!"
Then, his laughter vanished.
"Do you have no self-awareness? Coming to our academy just to make a fool of yourself?"
"Get him."
The two servants stepped forward, fists clenched.
George immediately positioned himself between them and Kyle, though his face still bore an expression of disbelief. He murmured under his breath, "From the very birth of humanity on this continent, every person has had elemental affinity. No exceptions…
Unless—"
A sudden realization struck him. He thought of one possible exception, then shot Kyle a shocked glance before abruptly turning and hurrying out.
"I need to report this to the Headmaster. Wait here."
Sebastian scowled at his retreating figure. "Tch. Nosy fool. No wonder he's still just a mid-level mage after all these years."
Knowing the school authorities would be arriving soon, he sneered at Kyle. "Looks like you got lucky."
Kyle's heart had already sunk into despair, but now, a fragile hope surfaced.
He waited in silence.
Less than ten minutes later, George returned, leading a group of people.
Sebastian was shocked to see that not only had the former headmaster come, but Isaac himself was here as well.
The moment they entered, all eyes locked onto Kyle.
"Child, try again."
Kyle knew this was his final chance.
Taking a deep breath, he reached out for the third time, his hands trembling as they met the crystal orb.
Nothing changed.
The result was the same.
Isaac's sharp gaze flickered as he studied Kyle for the first time with genuine scrutiny.
The only way a person could have zero elemental affinity was if they had been cursed by a mage.
A high-ranking mage, using certain magical artifacts, could see through enchantments cast by lower-level mages.
From the moment he entered this room, Isaac had already cast a detection spell on Kyle.
But he found nothing.
On this continent, fewer than ten mages ranked above him.
And of those, only two Legendary Mages possessed the ability to cast a curse so profound that even he couldn't detect it. But those two had been in seclusion for over a decade.
At that time, this child would have only just been born.
Dismissing the absurd thought, Isaac gave George a slight shake of his head, then turned and left the chamber.
Inside, George let out a sigh and spoke with resignation.
"Well… let's not even ask for your name."
"The test results are very clear—you have no potential to become a mage."
"Actual, if there were only one person in the world who couldn't become a mage, that person would be you.
"Go home, forget about magic."
With that, he too left.
Sebastian, who had been waiting in the corner, grinned viciously and stepped forward.
"You made me wait so long."
"This time, I'll deal with you personally."
If not for George's brief moment of kindness in returning, Kyle would have likely died in some empty room within the academy.
But even so, Sebastian's wind blades spell had left him covered in wounds, reducing his remaining lifespan to just three hours.
Dragging his broken body, Kyle struggled back to his home, his heart heavy with despair.
He had already spent all his coins.
His only hope—becoming an Apprentice Mage, ensuring free food and shelter—had been shattered.
There seems nothing left for him but death.
Leaning against the cold stone wall, he sat quietly, waiting for the end.
And then—
Ava arrived.
Ava, with her sixty thousand dollars.
—
Ava, finished her lunch with satisfaction, returned to her room and immediately checked on her digital friend.
Before leaving, she had gifted Kyle a robe and prepared a feast for him.
"Let's see if my digital friend appreciated the meal I left him."
The moment she opened the game—
Her screen flooded with alerts.
[Dear Player Ava, your remaining lifespan: 99 days.]
[Your digital boyfriend 'Kyle' has developed an infection from the wind blade wounds he received this morning…]
[Your digital boyfriend 'Kyle' has no will to live.]
[Attention! Your digital boyfriend 'Kyle' is in critical condition. Estimated remaining lifespan: five minutes!]
What the f**k!