Time flew by, and before he knew it, the day of the entrance exams had arrived. He got dressed in a clean white shirt, a black tie, a black sweater vest, and matching black pants, ready to face what lay ahead.
"Alright, this is it."
He left his room and hurried down the stairs. After what had happened the day before, he knew his mother was still angry about him being late, and he had no desire to face her this morning.
He stepped out of the house and strolled through the busy streets of Metro City. Without a phone, he relied on the map he had downloaded to his smartwatch, guiding him toward the exam site.
[Master, the location of the exams is quite far, the distance you are attempting to cover on foot might result in lateness for the exams.]
"I know, but without my mother's approval I don't really have much choice, besides I blew my allowance on that subscription. That being said.."
He glanced up at the rooftops, a reckless idea creeping into his mind, tempting and wild.
"Then again, who said anything about walking?"
He took off his uniform and adorned the clothes he purchased from the systems store. Then, in a fluid blur, he rebounded off one building's side, then another, before landing atop the rooftop with a final, controlled leap.
He broke into a sprint and began leaping across the rooftops, each jump smoother than the last, his body adjusting quickly as he gained full control over his movements.
[You now seem accustomed to your strength, stamina and speed.]
"Yeah... It's all thanks to that instant dungeon from yesterday, after leveling up that much, I can tell I've grown even stronger and faster."
Traveling by car or any other road transport would've taken Mason at least thirty minutes to reach the exam site. But by cutting across the rooftops, he arrived in just a matter of minutes.
"So this is it huh." Mason said, in all honesty he wasn't thrilled on becoming a Spirit Caster, but in order to get stronger it was mandatory.
[The registration ends in thirty minutes master, if you do not register within the time limit, you cannot participate in the exams.]
"Alright."
Given the deadline would soon elapse, Mason into the academy. After fighting his way through the long line of people who wished to apply for the exams, he managed to register at the last second.
He was handed a rectangular tag with the number 1245.
"What!?" It came as a surprise to Mason, the number of applicants this year reached up to 2000. This goes the show the number of individuals who wished to become Spirit casters.
There was a reason for this, spirit casters was the primary name given to all newly awakened ones, after learning all there was to learn about spiritual energy, a caster can then evolve into a Spirit Hunter.
"2000 is actually w-"
"What? A C-rank Spirit caster?" A sudden shout snapped him out of his thoughts. In the distance, a crowd had gathered outside the registration center.
"What's going on?" He walked up to the crowd, and thanks to his height, he could easily see what was happening.
Standing in the center of the crowd was a man on his knees, his head bowed before a woman who looked down at him, her face twisted with disgust with each glance she took of him.
"You, a C-rank Spirit caster, dares to step on my expensive shoes?" Dressed in a black kimono, the woman — Lady Kaori Astora — was the youngest daughter of the prestigious Astora family, one of the wealthiest and most influential lineages in all of Metro City.
"Forgive me Lady Kaori, it won't happen again." The man pleaded for her forgiveness, his voice trembling with desperation. As vexing as it was, crossing the Astora family—of all families—was the gravest mistake he could have made.
If she wished it, his dreams of becoming a Spirit Hunter would crumble in an instant.
"You're sorry? No, that won't do for an offence as grave as the one you committed." A smile curled on her lips as she lifted her right heel off the ground, bringing it dangerously close to his face.
"Lick it clean."
Murmurs filled the air instantly in response to her demand.
"Lick her shoes?"
"Nah man that's going too far."
"He just stepped on her shoes."
Despite the murmurs and disapproving glances from the crowd, Lady Kaori imposed her will upon him without hesitation. To her, everyone around was beneath her—mere shadows in the presence of Astora blood
"I said lick it." She shoved the heel toward his mouth, and he recoiled instantly, spitting in disgust as the crowd stirred with unease.
"Oppression, bullying, intimidation. This is what happens when power falls into the wrong hands, because of her family's status she thinks she can treat him the way she likes, it sickens me."
A boy spoke from beside Mason. Turning to glance at him, Mason was surprised—the boy looked to be about his age.
'Finally, someone I can talk to.'
"That just goes to show that in this world, only those with power comes out on top, only the strong will survive, the weak are just stepping mats to those with the power to make a difference."
"No." The man rose to his feet, wiping the side of his mouth with the back of his wrist, his eyes lowered in anger. "I've already apologized, I will not lick y-"
Almost immediately, an unseen force slammed into the man's chest, lifting him off his feet and hurling him backward like a ragdoll. He fell into the ground with a loud crash, the impact cracking the earth beneath him.
"I never gave you permission to speak." Lady Kaori said with her right hand outstretched.
The crowd's murmurs fell silent at once, the realization hitting them like a wave. This was her spiritual power—the feared ability to repel and pull with an invisible force.
"Pulse polarity." As she spoke, a sudden, unseen force gripped the man like a hook in his chest, yanking him forward with irresistible strength.
His feet scraped helplessly against the ground as his body was dragged toward her, drawn as if by a powerful magnetic pull he couldn't fight.
Once again, he knelt before Lady Kaori who stretched her right foot out once more, offering him a second chance. "Lick it."
"N-no" He was hurled back again, his body scraping painfully across the rough ground before the force yanked him toward her once more.
This happened two more times, each force sending him crashing against the ground before he was pulled back.
Finally, as the man was drawn toward her once more, he vanished from her sight, disappearing into the air as if he swallowed by the very force itself.
Everyone's mouths dropped in disbelief, Lady Kaori most of all. She wondered if she had gone too far—until a soft voice echoed behind her.
"It's one thing to be lucky enough to awaken such a powerful ability, it's another thing if it's in the wrong hands."
Everyone's eyes shifted toward the voice, and to their surprise, a young man in his early twenties stood directly behind Lady Kaori, the man from before now resting on his shoulders.
It was Mason, he wore a cold expression, his eyes narrowing with annoyance. The tone of his voice deepened slightly as he spoke.
He refused to let her go on any longer.
"I don't recall giving you permission to interfere, judging by your clothing you must be from the lower faction, that means your just another C-rank, no, maybe even D-rank peasant. How dare you interrupt my punishment."
"Pulse Polarity." She extended her right hand, focusing all her spiritual energy to manipulate the air around Mason, to draw him toward her with intense force.
But he didn't move, he wasn't even affected.
He could feel the air around him shifting, twisting and pulling, but his raw physical strength far exceeded that of her abilities.
"What!?" Her eyes widened in disbelief, everything else was pulled towards her, even the ground beneath his feet cracked from the force exerted on it.
Mason carefully lowered the man to the ground behind him, then let out a soft sigh. "Your abilities have no effect on me, how does it feel to be powerless against the very people you consider to be less than you? Sting doesn't it?"
His words struck a nerve in the ego driven woman, veins popped in her forehead, she was pissed. "Shut up!"
Caught up in his words, she extended her hand toward him, unleashing a force to repel him away.
As the torrent of energy surged toward Mason, his eyes briefly flickered with a fierce crimson glow.
[Bloodline ability (Incubus Order) has been activated]
The wave of energy was effortlessly dispelled, and almost immediately, Lady Kaori collapsed to her knees. She gasped for air, as if an invisible weight had pinned her down with an overwhelming force.
"W-what is this?" As Kaori struggled to comprehend what had just happened, Mason took a few steps toward her, his cold gaze piercing into her soul.
He didn't care what ties she had, what her family could do to him.
"This will be your only warning, the next time you bully others just because you are at a higher level, you'll answer to me, am I clear?"
Immediately, he cancelled the [Incubus Order], Lady Kaori gasped for air moments after, feeling completed choked up from the force that pinned her down.
"Don't judge a book by it's cover, an individuals spirit powers isn't decided by status, it's decided by their will."
The murmurs of the crowd grew louder as their eyes shifted to Lady Kaori, who struggled to catch her breath.
"I-Impossible.."
"He made Lady Kaori bow...."
As Mason turned to leave, a sudden pop-up notification appeared, freezing him in his tracks.
[POTENTIAL HAREM MEMBER DETECTED!]