The Leviathan System

Chapter 4: Level Up

Silas picked up his glasses, put them on, and briskly walked towards the assessment chamber. The weight of his recent confrontation with Alastair and his cronies still lingered, but a newfound confidence buoyed his steps.

Lyra stepped out from her hiding spot, her mind buzzing with questions. Why had Silas touched the other students after defeating them? And what had he put in that girl's robes? Intrigued, she decided to follow him at a distance, hoping to join his assessment group.

As he approached the chamber, Silas remembered his unassigned points. Pulling up the system menu, he quickly allocated 5 ability points to luck, bringing it to 15. If this was like a game, the beginning would be the easiest part, perfect for boosting luck before focusing on physical stats.

The skill tree menu now displayed six trees instead of three. Neuromancy, Biomancy, and Essomancy were joined by Hemomancy, Chloromancy, and Fraxomancy. Each new tree had one spell listed:

[Hemomancy: Blood Whip (Tier 10 spell)(Cost: 5 mana)] [Chloromancy: Thorn Knife (Tier 10 spell)(Cost: 5 mana)] [Fraxomancy: Barrier of Silence (Tier 9 spell)(Cost: 10 mana)]

Silas noted the difference between skills and spells, realizing skills could be leveled up while spells couldn't. He focused on the Neuromancy tree, hoping to catch up with his peers' magical knowledge. After some consideration, he purchased the Speed Reading and Sound Isolation skills with his affinity points.

As he closed the system menu, a sense of satisfaction washed over him. For once, a fight had gone his way. He wasn't lying on the ground, bruised and bleeding. Maybe he could actually make a difference in this school, create a new order where the elite 2% didn't walk all over everyone else.

A familiar voice interrupted his thoughts. "Looks like those martial arts lessons paid off," Evelyn said, a hint of pride in her tone.

Silas nodded, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Yeah, they did."

"What do you say?" Evelyn prompted.

Silas rolled his eyes but couldn't hide his gratitude. "Thank you, Mom."

"You're welcome, Silas."

Reaching the Arcane Aptitude Assessment chamber with minutes to spare, Silas observed the other students filing in. The air was thick with a mix of nervous energy and excitement. Some fidgeted with their robes, while others chatted in hushed tones, all sharing a sense of anticipation for what lay ahead.

Alastair, Cyrus, and Vivian entered, looking worse for wear. Their glares burned into Silas, but he was relieved to see they seemed merely exhausted rather than seriously harmed by the mana drain.

A teacher in military attire strode in, his presence commanding immediate attention. The gleam of his intricately decorated sword caught Silas's eye as the man began separating students into groups.

Lyra managed to slide in near Silas, her goal of joining his group realized. Alongside them stood a boy with messy brown hair and a perpetual smile, a short girl with dark skin and tightly coiled curls, and a broad-shouldered guy with long black hair who seemed to have perfected the art of frowning without making eye contact.

The smiling boy stepped forward, his enthusiasm palpable. "Hiya, the name's Jace. Looks like we're going to be party members for this adventure. I recognize you, Blackwood, and I think we're going to get along swimmingly."

Silas raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? Well, it's nice to meet a fan, I guess. You didn't see me on a wanted poster or something, did you? But seriously, what have you heard?"

"I heard they called you the No Hit Wonder," Jace said, his grin widening.

Silas's shoulders slumped, and he covered his face with his hand. "You heard about that?"

"Yeah, they said you never hit a target once," Jace continued, oblivious to Silas's discomfort.

"Yep. That definitely happened," Silas mumbled through his fingers.

"You must be some sort of secret genius or something," Jace mused. "Who can miss a target every time for 4 years, unless they were doing it on purpose? You must be special or something."

Silas lowered his hand, a wry smile on his face. "Oh, I'm special all right."

Before Jace could respond, the teacher's voice boomed across the chamber. "Group three, you're up next. Follow me into the assessment room."

As they entered, Silas took in the array of testing equipment. A raised dais with a polished stone altar dominated the front, while an obstacle course, target area, and what looked like a punching bag filled the rest of the space.

The petite girl with calculating eyes introduced herself as Nadia, while the brooding young man mumbled his name: Rowan.

Lyra approached Silas, her gaze intense. "I'm Lyra," she said. "Lyra Voidwalker. It's a pleasure to meet you, Silas. I haven't heard anything about you, but you have an... energy about you." Her eyes searched his face, as if trying to unravel a mystery.

Jace bounced on his toes, eager to begin, while Nadia and Rowan remained reserved, their expressions guarded as they studied the room.

The teacher, his stern gaze sweeping over the group, stepped forward. "I am Professor Elric Vance. This assessment will test your arcane aptitude, as well as your physical and mental abilities. Your performance will determine your placement within the university's hierarchy."

He gestured towards the altar, its surface gleaming under the chamber's magical lights. "Approach the altar and place your hand on the stone. It will measure your innate magical potential, current tier, and affinities."

Silas felt a knot form in his stomach as he stared at the altar. What if it revealed his need to drain mana or his part-leviathan status? He clenched his fists, willing his luck to hold out.

"Silas Blackwood, you're up first," Vance announced.

Taking a deep breath, Silas stepped forward. The stone felt cool beneath his palm as he placed his hand on the altar.

[System Message: Physical contact established. Initiating drain.]

A blinding flash of light engulfed Silas. Pain ripped through his body, every nerve ending screaming in agony. As darkness crept into the edges of his vision, he heard gasps from his groupmates. Then, everything went black.