Renji Takahashi's test results shook the entire academy.
Double S-rank powers!
The only one in all of Azure Dragon City.
But unfortunately for him, those two top-tier abilities were also considered the most useless combination in history, turning what should've been a legendary awakening into the biggest joke of the day.
As Renji walked back to the student lineup, all eyes followed him—not in awe, but in mockery.
On the podium, a group of teachers watched his back as he left the stage. Their faces were filled with disappointment.
"What a waste of two S-rank talents," one sighed.
"Eh, don't stress too much," chuckled an old, round-bellied man with shiny bald patches and tiny glasses. "Even useless S-ranks still count toward our bonus points this year."
He gave his few remaining hairs a quick pat, clearly less concerned than the others.
"Haha, leave it to the principal to find the silver lining."
The other teachers quickly nodded and laughed along.
This cheerful old man was none other than the president of Azure Dragon Academy—Hiroshi Watanabe.
"Keep quiet about the actual abilities for now," Watanabe warned, his tone suddenly serious. "Let the world know it's a double S-rank awakening, but if they ask what types, just say, 'No comment.'"
"Let's wait until our performance bonus clears before we worry about the fallout."
"Yes, sir... understood."
None of the teachers dared argue. They all nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, the awakening ceremony continued.
"Beast Transformation—Rhino, C-rank!"
"Special Type—Puppet, B-rank!"
"Special Type—Illusion, B-rank!"
The appearance of two B-rank Special-Type abilities immediately caused another wave of cheers.
Even the instructors' eyes gleamed with excitement.
Special-Type abilities were far rarer than the common elemental or beast systems—and these were B-rank, no less!
This was the strongest awakening so far today—if you didn't count Renji's supposedly useless powers.
Renji gave a passing glance at the two Special-Type users—a boy and a girl who looked like a couple—but didn't think much of it.
Right now, he had bigger things to focus on.
"Open my stats," he commanded mentally.
A translucent blue screen appeared before his eyes.
[Host]: Renji Takahashi
[Abilities]: Wood Element, Spirit Eye
[HP]: 100
[Spiritual Energy]: 100
[Realm]: Stage 1 – Beginner
In this world, power was measured in seven stages, each divided into three tiers: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced.
Stage 1 and 2 were ordinary levels.
Stages 3 and 4 were considered "Instructor Class."
Most of the teachers at Azure Dragon Academy were Stage 3 or 4.
Above Stage 5?
Those were true powerhouses, the elite of the elite—and incredibly rare.
The only Stage 5 expert in Azure Dragon Academy was its president, Watanabe himself.
Renji noticed another tab on his interface called [Shop].
"Open shop."
With a thought, a massive list of techniques appeared before him.
[Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence] – S-rank (Costs 10,000 Energy Points to learn, 10,000 Spiritual Energy to use)
[Wood Release: Wooden Golem Technique] – S-rank (Same costs)
[Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique] – S-rank (Same costs)
And countless others filled the list, making Renji's jaw drop.
But unfortunately... he couldn't afford any of them.
Thankfully, there were some cheaper techniques further down.
[Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall] – D-rank (Costs 10 Energy Points to learn, 10 Spiritual Energy to use)
[Wood Release: Linked Pillar Growth] – B-rank (Costs 30 Energy Points to learn, 30 to use)
And then there were the Sharingan techniques:
[Mangekyō Sharingan (Base Form)]: 1,000 Energy Points
[Mangekyō Sharingan – Amaterasu]: 7,000 Energy Points
[Mangekyō Sharingan – Tsukuyomi]: 7,000 Energy Points
[Mangekyō Sharingan – Kamui]: 20,000 Energy Points
[Mangekyō Sharingan – Kotoamatsukami]: 20,000 Energy Points
[Mangekyō Sharingan – Susanoo]: 30,000 Energy Points
The numbers made his head spin.
He glanced at his current energy value.
1
"…I'm broke."
He sighed.
"System, how do I earn Energy Points? Can I trade Spiritual Energy for them?"
The system answered mechanically:
"Energy Points are earned by collecting rare energy sources such as beast cores, high-quality spirit stones, or by completing system quests."
Renji thought for a second.
"…Hey System, don't most people get a newbie starter pack? What about mine? Where's my welcome gift?"
"Denied."
"…Okay, then what about a loan? Can I borrow like… 1.8 million Energy Points to start with?"
"Denied."
Renji: "…"
He felt broke and humiliated.
While Renji was mentally arguing with his stingy system, a sudden burst of light erupted from the stage.
BOOM—!
Two brilliant beams shot into the sky.
"What the hell?! Another double S-rank?!"
"Oh my God…"
The crowd exploded in disbelief.
Two double S-rank awakenings in one day? Unheard of.
Even Renji, distracted by his system, turned to look.
On stage stood a stunning girl in a light-yellow dress, her beauty cool and distant, yet impossible to ignore.
She was breathtaking.
The glowing text in the sky revealed her powers:
[S-rank Special-Type: Holy Attribute]
[S-rank Elemental-Type: Water]
The entire plaza froze.
The teachers on the stage jumped to their feet in shock.
"Am I seeing this right?! An S-rank Holy ability?!"
"This is insane!"
"The Holy Attribute is the rarest, most powerful ability in the world—there's only one known S-rank Holy user!"
And alongside it was an S-rank Water ability. While not as rare as Holy, Water was a powerful and versatile element used for both combat and support—much more practical than something like the Wood Element.
Together, these two powers formed an unstoppable combo, putting Renji's double S powers to shame in the eyes of the crowd.
Slowly, the students' gazes drifted toward Renji again.
He didn't even bother to acknowledge them.
Instead, his mind was somewhere else entirely.
"Holy and Water… yeah, that's a scary combo."
Everyone in the school knew the girl's name.
Yuna Hoshizaki.
The undisputed #1 beauty of Azure Dragon Academy.
The dream girl of half the student body.
She was not only brilliant academically, but now, with her powers awakened, she was officially the strongest student in the school.
Rumor had it she was from a royal family… though no one knew for sure.
But none of that mattered to Renji.
Let them focus on her.
He had bigger things to deal with—like figuring out how to turn his so-called "trash" powers into something the world had never seen before.