CHAPTER 91: CH 91 : THE DEVOURER SYSTEM

In a world governed by a God named Asura, a grand city-sized academy stood as a beacon of hope and ambition.

This was the Royal Academy, a sprawling institution dedicated to the cultivation of talent.

Within its ancient walls, the most promising young minds were rigorously tested on everything from body strength and magical power to strategic thinking.

Currently, in the heart of a vast, domed test hall, a talent assessment was underway, and the atmosphere was thick with the silent expectations of a thousand onlookers.

On the main stage, a glowing blue orb of pure magic energy pulsed with a unique charm.

It was the final test, the arbiter of a young student’s fate.

Walking towards it was a handsome, cute-looking boy named Lux.

At just 10 years old, he was already considered a prodigy, a once-in-a-century genius whose potential was whispered about in the halls of power.

He had already cleared all the previous rounds with the highest scores, and this was the final step to solidify his place in the annals of history.

Lux placed his hand on the glowing ball, and a brilliant light erupted, shimmering for a second before revealing its verdict.

The ball showed only two words: "Magic Affinity (C-Grade)."

Lux’s shock was palpable. The verdict was a soul-shattering blow that echoed in the silence of the hall.

He stood frozen, his mind unable to process the words.

For the crowd, the initial shock gave way to a collective sigh of disappointment.

The prodigy, the genius, was nothing but a C-Grade talent.

"How can that be..." Lux’s voice was a weak whisper, his mind reeling.

He was just 10 years old, and everyone—his mother, his relatives, his friends—had all looked at his talent assessment and shaken their heads in silent pity.

Suddenly, a figure appeared on the stage as if from nowhere.

The head minister of the Royal Empire, the father of Lux, a powerful S-Grade powerhouse, stood in front of his son.

His presence was so overwhelming that the normal people in the test hall didn’t even notice him until he was right in front of Lux.

"Don’t worry, child," he said, his voice deep and comforting as he gently patted Lux’s head. "Talent isn’t everything. Just enjoy your life. Your father can protect you."

The words were meant to console, but the minister’s eyes were filled with unshed tears.

He knew the fate of a lower-grade talent. His son could not break through past the C-Grade, which meant that he, an S-Grade powerhouse, would have to see his own son die in the future.

It was something no parent would ever want to see.

Lux, understanding his father’s pain, tightly hugged him, his own eyes filled with tears.

This scene changed the entire mood of the test hall, from initial shock to the envy of having such a supportive father.

Even after the talent assessment test, Lux was still admitted to the Royal Academy, a testament to his father’s immense power and merits for the empire.

In the dormitory of the Royal Academy, where every student had their own room, Lux sat alone.

He was diligently practicing mana guiding, a boring, repetitive process he had been doing since childhood.

He was not a C-Grade mage yet; he was just an F-Grade, and even with his talent, the process was slow.

Suddenly, a voice sounded in his ears, and a digital panel appeared in front of him.

[The Devourer System is pairing with the host....]

[Pairing Complete!]

"What is this?" Lux said, his mind buzzing with a ten-year-old’s curiosity.

He tried to touch the panel, his finger hovering over the strange, glowing screen.

He had never seen anything like it. As he watched, a status panel materialized, showing him his information.

[Name: Lux

Race: Human

Profession: Mage (F-Grade)

Talent: Magic Affinity (C-Grade)

Devourer points: 0]

The system was from Thea, and she was the one who had changed the talent appraisal ball to a new, false version that only showed a C-Grade.

This was done because Sunny wanted Lux to feel that his talent was a gift given to him by God Cosmos, which would make him follow Sunny in the future.

As Lux was seeing his status panel, he immediately understood the features of this system because of his sharp mind.

He even asked questions about the Devourer points, which Thea replied to patiently.

[You can gain devourer points through devouring materials below S-Grade]

Lux tried this out, picking an empty notebook from the shelf and asking the system to devour it.

Thea immediately did so, and a stream of energy flowed from the notebook and into Lux. She converted all the energy into mana and filled it inside Lux.

"Woah... What a magical feeling!" Lux said, his body trembling with the sudden influx of power. "I think my days of practice feel short in front of this cheat." He was oblivious to the fact that he also possessed this talent; Thea wanted to make Lux think that she was the one who had gifted him with this talent, not the other way around.

Lux immediately started using the devourer talent on all the useless items in his dorm.

He devoured his old clothes, his empty inkpot, and even his useless notes about cultivation insights.

His body began to swell with energy. He sat down and began circulating the mana around his mana veins.

After an hour of digesting all the mana, he broke through and became an E-Grade mage.

[Congratulations on breaking through the F-Grade, host!]

[You have received the reward]

Lux, who was just immersed in the feeling of gaining sudden strength, was even more surprised by the message from the system. He immediately clicked on the "open" button, and a new message popped up.

[Congratulations on getting 6 ’Tear of Mermaid’]

Lux didn’t know the use of this reward, but he was certain that this tear was filled with a lot of magic power, as it was understandable by its visuals alone.

He immediately claimed the reward, and six shimmering drops of mermaid tears manifested in his hands.

A digital panel manifested again in front of Lux, showing the uses of this item.

[Item Name: Tear of Mermaid

Grade: S

Description: Can increase the Grade of talent related to magic.]

[Note: Only works on talent below S-Grade.]

The shame of his C-Grade talent slowly faded away, replaced by a fierce determination.

He had a way to fight his fate, and he was not going to give up.

He looked at the six shimmering drops in his hands and smiled. The path to power was now open.