Chapter 1: The Ultimate Smurf Dilemma

Location: Winterspring Valley.

Underneath a colossal magical dome, towering marble pillars stood like silent sentinels.

Between them, a line of ant-like figures stretched out, waiting nervously. In the dead center of the dome sat the judge, jury, and executioner of their futures: the [Mana Assessment Monolith].

A booming voice echoed through the hall.

"Grulu! Mana: 4212. Rank: Tier 4 Mage!"

"Claire! Mana: 5001. Rank: Tier 5 Mage!"

"Regg! Mana: 4999. Rank: Peak Tier 4!"

The Proctor announced the stats with robotic precision.

Young mages walked away from the crystal with mixed expressions—some pumping their fists in victory, others looking like they just failed a raid with a 1% wipe.

This was the Great Hall of Winterspring Valley, the headquarters of the Violet Continent's Guardians. Every year, the young initiates had to face the [Annual Stat Check].

The rules were simple: Stay in Winterspring for three years. If you don't hit the level cap for your age group by then, you get kicked from the server.

Or, well, expelled. Which was basically a death sentence for a mage’s career.

[ High Platform - VIP Section ]

Nanako sighed, her cheeks puffing out like a frustrated chipmunk.

She sported twin-tails that reached her waist and wore a wizard hat that seemed slightly too big for her head. Despite her petite frame, absolutely no one dared to call her "cute" to her face.

She was the 7th High Deacon of Winterspring. The "Storm Witch." A walking tactical nuke who controlled Ice and Frost. A single spell from her could delete a city from the map.

But right now, the Storm Witch was depressed.

"Lynn... you absolute walnut," she muttered, staring down at a specific boy in the queue.

"It’s been three years! I’ve been power-leveling you for three whole years! How can you still be this bad? I could have taught a ham sandwich to cast a fireball by now! Even a literal pig would be a Tier 2 Mage after the resources I poured into you!"

Down in the crowd, the boy in question stood out.

He wore a simple linen robe. Despite the oversized hat covering half his face, anyone could see that he was ridiculously handsome.

However, he also looked like he was about five seconds away from falling asleep standing up.

This was Lynn. Nanako’s disciple.

Three years ago, Nanako had picked him up, convinced she had found a diamond in the rough. She had planned to raise him into a noble, top-tier mage.

Her gacha luck, usually excellent, had apparently failed her completely.

Lynn was... special. You teach him something today? Gone tomorrow. If he remembered 1% of a lesson by the third day, Nanako would weep tears of joy and call it a miracle.

"Lady Nanako," a subordinate mage whispered cautiously, seeing her distress. "Are you worried your apprentice is going to get filtered out?"

Nanako blew a strand of hair out of her face, looking defeated. "Worried? I’m mortified. Lynn is the densest object in the known universe. Rocks have higher IQs."

The subordinate hesitated. "Lady Nanako... may I speak freely?"

"Shoot."

"Maybe... this is for the best? Everyone knows Lynn has the magic aptitude of a potato. He isn't built for this meta. You are a supreme powerhouse; there’s no need to waste your cooldowns on him. There are plenty of S-Tier geniuses begging to be your student..."

Nanako stopped blowing at her bangs. The air temperature suddenly dropped ten degrees.

She stood up, adjusting her hat. Her sapphire eyes, usually bright, turned cold as she looked at the subordinate.

"Giving up on a student just because they're a noob? That’s not my playstyle."

The subordinate felt a chill run down his spine and immediately stared at his boots.

"Besides," Nanako softened, her eyes glistening slightly. "Even if you keep a rock in your pocket for three years, you eventually get attached to it."

"NEXT!"

The Proctor’s shout snapped reality back into focus.

Lynn, looking like he just woke up from a twelve-hour nap, shuffled toward the massive crystal.

To the onlookers, his expression seemed heavy. Burdened. Worried.

Behind him, the peanut gallery of students started whispering.

"Yo, check it out. It’s Lynn’s turn." "You mean the Deacon’s pet? I heard he’s about to break a server record—lowest mana stats in a thousand years." "Yeah, but look at his face... he’s so hot though." "True. I bet Lady Nanako only kept him because he’s eye candy. If I had a disciple that handsome, I wouldn't care if he had zero mana."

Lynn heard the whispers, but he ignored them. He was worried. Extremely worried.

[ Inner Voice ] [ Okay, focus. This is a critical calculation. ]

[ Should I release 0.000000009% of my mana? Or should I go with a clean 0.00000001%? ]

Lynn frowned, his eyebrows knitting together in deep concentration. For a man with severe OCD and Decision Paralysis, this was the hardest math problem of the century.

[ Calculation: ]

Option A (0.000000009%): Just enough to barely scrape past the Tier 2 threshold. Perfect for flying under the radar. Allows me to stay in the Guild and turtle for another few hundred years.

Option B (0.00000001%): It’s a nice, round number. Aesthetically pleasing. Satisfies my soul. However, it might result in a slightly higher score than intended.

It was a terrifying dilemma.

"Oi! Are you gonna test or what?" The Proctor barked, frowning at the hesitation. "People are waiting!"

The Proctor had seen this before. Scrubs realizing they were about to get banned from the academy, sweating bullets before the test.

"Give me a sec," Lynn replied, looking genuinely stressed. "I'm doing some serious mental math here. This is important."

Up on the platform, Nanako felt a pang of sympathy. He looks so stressed. He must be terrified of failing.

She couldn't take it anymore. Rules be damned. Nanako leaped from the high platform, floating down gracefully like a feather, landing right next to Lynn.

"Greetings, Lady Nanako!" "Good afternoon, High Deacon!"

The surrounding mages bowed respectfully, but Nanako ignored the NPCs. She walked straight up to Lynn, stood on her tiptoes, and patted his shoulder.

"Disciple," she said, using her clearest, most gentle voice. "Don't be scared. It’s just a stat check. Even if you fail, you'll always be my student. We'll figure something out. Okay?"

Lynn looked at her, blinking. "No, Master, I'm not worried about that."

Nanako paused. "Then... what are you frowning about?"

Lynn looked her dead in the eye, his expression grave.

"Master, serious question. Do you prefer the number 1? Or do you prefer 0.9? I really can't decide."

Abandoned

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