Chapter 3 Chapter 3
Rowan's POV
Arcane Devour
[Hidden Skill Successfully Activated.] [Arcane Devour.]
[Skill Description: Consume surrounding mana and absorb the energy of defeated targets.]
[Warning: Host body may experience extreme strain.]
Rowan stared at the glowing words in shock. Consume mana?
Absorb energy? Before he could fully understand, A violent force exploded inside his chest.
“AGH!”
Pain tore through his body again.
But this time it was different. Cold blue energy suddenly rushed toward him from every direction.
The air itself trembled as streams of glowing light entered Rowan’s body violently.
The frozen Shadowfang Wolf suddenly began growling in fear.
The predator was afraid. Cracks of blue energy spread across Rowan’s arms like glowing veins.
His silver hair moved wildly despite the frozen air around him.
The system flashed again. [Arcane Devour Active.]
[Target Locked: Shadowfang Wolf.] [Would you like to absorb target mana?]
Rowan’s eyes darkened slightly. “Yes.”
The moment the word left his mouth—Time resumed.
BOOM! A terrifying shockwave burst from Rowan’s body.
The Shadowfang Wolf was blown backward violently before crashing into the shattered wall.
The maid’s eyes widened so much they nearly popped out.
“T-This…” The wolf quickly regained its footing.
But something had changed. The beast no longer looked confident.
Its red eyes now carried visible fear as it stared at Rowan.
Dark mana slowly swirled around Rowan’s body.
His wounds still hurt badly, but strength unlike anything he had ever felt surged through him.
The system screen updated rapidly.
[Host Mana Capacity Increasing.] [Tier One Apprentice Mage → Peak Tier One.]
Rowan clenched his fists tightly. The wolf growled furiously before charging again.
Faster than before. Its claws ripped through the air toward Rowan’s head.
This time, Rowan moved instinctively. His body twisted sideways smoothly.
The claws missed him by inches. “What—?” Even Rowan himself looked shocked.
Everything around him suddenly felt slower. The wolf attacked repeatedly.
With a Slash, bite, and claw. But Rowan dodged every strike barely in time.
The maid covered her mouth in disbelief.
The same weak young master who couldn’t even survive training earlier was now fighting a Shadowfang Wolf alone.
“How is this possible…?”
The wolf became more violent after failing several attacks.
Dark mana exploded around its body. Its muscles expanded as it let out a deafening roar.
The floor cracked under its claws.
Rowan’s instincts screamed danger immediately. The system flashed red.
[Warning.] [Target entering Berserk State.] The wolf lunged again with monstrous speed.
Even with Arcane Devour active, Rowan barely reacted. The claws slashed across his shoulder violently.
Blood splattered again. Pain exploded through him.
But before the wolf could retreat, Rowan grabbed its arm tightly.
The beast froze. Blue energy instantly spread from Rowan’s hand into the wolf’s body.
Then—The wolf screamed, not growled. Screamed.
Dark mana poured out from the beast uncontrollably before flowing directly into Rowan.
The system notifications exploded rapidly. [Absorbing mana…]
[Absorbing vitality…] [Host strength increasing.]
The Shadowfang Wolf struggled violently.
Its massive body smashed through furniture and walls, trying to escape.
But Rowan’s grip only tightened. A cold feeling slowly spread through him.
The beast’s fear, its pain. Everything flooded into Rowan’s mind.
The maid stared in complete horror. The giant magical beast slowly began shrinking.
Its glowing red eyes dimmed rapidly. “No way…” she whispered shakily.
Within seconds—The Shadowfang Wolf collapsed lifelessly onto the floor.
Silence filled the destroyed room. The only sound remaining was Rowan’s heavy breathing.
Blue energy slowly faded around his body. The system screen appeared again.
[Target Successfully Devoured.]
[Host has absorbed Shadowfang Wolf Mana Core.] [Tier Increased.]
[Tier One Apprentice Mage → Tier Two Apprentice Mage.]
[Skill Obtained: Shadow Step.] Rowan staggered backward slightly.
His heart pounded heavily. The wolf was dead, and it was killed by him.
The maid looked at Rowan like she was seeing a monster for the first time.
“Young… Master…” Rowan slowly looked toward the wolf’s corpse.
His chest still rose heavily from exhaustion. But something felt strange.
The wounds across his chest… We're healing. Right in front of his eyes.
The deep claw marks slowly closed while fresh skin regenerated rapidly. The maid nearly collapsed from shock.
“H-Healing magic?!” No. This wasn’t healing magic. It was the system.
[Arcane Devour has converted absorbed vitality into regeneration.]
Rowan stared silently at the message. This ability was terrifying and unbelievably powerful.
Suddenly—Footsteps exploded outside the room. Several guards rushed in with weapons drawn.
The moment they saw the dead Shadowfang Wolf, every single one froze.
One guard looked at the destroyed room. Then at Rowan standing beside the corpse.
His face turned pale instantly. “Y-Young Master Rowan killed it?” Nobody answered.
Because nobody could believe it. Even Rowan himself was still trying to process everything.
The head guard approached the corpse carefully.
“It’s really dead…” Shock spread across everyone’s faces.
A Tier Two magical beast had just been killed by the weakest member of the Ashford family.
Impossible, absolutely impossible. The maid suddenly pointed at Rowan nervously.
“H-He used strange magic!” Every eye instantly turned toward him.
Dangerous silence filled the room. Rowan immediately realized the problem.
If people discovered his system… Things could become very bad.
Before anyone could question further, another voice suddenly sounded from outside.
“What happened here?” An older man entered the room wearing black noble robes.
With his sharp eyes and cold expressions
The moment Rowan saw him, memories surfaced instantly. Cedric Ashford.
The current head of the Ashford family. The original Rowan’s uncle.
His gaze immediately landed on the wolf corpse. Then slowly moved toward Rowan.
“What happened?” Cedric asked again calmly. Nobody dared speak.
Finally, the head guard answered carefully. “The Shadowfang Wolf escaped, Lord Cedric.”
“I can see that.” The guard swallowed nervously. “And… Young Master Rowan killed it.”
The entire room became deathly quiet. Cedric’s expression finally changed slightly.
For the first time, genuine surprise appeared in his eyes.
He looked directly at Rowan. “You killed it?” Rowan stayed calm despite the pressure.
“Yes.” “How?” A dangerous question. Rowan thought quickly before answering.
“It was injured already,” he lied smoothly. “I got lucky.” Several guards exchanged doubtful looks.
Lucky? There was no way luck alone could kill a Shadowfang Wolf.
But Cedric remained silent. His sharp eyes studied Rowan carefully.
For a moment, Rowan felt like the man could see through him completely.
Then suddenly—Cedric spoke again. “The Imperial Arcane Academy examination begins tomorrow.”
Rowan blinked slightly at the sudden topic change. Cedric continued calmly.
“You’re still planning to attend?” Everyone nearby looked shocked.
Even the servants knew Rowan had no chance of passing.
Rowan slowly nodded. “Yes.” Cedric stared at him for several seconds.
Then finally turned away. “Very well.” The guards looked confused.
That was all? Cedric stopped near the doorway before speaking one last time.
“Do not disgrace the Ashford family again.” Then he left.
The pressure in the room disappeared instantly afterward.
The guards slowly carried away the wolf’s corpse while whispering among themselves.
Everyone kept staring at Rowan with disbelief. The maid especially looked terrified now.
As if she no longer recognized him.
Rowan ignored their gazes. His attention remained entirely on one thing.
The Academy. The greatest magic institution in the empire.
A place where powerful mages, nobles, and geniuses gathered.
And tomorrow… He would step into it.
The next morning.
The Imperial Arcane Academy stood proudly at the center of the capital like a giant fortress.
Massive silver gates towered above hundreds of arriving students.
Excited voices filled the air everywhere. Carriages lined the streets.
Noble families gathered proudly around talented children preparing for the entrance examination.
Rowan stood quietly near the crowd wearing simple black clothes and on his wheel chair, still pretending being weak.
Compared to the rich nobles around him, he looked painfully ordinary.
But his eyes remained calm, sharp, and focused.
People nearby whispered immediately after noticing him.
“Isn’t that Rowan Ashford?” “The cripple from the Ashford family?”
“He actually came?” Laughter spread quietly through the crowd.
Some students openly mocked him without hiding it.
But Rowan ignored all of them. After everything he had already experienced, words no longer affected him much.
Then suddenly—“Rowan.” A familiar voice called from behind.
He turned slightly. Lucas approached wearing expensive academy training robes.
Several students followed behind him proudly. Lucas smirked immediately after seeing Rowan.
“You really came.” “Yes.” Lucas laughed mockingly.
“You’ve got courage at least.” His eyes suddenly narrowed slightly.
Something about Rowan felt strange today. The weak fear that usually filled Rowan’s eyes was completely gone.
Instead… There was calm confidence. It irritated Lucas instantly.
“You won’t even survive the first round,” Lucas sneered.
“We’ll see.” Lucas’ expression darkened slightly at the reply.
Before he could continue, A loud voice sounded across the academy grounds.
“All participants report to the examination arena immediately!”
The massive crowd began moving. Rowan followed silently.
Soon, they entered an enormous circular arena surrounded by towering stone walls.
Thousands of spectators filled the seats above. The atmosphere felt intense and exciting.
At the center stood several instructors wearing silver academy robes. One of them stepped forward.
“The first round will test combat ability,” the instructor announced loudly.
“Participants will battle against assigned opponents.” “Victory advances you forward.”
“Defeat eliminates you immediately.” Murmurs spread across the arena.
The examination had begun. Names were quickly called one after another.
Students entered the battle stage repeatedly. Some won easily, while others lost badly.
Finally—“Rowan Ashford.” Whispers instantly exploded across the arena.
“He’s finished and crippled, “This should be entertaining.”
Rowan calmly stepped onto the stage. Across from him stood a muscular student carrying a large spear.
The boy grinned confidently. “I’ll make this quick.” The instructor raised his hand.
“Begin!” The spear user attacked immediately.
The crowd already expected Rowan to lose instantly.
But then—WHOOSH! Rowan disappeared. The crowd gasped loudly.
Shadow Step. The skill obtained from devouring the wolf activated instantly.
Rowan appeared beside the spear user before striking his stomach hard.
BOOM! The boy flew across the stage violently before crashing unconscious onto the ground.
Silence, complete silence. Everyone stared in shock. The instructor blinked twice.
“W-Winner… Rowan Ashford.”
The arena exploded into chaos immediately afterward.
“No way!” “What was that movement?!”
Lucas’ face froze completely. Even the instructors looked shocked.
Rowan calmly walked off the stage without changing expression.
But deep inside… His heart raced heavily. The system was far stronger than he had imagined.
Round after round continued. And Rowan kept winning.
A powerful fire mage was defeated by him, and even a stronger swordsman from another academy was defeated.
A dual-element genius, every battle ended faster than the last.
The crowd’s attitude slowly changed from mockery to disbelief.
Then fear. Nobody understood how the weakest cripple member of the Ashford family suddenly can walk andbecame this powerful overnight.
Lucas watched everything with pale eyes. Panic slowly rose inside him.
If Rowan continued like this… The Ashford family’s attention would completely shift toward him.
No. That couldn’t happen. Lucas quietly left the spectator area.
Several minutes later, he approached a hooded man standing near the outer arena corridors.
“I’ll pay double,” Lucas whispered urgently. The hooded man smiled coldly.
“That much hatred toward your own cousin?”
“I don’t care,” Lucas hissed. “Just stop him before he reaches the finals.”
The hooded man chuckled softly. “Very well.”
Meanwhile—Back inside the arena—The instructor announced the next match loudly.
“Rowan Ashford versus… Scorpion.”
The moment the name echoed through the arena—the entire crowd went silent.
Several spectators stood up immediately in shock. “No way…”
“They allowed him back?” A tall man slowly entered the stage from the opposite side, with dark robes and cold yellow eyes.
A scar running across half his face. Black mana swirled faintly around him.
Rowan immediately felt danger. Extreme danger. The instructor himself looked uneasy, announcing the match.
Scorpion smiled slowly. “You’re the little genius everyone’s talking about?”
Rowan stayed silent. Then the system suddenly flashed red urgently.
[Danger Detected.] [Warning.]
[Target possesses Dark Magic.] [Threat Level: Extremely High.]
Scorpion’s smile widened. And high above the arena…
Hidden deep within the dark—A pair of glowing crimson eyes silently watched Rowan.
