Rowan Edevane never had the spark of magic.
No fire. No ice. Not even the pathetic puff of mana most toddlers could produce by age five. He had no swirling energy inside his chest. Just a gnawing, clawing pain in his gut every time someone around him even talked about magic.
And yet, he was starting to think he had something far more dangerous than mana.
---
The next morning, the Academy cafeteria buzzed with the usual chaos. Students chattered over floating trays and flickering spell scrolls. Elemental familiars curled under tables. Someone in the back had summoned a mini thundercloud just to toast their bread.
Rowan sat alone at a corner table, quietly sipping a cup of lukewarm tea, ignoring the stares.
"Isn't that the cursed guy?"
"The one who made Harold fall into the fountain yesterday? I heard he used a forbidden spell."
"He probably bribed a demon. Look at his face. Definitely demon-vibes."
He tuned it out.
Their words didn't matter anymore. Not after yesterday.
The power was real. The system was real. The spell had worked.
It wasn't just a fluke. It was repeatable.
He'd tested it again that morning. In the bathroom mirror, he whispered "Mislead" while staring at his own reflection.
And for three terrifying seconds, his own face twisted into that of a stranger. A pale, grinning thing with too-wide eyes and laughter leaking out of the corners of its mouth.
He nearly vomited.
But it had worked.
The spell obeyed only one rule: make someone believe something false.
And the price? Pain. Migraines. A stomachache that felt like it wanted to kill him from the inside out.
But he could live with pain. He'd lived with worse. He used to die slowly in a cubicle.
Compared to that?
This was freedom.
---
[JOKER SYSTEM]
Rank: F
Cursed Spell: Mislead (+100% Fixed Hit Passive Skill)
Prank Points (PP): 15
He needed more points.
That was the key. That was how he'd grow.
Not by meditating under waterfalls or forging mana contracts. Not by summoning flame spirits or channeling ley lines.
No.
Rowan Edevane would grow stronger by doing what he was best at:
Lying. Tricking. Pranking.
---
He spotted his first opportunity before the lunch bell.
Instructor Mallrick, the ever-serious transmutation professor, was known for two things:
1. A strict, humorless face that could shatter windows.
2. His addiction to a particular bitter green tea he brewed every day before class.
Rowan sat two rows behind the professor's desk and watched as the man left his mug unattended while preparing spell materials.
> Perfect.
He activated Mislead with a whisper, pushing the spell toward the tea.
Nothing changed physically. But when Mallrick returned and took a sip, his face froze.
Then contorted.
"By the gods… Who switched this with mana bleach?!"
He gagged, knocked over the cup, and shouted for a healer.
Chaos erupted.
Students backed away. One cast a purification spell in panic. Another fainted.
And Rowan just sat there, pretending to look confused.
> [+10 Prank Points]
"Mmmm. Tastes like victory."
---
By afternoon, his points had risen to 25. Enough to unlock a second function.
[New Feature Unlocked: Passive Tracking]
You can now sense individuals with high prank potential. Victims in waiting.
He didn't even need to think about it. His eyes automatically highlighted certain people.
A rich noble girl with too many enchanted rings? Glowing yellow.
A brash sword mage who talked too loud? Orange.
A shy necromancer who flinched every time someone sneezed? Pale red.
They were all targets.
His system wasn't about fairness or justice.
It was about chaos.
It was about knowing where the cracks were—and pushing.
---
That night, Rowan stood on the roof of the west dormitory, watching the moon rise.
He'd pulled off three pranks, triggered five minor spells, and made two upperclassmen cry.
And the pain?
Still there. But duller now.
Or maybe he was just getting used to it.
He opened his system menu one last time.
[JOKER SYSTEM]
Rank: E (Upgraded)
Cursed Spells: Mislead, Liar's Loop (NEW)
Passive: Prank Vision (ON)
Prank Points: 3
> Spell Acquired: Liar's Loop
Effect: Target repeats a simple action endlessly without realizing it.
Example: Trying to open a door that never opens.
Cost: Short-term memory haze. Mild nosebleed.
He grinned.
They wanted to laugh at him.
Now? He'd give them reasons to laugh.
And scream.
And beg.
---
Some mages mastered flame. Some commanded storms.
Rowan?
He mastered lies.
And he had only just begun.
END OF CHAPTER 3