At first, I kept up.
Despite my weak soul force—just two stars—I wasn't completely left behind. My mind was sharp. I memorized techniques faster than others, watched their mistakes, and learned through observation and discipline.
While others bragged about their noble bloodlines or glowing potential, I kept quiet.
I trained harder. Stayed later. Listened more than I spoke.
The instructors didn't expect much from me—but they didn't need to. I didn't need their praise. I just needed time.
But time wasn't enough.
Three weeks in, the first students began forming their first soul circles.
Once that happened, the gap started to show.
Their mana increased. Their control sharpened. Their spells stabilized.
And me?
I plateaued.
I was still stuck at the base level—unable to fully form even a single circle. I could feel the pressure build around me like a stone pressing down on my spine.
Even with perfect technique, even with all my effort—I lacked the talent.
That was the harsh truth.
The world doesn't care how hard you try. It only respects results.
---
To make matters worse, I needed supplies—soul stones, mana roots, potion ingredients—and the academy didn't provide much to low-level students like me. The higher your talent, the more resources they gave you. The rest of us had to fend for ourselves.
So I got a job.
During the day, I trained. At night, I swept floors in a potion shop just outside the academy walls. It paid little, but the owner let me keep the damaged herbs and expired ingredients. Useless to most—but not to me.
I studied them. Broke them down. Practiced refining them on my own time.
It wasn't glamorous, but it gave me a small edge—just enough to keep treading water.
But as more and more students began breaking through, I could feel it happening:
> I was falling behind.
The same people who once laughed at me were now ignoring me completely. I wasn't even worth the insult anymore. I was drifting to the bottom of the academy—just another name with no future.
But I didn't care about their rankings.
> "I don't need to beat them now," I whispered one night, bruised and exhausted after hours of failed soul circle attempts.
> "I just need to survive long enough… to catch up."
And I would.
No matter how long it took.