My Level Zero System

"Oh, right, Kain; have you ever seen the ocean before?"

Mera seemed to remember something, asking Kain excitedly.

"The ocean... I'm sure I know what it is."

Kain replied, and in that instant, he searched his memory, realizing there was indeed a concept of the ocean in his mind.

But Mera shook her head.

"No, if it's just knowing about it, I know that too. What I mean is... have you ever actually seen the ocean?"

"Perhaps... not."

At this, Kain fell silent for a moment.

Since childhood, he had gradually become aware of his own uniqueness. Memories were formed from knowledge and experience, but Kain realized that many things simply appeared in his mind as pure knowledge, with no correlating memory or experience of how he acquired that knowledge.

But this silence lasted only a moment, as Kain noticed Mera's eyes, which seemed to be lighting up.

"What I mean is... after this semester ends and vacation begins, let's go to the east and see the ocean!"

"Go to the east... see the ocean?"

Kain was surprised, while Mera was freely recounting her excitement.

"When I was little, my father used to bring back specialties from the eastern sea. Do you know crabs?"

"Uh, I do. Those creatures with hard exoskeletons, two claws, eight legs, often hiding at the bottom of streams..."

"How big were they?"

Seeing Mera ask this, Kain scratched his head, then held up his hand.

"Probably around... this big, almost the size of my hand if the crab's legs were fully splayed out."

"Is that so? The crab my father brought back from the ocean was ten times that size!"

With that, Mera gesticulated wildly in the air, seemingly trying to draw the shape of the giant crab from her memory. This made Kain open his eyes wide with interest.

"There's really a crab that big?"

"Of course, why would I lie to you? When my father held up that crab, its body was even big enough to completely cover his face!"

Mera sniffed, happily recounting the experience.

"That crab, according to Mera, was also completely different from those small ones. Even though she couldn't remember its taste when cooked, Mera insisted that the experience of the giant crab meat was vastly different. It made Kain genuinely want to rush east to find such a creature."

"And it's not just that. My father once said the ocean is like another world, so I bet it'll be amazing."

Mera said with a smile, then she suddenly paused, looking up at Kain.

"So, will you come with me?"

As the question left her lips, Mera's face flushed slightly, her heart rate quickened, and her hands began to fidget, showing her own nervousness.

If Mera were Kain's enemy, then all her thoughts would surely have been read by him by now. But only when facing her did Kain seem like an ordinary teenager, someone willingly concealing all his outward thorns.

"Certainly."

Kain smiled.

"After this is over, we'll go east during the break."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Mera held out her little finger, a gesture of a pact, a promise. Kain didn't hesitate to return the gesture.

But in that very moment, Kain thought, perhaps it would be good for her to unwind for a while.

…

The "day of rest," brimming with schemes and intertwined deceptions, with meticulous plans and thorough preparations, finally came to an end.

Four teams, twenty young Magus, stepped into the final round to compete for the title of the strongest first-year team at Kanzax Academy.

At this moment, not only were the competing students feeling the tension, but even other students and teachers watching the live broadcast eagerly awaited the upcoming match.

For the students, those appearing on the main screen were the role models they aspired to become. For the teachers, these top-tier, gifted students were the seeds of future high-class Magus, perhaps even future colleagues.

"Kain, I wonder if you can create another miracle?"

In the teachers' lounge, Toris murmured as he watched the screen. As one of the few teachers holding the title of The Master at Kanzax Academy, he had access to some internal information directly from the headmaster, who was also the mastermind behind this tournament.

Alisa, standing beside him, noticed Toris's serious expression and couldn't help but ask,

"Mr. Toris, is the final round that difficult?"

"Yes, it's not simple," Toris replied.

If this were merely a straightforward test of strength, the headmaster wouldn't have bothered meticulously designing the rounds as he did.

"Everyone, are you ready?"

Kain glanced back. Behind him were Mera, Myra, Elna, and Katie, the four teammates who had fought many battles with him to reach this point. All appeared united, but Kain truly didn't want to uncover what lay beneath their determined expressions.

Unfortunately, every play needs a grand finale.

"We're ready!"

The four girls replied in unison. Now, the championship was just one step away.

Kain collected his thoughts, nodded, then opened the door and stepped out.

In that instant, Kain disappeared. The four girls knew this was the effect of the teleportation, so they followed without hesitation.

Very quickly, the team lounge was empty.

Just as Kain predicted, the final round was taking place in a separate dimension.

As soon as he entered, Kain's eyes met a vibrant green landscape, with a thick line of overgrown trees not far off.

"Is this a mountainous forest terrain?" Kain murmured, then looked up.

Though it was a fairly common forest terrain, the trees here were at least twice as large in both height and width compared to the trees Kain usually saw in forests.

Their position was a grassy clearing within the forest.

"Compared to a normal forest, the ecology here looks more like a Dungeon," Katie commented, looking at the grass that reached her knees.

"Alright everyone, spread out for now and scout a few dozen meters around. I'll go up higher to get a view."

With that, Kain found the tallest nearby tree and began to climb.