[AOTFL] Chapter 8: Ser-Veresta

Zexuan had never been worried about whether he could pass the compatibility test for an Orga Lux.

Possessing ultimate authority over armaments, he had absolute confidence in passing the compatibility test, no matter which Orga Lux he chose.

What made it troublesome was deciding which one to select as his very first exclusive weapon.

It was precisely because of this that he hesitated.

Staring at the virtual screens of one Orga Lux after another in front of him, Zexuan still couldn't make up his mind.

'If I'm gonna choose, I'm obviously picking the best one.'

Every Orga Lux was, without exception, far stronger than regular Luxes, but even among Orga Luxes, there were differences in power.

Setting aside things like output and attack strength, even their special abilities varied drastically from one to the next.

Some Orga Luxes had abilities that didn't seem all that impressive, like letting the user fly or adjust their own weight. It was not that those abilities were completely useless, but calling them powerful felt kind of off.

Others, though, had seriously strong abilities like controlling sandstorms, water currents, or even gravity—some could even mess with people's minds. Just hearing about those kinds of abilities was enough to make anyone excited.

Among the twenty-two Orga Luxes that Seidoukan Academy currently held, seven had already been loaned out. Of the remaining fifteen, some were strong, and some were weak—some absurdly strong, others incredibly weak.

Knowing this, Zexuan obviously wanted to pick the strongest one.

It was only natural.

Since he didn't need to worry about compatibility, he didn't need to consider whether the Orga Lux's personality would mesh with his own, so of course, he wanted to go with the strongest possible choice.

However—

'Out of everything I've seen, this one really does seem like the strongest...'

Zexuan's gaze remained fixed on one of the many screens floating in front of him.

Displayed on that screen was a sword.

It had a black hilt embedded with a red Urm Manadyte, while the blade itself rippled as if it were made of dancing flames.

It was massive, almost tall enough to be called human-sized, and in terms of specs—output, attack power, and unique abilities—its stats were all off the charts, far beyond an ordinary Lux, and even most other Orga Luxes couldn't come close.

Among the fifteen available Orga Luxes he had browsed through, this sword clearly had the highest stats, which honestly made sense.

'Well, this thing's one of the Four-Colored Magic Swords, a top-tier Orga Lux, after all.'

Zexuan really wanted to choose it, but—

'But isn't this the protagonist's Orga Lux in the original work?'

He truly felt torn.

Right now, the protagonist hadn't arrived at Seidoukan Academy yet since he was a transfer student set to arrive one or two months before the current season's Festa began—and not just any student, but a special one granted priority.

When the protagonist arrived, he would get the chance to freely pick one Orga Lux, and the sword Zexuan was looking at now was the very same one that the protagonist chose in the original work.

Knowing this, Zexuan hesitated, even if just a little.

However, in the next moment, he made up his mind.

'Seriously, since I'm the one who got here first, there's no reason to hesitate over something that hasn't even happened yet.'

Today, if there had been another Orga Lux on the same level, Zexuan would've prioritized that one instead, but right now, the power of the Orga Lux in front of him stood on a tier of its own. Even if the descriptions of other Orga Luxes were filled with praise that made them sound just as good, he still believed none of them could compare to this one.

He knew that this Orga Lux was not only powerful but also unique, which deeply attracted him.

It couldn't be helped.

First of all, he was still at the very beginning of his journey, so he didn't have the luxury to give anything up. He understood well that the strength of his very first exclusive weapon would directly determine how much he could gain from his first life experience.

Would he build a solid foundation that would let his life experience unfold more smoothly later, or would he give up here just to avoid some future uncertainty?

Clearly, there really wasn't anything to think about.

"Sorry, bro. I'll help you find your sister next time, alright?"

Muttering this under his breath, Zexuan stopped hesitating and reached toward the screen displaying the black sword, tapping on it.

Beep!

As this notification sound resounded, all the surrounding virtual screens vanished.

Meanwhile, when Claudia, who was watching from behind, saw Zexuan's choice, she was visibly stunned.

'He actually picked that one?'

Claudia's expression was more unsettled than it had been at any other moment so far.

'Why would he choose that one of all things?'

Without realizing it, Claudia pressed a hand to the holster at her waist—her expression shifted rapidly, unable to settle.

Regardless, Zexuan's choice was already made, so the moment had already passed, and nothing could change it now.

Shhhk!

With a mechanical sliding sound, a cylindrical storage pod descended from the ceiling above Zexuan, lowering directly in front of him before it opened automatically.

Two mechanical arms then extended from inside, holding a device in mid-air as they brought it over to Zexuan.

Seeing this, Zexuan reached out and took the device into his hand without hesitation.

It was shaped like the hilt of a black sword, with a red Urm Manadyte embedded in its center—just like what he had seen in the virtual screen earlier.

While the core of a standard Lux, known as Manadyte, was always green, only Urm Manadyte had a color other than green, and the red Urm Manadyte in the device he held made one thing perfectly clear—this wasn't an ordinary Lux but an Orga Lux.

"Alright, the test is ready. Please activate the Orga Lux in your hand."

A voice from the chamber's speakers reminded him, prompting Zexuan to nod and activate the black, hilt-shaped device in his hand.

Zing!

In an instant, the red Urm Manadyte embedded in the device instantly burst out with a blinding crimson glow, stirring the mana in the surrounding space and drawing it toward the hilt.

In the next moment, the mana began to take form, appearing like digital blocks materializing out of thin air, assembling at the tip of the Urm Manadyte to form a thick and solid sword guard.

Right after that, the guard opened automatically like a machine, extending a blade of pure light from within that looked almost transparent and snowy white, shaped like a massive, single-edged lightsaber.

Holding this oversized sword in his hand, Zexuan's eyes sparkled before he instinctively called out its name.

"Ser-Veresta..."

At the same time, all around him, or rather, inside the room behind the glass wall, the white-coated personnel stirred with slight unrest.

"He picked Ser-Veresta?"

"One of the Four-Colored Magic Swords, the one that's said to be unblockable, able to burn through anything, melt whatever it touches, and turn the ground itself into a furnace the moment it strikes..."

"It's easily one of the top-tier Orga Luxes, and he seriously went with that one?"

"Probably just picked it because it's famous?"

"Hmph, that's way too naive. I heard no one's been able to wield that sword for years now. And this boy? He's just some random student who didn't even make it into the Festa's official registry. Does he really think that just because he got lucky with the loan screening, he can tame an Orga Lux like that?"

"Okay, enough talking. What kind of Orga Lux someone chooses isn't our business. We just need to get the test done."

"Yes."

"Let's start then."

With that, the white-coated personnel immediately got back to work.

Folding both hands on her chest, Claudia stared intently at Zexuan, her thoughts unreadable.

At the same moment, Zexuan quietly closed his eyes.

No one knew that he was actually listening to the sound coming from the Orga Lux in his hand.

It was a sound no one else could detect.

Every Orga Lux had a consciousness of its own, and at this moment, Zexuan could clearly sense its presence. He could feel it watching him, observing him, as if silently evaluating his worth with a piercing gaze.

Soon, perhaps because it had sensed how ordinary Zexuan's abilities were, the consciousness quickly lost interest and withdrew its attention.

"Current compatibility rate is 8%."

Suddenly, an announcement came through the speakers, loud and clear to Zexuan's ears.

'So this version of me isn't good enough, huh?'

Zexuan opened his eyes, before suddenly smiling.

'Alright then... let's do this for real.'