Inside a brightly lit office, one infuriated old man was glaring at the one causing him most trouble.

One could tell they were blood-related from the similarity in their expressions. Though the young girl had the same eyes, the rest of her had no resemblance to blonde-haired principal before her.

"Give me back my Inverter." She slammed the table intimidatingly. The old man had no reaction to this.

Only responding: "You're not getting it back."

"It's MY personal arm. It even has my Life Seal-"

"And do you think I'll mishandle it? Anyway, it's not like you'll need it. You're being demoted anyway."

"DEMOTED?!" Her eyes widened in shock. The scarlet-haired beauty was unable to believe it...

"B-but you NEED ME there!"

"I admit: You're strong, but there are still those who have been Undead Anima since you were kids. I admit that they aren't as 'talented' as the new generation, but they're Dragoons nevertheless."

"Why am I being demoted...?! I've done my duties as a Magus and followed all military regulations."

"Do you seriously not know the reason?" The old veteran of war gave her an intense yet frigid stare.

He, Celest Vagabond, was a 'Sage', and the first man to take up arms to fight in the war against the denizens of the underworld. With the Macros and Inverters invented by his wife, and the 'Limiter' created by the man who supported their efforts.

Unlike in the past, those of the Earthland Domain were now under the jurisdiction of the Magi Association he'd founded. In order to stop the spread of the 'Extinction Virus' that turned many into Undead upon death, Limiters were handed out.

With only some exceptions, those had 'Limiter' technology implanted into their hands were unable to physically produce Mana. Therefore, those soldiers of the past used magic weapons instead.

Without magic, the Undead would stay undying and unable to be wounded. It was only by implanting Mana into weapons, which then became called Inverters, that they could slay the 'undying'.

Celest had high hopes on the new generation... until today. With new advancements in technology, they were no longer only 'Magi' in name only. It was through combining Inverters and Limiters together that new Cadets could now use 'Limiter Inverters'.

Unlike the rest of the regular army, they weren't completely reliant on tools to use Mana. After having their 'Potential to use Mana' implanted into an Inverter, they could now use them freely.

Among those new recruits, the old veteran's granddaughter was a 'monster' among Rookies.

As someone born with his bloodline, she already had high potential for Mana in the first place. This talent bloomed further when the Association gave everything they could to produce her own Limiter Inverter. She became the strongest after him.

However, his granddaughter had one problem:

"You keep on killing and beheading targets!" Even though she was supposed to gain the fame of a Hero, she instead became an infamous 'Berserker' on the battlefield. Whenever she saw a 'Martial Artist', she'd fight kill rather than capture them.

This had caused him no shortage of problems in their search for the 'Gate to the Underworld'. After the First World Ender War, finding the entrance to their enemy's homeland became really tough.

That's why her interference enraged him...!

"...That couldn't be helped. They fight with a 'do or die' mindset. I'm just trying to protect myself." She finally started averting her eyes. There was a clear insincerity in her tone while avoiding his gaze.

"Who are you trying to fool here?" He scoffed at her, feeling as if a headache was coming on.

"It's not my fault they were weak. I'd 'tried' to capture them." There was arrogance in her tone.

"Enough." He stopped her there before solemnly speaking: "I'm stripping you of your Extractor Rank and dropping you to level of a Cadet. You will be assigned to work in a Squad of this Academy."

"...What about my equipment?" She didn't go against his authority, instead asking him this.

Without her Limiter Inverter, she had no way of doing the 'culling duties' of an Academy student.

"You'll be assigned a D Rank Imaginary Inverter, as well as an E Rank MagiPistol with a high class Macro Converter. The 'Extraction Points' you personally gathered in the field is enough to afford them. Don't reject what I give. Being compatible with an Imaginary Inverter yet choosing not to use it is just a waste." The old veteran slid forward an authority pass to give her clearance to take them.

"...I know 'Imaginary Inverters' are special, but I don't need it. D Rank may be the strongest of the artificially-created Inverters, but it's not as strong as my own Limiter Inverter. What's the point?" The scarlet-haired girl felt emptiness in her heart.

But that emptiness was ignited with passionate flames of devotion to her craft when she heard:

"When you had your weapon, no one was ever on your level. That's why you couldn't improve, but I promise you this: If you're able to gain proper experience by fighting with just of what you usually use, then I'll consider you a proper successor."

"Really...?" This was the first time what he said brightened her mood. He wasn't the type to flatter.

If her grandfather said she'd be strong enough to be his successor, then he definitely wasn't lying.

Strength... This was a good reason to be obedient for now. For power, she'd do just about anything.

This was her goal in life after 'that incident'...

Her face betrayed none of those emotions she felt though. Only taking the card that was given to her.

It was only her voice that even hinted to her heart.

"So... what team will I be assigned to?" The prodigy Magi, Valry Vagabond, inquired with determination.

She was resolved to pass this 'test'...

The young girl could never have imagined her grandfather actually having a sense of humour.

"Squad 42. Or as they're called by the rest of the student body: The valiant 'Support Squad'." It had been a long time since he had the chance to break that poker face of hers, so he feigned solemnness.

He put three documents on the table. Despite their extensive information regarding achievements and results, she quickly flipped through the files before looking at him with a gaze filled with suspicion.

"It says they don't contribute much overall." Valry tried sounding him out, but he kept up his act:

"But you can tell that's only because the other Squads monopolise credit, can't you?" What he said was right. With her own deductions, she figured as much. There were inconsistencies between the reports given on their capabilities.

"Then what can you say for certain about them." It was out of pure confidence her grandfather would never lie that she asked. Celest curved his lips in mischief while looking down on each document.

On the first file was written: {Christina Flint}

"This girl is a sniper who never misses. As long as the target within the range of her senses, it will be hit with a hundred percent accuracy." He praised the blonde-haired girl on the document picture.

"What's her Mana Capacity?"

"E Rank."

"Hmph, she's weaker than most." The girl scoffed proudly, only to hear a disappointed sigh from him.

"You really don't understand this place..." Though that was natural, considering she graduated early.

Valry never got the chance to understand this Academy. She only used it as a stepping stone...

"...What am I missing?" She showed some modesty.

"The students of this Academy are all 'proper' Magi unlike others. They're at the age where all of their Limiter Inverters are of the E Rank. You might look down on them, but they're stronger than a regular soldier holding a D Rank Inverter Firearm."

"I see..." She fell for his trickery of using her lack of knowledge to push up the Support Squad's image.

But still continued to ask: "Then what about the others? What makes them so special?"

She put down two documents: One had {Fritz Lazrik} written as the name, while the other was about another girl named {Betty Black}. The two of them seemed to be misfits from their pictures.

The former was staring at the person taking his image with eyes that seemed to be burning with ambition. He even seemed to be a little angry for some reason, which clued her in on his personality.

The latter was of a girl who was smiling while getting way too close for comfort to the camera taking the image. She could see the mischief in her eyes as clear as day, making Valry a bit suspicious.

Celest coughed, pretending there was nothing wrong with the images. He pointed at the black-haired girl on the right. The one who was shoving her chest into the camera and looking down into it.

"She is someone who was directly scouted by the War Medics and Combat Engineers to graduate early like you did. The only reason she's still in the Squad is because she desired to stay there."

"What was her reason?"

"Ahem... Moving on." Her suspicion only grew stronger when he failed to give a reasonable reply.

He was amused by her emotionless mask breaking.

The old veteran pointed at the last individual on the team, the only male and designated Squad Leader.

"This one is the most interesting. He comes from a Clan that specialises in Seal Crafts. His Limiter Inverter is also a MagiPen. You could say that that he's the model for what a true 'Magi' should be."

"Seal Crafts...?"

"Oh, you would know this, but students use their Macro Converters to install 'Auto Skills' into their weapons. When the Macro is injected with magical energy, it lets them use Auto Skills like Seal Crafts."

"Sounds complicated..."

"That's only because you never had to install an Auto Skill thanks to the highest quality Limiter Inverter I gave you. From now on, learn how to process your Skills manually and install them." He was sure she'll quickly pick up on their execution.

"Why did he enter the Academy anyway?"

"Actually-" Before her grandfather could change the subject, she snatched the document from him.

Valry's eyes turned frigid after searching through the papers. Her opinion of 'Fritz' dropped a level.

"So he said he wanted to become a Magi for money. He has no sense of duty... It's people like this that ruin the Association." Her experiences on the frontline made her dismiss this 'Squad Leader'.

"I'm guessing you aren't stoked on joining them."

"Was it THAT obvious?"

"Then let me give you an interesting detail."

"Which is?"

"One of them is compatible with an Imaginary Type weapon as well." His words made her eyes widen.

"You're kidding..."

"Do I ever lie?"

"Good point." Her hesitation was gone. She was interested in seeing who this future bigwig of the Magi Association would be. If an Imaginary Type weapon was given to them, they'd be really strong.

"So... are you willing to join the squad?" He threw out the most important question at this moment.

"Okay, fine." Valry sighed before leaving.

Seeing her walk out, the old veteran finally stretched out his arms and leaned back on his chair. It was at that moment a woman dressed like a secretary brought some tea for him to enjoy.

"Did things go well?" She asked, causing him to curl his lips. He knew what she wanted to say.

"Give her some time. You can return to her side when she's matured a little." He then took a sip.

"...What if she dies?" These words caused him to put his cup down. His smile hadn't yet faded...

"What if she does?" The indifference in his tone made the woman freeze up. He was too callous...

"She's this world's 'Chosen One'. You won't ever be able to fulfil your goals without her being alive."

"She's not as necessary as you think." The old veteran spoke before turning to see a black cat.

"Is that...?"

"Kitty, are you really going to act like this even after I saved your life? Can't you be more intimate with your saviour?" The black cat that appeared didn't reply to him, only staring at him from a distance.

"...This IS the right cat, right?" He muttered to himself, unsure if it was just a regular feline.

When the cat left the office from the window, he turned to the 'secretary' in charge of security.

"That was Kitty Saith." She clarified, causing him to unconsciously sign in relief. The crisis was averted.

His image stayed intact...

"Keep an eye on them, but don't ever interfere."

"What if Valry is in great danger?"

"..." The old veteran didn't reply, but his indifferent gaze was enough to say what he was thinking.

He then took off to prepare for the 'introduction'...