Hao Fan—or rather, Asta, as he was known to the world—narrowed his eyes, surprised.
"There's… another power inside me?"
Before him, a translucent progress bar flickered to life, visible only in his inner world.
[Loading… 1%... 28%... 57%...%.]
Revchi Salik sneered, gripping the magical chain that coiled around Asta like a serpent. "I always thought it was a joke—a Magic Knight with no magic power. But now that I feel it myself... You're completely empty. A failure. A born reject."
He laughed, cruel and sharp. "Yuno, the chosen one, gets a four-leaf clover. And you? A stray dog abandoned by the world. Pathetic."
Asta gritted his teeth but didn't struggle. His body trembled—not from fear, but from something stirring deep within. Something ancient.
["Loading... 87%... 94%... 100-Devil Union initiating]
Suddenly, a dark red aura burst from his body. Revchi recoiled instinctively as the chains snapped like dry twigs under pressure.
Asta's eyes, once full of resolve, now burned with an otherworldly crimson. From the air, a black grimoire surrounded by shadowy red light slowly descended, thudding to the ground.
A five-leaf clover emblem glowed on its cover—tainted, demonic.
"A five-leaf grimoire...! Impossible!" Revchi's voice trembled.
"In the fifth leaf," Asta said quietly, picking up the grimoire as if drawn by fate, "dwells a devil."
Before Revchi could react, the grimoire snapped open, and a massive black greatsword—coated in anti-magic—erupted from its pages, landing in Asta's hand with a deafening clang.
The ground cracked beneath him as the anti-magic surged through his veins, nullifying the remnants of Revchi's magic.
Asta raised the sword. "You looked down on me because I have no magic. But now, I don't need it."
He vanished, his speed now monstrous—then reappeared in front of Revchi.
"Wai—!"
CRASH!
The sheer force of the blow launched Revchi into the alley wall, cratering stone and brick around him. His body crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
Yuno, clutching his own four-leaf grimoire, stood frozen, staring at the one person he had once thought was being left behind.
Asta... you…
"I worked hard. I trained day and night," Yuno thought, a trembling breath escaping his lips. "I believed I had finally surpassed him. But… he's still the one protecting me. Just like that snowy night when we were kids."
Asta turned to him and tossed the four-leaf grimoire Yuno had dropped in the scuffle.
"Don't lose something that important again," he said coolly.
Then, without another word, Asta walked away, the giant black sword dragging behind him, cutting shallow grooves into the ground.
From the rooftops above, Lake and Will—Revchi's lackeys—trembled in silence. Every second of the encounter had burned itself into their memories like a nightmare.
"That guy…" Lake whispered. "He's not human…"
Will swallowed. "He... nullified magic… with brute force."
Behind them, the wind swirled with crimson sparks. The grimoire of the devil-wielder glowed faintly as if feeding on the shadows.
And beneath his calm, determined expression, Asta could feel it—the presence that came with the five-leaf clover.
"You want power?" a voice whispered inside his mind.
"Then let me lend you mine."
Asta didn't respond.
Not yet.
"Ding dong! You have awakened the grimoire of the five-leaf clover and obtained the Demon-Dweller Sword!"
[Demon-Dweller Sword]: A blade forged with anti-magic properties. The tip can nullify magic, while the body can absorb and release magic power!
"So with this sword… magic is useless against me?" Hao Fan whispered, eyes gleaming with excitement.
As he made his way back to the church, system notifications rang in his ears like sweet music.
Ding dong! You have defeated rogue mage Lei Buqi, a red-name criminal. Reward: 300 points.
"Sweet!" Hao Fan whistled.
A wild boar only earned him 5 points, but a rogue mage? Jackpot.
Red-named enemies, just like in games, represented notorious criminals. Killing them didn't bring system penalties—in fact, it came with rewards. Apparently, Lei Buqi had committed serious crimes to earn that title. In a way, Hao Fan had delivered justice.
He sheathed his enormous black sword and looked down at the worn, eerie grimoire in his other hand. Its faded leather cover bore an unmistakable five-leaf clover.
"Normally, people only get three-leaf clover grimoires. Honesty, hope, and love…" he murmured. "And a fourth leaf represents luck. But the fifth leaf... what does it represent?"
System: In the fifth leaf... dwells a Devil.
Hao Fan's pupils contracted. Then, a smirk crept onto his face.
"A devil, huh? Now we're talking."
Currently, he had 1,000 system points—just 9,000 more before he could redeem the Sharingan. But now that he'd discovered how lucrative mage-hunting was, he was more motivated than ever. Joining the Magic Knights would open up endless opportunities for stronger battles—and faster point accumulation.
Definitely better than slaying boars in the woods.
Back in Hage Village, the group of children were still training when he arrived. Hao Fan quickly joined in.
"Brother Asta! Did you get a grimoire too?!"
A child sprinted over, eyes wide with excitement.
Hao Fan raised the grimoire above his head, and the children erupted in cheers.
Thanks to his guidance, their training had skyrocketed. He had helped improve their diet, given them basic healing potions, and introduced them to chakra-based exercises—though sadly, none could use it but him.
Still, the kids were stronger now. The weakest among them could carry a log that once required two adults.
"Brother Asta! What's your training today?"
Hao Fan grinned. "Let's say… 10,000 one-finger pushups. Per finger."
He effortlessly flipped into a one-finger handstand, body forming a perfect bow, drawing gasps from the kids.
"He's a monster!"
"I can barely manage 100 with my thumb!"
The children quickly dove back into their training, fired up.
Meanwhile, Father Orsi, Sister Lily, and the other caretakers had returned from town.
"That kid in tights really brings the energy," Father Orsi laughed, stretching his aging limbs. "Makes me wanna start training too."
"Asta's changed a lot. He's always been spirited, but now there's something different… more focused," Sister Lily added softly. She looked down, hiding the flicker of sadness in her eyes. She still believed Asta had no magic and worried what kind of future awaited him.
"It might be a blessing in disguise," Father Orsi sighed. "Sometimes… it's better to give up on impossible dreams early."
He stared at the fading horizon.
"Dreams hurt more when you lose them at the peak of hope."
Later that evening during dinner...
"What?! Asta awakened a grimoire too?!" Father Orsi nearly choked on his pork chop.
"I told you," Nash, wide-eyed, nodded. "And it's not just any grimoire—it has five leaves!"
"That's… impossible." Lily dropped her spoon. "Only devils are said to dwell in five-leaf clovers."
"What's so impossible about it?" Nash muttered, already fully converted into an Asta fanboy. "Brother Asta's the kind of person who makes the impossible happen."
Yuno, silent until now, paused mid-bite and raised his eyes slightly.
He believed it, too. Asta was no ordinary rival. He was the kind of person who could force destiny to yield.
"My prayers have finally been answered!" Father Orsi cried, stealing Hao Fan's pork chop in the name of holy gratitude.
Hao Fan simply sighed and ladled himself some snake soup—a concoction made from forest serpents and rare herbs. Good for the skin, even better for energy. Under his influence, the church's cooking had improved, and the children were healthier than ever.
Since receiving the grimoire during the March ceremony, Hao Fan had thrown himself into training with frightening dedication. Now, six months later, he had already opened the Gate of Closing—the second of the Eight Inner Gates from the Hachimon system.
Only six gates remained.
By the time the Magic Knights entrance exam arrived, he'd be more than ready to blow the competition away.