Inside a small, dark room with walls of smooth cement, a black-haired young man lay on his simple yet finely made bamboo cot.
His wrists and hands rested over his eyes, covering them as tears, nearly dried, continued to stream.
Hal was naturally devastated, to the point that he still found it difficult to believe everything.
Forget the "diamond in the rough"-level talent he once believed he possessed, why can't he even have the normal talent?
What did he do for him to deserve such cruel fate?
Amidst his inward, indignant lamentations, a laugh sounded from the window just above his head.
He recognized that voice...
Hal immediately exploded, standing up to gaze out the window and confront the fake.
But no one was there...
This time, the door of his relatively shabby dormitory room creaked open, prompting Hal to turn and look as the sound of Ennya's mocking laughter echoed from just outside.
He walked over while clenching his fists, planning to give her a piece of his unstable mind.
But no one was there...
Hal was confused, suddenly realizing that it might be his weary mind playing pranks on him, so he took one deep, exhausted breath and returned to his cot to try and drift off to sleep.
Perhaps he would feel better tomorrow.
From there, he would see what his meagre talent allowed him to pursue.
Memories of Ennya pulling the Ifrit's Core out of the Arcane Repository inevitably replayed in his mind more than a few times.
Each was accompanied by her mocking laugh, which Hal ignored, believing them to be mere illusions brought on by a ruthless reality.
But then, the laugh changed, becoming eerie, demonic.
It sounded much closer, just to his left.
This time, Hal couldn't help but jump out of bed, slightly nervous.
Fear crept in, allowing him to momentarily forget his bland fate.
He looked around and spotted what seemed to be the mana switch for the small candle chandelier suspended from the ceiling.
Hal quickly walked over and pressed it, lighting up the room as flames emerged from a small hole in the ceiling, bringing life to the strange candles.
At least it wasn't so dark now...
Inevitably, the devastated young man's attention returned to his cot as he planned to lie down again, but froze upon noticing the chilling shadow of what seemed to be a jester on the walls.
All hairs on Hal's body stood on end.
His hands were shaking but they were slowly making their way to the door's knob.
He didn't want to stay another damn minute in this haunted room!
The shadow merely stared at him, slowly tilting its head to the side and making Hal's heart race faster and faster.
Then, just when the tension was at its highest...
[Initializing... 100%]
The holographic screen from behind him made him jump and scream as it made its way to his face from above.
[Initialization Complete!]
[Welcome to the Joker System!]
[Tap here to continue.]
Fortunately, his dormitory was in an older, dilapidated building tucked away in a sad, far corner of the Grand Magic Academy.
And his dormmates were just as depressed as he was.
Not a single damn soul cared if he was being slaughtered or whatever.
Remembering the eerie jester shadow, Hal momentarily ignored the holographic screen in front of him and shifted his focus back to the walls.
With his feelings a chaotic mix of devastation, lingering fear, and extreme curiosity, Hal was rooted on the spot, reluctantly tapping on the [Tap to continue] button on the holographic screen in front of him.
"Rejoice, child, for you are the one chosen by Chaos.
I, The Joker System, am your true gift from the arcane."
These were the words written in the next window that appeared, giving Hal two options:
[Tap to start tutorial]
[Close (Snap your fingers to reopen)]
Hal blinked, still bewildered at what was happening.
Then what the hell was that Clown Box?
Was it merely the container for this so-called Joker System?
If so, then why had the gods chosen to embarrass him in front of others, opting to play a prank instead?
Hal had no answers to his questions.
Unfortunately, he, a mere mortal, wasn't qualified to demand any from the divine.
It didn't matter much, though.
At the very least, Hal now had a direction to follow, the intense swirl of emotions in his heart replaced by one: hope.
He didn't know what the Joker System was or how it could help him, but Hal was enthusiastic—eager, even—to give this so-called "true gift" a try.
Without hesitation, he tapped the first option, his heart racing as the world around him began to warp.
Hal vanished the next moment.
Unbeknownst to him, just two seconds after he disappeared, two people materialized in front of his dormitory's dilapidated wooden door, a tall, bespectacled old man in a dark blue robe, and a red-haired young woman with a rather sad look on her face.
Ennya was here to bid her friend a temporary goodbye.
Her fate had drastically changed the moment she drew the Ifrit's Core, and only now did she realize just how much.
She wouldn't be able to meet or personally protect Hal for an unknown period.
Of course, Ennya had asked the headmaster to ensure that her friend, at the very least, wouldn't be bullied to an inhuman degree.
But she was certain the task would be handed off to mere subordinates.
She could only hope Hal wouldn't be mistreated.
And if they dared to do so, she would make sure they regretted it in the future.
For now, this was a farewell.
Ennya knocked on the door.
However, there was no response, so she knocked again, this time harder.
"H-Hal, I'm coming in."
Turning the knob and pushing the door open, Ennya and the deputy headmaster were surprised to find that, although the chandelier was lit, there was no one in the room.