Black Clover: Starting from the Sign-in

"Too ugly, I'm not interested," Kuroha said as he touched the tip of his nose.

He had no interest in demons. If it came with the same issues as Asta's anti-magic grimoire—where every use nearly tore the body apart—then it was out of the question.

Besides, he had too many secrets, especially the system he possessed. Until he grew stronger, he didn't want a clingy "grandpa" following him around.

No.

It was more appropriate to say he didn't want a demon.

"You don't want it?" Asta and Yuno stood frozen in shock.

Even the demon residing in the grimoire was stunned.

None of them had expected Kuroha to outright reject the offer.

In their understanding, grimoires always chose their wielders. When had anyone ever rejected one?

"Kid, think this through. I'm incredibly powerful. With my anti-magic abilities, I can neutralize all magic," the demon hastily tried to persuade him.

After all, who wouldn't want to cling to a capable host?

Kuroha's Zero Domain mana alone was already an extraordinary starting point.

"No thanks. Don't get in my way, or I'll burn you. If you're desperate for a host, go over to that airhead." Kuroha declined again.

After casually picking up the severed head of Ye Buqi, the chained man, he turned around, waved dismissively at the demon, and left without a second thought.

Asta and Yuno, watching this unfold, finally realized Kuroha wasn't joking.

He genuinely didn't care about the prestige of wielding two grimoires—a feat that would have amazed anyone else.

All that remained was the utterly baffled demon.

"You insolent brat!" the demon bellowed in fury.

But seeing that Kuroha had already disappeared, the demon could only grit its teeth and redirect its focus to Asta.

Before Kuroha appeared, Asta had been the best target.

Now that the better option was gone, the demon had no choice but to settle for second best.

"Kid, I am the spirit residing in this grimoire, wielding powerful anti-magic. You are the chosen one, and you should be honored."

The demon's familiar, enticing speech rang out.

Even Yuno's face twitched at the shamelessness of the demon.

He had encountered brazen individuals before, but never a grimoire with such little self-respect.

Before Yuno could respond, Asta had already dropped to the ground in a full prostration.

"Thank you, Great Spirit, for choosing me! I finally have a grimoire! Yuno, did you see this?"

Asta's ecstatic exclamations snapped Yuno back to reality.

He watched as the demon, satisfied with Asta's response, swiftly retreated back into the grimoire.

The demon's eagerness to escape was obvious—anything to salvage its dignity after Kuroha's rejection.

Still, this made the grand, imposing entrance of the five-leaf clover grimoire demon feel suddenly cheap.

Although the grimoire's origins seemed questionable, Asta was overjoyed, clutching it and practically smothering it with affection.

At least the issue of Asta being without a grimoire was finally resolved.

However, as Yuno reflected on the events, he clenched his fists tightly.

After all, becoming the Magic Emperor was his goal.

And Kuroha, with his Zero Domain mana, was bound to be an obstacle on that path.

Half a month later, in the Clover Kingdom's capital.

The venue for the Magic Knight entrance exams—a massive, coliseum-like structure—was completely empty.

Kuroha stood in front of the grand scene, scratching his nose awkwardly.

It seemed he had forgotten that the Magic Knight entrance exams were still months away.

Looking at the enormous arena, Kuroha decided to give signing in a shot anyway.

"Ding! Congratulations, host, on arriving at the Magic Knight Exam venue. The system is initiating sign-in..."

"Ding! Magic Knight exams have not yet begun. Sign-in failed. Please try again later."

The system's ethereal prompt left Kuroha momentarily petrified.

He had thought that even if the exams hadn't started, he could still sign in successfully.

He hadn't expected a prerequisite for sign-in.

Given the situation, he decided to shelve the idea for now.

"Move aside, get out of the way!"

A sudden shout interrupted Kuroha's thoughts.

He raised an eyebrow and looked toward the source of the commotion.

Seven or eight novice mages were stumbling along, supporting one another.

Kuroha could tell they were rookies like himself—new grimoire holders—because they lacked the attire of the Magic Guard or Magic Knights.

They didn't even have basic magic insignias.

Plus, several of them bore visible injuries.

"I'm sorry! It's my fault for dragging everyone down!" a timid, apologetic voice suddenly spoke up.

"Sorry? You useless idiot! You have a grimoire and can't even use magic. Why didn't you say so earlier? You've dragged us all down, you useless fool!"

The leader, a burly man resembling a bear, roared in anger.

The scolding caused a silver-haired girl with twin ponytails to tear up.

With a trembling voice, she replied, "I... I told you during the mission. You said it wouldn't matter if I took half the reward."