Rise of the Chronomancer [Academy Progression Fantasy, Beast Bond, No LitRPG]

Every year a thousand hopefuls climb the mountain to touch the Communion Stone. The lucky ones bond a Sacred Beast and get drafted into a Great House: tutors, Spirit Fruits, a future. Silas Riccard, a smith's son from the Iron District, gets a cosmic tardigrade. His affinity is time. It is also the slowest power the Academy has ever measured: one touch drags an enemy through molasses for a few seconds and leaves Silas empty. They name him Slug. They house him in a dead House's ruin with the other leftovers: a farm boy who cannot be moved, a giant who speaks in steam, a girl whose dreams walk out of her head, and Malachai, a thief who is the best of them and knows what that is worth. Silas does what the Iron District taught him. He studies the machine, finds the gap, and starts building. The Great Houses drafted the strong and warehoused the rest. They miscounted. What to expect: progression fantasy with a hard magic system and real costs. An academy year, a tournament arc, a found-family squad that wins by being smarter rather than stronger, and one thief you will argue about. No harem, no stat screens, no reincarnation, no isekai. Chapters about 2,300 words: ten on launch day, daily for three weeks, then every Wednesday, in perpetuity. Volume 1 is complete and Volume 2 is finished and cut. This story will not be abandoned.