Chapter 98: Perfect Score
Following the line to the Magic Power testing area, the staff in charge explained various precautions as usual and announced the new passing standards.
Haruto didn't pay close attention to the specific details. If he couldn't pass, then no one present would be able to.
The testing proceeded quickly, and soon it was Reina's turn.
"Reina, your magical power has improved so rapidly."
As soon as Reina's test results were announced, the nearby girls immediately gathered around in surprise.
Reina showed no pride, instead shaking her head with some regret.
"It seems I still can't surpass Yukina this time..."
She cast a resentful glance at Haruto. Every time they practiced dual cultivation, Yukina always managed to have one or two more sessions than the others.
Over time, despite originally being a warrior, Yukina's magical power had become the highest among them.
Haruto shrugged. It wasn't that he was playing favorites—Yukina simply had better talent and physical constitution, allowing her to endure more cultivation sessions than the others.
Moreover, she recovered the fastest. While the others were exhausted, if Haruto didn't practice with Yukina, who else could he practice with?
"Next, Ruri."
As the testing continued, the girls gathered around Reina gradually dispersed, their attention drawn to the other three.
Ruri and Yuki's magical power were no worse than Reina's, while Yukina had surpassed the previous top performer to become first in their grade.
Looking at these four girls, the other female students' eyes were filled with envy.
Haruto's ability to help girls with cultivation wasn't a secret, but they never expected the effects to be this remarkable.
Though it might be a bit late, they wondered if Haruto still wanted more women...
Some girls with good looks, high self-confidence, and liberal attitudes stared at Haruto with seductive eyes, already making calculations in their minds.
This included Touko, who had tasted his essence once.
Since that time, she felt as if she had fallen ill—she didn't want anyone but Haruto.
But with her current low strength, she needed to maintain her essence intake and had to routinely seek nourishment.
As a succubus, absorbing essence should have been pleasurable, but now Touko only found it troublesome.
After experiencing Haruto, she couldn't muster any interest in other men.
It was like tasting the most exquisite cuisine—afterward, other foods seemed flavorless. Yet for survival, she had no choice but to consume them.
If even Touko, a succubus, felt this way, one could imagine how other women who had been with Haruto felt.
Miyuna, Kurashiki Reina, Tsushima Rina, and others all longed daily for another encounter with Haruto.
Other men simply couldn't spark their interest—forced contact even made them feel disgusted.
Since they didn't need to absorb essence for survival, they preferred using their hands or pink toys rather than being with anyone else.
To their disappointment, Haruto hadn't paid them any attention since that one time. While other girls had been with him multiple times, they still hadn't gotten their turn.
Some girls had even been taken to his home, forming a small group led by Sakura...
They wanted to join but were rejected.
Touko and the others weren't foolish. After realizing they were being treated differently, they compared notes and discovered the reason.
This made them furious for a long time, secretly cursing Haruto as a pervert with a virginity complex.
But curses aside, if Haruto were to beckon them now, they would still willingly throw themselves at him.
After several controlled variable experiments, Haruto had completely figured out the additional effect brought by the dual cultivation ability.
This ability only made them feel that other men were "not tasty," not that they couldn't "eat" at all.
As long as they overcame that psychological feeling, they could still marry and have children.
After discovering this, Haruto felt even less psychological burden.
For these promiscuous beauties, unless he wanted to play something thrilling or conduct some related experiments, he would basically just leave them be.
With so many good girls around him to attend to, he simply didn't have time to satisfy them all.
Ignoring the numerous seductive gazes, Haruto made his way through the crowd to the testing site.
"Haruto, good afternoon."
"Senior, good afternoon."
The student council member in charge of testing recognized Haruto and greeted him with a smile before beginning the assessment.
Many people were paying attention to Haruto's test results. Since this was his first time participating in the assessment, quite a few were curious.
But there were also those waiting to see him fail—a self-taught newcomer, what improvements could he possibly make in just a few months?
Some impatient individuals had already started trying to assert themselves.
"Reina, this pretty boy must have been drained dry by you all, right? Does he even have time to extract magical power?"
"Sasaki, looking at him, he probably can't satisfy you, right? What about me? Want to give it a try? I guarantee you'll be satisfied."
"Kurumizaka..."
"Shinomura..."
Not only Reina and the other three, but many other girls also had overconfident boys approaching them.
While cooperating with the test, Haruto mentally noted down every one of those who spouted vulgar remarks and harassed Reina and the others.
The four gyaru girls initially wanted to retort directly—with someone of this caliber who couldn't even defeat them, they wondered where his confidence came from.
But remembering Haruto's strength, they ultimately only spoke two words.
"You're dead."
Facing the calmly smiling Yukina and the other three, some people immediately sensed something was wrong and quickly shut their mouths.
Unfortunately, it was too late.
"Haruto Seishu, magic power: perfect score."
After announcing Haruto's test results, the student council member in charge of testing sighed, "Haruto, you're cultivating so fast. Vice President Tsubaki really has a good eye."
Tsubaki not only had a good eye—she played a major role in him reaching perfection in basic magic power so quickly.
As an A-rank mage, every dual cultivation session with Tsubaki brought Haruto enormous benefits.
Even now that he'd hit a bottleneck, Tsubaki's various skills still made Haruto look forward to every dual cultivation session with her.
These thoughts Haruto could only keep to himself as he modestly said, "It's all thanks to Senior Tsubaki's excellent teaching."
"By the way, senior, what's next in our testing?"
"Next will be physical fitness and combat tests."
"Alright, thank you, senior."
When Haruto returned to Reina and the others, the surrounding gazes had changed once again.
For the first time, the envious and jealous looks from the male students contained fear, while those who had been the most vocal earlier now wished they could disappear into the ground.
The female students' eyes shone even brighter, with even some previously conservative girls beginning to consider whether they could get close to Haruto.
A handsome man who could help with cultivation and possessed strong abilities—maybe pursuing him wouldn't be such a bad idea.
In the subsequent physical fitness test, Haruto unsurprisingly achieved another perfect score.
Reina and the other three also made the rankings.
Having frequently trained with Haruto until completely exhausted and unconscious, combined with the enhancements from dual cultivation, it was difficult for their physical fitness not to be exceptional.
After the physical fitness test concluded, Haruto didn't even need to participate in the combat proficiency test—the student council member in charge directly passed him.
The combat proficiency test differed from actual combat, merely involving attacking magically-created targets.
With such strong physical fitness and magic power, what was there to test about hitting targets?
"I heard that pretty boy has connections with the student council vice president. Could he be cheating?"
"Hmm, probably. Why don't you test him during the practical combat later?"
"Why don't you go?"
"I'm not as strong as you!"
...
Hearing the questioning voices coming from all around, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Haruto's mouth.
This was exactly the effect he wanted—not in vain had he deliberately used his privilege to test last.
Those questioning him largely overlapped with the previous group. Indeed, it's easier to move mountains than to change one's nature. Haruto looked forward to facing them in the practical combat test.
The commotion from the first-year testing spread to the upper years, with many older male students eyeing Haruto eagerly.
After the practical combat test concluded, there would be a voluntary ranking battle.
This battle was open to all grades, with substantial rewards for the top ten—the higher the ranking, the better the rewards.
The first-place reward was the highest, allowing the winner to make a reasonable request to the academy.
Whether for weapons, magical knowledge, or potions, the school would do its best to fulfill it.