Bob patted Alex on the shoulder."Go, bro! I believe in you!"
Alex nodded, walking up with model steps. On the way, he even spun around once, just to make sure everyone saw his handsome face.
As expected, the girls screamed again.
"That's Sleep-Talk Guy! The one who talked nonsense during the speech!""Damn! So flashy, that face expression, it's really him!""I wonder what kind of beast a guy like that will awaken…""Tch, just some nobody. Not from any big family. Acting all cool, does he really think he can soar to the sky?""Exactly! Rex young master is still the best…"
Alex raised an eyebrow, but didn't care.
After all, a genius, a true main character, never cares about gossip.
He reached the crystal ball and knocked on it."Hey, to awaken my beast, you should feel honored. You know how many other crystal balls never even get this chance?"
The crystal ball stayed silent. The principal's face went dark."Hurry up! Hundreds of students here. You waste one minute, that's hundreds of minutes wasted!"
Alex was stunned. Wait, people calculate like that?
He placed his hand on the crystal ball.
In that instant—boom!The sky roared with thunder!
A rainbow-colored light burst out, wrapping Alex like he was the center of the universe. Everyone else around turned dim, like shadows next to him.
A rainbow portal formed right in front of him.
The principal's wig flew off instantly, but he had no time to pick it up.
For three full seconds, the hall was silent. Then—exploded like a pot!
"Holy shit! What kind of miracle is this?!""Rainbow light! Not purple, not red—seven colors!""No way… this kind of scene only appears in ancient records!""X-rank awakening!! The first X-rank in the whole country! We're witnessing history!"
The hall went completely mad. Voices overlapped, people shouted over each other.
Some pulled out their phones to stream live, some pushed to the front so hard they lost shoes and didn't even care.
Bob jumped onto a chair, waving his fist."He's my brother! That's my brother!!" His neck veins bulged, his voice cracked, but he kept shouting.
Rex froze in place, his mouth twitching. His fingers clenched so tight his knuckles went white. He wanted to speak, but his throat stuck.
All the girls around him turned away, skirts swaying, hair brushing past his face without a single glance back. They all ran toward Alex.
"Alex! Sleep with me once! No strings attached!""Alex! Ten times, I'll even pay you!""Alex! A hundred times is fine! I'll sign my house in your name!""Alex! I'll give you 100k, just hold my hand!""I'll pay 1 million! Just kiss me!"
Someone waved a credit card. Someone held up a QR code for transfer.
Someone even threw her purse to the ground and stretched out a hand toward Alex.
Even a few usually cold, elegant teachers squeezed forward, fingers clutching their clothes,
the other hand pressed on their chest, breathing fast, one gasp after another.
Their eyes stayed locked on Alex, lips trembling, opening and closing without sound.
Some boys filmed nonstop, shouting,
"The first X-rank in the nation! Witnessed live!"One guy lost both shoes in the crowd but kept pushing forward barefoot.
The principal swallowed hard, almost dropping to his knees."Alex… from now on… the school will carry your name!"
Alex didn't look excited. He just stood there, leaving everyone a mysterious back view."X-rank, huh. As expected of my talent."
He turned his head slightly."Quiet down, everyone. It's time for me to show off."
The crowd instantly went silent, holding their breath, eyes locked on Alex and the rainbow portal.
A white jade-like hand slowly stretched out.
Alex froze. That didn't look like any beast.
Then came a face—delicate brows, long lashes, pale lips, skin glowing faintly. Her hair fell down her shoulders like flowing water, swaying gently.
The hall was so quiet, only breathing remained.
Some people widened their eyes, not daring to blink. Some opened their mouths and forgot to close them.
A few boys stood frozen, phones dropping from their hands without notice.
She opened her eyes, iridescent pupils fixed only on Alex.
Alex smiled back.
At that moment, her whole body trembled. The light in her eyes turned into fear.
She scrambled backward, hands and feet flailing, and fled back into the portal.
Gone in the blink of an eye.
Alex: "???"
Before he could even react, the rainbow portal vanished. A gray one popped up, and something got tossed out—
A yellow slime.
It landed on his head.
Looked exactly like… poop.
And that was it.
Dead silence. Even quieter than before.
One second. Two seconds. Three—
"Pfft—!"
Someone couldn't hold it in. Then laughter burst out like a tidal wave.
"Holy shiiit!""Did I just see what I think I saw? The goddess-level X-rank… ran away?!""And then… a yellow slime?! Stuck on his hair?!""Hahahahahaha!!"
Girls in the front row blushed, boys in the back row slapped the walls and rolled on the ground.
Bob's fist froze midair, his face twitching."B-bro… on your head… it looks like… poop…"
Rex pointed straight at Alex, his voice breaking."Hahaha! X-rank?! This? This is our national treasure? More like national joke!"
His lackeys chimed in, "S-L-I-M-E! One peck from Rex's Gale Hawk can eat ten of those!"
The principal plopped down on the stairs, clutching his bald head."Rainbow portal… just ran away?"
The slime made a "plop" sound, wriggled twice on Alex's head, and blew a bubble. The air filled with faint durian smell.
"Ughhh!"Girls pinched their noses and backed away. The rich lady who promised her house stumbled, stepping on someone's phone with her heel.
Alex kept a serious side profile, but his pupils shook violently, and the corner of his mouth twitched nonstop.
What the hell just happened?
My X-rank goddess beast ran away?
And left me with… a slime?
Slime, what rank was that again?
Oh, right. F-rank. The whole country doesn't even have an F-rank.
So yeah, technically I still made history.
But… why? Why me??
His mind went blank until a mocking voice pulled him back.
Rex opened his arms, holding two girls, eyes full of scorn."As expected. Trash stays trash. Can't crawl out of the dumpster your whole life."
"X-rank? More like instant-shit rank. I'm dying here.""Thanks for the laugh, new school mascot. We'll hang your photo in the toilet."
He turned, hugging the girls tighter."Poop King, don't forget to bring air freshener."
The principal frowned but stayed silent.
The whole hall was full of boos, and Alex's face was full of glee.
After all, the higher you stand, the harder you fall. Countless mocking voices rang out, piercing Alex's ears
Alex took a deep breath. A system screen popped in front of his eyes.
[Option 1: Shout that Rex is the best! Admit you're nothing compared to him, and beg to be his lackey.][Reward: A little Spirit Power][Title: Coward. -100% attraction with the opposite sex.]
[Option 2: Stay quiet, focus on growing with the system, retreat for now.][Reward: 1,000,000 gold][Title: Ninja Turtle. +100% mental fortitude.]
[Option 3: Challenge Rex on the spot! Bet everything you have, one year later fight to the death!][Reward: Huge Spirit Power!][Title: Reborn Genius. +100% luck, +10% attraction with the opposite sex.]
Alex lifted his eyes, dark and cold.
He wasn't a good guy. He wasn't the kind to hold back.
Option one? Forget it, no way. Option two? Nice rewards, but still no.
Only option three remained—the perfect choice.
And he was 100% confident. Even with just a slime, he could tear through this world!
After all, he was the main character.
"Rex, do you dare to make a bet?"
Rex stopped in his tracks and turned his face.
"What did you say?"
"I said, do you dare to bet? One year from today, life or death, do you dare?"
Rex turned back, smiling.
"Me? You and your F-rank slime? Bet with me?"
Laughter rang out again. The two women beside Rex rolled their eyes.
Alex stayed calm.
"Are you scared?"
Rex raised an eyebrow.
"Scared? Scared of you? Or your slime pooping on me?"
Alex smiled.
"If you're not scared, why are you still arguing? Are you a coward?"
Bob started shouting, helping him out:
"Coward! Coward! He's scared of a slime! Coward!"
Other students joined in, chanting:
"Coward! Coward!"
Rex's face darkened. Finally, he spoke.
"Fine. Bet for life."
A wind blade shot from his fingers, cutting deep lines into the ground.
"One year from now, whoever loses will kneel and lick the other's shoes—and then, die."