The following day, after school. Caleb, surrounded by the four girls including Rina Hamazaki, walked toward the testing grounds of the Underworld Academy.
After learning about the test yesterday, he had initially planned to participate with Koneko and then head back to the clubroom together afterward. However, that suggestion was immediately shot down, for a reason that genuinely hurt Caleb's feelings.
After breaking through to A-rank, one no longer needed to participate in the test. Powerhouses of that level were sought-after recruitment targets everywhere, and the academy's resources were negligible for A-rank supernaturals. The white-haired loli, who was usually inconspicuous while gnawing on something, was actually an A-rank powerhouse. Eating was just her hobby. Yuto Kiba was the same; his strength seemed to be even slightly higher than Koneko Toujou's. The Holy Sword Experiment had given him a tragic experience but also granted him a power that ordinary people could never attain.
Unceremoniously 'abandoned' by his clubmates, Caleb could only participate in the test with Yukina Sasaki and the other three girls. Arriving at the club building, Caleb felt a pang of nostalgia seeing the two familiar student council members at the stairway entrance. The last time he was here, these two had been 'guarding the door.' He had quietly followed Rina Hamazaki and the others, only to be stopped. One of them had even used hypnosis magic on him. To avoid any trouble, he had put on a very convincing act back then.
Less than half a year later, meeting these two senpai again, their roles had completely reversed.
"Uesugi-kohai, good afternoon." They called him kohai (junior), yet their attitude was one of deference, like they were facing a superior, with gentle smiles and a kind tone. They were only short of bowing to Caleb. Well, if Caleb wasn't surrounded by Yukina Sasaki and the other girls, they probably would have genuinely bent over. As student council members, they had gossiped plenty about Caleb and the club's Vice-President (Akeno) and President (Rias). Especially when Souna Shitori was absent, Caleb was dragged around by Tsubaki Shinra for work, and they had even worked under Caleb.
"Good afternoon, senpai. I'm sorry you have to work hard again today." Caleb also had a good impression of these two. They were smart and capable, and their looks and figures were decent.
"It's no hardship at all. It's much more comfortable than being on external missions. You should focus on doing well in your test today, Uesugi-kohai." The more lively, bespectacled girl winked at Caleb and teased him mischievously, "Don't let the kohai surrounding you drain your body so much that you fail the test."
"If I fail the test, I hope senpai can come to my house to comfort me." Caleb flirted back without blinking, right in front of the girls. This completely threw the bespectacled girl off. She glanced at Rina Hamazaki and the other three, who showed no reaction, then back at Caleb, and finally thought of their own Vice-President (Tsubaki Shinra)... The bespectacled girl blinked, stammering, "Ah... but if kohai fails the test, then we won't be in the same world..." Although there was a last-place punishment, if one's strength was too far below standard and couldn't even pass the minimum test, the academy would try to "persuade" them to withdraw with reasoning. If reasoning didn't work, then the next step would be physical persuasion.
"Then it seems I need to work hard this time to stay in the same world as senpai." After saying that, Caleb wrapped his arm around Ruri Kurumizaka's slender waist and confidently walked towards the testing ground on the top floor.
"Pfft, player..." Watching Caleb's receding back, the bespectacled girl muttered under her breath, her face flushed. Her companion next to her covered her mouth and chuckled. "Why did you have to provoke him? Isn't Uesugi's flirtatious reputation known to everyone?"
After one semester, Caleb had single-handedly surpassed the Perverted Trio, becoming a legend at Kuoh Academy. If the Perverted Trio had a bad reputation among the girls, Caleb was infamous among the boys. Kuoh Academy had more girls than boys, but even so many girls couldn't withstand Caleb's mischief. How many boys, like the Perverted Trio, came here hoping to get a girlfriend, only to fail and watch Caleb constantly flirting with girls who were above average in looks? Not only was he flirting, but the top-tier goddesses of the academy were also inexplicably involved with Caleb. Any man would feel unbalanced. While Yuto Kiba was popular among girls, he was a lofty prince. No one had ever seen Yuto Kiba chatting intimately with any girl, let alone flirting.
But Caleb was different. When girls approached him, he genuinely followed through. The girls he was often with seemed blind, completely ignoring their man hooking up with other women. They still flirted and constantly showed affection with Caleb. The boys were so jealous that their eyes were red. Every time they saw Caleb, they wished they could take his place.
When Caleb entered the testing ground with two girls on each arm, various strange looks immediately fell upon him.
"Tsk, who's that kid, bringing girls to the test?" A few isolated, isolated cultivation fanatics who were out of the loop looked at Caleb disdainfully. "Does he think the test is a game? I'll definitely teach him a lesson later."
"You're just jealous he has girls, and four of them at that," someone mocked. "But I actually support you going to teach him a lesson. Spiritual support only, though."
"Hey, why are you such a coward? That pretty boy clearly isn't very strong. No one can say anything if you teach him a lesson during the combat test."
"Stop, don't drag me into your death wish. That pretty boy might not be strong, but his women are."
"You mean those four babes?" The person observed for a moment, shaking his head. "Their strength is decent. I remember the red-haired one; she placed in the top 20 of the class last test. But she's still weaker than me."
"Heh." The person next to him also shook his head. "I'm not talking about those women. I'm talking about the Gremory one."
"The Gremory one?!"
"Yes, that pretty boy joined the Occult Research Club." The face of the person contemplating teaching Caleb a lesson stiffened. "Injuries are inevitable in the combat test. She shouldn't..."
"You can try it. I'll be rooting for you." After saying that, he left, not wanting to continue talking to the person whose mouth was the only hard thing about him.
Similar conversations occurred in several places. Every grade had a few people who buried themselves in hard training, ignoring the outside world. However, in the end, with the 'spiritual support' of those around them, they all abandoned the idea of targeting Caleb. They thought they were letting Caleb off easy out of respect for Rias, but little did they know they were letting themselves off easy. With Caleb's current strength, there wasn't an A-rank supernatural he couldn't beat. Even if all the students in the field charged at once, Caleb was confident he could fight his way out and then back in.
If anyone dared to target him, Caleb would dare to beat them severely, as long as he didn't kill them. He hadn't truly fought anyone since reaching B-rank Peak in martial arts. If someone voluntarily offered themselves up today, Caleb might even thank them heartily in his mind. The people around him were either A-rank or lower in strength, so he couldn't find anyone of comparable strength to spar with. He couldn't exactly use his women as punching bags.
What? Have Rias and the others suppress their power and fight him? Caleb had tried that already. After just a little fighting, those women would start cheating, especially the hateful white-haired loli. Silent but maliciously wicked, she would suddenly unleash her full power, paying Caleb back double for the hits she took earlier. After a few times, Caleb learned his lesson and never brought up suppressing power again. He just secretly vowed that once he broke through to A-rank, he would make those unscrupulous women realize what fists hitting flesh truly felt like.
Amidst the envious, jealous glances of the boys and the curious or greedy eyes of the girls, Caleb led Rina Hamazaki and the other four into the first-year line.
About ten minutes later, the Student Council Secretary entered the testing ground with a group of student council members.
"Quiet." Under the powerful aura of the Student Council, the noisy venue gradually quieted down.
"The test will now begin. Anyone who has not arrived will be marked as a failure. Three failures result in immediate expulsion." The Student Council Secretary, in charge of recording this test, scanned the entire field with sharp eyes, then met Caleb's gaze. Glancing at the babes clinging to Caleb, she discreetly looked away. Their own Vice-President (Tsubaki Shinra) didn't bother to interfere, so she certainly wouldn't meddle.
"First-years, follow me this way."
"Second-years, this way."
"Third-years, follow me." The minimum standards for each grade were different. Except for the final overall strength assessment, the preceding basic tests needed to be done separately. The first item was naturally the Magic Power Test. Although some cultivated other systems, the assessment was generally similar.