[Location: The Royal Academy - Grand Coliseum]
[Event: The 109th Annual Entrance Exam]
Ten thousand students.
The flower of the nation's youth. The future protectors of humanity.
To me?
Livestock.
I stood in the waiting area, leaning against a marble pillar. I wore a simple black tunic. No armor. No staff.
Around me, noble scions were showing off.
"Check out my Mithril chest plate! Cost my dad 5,000 gold!"
"My wand is made of Elder Wood! +5% Mana Regen!"
I checked my inventory.
[Mythic Ring]
[Mythic Dagger]
[Legendary Crown (Fused)]
[Net Worth: 5 Million Gold.]
If I sneezed, I could buy their entire bloodlines.
Seraphina stood next to me, wearing a hooded cloak to hide her identity. She was trembling.
"Boss," she whispered. "Everyone is looking at you. Your 'Murder Aura' is leaking."
"Let them look," I said. "Fear is a form of crowd control."
GONG.
A magical projection appeared in the sky.
[Exam Phase 1: The Written Test.]
[Topic: Monster Theory & Dungeon History.]
[Time Limit: 2 Hours.]
Rows of desks appeared in the arena. Barriers rose to prevent cheating.
I sat down.
I looked at the paper.
Question 1: What is the weakness of a Regeneration Troll?
(A) Ice
(B) Fire
(C) Holy Magic
(D) Blunt Force.
Boring.
I picked up the quill.
I didn't circle (B).
I wrote: "Fire is inefficient. Use acid to cauterize the wounds, preventing the regeneration loop, then harvest the liver while it's still alive for maximum market value."
Question 5: Who was the greatest Hero of the First Age?
I wrote: "A fraud who died in a ditch."
Question 10: Predict the outcome of the current Goblin War.
I wrote: "The Goblins will win in 3 months because General Kael is embezzling the supply funds. Check his offshore accounts in Zimara."
I answered all 100 questions in 10 minutes.
I stood up.
"Finished," I announced.
The Proctor, an old mage with a beard longer than his lifespan, scoffed. "Sit down, boy. You can't be done. It's been ten minutes."
"Read it."
I threw the paper at him.
He caught it. He scanned the first page. He frowned. He scanned the second page. His eyes widened.
"This... this theory on Mana efficiency... it contradicts the Textbook!"
"The Textbook is wrong," I said. "The Textbook was written by people who haven't cleared a Level 50 Dungeon."
"Insolence!" The Proctor slammed the paper down. "I am marking this as a Fail! You cannot invent facts!"
I leaned over the desk.
"Check General Kael's bank account," I whispered. "If I'm wrong, fail me. If I'm right? Give me full marks."
The Proctor hesitated. He was friends with the General.
"Next test," I demanded.
——————————————————————————————————————————
[Exam Phase 2: Mana Capacity]
This was the classic measuring contest.
A giant crystal stood in the center of the arena. Students had to touch it.
Blue Glow = Pass.
Red Glow = Elite.
Gold Glow = Genius.
Sylvia Frost, the Ice Princess, walked up.
She glared at me.
"Watch closely, peasant," she sneered. "This is the difference between Noble blood and sewer rat blood."
She placed her hand on the crystal.
FLASH.
The crystal turned a brilliant, blinding Ice Blue. The temperature in the stadium dropped. Snowflakes fell from the clear sky.
[Result: High-Tier A-Rank.]
[Mana Capacity: 8,000 units.]
The crowd went wild.
"A-Rank! At 18 years old!"
"She's a prodigy!"
"Marry me, Princess!"
Sylvia flipped her silver hair. She walked off the stage, smirking at me. "Beat that."
I walked up.
The Proctor sneered. "Badge 666. Step forward. Try not to embarrass yourself."
I looked at the crystal.
It was a standard "Mana Siphon" device. It was calibrated for humans.
I wasn't playing a human build anymore.
I was playing a Void Monarch.
I placed my Left Hand on the crystal.
"Don't cry," I whispered to the rock.
I poured mana.
Not a trickle.
A Flood.
[Dopamine Spike: Power Flex.]
VROOOOM.
The crystal didn't glow Blue. It didn't glow Gold.
It turned Black.
Pitch black. Like a hole in reality.
The humming sound grew louder. A high-pitched whine that shattered the glasses of the front row spectators.
[Mana Capacity: ERROR.]
[Mana Capacity: 99,999+.]
[System Warning: Device Overload.]
"Stop!" The Proctor screamed. "It's going to—"
BOOM.
The crystal exploded.
Shards of magic glass flew everywhere.
A shockwave of purple energy knocked the Proctors off their feet.
I stood in the center of the dust, brushing glass off my shoulder.
"Oops," I said, deadpan. "Must be cheap equipment."
I looked at Sylvia. Her jaw was on the floor. Her smug smile was replaced by pure, unadulterated shock.
"Is that 'sewer rat blood'?" I asked.
I didn't wait for an answer.
"Next test."
——————————————————————————————————————————
[Exam Phase 3: The Combat Tournament]
"Badge 666 vs Badge 101!"
My opponent was a huge guy with a greatsword.
"I'm gonna crush you, magic boy!"
[Skill: Combat Step.]
[Skill: Disrespect.]
I appeared behind him. I kicked him in the ass.
He flew out of the ring.
[Winner: Cain Cross.]
[Time: 1 second.]
Next round.
A Fire Mage.
"Eat flames!"
I opened my Void Ring. I absorbed his fireball. Then I threw a pebble at his forehead.
THWACK.
Knocked out.
[Winner: Cain Cross.]
I tore through the bracket. I didn't use my dagger. I didn't use my real spells.
I used slaps, kicks, and mean looks.
Finals.
[Match: Cain Cross vs Sylvia Frost.]
The crowd was silent. The tension was thick enough to cut.
Sylvia stood in the arena. She wasn't smiling anymore. She was terrified, but her pride held her together.
She drew her rapier.
"You... you are a monster," she hissed. "But I have the Blood of the Ice Dragon! I will not lose to a nameless thug!"
[Target: Sylvia Frost]
[State: Desperate.]
[Ability:
"Sylvia," I said, walking towards her with my hands in my pockets.
"You think this is a duel?"
I shook my head.
"This is an Interview."
"Die!"
Sylvia lunged.
[Skill: Glacial Thrust.]
Her rapier unleashed a beam of absolute zero. The ground froze instantly.
It hit me.
I was encased in a block of ice.
The crowd gasped.
"She got him!"
"He's frozen solid!"
Sylvia panted, lowering her sword. "I... I did it. I won."
Crack.
A spiderweb fracture appeared on the ice.
CRACK.
The ice shattered.
I stepped out. Unharmed.
[Passive: Ironclad (Defense + Immunity to Element < Tier 3).]
"Is that it?" I asked, dusting off frost. "My refrigerator is colder than that."
Sylvia stepped back. "H-How? That was my Ultimate!"
I blurred.
I appeared in front of her.
I didn't hit her.
I grabbed her rapier.
With my bare hand.
[Trait: The Usurper (Touch).]
"Nice sword," I said. "Mine now."
I ripped it out of her grasp.
Then, I grabbed her by the throat.
I lifted her off the ground.
Her legs kicked helplessly. Her face turned blue.
"You have talent," I said, staring into her terrified eyes. "But your mindset is weak. You fight for honor. You fight for praise."
I squeezed slightly.
"I fight for Profit."
"Surrender," I commanded. "Or I strip you naked in front of 10,000 people and sell your armor to the blacksmith."
Tears streamed down her face.
"I... I yield!" she choked out. "I yield!"
I dropped her.
She fell to the ground, coughing, gasping for air. She looked up at me. Not with hate.
With Submission.
[System Notification]
[Target 'Sylvia Frost' Spirit Broken.]
[Dominance Established.]
[Hidden Quest Complete: The Alpha of the Academy.]
I turned to the VIP box where the Dean and the Teachers were watching in horror.
"Are we done playing games?" I shouted.
"I don't want to be a student."
I pointed at the Head of the Combat Department.
"I want his job."
——————————————————————————————————————————
[The Dean's Office]
Ten minutes later.
I sat in the Dean's chair. The Dean, a legendary Archmage named Merlin (unoriginal, I know), stood on the other side of the desk.
"Mr. Cross," the Dean said, sweating. "You... you cannot just take a professorship. You have no credentials!"
"I have the credentials," I said.
I placed the Void Fang on the table.
"It's called 'I am stronger than your entire faculty combined'."
"Also," I pulled out the answers from my Written Test. "I know that General Kael is stealing your funding. I can prove it."
The Dean paled. "You... you know about that?"
"I know everything, old man. I know about the 'Vault of Forbidden Knowledge' in the basement. I know the Academy is built on top of a dormant Dungeon."
I leaned forward.
"Here is the deal."
"1. You make me a 'Special Instructor'. I do whatever I want."
"2. You give me the key to the Vault."
"3. I protect this school when the Second Wave hits in three days."
"Second Wave?" The Dean blinked. "The predictions say the next wave is in a month!"
"The predictions are wrong," I said. "The timeline has accelerated."
"If you don't hire me, this school becomes a graveyard."
The Dean looked at my eyes. He saw the abyss.
He sighed.
"You're hired. Professor Cross."
"Excellent."
I stood up.
"Now, send in my first student."
"Who?"
"Sylvia Frost."
I grinned.
"She needs... remedial lessons. Private ones."
——————————————————————————————————————————
[The "Classroom" (Dungeon Training Room)]
Sylvia walked in. She was still shaking. She had lost her haughty demeanor. She looked like a prey animal walking into a lion's den.
I locked the door.
CLICK.
"Sit," I ordered, pointing to a chair in the center of the room.
She sat. Knees together. Head down.
"You humiliated me," she whispered. "What more do you want?"
I walked behind her.
I placed my hands on her shoulders.
[Dopamine Spike: Sexual Tension / Power Play.]
"I don't want your pride, Sylvia. I broke that."
I leaned down, my lips brushing her ear.
"I want your Legacy."
"Your Ice Magic is inefficient. You use it to freeze. You should use it to stop atoms."
"I'm going to teach you how to be a monster."
"But first..."
I moved my hand down her arm. I activated [The Usurper].
"I need a deposit."
[Skill Stolen: 'Cryo-Stasis' (Passive).]
(User is immune to cold. Ice damage +50%).
She gasped as the skill was ripped from her soul. It felt like a violation. A deep, invasive pleasure-pain.
"Ah! What... what did you do?"
"I took your Talent," I said. "Now you have to earn it back."
I walked around to face her.
"Lesson One: Obedience."
"Take off the uniform."
Sylvia's eyes widened. "What? No! I am a Princess!"
"You are a student," I corrected. "And this gear is holding back your mana flow."
My eyes glowed red.
"Did I stutter?"
Sylvia bit her lip. She looked at the door (locked). She looked at me (invincible).
Slowly, with trembling fingers, she reached for the buttons of her blouse.
Pop.
Pop.
"Good," I smiled.
"Welcome to class."
[Current Status:]
Role: Professor of Violence.
Harem: Broken Saintess (Healer), Broken Princess (Mage).
Loot: Vault Key Acquired.
Next Objective: Raid the Academy Vault -> Fuse the 'Forbidden Knowledge'.