Ryn stood before the massive gates of the Academy of Heroes.
He had a problem. A 50-gold-coin-a-month problem.
In the story, I gave Leon a full scholarship because of his 'Special attribute' Ryn thought, biting his lip. But I'm just a commoner named Ryn. If I don't get that scholarship, I'm sleeping in the gutters.
He joined the massive line of examinees. When he finally reached the front, the receptionist held out a bored hand. "ID."
Ryn handed over the card that the System had generated. She stared at it for a long, agonizing minute.
Ryn's heart hammered—was the "Perfect Disguise" really perfect?
"Go through," she muttered, handing him a pass card.
I don't remember writing a background check this strict, Ryn noted. The world is filling in the blanks. It's becoming... detailed.
...
He soon entered his assigned exam center.
The room was packed with nervous nobles and arrogant prodigies. Ryn found a seat in the back, trying to be invisible. Suddenly, the door swung open.
A man with a massive, muscular build and a jagged tattoo on his temple stepped in. The air in the room seemed to vanish.
Brandon Ignatious, Ryn recognized him instantly. The man who turned Leon from a boy into a warrior. I wrote him to be a beast... and he looks even scarier in person.
"My name is Brandon Ignatious," the man boomed. "I will be proctoring your written exam. If you move a lip, you fail. If you look at your neighbor, you fail. If you breathe too loudly... you fail."
With a wave of his hand, papers flew onto the desks like guided missiles.
"Begin."
Ryn looked down at Question 1 and felt his soul leave his body.
[Question 1]
Calculate the exact angle \theta of a prismatic mana attribute that leads to a turning point of dilated energy, assuming the constant of atmospheric mana \Phi is: {\Phi = \int_{0}^{t} \Psi(x) \,dx}
What the hell is this? Ryn screamed internally. I just wrote 'the exam was really difficult' and skipped the details! I'm an author, not a physicist!
He glanced at Question 2. It was worse.
[Question 2]
Identify the fastest attribute for spatial manipulation given a displacement D that is transcendent to the wave-line \lambda
\lambda = \frac{h}{p \cdot \sqrt{1 - \frac{v^2}{c^2}}}
"System!" Ryn hissed in his mind. "I need the answers. Now!"
Ding!
_______________________________
[Knowledge Pack: 'Academy of Heroes' Answer Key]
Cost: 500 Glory Points.
[Yes] / [No]
__________________________________
Ryn smashed the [Yes] button. (1,500 GP remaining).
Suddenly, a flood of complex equations and magical theory burned into his brain.
He didn't understand why the answers were right, but his hand moved like it was possessed.
Scratch. Scratch. Scratch.
He was writing so fast he didn't notice Brandon Ignatious walking toward him. The giant man stopped at Ryn's desk, his shadow looming over the paper.
"You," Brandon growled.
Ryn froze. Every eye in the room snapped to him.
"Stand up."
Brandon searched Ryn for cheat sheets, his eyes narrowing when he found nothing.
He looked at the paper—at the answers to Question 3, which was supposed to be a "trap" question with no solution.
"What is your name?" Brandon asked ferociously.
"Ryn."
"Last name?"
"I don't have one."
A commoner. Brandon's eyes lingered on Ryn for a moment longer before he stepped back. "Continue. But I'm watching you."
...
The written test was over. Now, the students stood in a grand hall faced with "Test Slabs"—reinforced magic-conductive stone. To get into the S-Class and secure the 10,000 GP mission reward, Ryn needed to be more than just "smart."
He needed to be a monster.
System... I know exactly the Attribute I need.
________________________________
[Attribute: Colossus]
Effect: Strength increases to C+ when stacked.
Cost: 1,000 Glory Points.
[Yes] / [No]
________________________________
Ryn hit [Yes]. (500 GP remaining).
He felt a surge of raw, volcanic heat pour into his arm. His muscles didn't grow larger, but they felt like they were made of compressed lead.
"Ryn! You're up!"
Ryn stepped onto the stage. The nobles in the front row sneered. "Who his he? Will he even be able to pay the school fee even if he passes"
Ryn didn't look at them. He looked at the floor. He wound up his fist, the [Colossus] attribute stacking his power until his knuckles glowed with a faint, golden pressure.
[Skill: Colossus - STACKED]
He punched the floor with every ounce of his soul.
Silence.
For a second, nothing happened. Then—
BOOM!
The reinforced slab didn't just crack; it pulverized. A massive shockwave exploded outward, sending a cloud of obsidian dust and debris flying into the audience.
Nobles screamed, ducking for cover as the floor beneath Ryn vanished into a three-meter-deep crater.
Ryn stood in the center of the destruction, steam rising from his fist.
"I hope," he whispered, wiping dust from his blue eyes, "that was enough for the scholarship."
The entire hall was dead silent. Brandon Ignatious stared at the crater, then at the commoner boy, his eyes wide with a mixture of shock and predatory interest.
-----------------[Status]---------------------
Name: Malverkor Junior
Age: 16
Race: Archdemon
Rank: F (Lowest Grade)
[Stats]
• Strength: F
• Speed:F+
• Charima F
• Vitality: E+
• Mana: 184 / 184
[Attribute]: [colossus]
[Bloodline Ability]: [Demon Domain]
[Assessment]: A pathetic disappointment. You are the weakest 'Demon King' candidate in history.
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