Just as Dean Horn finished announcing the rules, Principal Aurora, who was seated slightly behind the podium, suddenly stood up and walked toward him.
Seeing the principal approach, Horn immediately stopped talking and leaned in to listen.
Aurora leaned close, partially shielding his mouth with his hand, and whispered a few sentences in a volume only the two of them could hear.
Dean Horn’s expression shifted from slight surprise to realization, and he nodded understandingly.
After finishing his piece, Aurora lightly patted Horn on the shoulder, gave him a look that said “you announce it,” and then turned to return to his seat.
However, this small interlude had already been caught by the more observant students below.
“Why did the principal go up there?”
“Are the rules changing?”
“Or is there some important addition?”
Dean Horn cleared his throat and faced the crowd once again.
“Alright, students, I have finished detailing the rules of the test.”
His gaze slowly swept across the hall as if searching for someone.
“Next, following the principal’s instructions, I will officially announce the Freshman Talent Rankings for this year’s incoming class.”
Boom!
The hall erupted into a flurry of excited discussion!
Talent rankings! And official ones at that!
This was far more authoritative than the rumors circulating in private!
Lilith, who had been feeling a bit drowsy, perked up slightly at the news.
Talent rankings? Was there even a need to announce them?
After all, Principal Aurora himself had evaluated her as a Rank 2 mage. Who else could possibly take the first spot but her?
She leaned back lazily against her chair, already starting to wonder if being the top freshman came with any extra perks.
While Lilith was fantasizing about the benefits of first place, Dean Horn’s voice rang out again:
“After a comprehensive evaluation by the Dean’s Office and approval by the principal, the student ranked first in this year’s freshman talent rankings is...”
He intentionally drew out the last word to build suspense.
Everyone’s hearts leaped into their throats, and their eyes instinctively turned toward Class A’s section.
Even Karl subconsciously tensed up. Although he tried to maintain his composure, his clenched fists betrayed his nerves.
Dean Horn’s gaze also landed precisely on Class A.
Then, he uttered a name that made Lilith’s eyes widen instantly:
“From Instructor Arret’s Class A—Karl Eisenhart!”
“?”
The hall went wild!
Lilith was immediately dumbfounded. “How on earth did the Dean’s Office and the principal calculate this?!”
She instinctively turned her head to look at Karl, who was sitting diagonally behind her.
The tension on Karl’s face had been replaced by smugness.
He straightened his chest, basking in the envious gazes coming from all directions, the corners of his mouth curling up uncontrollably.
Dean Horn’s voice continued, providing the explanation, which only left Lilith even more stunned:
“Student Karl was evaluated as having Rank 5 potential in the light element upon enrollment. During his short half-month here, he has been diligent and shown extraordinary talent. Three days ago, he successfully broke through the Rank 3 apprentice bottleneck and officially promoted to...”
“A Rank 4 Mage!”
“In half a month, from a near-Rank 1 apprentice to Rank 4! Such a promotion speed is unprecedented in the three-hundred-year history of our Holy City Magic Academy! In our comprehensive evaluation, he is rightfully first!”
“...”
The entire assembly hall fell into a deathly silence.
In half a month, an incoming freshman had skipped three ranks to become a Rank 4 Mage?!
This was beyond the level of a genius.
The students below broke into a chaotic chatter.
“Rank 4?! Are you kidding me! My cousin trained hard for three years just to get from Rank 2 to Rank 3!”
“Rank 4 in half a month... how is that possible? Even a direct power transfer shouldn't be that fast!”
“Terrifying... is this the talent of the top nobility?”
Sitting in her seat, Lilith’s expression had shifted from shock to suspicion.
“What kind of nonsense is this?” she grumbled internally. “Karl clearly only had Rank 5 potential during the entrance test. I get that potential doesn't equal reality.”
“But Rank 4 in half a month starting from nothing? You couldn't do that even if you were popping pills!”
“Rank 4 in half a month? This isn't just a matter of resources anymore; it completely violates the basic laws of magical growth!”
Karl clearly noticed the bewildered look Lilith shot him.
The smirk on his face widened, and he even gave his chin a slight, arrogant tilt in her direction.
Lilith understood exactly what he meant. She rolled her eyes wordlessly and looked away.
Shocking as it was, a Rank 4 Mage sounded impressive, but to her—the Demon King—it was still a level she could swat away with a single hand.
However, she was indeed curious.
She was curious about how Karl had managed it. This was far too abnormal.
“I’ll have to ask Veen later,” Lilith muttered to herself. “That guy is well-traveled; he might know something.”
On stage, Dean Horn waited for the discussions to die down before continuing:
“Ranked second in the freshman talent rankings, also from Instructor Arret’s Class A—Lilith!”
This time, there weren't many gasps.
After the shock of Karl’s half-month jump to Rank 4, Lilith’s startling talent of being Rank 2 upon enrollment seemed... normal by comparison.
Dean Horn’s explanation was also brief: “Student Lilith demonstrated extraordinary all-element Rank 6.5 potential during the entrance test. As evaluated by the principal, she already possesses the strength of a Rank 2 mage. Her talent is peerless, and her potential is boundless.”
Lilith shrugged indifferently. Second was fine; it was just a meaningless title anyway.
Dean Horn quickly read through the names from third to tenth place, all of whom were standout students among the Rank 1s and Rank 2s.
Finally, Dean Horn raised his voice once more:
“As a special note! During this freshman combat test, the magical monitoring system of the Mirage Corridor will apply a special marking to the top three ranked students!”
“While marked, all participating students will be able to see the real-time locations of the top three students on the mirage map!”
“This means that in the competition, the top three will not just be facing the opponents in front of them, but may also face deliberate challenges or even coordinated ambushes from other students!”
His eyes burned with intensity as he scanned the crowd, lingering for a moment on Karl and Lilith.
“Visible to everyone? Doesn't that make them live targets!”
“Haha, this is going to be good! Watching those geniuses get ganged up on!”
“The top three are in trouble... especially the first and second. They’ll definitely be targeted!”
“Is this to balance the power gap? Or just to make it more entertaining?”
Karl’s expression flickered instantly. Becoming the target of the masses was not what he wanted.
In his imagination, he was supposed to sweep through everyone with overwhelming force and easily take the championship, not be treated like a raid boss for everyone to group up against.
But he quickly regained his composure. With his Rank 4 strength, he was more than capable of crushing these ordinary 'geniuses,' most of whom hadn't even reached Rank 2!
Actually, this was perfect. He would let everyone witness his true power.
“Alright, this meeting is adjourned!”
Dean Horn concluded.
As Dean Horn’s voice fell, the atmosphere in the hall loosened instantly. Students stood up one after another and flooded toward the exits.
Lilith hadn't walked far from the hall when a provocatively drawled voice came from the side:
“Just you wait, Lilith.”
Karl, flanked by his lackeys, blocked Lilith’s path.
He stood with his arms crossed, his eyes filled with a fighting spirit and blatant contempt.
“In the group elimination matches, I will grind that pathetic dignity of yours into the dirt. I’ll make sure everyone sees who the real number one is!”
His voice wasn't quiet, drawing the attention of many nearby students who stopped to watch the drama.
Lilith stopped and furrowed her brows.
“Fine. But in the elimination rounds, the first one to chicken out is a coward.”
Having said her piece, she didn't bother waiting for Karl’s response and simply walked around them.
The smug, provocative look on Karl’s face froze.
He stared at Lilith’s receding back, his fists clenched so hard his knuckles cracked.
“Fine. You’ve officially pissed me off. In half a month, I’ll make you pay a hundredfold for your arrogance today!”
He turned and spoke coldly to his lackeys, “Let’s go. Back to training. I’m going to become even stronger over these next two weeks!”
Rate on N.U.
