The Hero navigated through the sea of aspirants and approached his friend. They exchanged a few quiet words, observing the proceedings. The Hero quickly realized that the Academy operated differently from the remote villages—there was no preferential treatment or VIP line for the nobility. Everyone knew the rules, and the testing order was absolute.
One by one, the students were led to the massive Awakening Pillar in the center of the courtyard.
His friend was called up first. Placing his hand on the cold stone, the pillar hummed with a warm, earthy light.
[Class: Beast Master | Rank: A]
A murmur of approval rippled through the crowd. An 'A' rank was incredibly rare for a commoner.
Next was the arrogant wealthy heir. With a smug grin, he slammed his hand against the pillar. A blinding silver light erupted.
[Class: Knight | Rank: S]
The proctors immediately stepped forward, respectfully escorting the boy off the stage. As he walked past the Hero, the heir sneered, his voice dripping with condescension. "Look closely, peasant. Have you ever even seen an S-Rank in your miserable life?"
Soon after, it was the cold-blooded girl's turn. She touched the pillar with an indifferent grace. A terrifying aura of frost enveloped the stage.
[Class: Magician | Rank: SS]
The courtyard fell dead silent. Just as everyone had rumored, she was a generational monster.
Time passed, and finally, the proctor called out the Hero's number.
As he stepped forward, he could feel the burning gaze of the wealthy heir from the VIP section. His friend gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Don't be nervous, just do your best," his friend whispered, already more than satisfied with his own 'A' rank.
'Nervous?' The Hero smirked internally. 'I already know my class is going to break their scales. It's a direct reward from the System.'
He placed his palm flat against the ancient surface of the Awakening Pillar.
For a second, nothing happened. Then, a blinding, chaotic light exploded. The holographic letters above the pillar began to glitch wildly.
[Rank: F]... [D]... [B]... [S]... [SS]... [SSS]
The crowd gasped, but the letters didn't stop.
[X]... [XX]... [X.XX]
CRACK!
A deafening fracture echoed through the courtyard. The indestructible Awakening Pillar shattered into a thousand pieces. The sky above the Academy instantly darkened, tearing open to reveal apocalyptic Purple Lightning.
Bolts of violet electricity rained down upon the courtyard. The Academy's Grandmaster teleported onto the stage in a panic, instantly activating a massive Tier-7 Defensive Formation to shield the students. The violent lightning storm raged for half an hour, severely injuring several high-ranking Masters who tried to contain it.
When the skies finally cleared, the Hero found himself swiftly dragged into a soundproof, heavily warded secret chamber by the pale-faced Grandmaster.
Before the old man could utter a word, a glowing blue screen materialized in the Hero's vision.
[System Reboot Complete]
[Displaying Host Status]
Level: 1
EXP: 360 / 1000
Strength: 10
Agility: 10
Mana Power: 20
Defense: 12 (+2 from Iron-Will Band)
Mental Strength: 80 (Anomaly Detected: Stat is independent of Level)
[ALERT: New Information Unlocked!]
[The 12 Absolute Rules of the World have been revealed.]
[Warning: Rule #1 has already been broken by the Host.]
'Twelve rules? And I've already broken one?' The Hero's eyes narrowed.
The System promptly responded. [Rule #1 violation: Your Class and Growth Potential vastly exceed the limitations of this current world. Your existence is an anomaly.]
"Boy..." The Grandmaster's trembling voice pulled him out of his thoughts. The old man looked at him with a mix of awe and sheer terror. "If word of what just happened leaves this courtyard, you will be assassinated within three days. The Empires will not allow a monster like you to grow."
The Hero remained silent, calculating his options.
"I have activated the Academy's Emergency Memory Erasing Formation," the Grandmaster continued, wiping sweat from his brow. "It is meant for catastrophic accidents. Do I have your permission to wipe the memories of the last hour? We will alter their minds to remember your rank as simply 'SS'. Only you and I will know the truth."
"Do it," the Hero agreed instantly, his voice calm. Surviving was the only thing that mattered.
As the Grandmaster prepared the spell, he looked at the Hero one last time. "Your potential is terrifying, child. But right now... you are like a deep, bottomless well that only contains a single drop of water."
Flash.
The world blurred. When the Hero blinked, he was standing back on the stage. The Awakening Pillar was perfectly intact. Above it, glowing letters displayed:
[Class: Dark Awakener | Rank: SS]
The memory wipe had been flawless. No one remembered the purple lightning or the shattered pillar.
Down in the crowd, the wealthy heir stared at the 'SS' above the Hero's head. His face turned purple with rage and humiliation. Unable to accept that a commoner had outranked his 'S' class, he angrily stormed out of the Academy grounds.
From a distance, the cold-blooded girl locked eyes with the Hero. For a fraction of a second, a flicker of curiosity crossed her stoic face. She didn't say a word, simply turning on her heel and walking away.
The Hero let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He had survived the first disaster.
Suddenly, a heavy arm wrapped around his neck. It was his friend, practically vibrating with excitement.
"Bro! Are you a literal God?!" his friend yelled, shaking him. "An SS-Rank with a Dark Class?! Oh my god... I got an 'A' rank Beast Master class, but you... you're going to be a legend! Don't forget me when you become the strongest in the world, alright?"
The Hero finally allowed a genuine smile to touch his lips. "Don't worry, brother. I won't forget you."
Before they could celebrate further, the harsh, magically amplified voice of the Proctor echoed across the courtyard.
"The First Phase is complete. The Second Phase will commence in exactly thirty minutesThirty minutes later, the second phase of the examination was announced. To the shock of many, it was a '1 vs 1 Combat Round.' The brackets were to be decided based on their previous ranks. Upon hearing this, the Hero's friend turned pale with terror. As the lower-ranked students (below A-Rank) began their matches, the reality of the situation hit him hard.
The friend rushed toward the Hero, nearly in tears. "I'm finished! My class is Beast Master, but I don't even have a pet! How am I supposed to fight a duel with my bare hands?"
The Hero placed a steady hand on his shoulder. "Keep your head up. You must have learned some skill, right? Think."
"I did," the friend sobbed. "I spent an entire year's savings on a skill book, but I got [Egg Hatching]. It allows me to accelerate incubation, form instant contracts, and boost a pet's growth rate. But what use is that in a fight? Beast eggs cost a fortune! My luck is just cursed."
A spark of realization lit up the Hero's eyes. He remembered the massive, pulsating egg sitting in his system storage—the Griffin's offspring.
"If I provide you with an egg right now," the Hero asked, his voice low, "can you hatch it in time for your match?"
The friend looked startled but nodded. "I... I can certainly try."
Taking advantage of his status as an SS-Rank aspirant, the Hero led him to the private quarters assigned to him. Once the door was locked, the Hero manifested the massive Griffin egg. The sheer aura of the unhatched beast made the air in the room feel heavy.
"Consider yourself lucky to have a friend like me," the Hero remarked with a faint smirk. Leaving his stunned friend with the egg, he turned and headed back to the arena to observe the ongoing battles.