"What did he just say? Seven hundred?!"
"No, no—it's gone up! It's now 801? How is that even possible?"
"Didn't we accuse Fairwind of cheating earlier? But now this guy's numbers just shot up out of nowhere?"
"Okay, sure—cheat if you must, but isn't there a limit? There has to be a rulebook somewhere!"
Almost every student stood frozen, jaws dropped, unable to comprehend what they were seeing and hearing. The instructor from Third Academy had clearly just announced that Ethan's combat power increased mid-report—from 725 to 801 stars.
Only Fairwind stayed calm.
He slowly walked forward, raised his hand, and pinched his own cheek.
"Ow!" he hissed.
Then, eyes wide and sincere, he shouted, "Holy crap! That's my brother! Ethan, your fighting power is legendary!"
Hearing that, several mentors from nearby academies immediately gathered around.
They wanted to see Ethan's panel with their own eyes.
But each time a mentor peered in, they were left speechless.
There was no sign of trickery.
No hidden mechanisms.
Just raw, terrifying numbers.
Meanwhile, Mr. Carter stood stiff on stage, visibly paling.
"Wait… isn't that the kid I dismissed at the start of the semester?" he muttered, horrified. "That weakling? That newbie I barely gave a second glance?!"
Seven. Hundred. Stars.
Now eight hundred and one.
That was higher than his own combat rating!
"Impossible," he gasped.
Still, he couldn't resist. Pushing through the crowd, he called out, "Let me see! Make way!"
Behind him, a line of principals from other academies followed, all equally desperate to see for themselves.
Only one man didn't budge—the principal of Third Academy. He remained still, arms behind his back, looking completely at ease.
And then, from behind him, an elderly woman's voice whispered.
"You look calm."
He turned.
There stood his grandmother, the mysterious headmistress emerita, whose reputation even city officials respected.
"So," she said softly, "how do you like my grandson now?"
The principal smiled warmly.
"He's not bad. To control that many summoned beasts without losing focus is remarkable."
To her, Ethan's explosive combat power was no mystery.
It was just the natural result of his rare profession—a Beast Master.
With enough funding, a Beast Master could acquire multiple powerful creatures. And she knew Ethan had access to massive financial support—100 million credits, personally funneled through her grandson's school account.
But even wealth wasn't enough.
Not all Beast Masters could control so many creatures.
You needed natural affinity, high focus, and mental strength.
From what she saw, Ethan had all of that—and more.
She theorized that Ethan had collected several Gold-tier summons, and possibly even one at Platinum-tier. That, and his pre-turn growth, allowed his stats to soar.
However, even with all this, there was a natural ceiling.
"Before combat power hits 1000 stars, you can still boost it by stacking summoned beasts," she explained calmly. "But once you approach that number, even ten summoned beasts won't move the needle."
In fact, she was aware that Ethan still had nine Wasteland Ants, each with 60-star power, stored in his Beast Space.
But none of them added to his current stats anymore.
"They're negligible at this stage," she added. "Until his lead summon—'Rebel'—crosses 1000 stars, Ethan will be stuck at 999."
Still, the principal smiled with pride.
Even knowing this, seeing his grandmother acknowledge Ethan brought a greater sense of accomplishment than any praise he had received from peers.
Especially because she rarely handed out compliments.
Suddenly, her eyes sharpened.
"Let's not forget," she added sternly, "if I hadn't wired that 100 million, he'd still be playing with bronze-tier bugs."
"And remember—combat power isn't everything."
"If he fails the upcoming entrance exam, I'll personally destroy his summoned beasts and start him over. Got it?"
The principal winced. Her love came with intense discipline.
—
Meanwhile, back on stage, Mr. Carter's thoughts raced.
"How could I forget he's a Beast Master?" he muttered under his breath.
The profession itself was broken. With enough summons and a few lucky upgrades, this kind of combat power wasn't impossible.
But that didn't make Mr. Carter feel any better.
"Did I just build this entire event… to make Ethan the star?"
He shoved his way through the crowd, barely hiding his frustration, and stood directly in front of Ethan.
Despite everything going on around him, Ethan remained perfectly calm, eyes half-lidded, hands folded.
Mr. Carter's face twitched.
Still, there was one thing he had to ask.
"Forget the score for a moment. Explain this—" he leaned in closer. "Why did your combat power suddenly increase like that? What caused the temporary spike?"
That question sparked renewed interest from all the mentors surrounding them.
Even if Ethan's performance wasn't fraudulent, temporary power spikes were unheard of in official testing.
Ethan casually raised his hands in mock surrender.
"One of my summoned beasts matured just now. That's it."
Simple. Straightforward.
The audience blinked.
"Wait, that's possible?" someone whispered.
"Yeah, it makes sense. Maturation increases stats..."
Ethan's summoned beast, nicknamed Great Blade, had just transitioned to maturity.
It was a Zerg-type summon, meaning its growth acceleration could be manipulated. Ethan had cleverly used the "Blue Heart" sacred relic, which allowed rapid evolution without needing nutrient serums or experience potions.
All he had to do was activate the relic, and boom—maturity achieved.
Everyone suddenly understood.
It was legitimate.
His combat power increase wasn't magic.
It was just well-planned beast development, triggered at the perfect time.
Mr. Carter, however, looked like he'd just swallowed acid.
He had hoped—prayed—that something would disqualify Ethan.
But now, he was cornered.
Every eye in the plaza was on him.
Mentors waited for his judgment.
Cameras hovered nearby, streaming everything live.
Banners from Darunhua and other corporate sponsors flapped in the wind, reminding him that this event wasn't just public—it was being watched across Ravenshade City.
He couldn't back out now.
There was no way to override the results without publicly destroying his own credibility.
He inhaled slowly.
Then exhaled—shakily.
"...The combat power of student Ethan has been verified," he finally said, his voice strained but official.
"Temporarily ranked first!"
"Wait!" someone shouted.
But the voice was drowned out by the roaring applause and stunned gasps that followed.
A new king had risen.
---
End of Chapter
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