A shock spread among everyone present, whether it was Arthur, Selina, Kai, or Kira. Their eyes widened at the enormity of what had happened—even Ryan, who had never cared about anyone and kept flirting with Anya, felt the shock.
"How did that happen?"
That was the question running through the minds of all the students, whether nobles or commoners. None of them understood anything.
Alan smiled slightly and muttered to himself:
"Hehehe, very good, this is even better than I expected."
Beside him, Ayla's green eyes gleamed with a sparkle, as memories of her teacher and his last lesson before beginning his own journey on the path of the sword resurfaced.
"Ayla, what does the sword mean?"
"Umm, Master, that's the same question you asked me when I became your disciple."
"Yes, and I want to know your answer after ten years. Is it the same as before, or not?"
"Well, in the past the answer was that the sword is a killing weapon. But now, the sword is an extension of my body."
"It seems you've found your own answer."
Ayla tilted her head slightly.
"What do you mean?"
"What I mean is that every person has their own answer about the sword—and about all weapons."
"And you, Master, what's your answer?"
"The sword is an extension of my soul."
Ayla felt a slight sense of confusion.
"Ayla, don't think too much. You need to realize that everyone has their own path."
The memories passed quickly as she watched Ares standing calmly with his sword before him. They looked like a single entity.
Suddenly, a professor beside Alan spoke:
"This is impossible, there must be a malfunction in this dummy."
Another teacher on the opposite side intervened:
"Yes, that's what I think, it looks like we'll have to repeat the test again."
When the audience heard the teachers' intervention claiming there was something wrong with the training dummy, whispers spread among them:
"Yes, that must be true."
"Right, how could he cut a dummy that even a One-Star Knight can't cut?"
Voices spread throughout the hall, doubting that Ares had truly cut the dummy, ignoring the possibility that he might possess abilities surpassing a One-Star Knight.
Ares looked at everyone as they doubted him, but he did not step forward to defend himself. Instead, he stood calmly, gazing at the Academy Director and the Sword Saintess.
"They hold the final say in success or failure. As for the teachers who started this, he didn't care about them."
Alan and Ayla looked at the calm and confident Ares, as if the one being talked about wasn't him at all. This raised their evaluation of him significantly.
Suddenly, a loud cry erupted:
"Shut your filthy mouths, you losers!"
It was Kai shouting at all those who doubted Ares.
"Come on, you bastards! Who are you to speak of our leader like that?"
Behind him, a cold voice came—it was Kira, addressing everyone.
All eyes turned to them as they stood before everyone, their backs facing Ares.
Arthur, watching the scene, his eyes shone in anticipation of what would happen next.
Selina, who had been watching Ares standing calmly amid the storm of doubt, felt her anger soften and turn into greater interest, nurturing a seed of curiosity about him.
Ryan, who was watching, suddenly heard his teacher's voice in his head:
"Ryan, this boy is extremely dangerous."
Ryan didn't understand why his teacher's evaluation of this boy was so high.
"What's dangerous about him? Even I could do that if I just tried hard enough!"
"Ryan, I don't know, but my intuition tells me so."
But Ryan didn't feel any tension because of his teacher's words and instead refocused on Anya, who was still gaping in shock at Ares' ability.
As for Ares, who heard Kai and Kira's words, he didn't look back.
"Kai, Kira, enough."
A calm voice that made those who heard it fall silent and lower their heads in respect.
"But…"
Before Kai and Kira could speak, they both fell silent at the same time, their heads lowered.
No one understood what was happening. It was obvious they were about to argue, but they stopped suddenly. The real reason was that they had seen Ares' shadow fall, as he turned his head and looked directly at them.
Ares then looked at the proctor and spoke calmly:
"What should we do now?"
When the proctor heard Ares' words, he snapped out of his shock and looked closely at him, trying to recall the movement of his sword cutting the dummy as if slicing through butter. He knew the truth—that the dummy wasn't malfunctioning at all. It had been in perfect condition, specially maintained for this test, at the request of the Academy Director himself.
Suddenly, an idea struck him:
"Could it be that the Director knew this would happen? Then… this is a little monster. The Academy Director knew he would be here!"
The proctor turned his head toward the Director, who smiled at him and nodded in agreement.
"Ares qualifies with full marks!"
The proctor's voice rang through the hall like the beating of war drums.
Chaos spread among the students:
"How is that possible?"
"Wasn't the dummy broken?"
And so, a storm of debates erupted among them. One teacher stood up, intending to protest, but Alan raised his hand in a gesture to stop.
The moment the students saw the gesture, they stopped. The Director had declared the result valid.
After the hall quieted down, the proctor spoke again:
"Well then, here we announce the end of the elite test, and tomorrow the successful candidates and their classes will be revealed. For now, everyone must remain calm on their way out."
Thus the test ended, and as Ares prepared to leave, a familiar blue screen appeared before him.
[Ding Ding]
[System update completed]
When he saw the screen, he felt joy—it had finished updating at the perfect time.
If it had taken any longer, the system would have been useless. To properly understand its functions, he decided to return home quickly, unafraid of losing sight of Kai and Kira.
Amid the crowd, Ares disappeared like mist dissolving into the breeze.
Kai and Kira searched for him, but in vain. So did Selina and Arthur.
Ares, who had vanished like a ghost, had already reached the bustling heart of the city, walking among the stalls of diverse foods.
At first, he thought of heading home, but his stomach protested loudly, demanding a delicious meal. Ares noticed the city's lively atmosphere; it was at its peak activity and noise. Yet behind the scenes, things were becoming more complicated, like a spider's web ensnaring the entire city.
"It seems the snake hasn't accepted that his life is now under someone else's control," Ares muttered quietly.
He didn't care what Robin would do—whether he searched for an antidote to the poison, which didn't exist in this timeline, or simply followed his orders. Ares walked with a skewer of roasted meat in hand, the aroma of grilling and rich spices warming his palm.
"If he can't carry out my command, that means he's trash and must be replaced."
Ares took a big bite from the skewer, savoring the seasoned, smoky flavor of the meat. He was about to enter one of the dark alleys to take a shortcut when he suddenly spotted a familiar figure.
It was an old woman—the same one from whom he had bought the Shadow Pendant and the Fusion Box.
Before her lay a faded cloth displaying various items, some shiny, others ancient. Immediately, he used the King's Eye. If there was one thing Ares had missed most from the system, it was this ability.
Unfortunately, everything displayed was ordinary and worthless—except for one item tucked in the corner. It looked like a mask made from the wood of an ancient tree, carved with eye-like symbols in the form of two deep curved lines.
[Name: Demon Mask
Type: Accessory
Grade: Rare
Functions:
Conceals private information from all spying methods.
Alters your physical form regardless of race, gender, or age.
Absorbs the identity of those you transform into, stealing their memories and habits.
Description: A demon mask crafted from a tree that drank demon blood for a thousand years, created by a madman who sought to steal a king's identity.
(Warning: Beware of being devoured by the Demon Mask, for it will become you).]
When Ares read the information about the Demon Mask, his body shuddered slightly. He remembered a story he had heard in his previous life, about a servant from a noble family who disguised himself as his master, causing countless massacres, and who later became the founder of the Plague Cult.
"Could it be that this mask was the cause of what happened in my previous life?" he wondered inwardly, tightening his grip on the remaining skewer.
Ares didn't dwell on it—whether it was the cause or not, this was a rare opportunity, and he wouldn't let it slip away to anyone.
"Today is truly my lucky day!"
He quickly changed his steps, heading toward the old woman to buy the Demon Mask, and then return home.
_____
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