Bob patted Alex on the shoulder. "Go get 'em, bro! I believe in you!"
Alex nodded, strutting up there like he was on a runway. Halfway through, he even did a little spin—gotta make sure everyone got a good look at that face.
Sure enough, girls started screaming.
"That's Sleep-Talk Guy! The one who went off during the speech!"
"Damn! So extra. That swagger, it's definitely him!"
"Wonder what kinda beast a guy like that's gonna get..."
"Tch, total nobody. Not even from a big family. Acting all cool—does he really think he's gonna fly?"
"Right?! Rex is way better..."
Alex raised an eyebrow but didn't give a shit.
A real genius, a true main character, never cares about trash talk.
He walked up to the crystal ball and knocked on it. "Yo, you should feel honored. You know how many other crystal balls never get this chance?"
The ball stayed silent. The principal's face went dark.
"Hurry it up! Hundreds of students waiting. You waste one minute, that's hundreds of minutes gone!"
Alex blinked. Wait, do people actually do math like that?
He put his hand on the crystal ball.
Instant—BOOM! Thunder roared across the sky!
Rainbow light exploded out, wrapping around Alex like he was the center of the damn universe.
Everyone else went dim, like background NPCs.
A rainbow-colored portal formed right in front of him.
The principal's wig flew straight off his head, but he didn't even notice.
Three full seconds of dead silence. Then—complete explosion!
"Holy SHIT! What kind of miracle is this?!"
"Rainbow light! Not purple, not red—SEVEN colors!"
"No way... this kind of scene only shows up in ancient records!"
"X-rank awakening!! First X-rank in the whole country! We're witnessing history!"
The hall went absolutely insane. Voices crashed into each other, people screaming over one another.
Some whipped out phones to livestream, others shoved forward so hard they lost shoes and didn't even care.
Bob jumped on a chair, fist pumping the air.
"That's my brother! THAT'S MY BROTHER!!" His neck veins bulged, voice cracking, but he kept screaming.
Rex froze in place, mouth twitching. Fingers clenched so tight his knuckles went white. Tried to say something but his throat locked up.
All the girls around him turned away, skirts swishing, hair brushing past his face—not a single backwards glance.
They all charged toward Alex.
"Alex! Sleep with me! You don't even have to be responsible!!"
"Alex! Ten times—I'll pay YOU!"
"Alex! A hundred times is fine! I'll put my house in your name!"
"Alex! I'll give you 100k just to hold my hand!"
"I'll pay a million! Just kiss me!"
Someone was waving a credit card. Someone held up a payment QR code.
One girl straight-up threw her purse on the ground and reached out toward Alex with both hands.
Even a few usually ice-cold, elegant teachers pushed forward, clutching their clothes with one hand, the other pressed to their chests, breathing hard and fast.
Eyes locked on Alex, lips trembling, mouths opening and closing without sound.
Some guys were filming nonstop, yelling,
"First X-rank in the nation! Live witness!" One dude lost both shoes in the stampede but kept pushing forward barefoot.
The principal swallowed hard, almost dropped to his knees.
"Alex... from now on... the school will be named after you!"
Alex didn't look excited. Just stood there, giving everyone a mysterious view of his back.
"X-rank, huh. Exactly what I expected from my talent."
He glanced over his shoulder. "Quiet down, everyone. Time for me to show off."
Instant silence. Everyone held their breath, eyes glued to Alex and that rainbow portal.
A hand—pale as white jade—slowly reached out.
Alex froze. That didn't look like any beast.
Then came a face—delicate eyebrows, long lashes, pale lips, skin almost glowing. Her hair cascaded down like flowing water, swaying gently.
The hall went so quiet you could only hear breathing.
Some people's eyes went wide, didn't dare blink. Others' mouths hung open, forgot to close them.
A few guys just stood there frozen, phones slipping from their hands without them even noticing.
She opened her eyes—iridescent pupils locked onto Alex.
Alex smiled back.
In that moment, her whole body trembled. The light in her eyes turned to pure fear.
She scrambled backward, hands and feet flailing, and bolted back into the portal.
Gone in a flash.
Alex: "?????"
Before he could even process what happened, the rainbow portal vanished. A gray one popped up instead, and something got yeeted out—
A yellow slime.
Landed right on his head.
Looked exactly like... poop.
And that was it.
Dead. Silence. Even quieter than before.
One second. Two seconds. Three—
"Pfft—!"
Someone cracked. Then laughter exploded like a tsunami.
"HOLY SHIIIIT!"
"Did I just see what I think I saw?! The goddess-level X-rank... RAN AWAY?!"
"And then... a yellow slime?! Stuck in his hair?!"
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!"
Girls in the front row turned red, guys in the back slapped walls and rolled on the floor.
Bob's fist froze mid-air, face twitching. "B-bro... on your head... that looks like... actual poop..."
Rex pointed straight at Alex, voice cracking. "Hahaha! X-rank?! THIS?! This is our national treasure? More like national TRASH!"
His lackeys jumped in. "S-L-I-M-E! One peck from Rex's Gale Eagle could eat ten of those!"
The principal plopped down on the stairs, clutching his bald head.
"Rainbow portal... just ran away?"
The slime made a "plop" sound, wiggled twice on Alex's head, and blew a bubble. The air filled with a faint durian smell.
"Ughhh!" Girls pinched their noses and backed away fast.
The rich lady who promised her house stumbled backward, heel stomping someone's phone to death.
Alex kept that serious side profile, but his pupils were shaking like crazy and the corner of his mouth wouldn't stop twitching.
What the actual fuck just happened?
My X-rank goddess beast RAN AWAY?
And left me with... a slime?
Slime—what rank was that again?
Oh right. F-rank. The whole country doesn't even have an F-rank.
So yeah, technically I still made history.
But... why? WHY ME??
His mind went blank until a mocking voice yanked him back.
Rex spread his arms, already holding two girls, eyes full of pure scorn.
"As expected. Trash stays trash. Can't crawl outta the dumpster your whole life."
"X-rank? More like instant-shit rank. I'm dying over here."
"Thanks for the entertainment, new school mascot. We'll hang your picture in the bathroom."
He turned, pulling the girls closer. "Poop King, don't forget to bring air freshener next time."
The principal frowned but stayed quiet.
The whole hall erupted in boos. Hot girls, hot teachers—none of them cheering for Alex anymore.
Just sneers and mockery.
After all, the higher you climb, the harder you eat shit. Endless mocking voices stabbed into Alex's ears.
Crushed his mind.
Alex took a deep breath. A system screen popped up in his vision.
[Option 1: Shout that Rex is the best! Admit you're trash compared to him and beg to be his lackey.]
[Reward: Small Spirit Power]
[Title: Coward. -100% attraction with opposite sex.]
[Option 2: Stay quiet, focus on growing with the system, lay low for now.]
[Reward: 1,000,000 dollars]
[Title: Ninja Turtle. +100% mental fortitude.]
[Option 3: Challenge Rex on the spot! Bet everything you have—one year from now, fight to the death!]
[Reward: Massive Spirit Power!]
[Title: Reborn Genius. +100% luck, +10% attraction with opposite sex.]
Alex lifted his eyes—cold and sharp.
He knew he had to do something. RIGHT NOW.
He wasn't a good guy. Never was the type to swallow his pride.
Option one? Hell no. Option two? Nice rewards, but still nah.
Only option three made sense—the perfect choice.
And he was 100% confident. Even with just a slime, he could rip through this world.
After all, he was still the main character.
"Rex. You got the guts to make a bet?"
Rex stopped and turned his head.
"What'd you say?"
"I said, you got the guts? One year from today. Life or death. You in?"
Rex turned all the way around, smiling.
"Me? You and your F-rank slime? Bet with ME?"
Laughter rang out again. The two girls beside Rex rolled their eyes hard.
Alex stayed calm.
"What, you scared?"
Rex raised an eyebrow.
"Scared? Of you? Or your slime pooping on me?"
Alex smiled.
"If you're not scared, why you still yapping? You a coward or what?"
Bob started screaming, hyping him up:
"Coward! Coward! He's scared of a slime! COWARD!"
Other students joined in, chanting:
"Coward! Coward!"
Rex's face went dark. Finally, he spoke.
"Fine. Life and death bet."
A wind blade shot from his fingertips, carving deep lines into the ground.
"One year from now. Loser kneels and licks the winner's shoes—then dies."