CHAPTER - 13
~ The Next Day ~
September 11, 2035
Vittorio De Santis: (Cheerful) Good morning, Dav!
Did you sleep well?
I think I drank too much and slept terribly! AHAHAH
Dav: (Touching his head) I think I'm feeling all of my 32 years now… even though I still look 22.
But it was fun.
Vittorio De Santis: For me, little sugar, just one packet is fine.
Dav: How many Grade B students showed up yesterday? I can't remember.
Vittorio De Santis: Hmm... I don't remember their names, but I think about twenty or thirty were Grade B, the rest were around Grade C and lower.
Dav: (Thinking out loud) I have the impression that someone is hiding their true grade, but I can't figure out why.
Vittorio De Santis: (Laughing) How can you tell?
I didn't notice anything like that…
Maybe being the hero also comes with the privilege of spotting talents! AHAHAH
Dav: (Looking at Vittorio) I'm not sure, but I had the impression that their auras, their mana, didn’t match the evaluations...
Why would someone hide their grade?
Vittorio De Santis: Usually, someone would do it to keep a low profile and avoid problems, like fake friendships or revealing their strength only when challenged.
For others, their families probably told them to.
How many high-rankers do you think are hiding?
Dav: Not many.
If I had to give a number based on the ones who caught my attention… I’d say five.
Vittorio De Santis: (Serious) That’s a good number.
I just hope they get along with your family—no jealousy or the usual drama about favoritism.
But that would only happen if two high-rankers start it.
Lower ranks wouldn't even dream of picking that fight.
Dav: Anyway…
When does the second phase start?
It’s already 10:00.
Vittorio De Santis: At 13:00, from what the professor told me before I left yesterday.
Professor Rugerus Andreas: (Suddenly) Exactly.
Good morning, gentlemen. I hope I’m not interrupting.
May I join you for a coffee?
(Smiling) Good morning, professor.
Please, have a seat.
Is that alright with you, Dav?
Dav: You don’t even need to ask.
Having coffee with friends has never been a problem for me.
Vittorio De Santis: (Dramatic) My young heart might melt...
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Professor Rugerus Andreas: (Sarcastic) Mr. Vittorio, aren’t you 65?
The "young heart" story doesn’t quite add up. AHAHAH
Vittorio De Santis: Professor, you're hilarious!!.
Dav: Let’s meet again for lunch, then.
For now, I’m going to explore the academy a bit.
I never got the chance to experience it…
So I’ll just observe.
Rugerus/Vittorio: See you later!
Dav: It’s really beautiful!
I can’t show too much emotion, but I need to be an authoritative figure for the students.
Narrator: He continued wandering through various places, such as the libraries, classrooms, the training arena, and the event hall.
A grand academy, just as he expected.
Everyone remained silent and didn’t dare speak to the hero.
Except for one person.
Elysia Valenhart
Elysia Valenhart: (Determined) One day, I will catch up to you!
Narrator: Dav showed only a hint of a smile and raised his arm in a gesture that meant, “I’ll be waiting.”
Exploring the academy took a long time, and he ended up near the dormitories.
In the meantime, he secretly went to check on his brother and nephew.
Dav: So they’re in the same room!
That’s good.
I hope Martina doesn’t start any fights…
That girl, Elysia Valenhart…
I don’t think they’ll get along.
I need to hurry—the lunch with those two!
~ A Few Minutes Later ~
Dav: Sorry, gentlemen, I got lost exploring this enormous academy...
Vittorio De Santis: No worries, we can eat now.
What will you have, professor?
Professor Rugerus Andreas: Pasta with ragù and some bread.
Dav: I think I’ll have some cutlets with fries and a bit of cola.
Vittorio De Santis: (Laughing) Are you sure you’re 32? HAHAHA
I’ll have a nice chicken burger with green beans!
~ 10 Minutes Later ~
Dav: You’re not getting my fries, so stop looking at them like that!
You called me a kid earlier. [>->]
Vittorio De Santis: (Bargaining) In exchange, I’ll give you some green beans!
Dav: (Serious) Fine, then.
Professor Rugerus Andreas: AHAHAH!
~ 30 Minutes Later ~
Professor Rugerus Andreas: We need to go.
~ Walking for a While ~
Professor Rugerus Andreas: We’ll be in this upper room to observe them during the physical test.
Dav: How does this work?
What will they have to fight?
Professor Rugerus Andreas: They’ll fight almost real holographic monsters so that their ranks are evaluated correctly.
Depending on the rank, a monster or multiple monsters will appear.
Vittorio De Santis: Very interesting…
Let’s see what these kids can show me.
Professor Rugerus Andreas: This time, the high ranks will go first.
So, the top 1 from the last evaluation is your brother, Gabriel.
His opponent will be a giant A-rank golem.
Dav: Shouldn’t it be A+ rank?
Professor Rugerus Andreas: We set the monsters slightly below the students' rank to avoid accidents.
Vittorio De Santis: Dav, do you plan on watching all of them?
Dav: Just the high ranks, to make sure I was wrong about some hiding their true ranks.
Vittorio De Santis: It’s going to be a long day like yesterday…
From this monitor, we can watch multiple high-rank battles at once.
Gabriel, Marco, Martina, Elysia Valenhart, and these Grade Bs.
Professor Rugerus Andreas: They’re about to start.
Narrator: Many eyes were on the Lion family and especially on that girl.
Gabriel faced a massive 12-meter-tall golem covered in hard stone.
Marco fought against ten Grade B monsters.
Martina had the same, but as an attack mage, her enemies were even more numerous.
Elysia Valenhart fought against a gigantic 4-meter-tall orc.
Gabriel immediately used aura and tried to deflect the golem’s attacks with his stone shield magic.
Martina started by creating six magic circles to eliminate the monsters and used her staff for close-range attacks.
Marco launched numerous lightning cannons from above, incinerating all the monsters effortlessly.
His lightning, faster than light itself, was an intense purple.
Martina, while clearing out the monsters with her attack magic, made sure not to use too much mana.
With her staff, she used wind magic to shred the monsters' bodies, finishing her trial with a massive 10-meter-wide magic circle that wiped out the entire area.
Elysia Valenhart had no trouble finishing her trial with her two incredibly sharp swords, infused with a great aura.
Only Gabriel remained, preparing his best attack—Aura Blade: 50,000 Slash Fangs—vaporizing the golem without leaving a single trace.
Vittorio De Santis: Gabriel’s attack reminded me of your final strike against the boss.
Did you teach him that move?
Dav: Ahaha, you’re mistaken.
That’s all thanks to his training with our uncle.
Narrator: Vittorio De Santis and Professor Rugerus Andreas were speechless…
His 9-year-old nephews and his 14-year-old brother had trained under him…
Dav: There’s just one problem.
I think it’s time to talk about it…
-- END OF CHAPTER 13 --
