A day has passed since the exam started.
Due to the overwhelming number of invitations sent out, over a hundred thousand people challenged the exam, and many successfully cleared it.
《‘The Fourth Form of the Vampire’ Clear List.》
《1. Leo A+ (Time taken: 5 minutes 59 seconds) – Bloodstone Destruction.》
《2. Beriard A- (Time taken: 17 minutes 21 seconds) – Bloodstone Destruction.》
《3. Yena B- (Time taken: 1 hour 12 minutes 29 seconds) – Bloodstone Destruction.》
《4. Candy Star B- (Time taken: 1 hour 49 minutes 27 seconds) – Hunting all vampires.》
《5. Redberry B- (Time taken: 2 hours 18 minutes 11 seconds) – Hunting all vampires.》
《6. Black C+ (Time taken: 2 hours 53 minutes 24 seconds) – Hunting all vampires.》
《7. Aisha D+ (Time taken: 1 hour 31 minutes 5 seconds) – Bloodstone Destruction.》
《8…
As expected, the most eye-catching is Leo’s destructive time.
He cleared it about three times faster than Beriard, who used some clever tricks.
I wondered how many times he attempted the Progenitor challenge, but at some point, he must have thought it was futile and ultimately chose the orthodox route.
So far, a total of 18 people have passed.
Most of them are Rankers or well-known players I recognize.
If we look beyond the top 10, there are a few players I saw in the DCK finals not long ago.
At this rate, could we fill about 30?
“Lady Lily!”
“Welcome.”
Leo came to the Academy Dean’s Office, saying he had a question for me.
Looking at his pure white hair and eyes, it seems he’s still maintaining Spirit Ascension.
“How do you feel about being the top student?”
“Hehe. This is just basic, you know. Hmm hmm.”
Leo nods and continues to boast about himself.
Has he been here for quite a while this time?
He seems quite absorbed in the penalty; Leo looks just like a complete Nymph.
“Is it okay to be maintaining Spirit Ascension like that? I heard it consumes a lot of power.”
Leo, who usually didn’t maintain Spirit Ascension unless there was a fight, came here in this state.
And it’s not just any Spirit, but the difficult-to-handle Light Spirit.
Leo shook his head.
“No, it’s different now. We’ve truly become one.”
“?”
What on earth happened?
As I looked at Leo questioningly for a moment, he confidently clenched his tiny fist.
Zzzzt!
Lightning crackled from his hand, and his white hair began to turn yellow.
But not everything changed, just half.
“…?”
An unusual aura rises from Leo, who now possesses heterochromia with white and yellow eyes.
A surge of qualitative energy rises.
Light and lightning.
Leo, who successfully accomplished Spirit Ascension for both attributes, grasped the white lightning.
“I wasn’t sure if this would work, but it really did. Isn’t it amazing?”
“…Where did you learn something like that?”
It’s a stage that’s still out of reach.
At the very least, Leo needed to attend several more lectures and break down the compulsory barrier like Yena to attain this level.
The fact that he was able to perform Spirit Ascension for two elements is already absurd.
Moreover, Leo even achieved attribute fusion.
Maybe he felt the situation was becoming serious?
The once playful Leo shrank a bit.
“Uh, I didn’t intend for that to happen…”
“It’s Lasty, right?”
“Oops. That’s right.”
I expected it but didn’t think I’d be challenged this early.
It’s true that I gave Lasty a certain level of authority.
The reason for opening a dimension to show Lasty and the Pharaoh—two monsters—was to use them as professors.
As the academy grows larger, I won’t be able to teach everything alone.
By showing them, I aimed to create familiarity and a basis for selecting them as professors.
“So, is it wrong…?”
“No, it’s not wrong. After all, you were going to teach them anyway.”
There’s no problem.
As I mentioned earlier, the level Leo reached was one he had to attain eventually.
Given the situation is just a step away from the Kraken awakening, the faster Leo’s awakening progresses, the better.
However.
“What did Lasty say?”
“…Um. Don’t deny it? Mind and body are one, so accept it. That’s how you get stronger?”
“……”
“Is that wrong?”
It’s not wrong.
In fact, it is true that one can become stronger, and the union of body and mind does facilitate the effective use of power.
“It’s not wrong. I just don’t agree, though.”
“Uh? I said that too.”
“What did you say?”
“That humans must remain humans. Lady Lily said such a thing.”
“……”
“When I heard it, I couldn’t quite grasp what it meant… Do you have any idea what it refers to?”
Humans must remain humans.
It’s quite literal.
“It’s a simple story. Is Lord Leo’s essence a human or a nymph?”
“……Umm.”
Leo pondered.
If it were usual, before awakening his eyes due to the progenitor’s penalty, he would have said he’s a human.
But Leo has already opened his eyes and gained special skills.
To him, the essence of being human or nymph no longer mattered.
No longer does the essence of being human or nymph hold significance.
Rather, it seems more about the nymph side…
“You think it’s the nymph side, right?”
“About 80%…? Ha, but humans too…”
“That’s fine then.”
“Yup?”
“Accepting whichever it is is up to you. I’m human and I see myself as such, but Lord Leo prefers the nymph side, doesn’t he?”
“Uh… that’s true, though.”
Whether human or nymph, he’s still Leo.
As long as Leo maintains his nature, it doesn’t really matter what he is.
“Just be careful from now on.”
“Huh? Careful about what?”
“Lasty said it, right? The penalty is a restraint to prevent ‘complete unity.’ Now that the restraint is lifted, it won’t be undone with mere medicine.”
“I was prepared for that much!”
“And it’ll affect reality too.”
“…Whaaaaaaat?!”
Leo’s body lifted into the air as if having a seizure.
Nice reaction there.
“Why are you acting so weird? You already noticed, didn’t you?”
This Deoen is not just a game.
Yena said it, and just like Choco and Devil who learned techniques affecting the soul, damage beyond the system’s protection affects reality too.
Leo breaking the wall is the same.
Now even reality’s Leo will gradually undergo ‘nymphification.’
“That’s a bit scary…”
“Still, since it’s stabilized, there should be some level of protection, right? But you have one more question, don’t you?”
“……I told you before. I saw a strange scene.”
The nymph is endlessly playful, but not playful at all times.
Having a child’s mind doesn’t mean being foolish or lacking in any way.
Especially, Leo was quite capable in judgment.
“The Golden Empire. I saw a woman lecturing with a mana stone beside her. I saw it through the condensation stone and asked Lady Lily, but she said it was an error.”
“That’s right.”
“So when I asked if it was fake or real, she told me to figure it out myself. Is that correct?”
“Correct. I left it as a task for you.”
Clang!
Leo’s delicate face scrunched up in a frown as he slammed both hands onto the table.
As if shouting, ‘I caught it!’
“That was real! Everything was definitely something that happened! Right?!”
“…….”
A brief silence filled the Dean’s Office.
Leo swallowed hard with a tense expression, and eventually, I shook my head in resignation.
“Phew… more people know the secret now.”
“…! Really…?”
“Yes. I’ve given lectures before. I taught countless students before coming here.”
Swoosh.
I rested both elbows on the table and brought my hands together in the middle.
Why is this moment always so entertaining?
“I come from another dimension.”
“…Yes?”
“I’m an alien from a distant planet… I was a professor who taught young children, but I’ve been dispatched here for a secret mission.”
“……Yes?”
A slew of question marks appeared on Leo’s face, as if he couldn’t process it all.
Why? I told the truth, but he still doesn’t get it?
“I absolutely shouldn’t have been found out. More and more people who know are becoming a headache.”
“…You’re lying, right?”
“Why do you think it’s a lie? You saw it yourself.”
Didn’t he watch the scenes from the past through the condensed stone?
But why can’t he believe it?
Leo’s amusing reaction made me chuckle.
“Um… what’s the name of your planet?”
“It’s a secret. Because it’s a secret mission.”
“Then Mana and advanced techniques, are those all technologies from alien planets?”
“That’s one way to look at it.”
“Wow.”
Woaah! Leo raised both hands in excitement.
“See! Aliens do exist! Deoen, I knew it all along!”
“Deoen was created by aliens too.”
“Aren’t you both on the same side?”
“He’s someone I don’t know. He’s also my enemy.”
“Uhm… I knew you were someone out of the ordinary, but wow, it really is something.”
“An ordinary ‘person’ is true. Just not an ‘ordinary’ one.”
There’s a clear distinction between the two.
“Huh? Isn’t this a big problem for me now?”
Leo gasped and stepped back in shock.
As I tilted my head in confusion, Leo surrounded himself with white lightning, getting into battle stance.
“Since I know the secret, it’s like ‘You know too much!’ and then killing me…!”
“Um.”
I pulled out my hammer.
It’s been a while since I used a hammer.
I swung the white hammer and unleashed my holy power.
“You know what you’re talking about.”
The hammer swung down on Leo.
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