Chapter 26: An Angry Chloe

"Mr. Silas, congratulations. You are officially the fourth S-Rank of City A, and the second S-Rank in Valecrest Collegiate Grounds!" the head evaluator exclaimed in shock and joy, his attitude taking a 360-degree turn towards Silas. If there were a 1500-degree, he would take it. This was the most shocking news in recent years. S-Ranks didn’t fall from trees. They were as rare as seeing stars at night.

Valecrest was one of the top academies in New Liberty, ranking second in City A alone and third in New Liberty. This showed just how good the academy was. It was part of the best. Valecrest had the greatest number of B-Ranks and came second in terms of A-Ranks. But when it came to S-Ranks, they fell short. Well, it wasn’t as if S-Ranks were many to begin with. They already had an S-Rank in the academy. Now with Silas, going up in ranks was just a matter of time.

S-Ranks were known for not following the norm. An S-Rank baby would just need a bit of time to surpass an A-Rank adult. This wasn’t an exaggeration, but reality. S-Ranks were known for awakening more powerful versions of abilities, or even newer abilities, just like Silas. The top-ranked currently in the academy was an A-Rank, and he could go toe-to-toe with most of the teachers in the school. This went to show just how powerful he was as an A-Rank. But he got there with difficulty: training, battles, experiences. An S-Rank didn’t need any of that. All that an S-Rank needed was understanding and a bit of skills... That’s all.

Silas was already beating up B-Ranks, C-Ranks, and even an A-Rank as an unawakened. Now that he was an S-Rank...

This also begged a theory, which one of the evaluators thought of and raised.

"What if Mr. Silas was already an S-Rank?" the young woman theorized, making everyone look towards her. Even Silas was intrigued, while the system projected, "She is smart."

"What do you mean, Helene?" the head evaluator asked, also interested in her theory.

"Think about it. Mr. Silas is ranked in the top 20 in the academy as an unawakened. I don’t know if we all follow the rankings, but he is in the top 5 in his class. He had already defeated several B-Ranks and C-Ranks with his physical strength alone. He recently defeated a talented A-Rank who could bend gravity to his will. My theory is that something like this is scientifically and physically impossible. I know we are dealing with abilities here, but even with that, an unawakened can never defeat an awakened. An F-Rank can never defeat an E-Rank unless it’s through numbers or a very powerful advantage. Even if we consider advantages and numbers, an F-Rank can never defeat a B-Rank.

Which means that there is something the earlier evaluators missed or hid. I doubt the latter, meaning they missed something. From Mr. Silas’s records, he has been near a rift before. That caused his hair color to change..."

"Which could only mean that the evaluators were stupid," the head evaluator said with a serious tone.

"Huh? I didn’t mean..." Helene tried to speak, but the head evaluator stopped her.

"I know, but that is the truth. We’ve all been blinded by their stupidity, making all of us stupid, too. His hair color changed after he got close to a rift. That is a sign of change in his biology. Even if he showed no sign of an ability, no normal human can have the kind of physical capabilities he has, even if they visit the training centers for years. It is possible that the evaluation device failed to detect his rank because the ability was dormant."

[Bingo!]

"He was an S-Rank from the start. Seriously, I wonder why people hate him..." the head evaluator sighed as he caressed his brows. He then turned to the stunned Silas and spoke to him.

"I apologize for the stupidity of my predecessors, Mr. Ashard. Your rank will be updated, and you will get a certificate and identity as an S-Rank individual. The benefits that come with it will be added to the documents you will receive soon. But, I would like you to keep it a secret until everything is documented, and keep a low profile if you must. It’s your choice, though, but I honestly feel that someone holds a grudge against you or your parents.

Your rank should be able to stop the person for a while, but you will need to get stronger faster. This is just advice from someone who has experienced something similar, not professional advice. I am Andrew Garfield, by the way."

"I will take your advice, Mr. Garfield. Thank you," Silas shook the man’s hand with a smile, and left with Anna after a few protocols. He was officially an S-Rank in the world, and an SSS-Rank in reality. He was beyond happy, and Anna would bear the consequences of his happiness.

***

It was almost night time when Silas was released from Anna’s grasp. His plan of dominance backfired wonderfully. Never compete with a woman in love. That was a vow he made after the fifth round. He was lucky that he had the system that helped him level up through his stats and his newly awakened status that came with true superhuman capabilities, or he would’ve died. Death from snu snu type shi.

He had even leveled up just from the sex. It was intense, no cap. But if he thought his night was over, then he was mistaken. He was in for another intense... scene, and this one would make him think with his head rather than his dick.

He had almost reached the crossroads to the dormitories when he bumped into Chloe. She wore a hoodie to cover her head, but her expression and the air around made Silas worried. He quickly rushed towards her despite the drowsiness he was feeling.

"Chloe, what’s wrong?" He asked in a worried tone, but Chloe just looked up at him with dead eyes and laughed weakly.

"You now remember me?" she asked in a disbelieving tone.

"What do you mean?" Silas asked in confusion.

"You don’t even know what you have done... What was I expecting? I thought I’d found someone who would appreciate me for-"

"Chloe! Look at me. I like you."

"Don’t lie to me. You don’t. If you did, you wouldn’t do something that would make them expel you. You didn’t even hear me when I was shouting for you to stop. Now I have become the laughing stock of my class."

"What?! Who mocked you? Tell me!"

"Don’t you care anymore because you are already expelled? You think you can just act any way you want?"

"Who said I was getting expelled?"

"This is serious, Silas."

"I am serious. I am not getting expelled."

"But..."

"That isn’t for you to worry about right now. Just know that I lik- no, I love you, and I will never leave you. I promise. I mean it." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Silas..."

"Well, I have something to tell you, but it would have to wait for a few days. Hope you can wait that long?"

"Is it serious?"

"Very serious. Lemme give you a clue."

"Mm? Clue?"

"After that is out, I would become one of the most respected and wealthiest people in the world."

"You are joking, right?"

"..."

"Right?"

"..."

"You are serious?!"

"Let’s just say... my parents were millionaires when they were alive."

"Inheritance?"

"Part of it."

"Mm."

"So, are you alright now?"

"Hmph! I am still angry at you."

"I deserve it."

"But, I also love you."

[Mission Completed!]

[Potential Partner Identified! Get her at all costs. But don’t force it]

[+100 EXP Gained!]