Lucius wasn’t the first to react.

It was the other people around him, including the professor conducting the tests. He tensed slightly upon hearing it.

He was aware of the bet... and of what had happened.

What was wrong with this crazy Clark? Everyone saw it, and those who didn’t saw the System’s announcement!

His feat was so great that it earned him a Global Announcement, and now he’s the very Rising Star of the New Creation Civilization Island!

A damn Rising Star!

This guy will be the face of the Island in the future, if what he did today wasn’t just pure luck!

And he dares to say he’s not qualified?

The professor swallowed hard. Stupidity really knows no bounds—that’s surely what he thought.

He didn’t want to make enemies of the Asturians or the Clarks, but this time they’d hit a hard nut to crack. A Rising Star.

Ever since that title was bestowed upon Lucius, The Mage, anyone who obtains it is showered with great honors throughout the world...

Coincidentally, both of them are named Lucius.

The professor looked at Joan. "Go back to your seat and stop bothering your classmates," he growled, angry.

He didn’t even know why he was angry. Maybe he just wanted a Rising Star to notice him.

Joan felt annoyed. He wanted to growl back, but just then Joe yanked him by the hair.

"Sorry, professor. He won’t bother you again," Joe said, pulling him aside. As he did so, he shot Lucius a strange look.

Joan started to complain to Joe, but he didn’t have much time to do so.

He immediately noticed that everyone—absolutely everyone—was staring intently at Lucius.

’Huh? What the hell is going on? Why are they staring at this guy so much?’ he muttered. ’Have they all gone crazy?’

However, since no one answered him, he was forced to look at it too.

Lucius handed him the Mana Mark, which glowed with a peculiar light. It looked a little chaotic and larger than the others.

"Why is it so big?" Joan whispered, fearing the worst.

The professor handled the mark with the utmost care. He hadn’t been this careful handling anything since the time he was allowed to hold an academic treasure.

But this mark was worth it.

He immediately had the device test the mark. Its purity, its rank...

[Rank D+ Obsidian Gorilla Mana Mark.

Mutant Mark.]

A mutant mark... It really was.

Even though most of them already knew, they were still in shock.

Lucius Asturias, the scum of the Asturias family, had truly achieved the impossible. Despite being a Rank F, he managed, with a single blow, to kill the Obsidian Mutant Gorilla, the default enemy of all Mages below Rank C.

Joan couldn’t believe his eyes. Just when he thought he should jump on Lucius to stop him from running away like a dog... his body trembled and he took two steps back.

"Impossible,"

Joe looked at him with slight annoyance. He thought it was impossible too...

"What, have you been living under a damn rock, you bastard? You’re embarrassing me!" Joe growled under his breath, so that only Joan could hear him.

Joan turned to look at him. "Huh? Cousin, that’s impossible. We all ran away at that moment! He was killed by a veteran! That bastard must have...!"

PAP!

Joan’s face was turned by a slap. "Everyone here received the messages from the system," said Robert, who had slapped him. "Only the Damned Fake Rankers could have failed to receive them. Joan Clark... Summon your System!"

Fake Rankers!

People who act outside the System’s laws, despite having it. They violate the world’s rules and kill Rankers. They are beings corrupted by the evil of the Kalgarth Soil.

Was Joan one of them?

Joan didn’t panic upon hearing about the Fake Rankers. That was easy to prove. However... Why did everyone assume that Lucius had killed that thing?

’Messages from the System?’ Suddenly, Joan’s face lit up.

Right. He had received several important messages while fleeing, but just then he encountered the Saber-toothed Tiger, so he hadn’t paid them any attention.

He immediately accessed his system via the electronic device in his ear. This allowed him to prove he wasn’t a Fake Ranker and let everyone see that he had unread notifications...

The Global Announcement.

Lucius Asturias killed the Obsidian Gorilla with a single blow.

A Rising Star.

Ranking... 1,503.

Far above his own ranking, which hadn’t even reached the Local Top 50,000 yet...

"Impossible..." Even though he refused to believe it, his body went limp and he collapsed to the ground.

Lucius turned and stood in front of him.

Seeing Lucius’s shoes made Joan want to get up, but Lucius’s foot pressed down on his shoulders, preventing him from doing so.

Lucius looked at the professor first. "May I collect the bet first, professor? Everyone witnessed when we made it. Since I don’t want him to run away..."

The professor felt helpless. He didn’t want to offend anyone, but this boy was already trying to get him into trouble with the Clarks. He didn’t know how to respond.

It was someone in the distance who spoke up. "A Ranker’s wager is worth its weight in gold and precious stones. You may proceed."

Everyone turned to see who it was, even though they already knew.

The Academy Principal.

No one said anything after him, so Lucius thanked him and then looked at Joan.

He lifted his left shoe and held it up to Joan’s mouth; it was dustier than the other and had some strange stains, perhaps blood or... animal dung.

"Lick it." Lucius spoke in a cold voice.

Joan stared at him. "Bastard... Who...?"

Lucius took advantage of the idiot opening his mouth to shove his shoe inside. "I said lick it. Can’t you hear me? I’m doing you a favor! You’re licking the shoes of none other than me!"

Joan nearly choked on the shoe suddenly in his mouth. On top of that, a horrible taste spread through his taste buds...

That wasn’t blood...

He almost threw up, but Lucius stopped him, pushing him back.

"A half-fulfilled bet is unworthy of a man. But since I don’t want to waste the time of the distinguished figures present, I won’t say anything about it." Lucius placed the foot he’d just licked on his chest and looked down at him. "Say you’re not worthy of your family and renounce your surname. That part’s easy, isn’t it? You barely belong to a miserable family with power in the Iron Suburbs. They shouldn’t be worthy of you."

His words angered many people. But the pressure of having so many eyes and so many families watching them kept the Clarks rooted to the spot.

"You..." Joan pointed right at him. "You dare?!"

Lucius simply planted his foot on his chest. He looked down at him with malice in his eyes.

They were the eyes of a hunter stalking his prey, one who would not let him escape, no matter what happened.

Joan felt a deep fear. His bones felt cold and his flesh trembled. He had to look away to regain the ability to breathe that he had momentarily lost.

He suddenly opened his mouth. But he couldn’t utter a single word, so he clenched his teeth tightly.

However, under the pressure of so many people staring at him, he had to speak again.

"I... am not worthy of the Clark family... I..." Once again, he bit down hard on his teeth and lips.

He felt anger. He couldn’t bring himself to say the next words.

Give up his last name? It would be a disgrace to his ancestors.

Caught between anger, pressure, and frustration, he suddenly began to sob uncontrollably. "Please... forgive me." All the pressure melted away with those words.

Words he had never uttered before.

However, they did not appease Lucius. He had made a bet, and every bet must be honored exactly as it was made.

Failing to do so would be a disgrace before the System and before the World! That’s why he pressed down with his foot.

However, he was soon enveloped by a force.

"I think that’s enough. You may continue with the test." It was the principal’s voice, arriving like a hero to save Joan.

Although Lucius watched him from a distance with some annoyance, he knew there was nothing he could do. The principal was a strong man, and his words were direct: he wasn’t going to let this continue.

So Lucius backed off. In any case, he had already won.