It didn’t take the professor long to finish with the other students.

There weren’t many surprises after that. The top three spots in the test were announced, taken by: Lucius Asturias, Robert Asturias, and Joan Clark, respectively.

This last bit earned Joan another good beating from his cousin Joe. He’d stolen his third place!

No one argued about Lucius; some looked at him with respect. Others believed he was just very lucky.

And so, the Obsidian Badlands Exam ended with an unexpected face as the top winner.

.

The Asturias family was furious.

That night, Darius’s room descended into chaos. Tables rolled over, chairs flew through the air, and decorations were destroyed.

Rage radiated from Darius’s face, until a cold voice roused him.

"You won’t accomplish anything by getting angry. He’s already entered the academy as the best in his class and established himself as a rising genius by earning that glorious title. Can you change that?" Elara asked coldly.

Darius turned to look at her fiercely. "What the hell do you know?!" he roared.

But Elara walked toward him, swaying her hips in a hypnotic motion that immediately caught his attention.

"I don’t know how you two get along, but I know you can’t change the history of something that’s already happened. If you could do that, you’d surely be the next The EX. However, you can’t. And since you can’t do anything, you must listen to those who can." She reached his side and grabbed him by the arm. "Your father is calling you."

Then she shook him and began pulling him to bring him to his senses.

A few minutes later, they were both in the guest room with Valerius Asturias and other clan elders.

"He managed to get in," Valerius said, looking at Darius. "I thought the Academy was your territory, but some little bastard made a fool of us all and managed to get in."

Darius hung his head in shame. "I didn’t expect him to be that powerful, Father. Maybe he’s been hiding his strength all this time?"

"Heh. Don’t talk nonsense. Is he a Fake Ranker, hiding his strength from the system? That bastard must have found a valuable treasure. There’s no way he could have hidden for so long. He’s grown in the last few weeks," Valerius asserted.

Darius frowned. "A treasure?" he asked. "Could he have taken something valuable from the house before leaving? When he came last time."

’That would be unlikely, but not impossible,’ Valerius thought.

His ex-wife was a formidable woman. She had many secrets, so it wasn’t impossible that she had left some secret for her only son.

’That damn traitor... Would she dare?’ Although Valerius wanted to roar with rage, he controlled himself and looked at Darius.

"Darius," he called out.

"F-Father?" Darius stammered in reply. His tone was very fierce—was he about to be scolded?

"I won’t scold you for what’s already happened, because I think you know your mistake. However, you are the current leader of the Academy in the city. You can handle it, right? You won’t let me down, will you?" he asked. He turned his head to the side as he spoke, emphasizing his two questions.

Darius swallowed hard, but plucked up his courage. "About the treasure..."

"You can keep it if you take it from him," Valerius replied with a chuckle. "I don’t care what it is."

’After all, a treasure has limited energy and knowledge. Especially one like that, which seems to be of the explosive type,’ he thought, though he didn’t say it because his son didn’t need to know.

Darius smiled once more and pounded his chest. "I’ll make sure he pays for this, Father. I won’t let him stay at the academy for long. I swear it on my name."

"Very well. You may go now." Valerius waved his hands to dismiss him...

From the side, Elara was watching all of this intently.

’Casius is an amazing man who didn’t inherit his father’s malice. He’s kinder than all his brothers. Darius, on the other hand...’ Elara smiled slightly beneath her good-girl facade. ’He’s the most like Valerius. He’s the most easily manipulated, too.’

She followed Darius out. She didn’t include Lucius in her thoughts because, despite what she saw today, she wasn’t convinced he was truly strong. She was also inclined to think he used some type of tool, though what type?

However, if he had grown that fast without a tool, it could only be possible by drastically burning through his own life force or sacrificing himself. If that were the case, then he wouldn’t live much longer.

In either case, it wasn’t because of Lucius’s power, so it must have been completely unrelated to her thoughts.

Darius returned to his room, and despite the anger, calm reigned in the Asturias Mansion.

--

That night.

Upon returning to the inn, Lucius collapsed the moment he stepped inside. His body went completely limp.

"Lucius!" The innkeeper and old Garen rushed to his aid.

His body ached terribly. Every muscle was sore, and his bones were screaming.

’The aftermath of using that magic... It’s terrible,’ he told himself.

He had noticed it when he turned in the mark. His body was terribly exhausted and wounded on the inside. Practically shattered.

He immediately understood why he was in this state: symbiosis.

The symbiosis of brute force nearly destroyed him from within, demonstrating just how dangerous it is for him right now to use that kind of magic.

’It looks like I’ll have to find more Support Marks.’ He clenched his teeth to keep from screaming, as the pain in his core also intensified.

Despite the effects of the Elixir he had taken less than a week ago, the pain became so intense that it rendered him unconscious in less than a minute.

Between old Garen and the innkeeper, they managed to carry him up to his room and let him rest.

"He’s badly injured inside," said old Garen as he laid him on the bed. "Do you have any potions?" he asked the innkeeper.

The innkeeper looked up at him as if he were an idiot. "How could I possibly have something so expensive?" he asked.

"Tsk." Old Garen wrinkled his nose, feeling helpless. "Go buy one. It doesn’t have to be expensive—as long as it works. You can get into those big buildings because you’re a merchant, right?"

"Huh? Buy one?! You want me to go broke?! The cheapest ones cost 100 credits, you bastard...!" Before he could finish complaining, Old Garen’s hand smacked his forehead, and a system message appeared before his eyes.

[You have received 300 Mana Credits.]

"Buy it."

"You... Since when do you have that much money?"

"No questions asked. Bring it back before midnight."

The innkeeper stared at him for a moment and grumbled. "Mind the inn," he said, before leaving.

Old Garen stared at Lucius for a moment.

"Even though it’s a big investment, I think a Rising Star will really be worth it," he whispered before leaving the room.

--