Cassian steps forward and places his palm on the crystal ball...

A shimmering light blinds everyone for a moment...

The very next second, floating words begin to hover above the ball...

[Stage 3: Force]

[Combat Power: 17,000]

The entire class is left stunned after witnessing the hero’s charming status..

17,000 combat power, that too with Stage 3 Force!

"Yeah man, Cassian is seriously strong!"

He smirked proudly, walked back and stood beside Aria. though aria’s mouth had formed a perfect ’O’, shaped, she was astonishingly stared at him. Cassian gently pulls her by the shoulder, bringing her close.

From behind, Lucian watched — and even he was shocked.

17,000 combat power... that’s genuinely impressive, even for my nemesis, I mean, come on, I really didn’t want to compare myself to him, still it seriously stings knowing my own combat power isn’t even fifty percent of that!

Wait... His thoughts suddenly halted. Does that mean he was holding back that much during our fight? 3

He shook it away.

No, no... maybe this is just the result of his recent intense training.

He glanced toward Sera who was standing far off in the distance. She too was staring at those words, completely stunned. For a split second, their eyes met.

Lucian smiled and gave a casual wave.

She immediately jerked her head away awkwardly, practically trying to bury herself in the crowd of students.

"Still can’t look at me, huh...?" Lucian closed his eyes, letting out a tired, quiet sigh.

Noticing his shift in mood, Elira looked up at him.

"What happened? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, it’s nothing..."

"Mmm..."

’It’s probably best to just give Sera some time...’ Deciding on this, Lucian pushed the thought aside and shifted his focus back to the front, looking toward Professor Mirelle.

"Next, Miss Ashenblade..."

Seraphina flinched slightly at the sound of her name. Taking one or two deep breaths, she forced her nervous expression into a look of sheer, unyielding resolve and stepped forward.

The excitement in the classroom skyrocketed. Every single pair of eyes was glued to the girl with the fiery red ponytail. Everyone knew that Seraphina was universally acknowledged as the undisputed top swordmaster among the first-years... so naturally, their curiosity about her actual combat power and mana stage was at an absolute peak.

Without casting a single glance backward, Sera placed her hand firmly on the orb.

The same blinding light erupted, followed by glowing text that materialized and floated in the air:

[Stage 4: Flow]

[Combat Power: 22,399]

A heavy wave of pure admiration and awe washed over the entire room. Excited murmurs broke out instantly.

"I knew our class was packed with prodigies!"

"Yeah, first Cassian, and now Seraphina! This is insane!"

Cassian glanced at Sera for a moment.

’Impressive.’

Maintaining her perfect composure, Sera calmly walked back down to her spot.

"Next, Miss Lighthollow..."

Pressing one fist against her chest in a gesture of sweet, adorable determination, Aria confidently stepped forward and placed her hand on the crystal ball.

[Stage 4: Flow]

[Combat Power: 1,200]

[Special Skill: Life Link]

(Allows user to share and absorb pain, burden, joy...)

Another massive wave of awe washed over the entire class.

Some of her devoted followers immediately started clapping in pure adoration. "A Special Skill?!" "Our Saint really is the greatest..."

Lucian was stunned too when he saw Aria’s personal status, but it wasn’t the numbers that shocked him. He couldn’t believe she had just willingly revealed her Special Skill to everyone, acting as if she didn’t have a single care in the world.

Did she not realize how many people could easily take advantage of a skill like that?

The thought left a strange annoyance on his face.

Why is she always acting like some innocent saint... what is her real personality?... But if I think carefully... Even when I was with Aria in the chapel, I didn’t get any eerie feeling. Maybe the system was wrong about her?’

He gave a slight mental shrug, pushing the thoughts aside for now.

Well, whatever. Only time will tell... whether Aria is genuinely a clueless fool with no brains, or if she’s hiding some dark, twisted personality.

Just as Aria was stepping back, her eyes flicked toward him. She held his gaze for two full seconds, and then—

Ding!

[AFFECTION INCREASED]

Aria Lighthollow: 35 → 40

New Thought: I wonder what Lucian thinks of me...

Lucian blinked, thoroughly confused.

’Why is she thinking about me? Shouldn’t she be thinking about Cassian right now?’

Watching everything unfold, Professor Mirelle was deeply impressed by the display.

Just how many prodigies are in this class? Professor Kael must be so proud to have this batch under his guidance...

Miss Mirelle called out next.

And then next, and again next — a few students passed, and then she called out one specific student.

"Next, Miss Liora."

A girl lazily stepped forward. She let out a soft yawn, casually scratching one of her messy, white cat-like ears.

’Is she a beastfolk...?’ Lucian wondered internally.

The girl placed her hand on the orb, and the words appeared:

Stage 3: Force

Combat Power: 19,000

The entire class was in awe once again. Another prodigy! Murmurs began spreading... Miss Mirelle grabbed everyone’s attention again and called the next name.

"Miss Frostveil."

The moment Elira’s name was called, the eyes of the entire class instantly darted toward the striking pair at the back.

Just before stepping away, Elira leaned in and whispered something softly into Lucian’s ear. Despite his absolute best efforts to stay composed, the tips of his ears burned a bright, flushed red. Only then did she gracefully walk forward.

’What the heck?! Does that mean she wants a reward if I get completely shocked by her stats?!’

Watching this intimate little exchange, half the boys in the class practically boiled over with raging jealousy.

Not caring about anyone else, Elira reached the front and placed her pale hand on the orb. The same blinding light erupted—but this time, it wasn’t the usual bright white. It was a deep, freezing, shimmering blue.

The entire class fell dead silent, utterly stunned as their eyes locked onto the floating numbers:

[Stage 3: Force]

[Combat Power: 37,850]

Ignoring the gaping jaws and wide eyes of everyone else in the room, Elira’s ice-blue gaze immediately went straight at Lucian, eagerly waiting to see if her ’Darling’ was just as mind-blown as the rest of them...

But alas, no such luck for her. Lucian had already peeked at her status earlier that morning. Seeing those absurd numbers flash again was no shock from him; his expression remained completely deadpan.

Elira walked back down, a slight, uncharacteristic pout forming on her lips. She already knew her hopes of cashing in on that ’reward’ had just been mercilessly shattered.

Though still she didn’t want to give up so she leaned in and stared intently into his eyes, hovering just inches away, desperately hoping to squeeze out even the slightest flustered reaction so she could still justify demanding her prize... yet still, no luck.

Off to the side, Seraphina just stared at Elira’s overwhelming combat power. unable to look away even if she wanted to. The defeat was written all over her face — and those dark shadows under her eyes made her shock and raw frustration impossible to hide.

Miss Mirelle finally called the last name.

"...Alright, Mister Valemont, come forward."