The first student from the Elite clans to step out was Bai Long. The short bald boy walked forward with confidence to the machine, and everyone watched in anticipation. Bai Long didn't strike just yet. Instead, he was walking around the machine as if checking it out.
Having checked what he wanted, Bai Long came back to the front of the machine where the punching pad was located. Then he unleashed a palm strike that was too fast for many to see.
A loud bang that far surpassed what Nyx had produced sounded as Bai Long's palm strike hit the punching pad. A moment of silence, however, the number appeared on the machine.
[36]
"As expected of the Long clan! Their Legendary palm strike is as deadly as ever," a student from the crowd commented. Although the students were impressed, they weren't shocked because this display was within their expectations.
The reason they weren't too impressed was that the Long clan, like the rest of the elite clan, also possesses abundant wealth and resources that could turn any average person into a genius. If anything, the students were disappointed that Bai Long passed Nyx, a dud, with only two points.
This made the students compare the red-haired boy to Bai Long. They wondered which score Nyx would've gotten if he had the same status as Bai Long.
Not minding the disapproving gazes, Bai Long walked back to his spot with a light smile on his face. The reason he was smiling was that after a bottleneck of 9 months, he was finally able to increase his physical strength. So instead of feeling sour, the bald-headed boy was happy that he was increasing his strength little by little again.
Eventually, in the distant future, he could be someone as strong as the patriarch of the Long clan.
'This boy is strong; he could even give me a run for my money.' Nyx narrowed his eyes on Bai Long, knowing that without his [Enchanted cloak], the bald-headed boy's physical strength far surpassed him with a whopping 14 points because his real strength was just 22.
If they were to depend on physical strength alone, Nyx knew that he'd have a hard time going against this boy. The only thing he could depend on to come out on top was his experience—his quick thinking and deception.
All the above was in the circumstances of Bai Long not using his ability because if he was to, Nyx would find himself in a very difficult position.
Until he found a way to increase his strength, Nyx vowed to stay clear of Bai Long's or the elite clan's radar.
Little did he know that was just too impossible.
The next person in line to take the test was Simon Ironclad. Immediately Simon stepped out, Apollo, who was standing beside Nyx, started to scratch his neck. 'Man, why did he have to come to this academy?' Apollo thought as some unwanted memories started to resurface in his mind.
Oblivious to all this because he was evaluating his potential enemies, Nyx failed to notice Apollo's strange behavior.
Stopping before the machine, Simon unleashed a furious punch that seemed to contain all his power.
Bam!
The weight of the punch sent shockwaves through the air, causing a few students to take a step back in surprise. The machine's display flickered for a moment before revealing Simon's score.
[40]
Gasps and whispers spread among the crowd as Simon's score surpassed Bai Long's, earning him respect from the students.
"Now that's raw power!" a student exclaimed. What was peculiar about Simon's punch was that it didn't even generate that much sound yet it managed to score so high.
"I guess the saying 'the loudest is not the strongest in the room' is really true," Mr. Danny commented, with a light smile playing on his face. The reason he was smiling was that this group of powerful students would be instrumental to the events that would come not too far from now.
Nyx, observing from the sidelines, couldn't help but acknowledge Simon's prowess. He made a mental note to keep an eye on him, recognizing that Simon's strength could pose a challenge in future encounters.
The red-haired knew that sooner or later he and these formidable young masters would clash, but he wanted to prolong it until he leveled up and acquired more treasures from the Villain Evolution System.
As Simon returned to his place with a satisfied smirk, Apollo's discomfort continued to grow. Unwanted memories of the past flooded his mind, memories he'd rather forget. But with Simon now a student at the same academy, Apollo knew he couldn't avoid confronting his past forever.
'Simon's always been trouble. Just hope he doesn't stir up any more trouble,' Apollo thought.
At that moment, Thalia Thorn stepped forward and took the test, scoring [37]. Maybe it was because she was a girl or it was just pretty privilege the students didn't have many complaints about her.
Immediately following Thalia Thorn's test, Nathalia Nightshade stepped up to the machine, her presence commanding attention, her beautiful black eyes were fixed and focused. With an air of confidence, she unleashed a lightning-fast strike.
The machine beeped and displayed [40], the same score as Simon.
Seeing all these scores, most students were already sweating. "Damn, these guys just called us side characters in 99 ways. How are we going to compete with all these geniuses?"
"So many geniuses in one class; this is the first time something like this is happening in the academy," Mr. Danny muttered as he stared at the last students to take the test.
It was none other than the quiet Asher Vancouver, who had a stoic expression on his face.
Step! Step!
As he walked up to the machine, students started to whisper.
"What do you think he'll score?" a student asked another.
"He's a Vancouver; I'm thinking his score would be over 40. Do you honestly expect a descendant of the Vancouver clan to score lower?"
"Who knows? Life is a bitch; no one ever thought that Nyx, the weakest student in the academy, could score this high."
Asher stopped before the machine, his fist stretched out almost touching the punching pad, something that left the students confused.
"What is he doing? With him being so close, can he even cause enough impact on the machine?"
"True, the gap is too thin-"
Before the students could say any more, Asher threw a punch. Although the gap between the machine was close, his fist still slammed heavily on the machine. But there was no sound.
"Of course, how do you expect to make impa-" That student snapped off because the punching machine let out a strange sound, and the machine cracked followed by blue electric sparks as green liquid spewed out.
It took a moment before the students processed what just happened.
"He broke the machine!"