After two days of exhausting travel, I finally arrived at the Grannis Academy, located in the heart of Matalop, the capital of Marenbell. The bustling city served as a landmark for travelers from all over the world, with its towering buildings and lively streets.
As I walked toward the academy, I was approached by an old fruit vendor with a friendly smile. "Yo, young man! Fancy some apples? I'll give you a discount!"
I shook my head apologetically. "Sorry, mister. I don't have enough money."
He studied me for a moment. "Let me guess—you're here to enroll in Grannis Academy?"
"Yes," I nodded. "I've come from a small village called Farukan, far north of Dekalis."
"Farukan... the city of the mighty—"
Before he could finish, a voice cut him off. "Oi, old man! Are you wasting time again?"
I turned to see a woman, elegant and composed, approaching us. The vendor's demeanor softened as he greeted her. "Ah, Milina, what brings you here?"
It was clear they knew each other well. Not wanting to intrude, I decided it was time to take my leave. "Um… I should be going now."
"Wait," the old man called after me. "Before you go, let's introduce ourselves. Right, Milina?"
She smiled slightly. "I'm okay with that."
I hesitated but then introduced myself. "My name is Sawanagi Komaru. I'm here to enroll in Grannis Academy."
"My name is Futuri Waganwe," the vendor said. "I work as a fruit seller right in front of the academy. Pleased to meet you, Komaru-kun."
"And I'm Milina Avendor," the woman added. "Nice to meet you."
"Avendor... that's a unique name," I said, curious. "I've never heard it before."
"That's because I'm from Nehanira, a country on the distant continent of Peragin."
"Ah, I see." I suddenly remembered my reason for being here and glanced at the towering academy gates. "I'm sorry, but I really must go now. It was nice meeting you both."
After saying my goodbyes, I hurried toward the academy's main ground, where the selection process was about to begin.
As I neared the crowd of students, I overheard bits of their conversations.
"Hey, isn't the selection criteria too difficult this time?"
"I heard Lady Thorns will be here to personally bless a lucky student."
"Lady Thorns? Isn't she ranked really high on the leaderboard? What was her rank again?"
"It's 1097."
"Yeah, 1097. But still, to think someone ranked that high would be here… I hope she blesses me."
The mention of Lady Thorns piqued my interest. I approached the group with a smile. "Um… hello. My name is Sawanagi Komaru. May I know your names?"
A girl with long black hair and small black eyes smiled back. "Oh, hello, Komaru-kun. I'm Kitagawa Yuri."
"And I'm Ryosuke Amara," said the tall, muscular boy beside her. "Nice to meet you."
I couldn't help but feel a small sense of accomplishment. Making new friends was a rare and special experience for me.
"Komaru, the head principal is here. Come, get in line with us," Yuri-san urged, her voice filled with anticipation.
The Grannis Academy was a sight to behold. The main ground was larger than my entire village, surrounded by towering buildings and lush greenery. The atmosphere was serene yet charged with nervous energy as thousands of students gathered, waiting for the selection process to begin.
As I stood in line, I observed my new friends closely. Yuri-san had long black hair and small, bright eyes. Her flushed cheeks and delicate features gave her an innocent appearance. Amara-san, on the other hand, was a towering figure, standing at 6'3" with a muscular build that reminded me of my sensei. His short brown hair and large eyes gave him a striking presence.
"Ahem… mic testing, 1 2 3." The principal's voice echoed through the speakers, snapping us all to attention.
"It's starting," Yuri-san whispered, her voice trembling slightly.
"Good morning to one and all present here," the principal began. "I am the principal of this academy, Ademanis. Today, you all have gathered here to enroll in this prestigious academy."
The principal was a thin, almost skeletal man with a bald head and sharp, piercing eyes that seemed to radiate authority. Despite his frail appearance, there was an undeniable power in his presence.
"Being in this academy offers many advantages," he continued. "You will receive guidance from top-ranking teachers, access state-of-the-art training facilities, and have the opportunity to create factions and form alliances. However, to enjoy these privileges, you must first prove your worth. Today, we will be conducting the selection exam. Out of the 23,000 students present, only a fraction will be chosen."
A murmur of anxiety rippled through the crowd. I could feel the tension rising as the weight of the principal's words settled in. I glanced at Yuri-san, who looked pale, her hands trembling slightly.
"Yuri-san, are you okay?" I asked, concern lacing my voice.
She didn't respond immediately, lost in her thoughts. When she finally looked at me, her eyes were filled with uncertainty. "Ah… sorry, Komaru-kun. I didn't hear you."
I smiled reassuringly. "It's okay."
But the nervous energy was contagious. I could feel my own heart pounding as the principal continued.
"Now, for the first test," Principal Ademanis announced, "anyone ranked below 600 million is automatically disqualified."
A collective gasp filled the air. I felt a cold sweat trickle down my spine. I was ranked just above the cutoff at 587,283,031, but many around me were not so fortunate. The crowd erupted into murmurs of disbelief and anger.
"That's unfair!"
"How can they do this to us?"
"This isn't right!"
"SILENCE!"
The voice that commanded us to quiet was calm, yet it cut through the noise like a blade. Everyone turned toward the source, and I felt a chill run down my spine. The man who spoke wasn't loud, but his presence was overwhelming, like a calm river concealing powerful currents beneath.
"You dare to call this method unjust when you're not even better than 600 million people?" he sneered. "Don't waste my time with your whining."
His words were harsh, yet no one dared to challenge him. The sheer authority in his voice left us all paralyzed.
One by one, those who didn't meet the criteria were escorted out, leaving only about 7,000 students remaining. The principal raised his mic again.
"I know this may seem harsh, but that is the way of the world—and this academy. If you have any complaints, go cry to your momma, you fucking losers."
His dismissive tone struck a chord with everyone. This was Grannis Academy, where only the strong survive.
As I stood there, heart still racing, I knew one thing for certain—this was only the beginning. The road ahead would be challenging, but I was determined to prove my worth. With newfound resolve, I tightened my fists, ready to face whatever came next.
This was Grannis Academy, where the weak have no place.
The principal assigned us rooms to stay in. I found myself sharing a spacious suite with Yuri and Amara. The room was generously designed for four people, featuring a bathroom, a small kitchen, and two bedrooms. Each room was crafted with meticulous attention to detail, exuding a sense of luxury that surprised me.
As we settled in, Yuri seemed to be in a hurry.
"What's the matter, Yuri-san?" I asked.
"I really need to shower. I'll be quick."
"Alright," I replied, watching her dart into the bathroom.
Turning back, I noticed Amara sitting on the king-sized bed, which was one of the two provided. The room was well-equipped, with large mattresses and pillows that made the place feel like a five-star hotel.
"Hey Amara-kun, congrats on passing," I said, breaking the silence.
"Yeah, you too," he replied, though his tone was neutral.
"But man, I didn't expect them to give us such a luxury experience."
"Me neither. By the way, where are you from, Amara-kun?"
"I'm from Coyoran," he said.
"Ah, that's pretty close to my village, Farukan. It's located far north, near the city of Dekalis."
"Farukan... the name sounds familiar," Amara murmured, a hint of nostalgia in his voice.
"What does your family do, Amara-kun?" I asked, curious to learn more about him.
"My family, huh... I—" Amara began, but his thoughts were interrupted as Yuri emerged from the bathroom.
"Hey boys, I'm back."
"Ah, Yuri-san! Congrats on passing," I said, shifting the conversation.
"Yeah, Yuri, congrats," Amara added.
"Aww, congrats to you two as well," Yuri replied with a warm smile.
"By the way, Yuri-san, where are you from?" I asked, eager to learn more about her.
"I come from the Niralkim Islands."
"Whoa, that's so far from Matalop!" I exclaimed.
"Yeah. My parents have high expectations for me, but I always worry that I'll disappoint them."
"Don't be so hard on yourself. I know you'll do just fine," I said, trying to reassure her.
"I hope so... It's just, sometimes, I can't shake the feeling that something might go wrong," Yuri admitted, her expression tinged with concern.
Sensing the need to change the subject, I decided to bring up an idea I'd been toying with. "Anyway, I was thinking of forming a faction. Would you two like to join?"
"Of course! I'm in," Yuri replied without hesitation.
Her quick agreement was a relief, but I was unsure about Amara. He was ranked much higher than us, and I wasn't certain he'd want to join.
"I'll join too," Amara said, surprising me.
"For real? Thank you so much, guys," I said, genuinely grateful.
Even though Amara was ranked higher, he still chose to join. It was a gesture I didn't expect but deeply appreciated.
"By the origin of time, I beseech thee: allow me to create a faction with these two as my comrades," I chanted aloud. My sensei had taught me that this chant would automatically register our faction on the leaderboards, with me as the leader. Each person could only form one faction every five years, and the system had existed since the dawn of mankind—its origins unknown, but it didn't matter to me as long as it worked.
"Alright, you two, shout the acceptance chant," I instructed.
"I accept the invitation."
"I accept the invitation."
With that done, Amara brought us back to reality. "Anyways, we must somehow pass the main selection exam."
"About that, I have a strategy," Yuri interjected, catching both of our attention.
"I was thinking the same, but I wasn't confident enough to bring it up. So, what's your plan, Yuri?" Amara asked, his curiosity evident.
"I believe we should stick together during the exam," Yuri began.
"I agree, but what if the test isn't team-based and is instead focused on individual performance?" Amara pointed out, his tone measured.
"To cover that, we should arrive at different times, so we don't get grouped together," Yuri suggested.
"But isn't that assuming too much? We should try to gather some information about the exam first," Amara countered, clearly not fully on board but offering valid points.
"In that case, what if we spread false information about the exam? If a rumor spreads that students already know the test's format, the staff might be forced to change it," Yuri proposed.
"It's a good plan, but don't you think it could backfire if we have no evidence to back it up?" I asked, voicing my concern.
"That's why we'll only spread one piece of information," Yuri explained.
"Oh? And what would that be?" I inquired.
"We'll say that the selection exam will be individual-based, not team-based."
"That sounds plausible, but what if the rumor doesn't catch on?" Amara questioned, skeptical but intrigued.
"We're three people. If each of us tells someone else this information, it'll seem like a rumor is already circulating, rather than us just starting it," Yuri explained confidently.
"And that way, the staff would have to change the format if they think students know too much. But what if the test is already individual-based? Wouldn't the staff just ignore the rumor?" Amara asked, his analytical mind picking apart the plan.
"That's where Lady Thorns comes in. She's going to bless one student, right? How would she select someone if the test were team-based? It's clear she'll bless the best-performing individual, which means the test is likely individual-based," Yuri said, her reasoning sharp.
"That makes sense. If the staff catches wind of the rumor, they'll have no choice but to switch to a team-based format. It's a brilliant plan," Amara said, finally convinced.
"Thanks, Amara-san," Yuri replied, smiling.
I was stunned. Yuri had devised a seemingly foolproof plan, and Amara not only understood it but improved upon it with his critiques. These two were on another level of intellect. I couldn't help but feel a little out of my depth.
"Um, guys... Should we get to work now?" I asked, feeling like I was falling behind.
"Yeah."
"Yup."
We started spreading the rumor.
"I heard from someone that the test will be individual-based, not team-based," we told different students.
To our amazement, the rumor spread like wildfire.
"Attention, everyone. Please report to the school grounds. The exam is about to begin," came the announcement.
"Let's go, everyone," I said, leading the way.
When we arrived, the buzz of the rumor was still in the air. The principal stepped up to the podium, clearing his throat before speaking.
"Ahem. Attention, everyone. The time has come for the selection test. This test will be a team-based challenge. You must form a four-person team. You will receive a device to register your team members, and once registered, your team cannot be changed."
A wave of disappointment rippled through the crowd.
"Whoa, so the rumors were false."
"Maybe I should've seen that coming."
"I knew it was too good to be true."
"Aw man, what a letdown."
The principal continued, "This exam is crucial. There will be a total of 1,750 teams, out of which only 400 will advance. So, give it everything you've got."
400 teams out of 1,750. That meant only 1,600 students out of 7,000 would pass. The odds were daunting, but I had to press on.
"Let's do this, Yuri-san, Amara-san."
"Yeah."
"Yup."
The grounds erupted into chaos as students scrambled to form teams. The strong had no trouble finding members, but the weaker ones were desperate, trying to latch onto anyone who would take them. It was like a scene out of a survival movie.
We already had three members; now, we just needed one more. But with the permanence of our decision weighing on us, this choice wouldn't be easy.
As we wandered, we noticed a huge crowd of girls gathered in a circle. Curious, we asked one of them what was going on.
"It seems there's a really handsome guy in the middle, and all the girls are swooning over him," she explained.
This was getting interesting.
We made our way through the bustling crowd, and there he stood—a tall, striking young man, surrounded by a throng of admirers. His appearance was nothing short of captivating. His jawline was as sharp as a blade, and his eyes, a deep, pure brown, were framed by perfectly arched eyebrows. At 6'4", with smooth, flawless white skin, he cut a truly impressive figure.
"Oh my my. He is so damn good looking," Yuri-san murmured, her cheeks tinged pink.
It was immediately clear why he was the center of attention. The number of girls around him was a testament to his allure.
"Hey, Amara-kun, Yuri-san," I said, "should we try to recruit this guy for our team?"
"I don't think so," Amara-san replied, his tone thoughtful. "Before we do that, we need to determine if he's strong enough. Let's approach him and find out his rank."
"I guess you're right. Let's proceed with that," I agreed, nodding in understanding.
We noticed a girl near the crowd who seemed particularly distressed. She was biting her nails and her frustration was palpable. We approached her to see if we could help.
"Why is it that he doesn't talk to me? I want to talk to him too," she complained, her voice tinged with jealousy.
We exchanged glances and decided to move on, but Yuri-san's concern lingered. "How are we going to get him out of the crowd? It seems like the girls won't leave him alone."
Amara-san stepped forward and approached the frustrated girl, whispering something into her ear. The girl's expression shifted from frustration to excitement, and she immediately began whispering to the other girls.
"Hey, Amara-kun, what did you whisper to her?" Yuri-san asked, curiosity piqued.
"You'll see in a moment. Just wait here for a bit," Amara-san said, turning to rejoin us.
The girl's excitement seemed to spread rapidly. The murmurs among the crowd grew louder, and soon the girls began arguing among themselves.
"It's me."
"No, it's definitely me."
"Fuck off, it's me!"
"You're lying—it's me!"
The arguments escalated as the girls pushed and shoved, vying for the attention of the handsome man. Amara-san returned with a letter in hand.
"Here we go," he said, preparing to execute the final part of his plan.
"Hey, I found this letter near the crowd. It says that the secret admirer will be waiting for this handsome guy at the training grounds," Amara-san announced, holding the letter high.
The letter quickly began circulating among the girls, who were buzzing with excitement and speculation.
"Oh my, shouldn't you girls hurry to the training grounds? The handsome guy is heading there now. You should rush to catch up," Amara-san added.
"She's right!"
"I need to hurry!"
"I'm going to be there first!"
"I'm his secret admirer, so I'll get there first!"
In a flurry of excitement and competition, the girls scrambled to leave, leaving the area in a state of chaos. With the crowd gone, only the four of us and the handsome guy remained.
I approached him and introduced myself.
"Hello. My name is Sawanagi Komaru."
"Yo. I'm Amane Ryota."
"Sorry for the commotion. We wanted to talk to you, but the crowd wouldn't let us through."
"It's no problem. What did you need to talk about?"
Before I could respond, I turned to Amara-san. "Hey, Amara-san, how did you manage to get the crowd of girls to leave Ryota-san alone?"
"It was quite simple. I whispered to the frustrated girl that Ryota-kun was waiting for a message from a secret admirer. Her excitement spread to the other girls," Amara-san explained.
"So that's why they started whispering and arguing among themselves," I realized.
"Exactly. The argument over who was the secret admirer caused a ripple effect. Every girl wanted to be the one who captured Ryota-kun's attention, so they fought among themselves."
"But what about the letter?" I asked.
"I created a fake letter, praising Ryota-kun and claiming that the secret admirer would be waiting for him at the training grounds. I made it sound urgent, which prompted the girls to rush off to be first to meet him."
"Wow. That was an impressive plan."
"Actually," Ryota-san interjected, "the plan wasn't flawless. There was a significant flaw."
"What do you mean, Ryota-san?" I asked, intrigued.
"The risk of it backfiring. If the girls thought that I was leaving to meet the secret admirer, they might have insisted on following me, which could have led to a chaotic situation."
"Ah, I see. So a better approach would have been to tell the girls that the secret admirer had already left for the training grounds?"
"Exactly. That would have created even more urgency and likely led them to rush to the training grounds without hesitation."
Amara-san listened thoughtfully. "Next time, I'll consider that."
Ryota-san's observation was sharp. He had identified a flaw in what initially seemed like a perfect plan and suggested a potential improvement.
"Anyway, the plan worked out, so let's get to the important part. Ryota-san, I'd like to recruit you for our team for the selection test. We need one more member."
"Sure, I'm fine with that," Ryota-san replied readily.
"But first, we need to confirm if you're strong enough."
"Don't worry. I'm the strongest being in all of the multiverse. There's no one stronger than I."
His confidence was overwhelming, but the three of us exchanged skeptical glances.
"Is he serious?" I wondered aloud.
I registered his name on my device, which sent him a confirmation request. Ryota-san quickly accepted the request.
"Hey, Ryota-san, would you also like to join my faction?"
"Sure."
I recited the invitation chant, and he accepted, officially joining our faction. With him on board, our team was now complete.
"By the way, what's your rank on the leaderboards?" I asked, hoping to gauge his strength.
"It's 600,000,000."
The response was met with stunned silence. He was ranked the lowest in this academy.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Are you kidding me?"
His rank revealed he was far from being the strongest. We had been misled, and now we were stuck with him in our faction for the next five years.
"You liar! You're not the strongest!" Amara-san shouted, his anger palpable.
"I haven't lied. I am the strongest."
"Prove it. Fight me right now and defeat me."
A direct challenge was issued. Ryota-san's response was calm and collected.
"Now is not the right time to showcase my true strength."
"Seriously? Are you for real?"
"You're lucky we're good people and won't kill you," I warned him.
"I'm telling the truth. I am the strongest."
"Can you prove it?"
"Now's not the time—"
"I WILL KILL YOU, DAMMIT!"
And so, our team's first major challenge began. We had recruited a liar who was even weaker than us. Our journey was just beginning, and we were already dealing with unexpected complications.
*Lie counter: 3*