Lami shook his head. "Jack isn't bribe material."
"Please?" Lucian requested, his eyes full of expectation.
"...Fine, just once, though." Despite constantly being annoyed by him, Lami couldn't bring himself to reject Lucian.
"89,000? Not bad!" someone in the crowd shouted.
Lami and Lucian had missed Seren's demonstration while discussing. The intensity of her attack was rated orange.
The next in line was Eleanor, forming an ice stiletto, she stabbed the dummy in the blink of an eye.
"She...," Lucian muttered, glancing at Eleanor. As Lami looked at him, he shrugged. "...Actually, never mind."
"What?" Lami asked.
"Nothing—was just thinking about her… talent."
".. Why do I feel like you were about to say something else at first?"
Seeing Lucian's shrug, Lami decided to ask the question that left him guessing.
"By the way, why did you hide your identity just to reveal it like this?"
Lami evaded Lucian's question, he wasn't interested in the princess even the slightest bit.
"I didn't hide anything, it's just that I hadn't revealed anything." Lucian smiled. "I'm still on good terms with my father."
"Don't try to be a philosopher, please. You're not making any sense," Lami said.
"....You can kill a man, but you can't kill an idea."
Lami frowned at his answer.
…
..
.
'Why is he even picking on me? Is his ego that fragile?' Lami mused, staring back at Elliot.
Lami hadn't done anything to provoke him. He assumed the reason could be him being the only half-demon in the class, and he had no backing.
Officially, he was an orphan for a long time. So, his lack of backing and protection might have caused Elliot to target him.
He was also the last ranked in practical—officially.
'Must be that.'
Lumia, on the other hand, was untouchable. As a high demon with immense strength and influential parents, Elliot wouldn't dare cross her.
"You ready?" Lucian asked with a hoarse and bored voice, sitting on the ground with his hand on his cheek.
"...Yes. But I won't talk big like you." Lami waved at Lucian.
"Do your best!" Lucian called with mock enthusiasm.
***
'Let's see if he is all brain, no brawl.'
Reiko was expecting a lot from someone who was acknowledged by Calista. With confident steps, Lami made his way to the Dummy while holding his Katana.
'That katana is… special.'
Noticing the weapon's worth instantly, Reiko began to pay closer attention. However, what mattered most was the worth of its wielder.
Reiko was proficient with many weapons, but her mastery of traditional Japanese weaponry stood unmatched.
Her eyes full of focus, she started to scan Lami, who was standing in a battle stance, from head to toe.
'Posture… good. Leg placement is correct. Grip… could be better.'
Reiko was doing the same thing for the last hour, evaluating every student one by one.
Mateo, Lucian, and Vinny were outstanding performers, yet Reiko scrapped off the first two names instantly.
Lucian didn't have that inextinguishable fire in his eyes, and Mateo wasn't suited to be a fighter. She was certain with her Mateo judgment, that everything he did was completely wrong, and yet he hit such a high rating.
His posture, his grip, the path of his strike; everything was improper.
Despite being judgemental about him Reiko still couldn't understand the rating of his intensity, it should have been inadequate, and yet it wasn't.
Vinny's mind was clearly in a vulnerable state, and exposing him to an impulsive person like Reiko wouldn't end well for him.
Reiko was aware of her shortcomings and trying to improve herself, but it was taking a sweet while.
'Oh-'
"Huuu!"
Breathing out, Lami brought down his sword, rotating his hips and shoulder simultaneously. The blade cut through the air with ruthless precision, leaving nothing but silence in its wake. His blade struck the dummy's neck.
It wasn't flashy; it didn't leave any trails behind. None of the students had a surprised look on their faces. It appeared to be an ordinary, basic strike.
However, the truth couldn't be more different.
"That…" Reiko muttered to herself with narrowed eyes. "That's quite good."
The complete sequence was simple yet awe-striking. He generated the maximum output efficiently.
The strike was simply beautiful, though there was a fatal mistake in his movement—after the strike.
Lami had manipulated the mana around his body step by step, starting from his hips and reaching his back, shoulders, arms, and hands as the slash progressed further.
His score wasn't high as it stopped at 74,000.
However, his intensity was none before.
The strike had landed on the left side of the dummy's neck, pinpoint perfect, creating a small line. A pitch-black line appeared.
The students' expressions shifted dramatically, shock etched across their faces Some denied what they had just witnessed, their disbelief erupting in loud protests.
Hearing the nonsensical remarks, surprised gasps, and admiring approvals, Lami sighed Now, he would be the topic of discussion, but there was no reason for him to hold back—why should he?
As Lami walked back to the crowd, Reiko smiled. "...Let's scout him."