"Hah... finally, we're out. It was really hot and stuffy in there. I wasn't comfortable," Merlin said with a sigh of relief.

Lyserra simply smiled and apologized. "I'm sorry for troubling you."

Merlin turned to her and gently patted her head.

"It's okay. I don't mind. Besides, by going to that area, I gained a lot of benefits. So you don't need to worry."

The "benefits" he was referring to was the blue bracelet given to him by Lucius.

He hadn't checked what was inside yet, but he could sense the presence of rare, epic, and even legendary artifacts.

It could be said that not only Lyserra but also he gained benefits from this test.

"By the way, the test will end soon," Merlin said as he took out his tablet and turned it on.

He saw that there was only one hour left before the test ended. He checked his name and found that his points had reached 33,500.

He got that number because he had killed Lucius earlier, gaining 12,300 points.

On the other hand, second place was still held by Crystal, and third place—

"Luna?" Merlin was stunned. 'That girl managed to reach third place and beat Luvis by a narrow margin. How amazing!'

He was sure that Luna's biggest motivation was getting a reward from him.

Well, he knew Luna's competitive nature, so he had deliberately said he would give her anything she wanted before the test began.

He searched for Monica's name and saw that she was in seventh place, while Jared Lowson was in twelfth.

Honestly, he was very impressed with them, especially Jared.

It should be noted that Jared was not as talented as the other children.

Yet here he was, ranked twelfth among hundreds of students who participated.

His performance was truly impressive.

'I really want to meet him and befriend him, but it seems almost impossible. After all, the island is huge, and running into him by chance would be difficult.'

Actually, he could have asked the system to help him, but he knew there was a fee for that, which he was reluctant to pay.

"It's okay. Later, after the test is over, I can meet and befriend him," he whispered softly.

"Merlin, what do you want to do? Do you want to go hunting?"

Lyserra's curious voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

Merlin rubbed his chin and thought for a moment before replying, "Let's just hunt. The higher my points, the better I'll look in the eyes of those professors."

Linda had said that the point limit was no more than 25,000 to 30,000 points, but he had already surpassed that estimate.

Therefore, he wanted to break the record by earning even more points, ensuring his name would go down in the academy's history.

Lyserra didn't refuse. Without delay, Merlin vanished from his spot and began hunting monsters across the island.

...

In the academy courtyard, professors from various departments gathered enthusiastically.

Today was the final day of the test, and they were all eager to see who would end up as the champion.

"It's a pity that the leaderboard can't be shown. Otherwise, I'm sure my bet would be correct," one of them said reluctantly.

To keep the betting fair, none of them were allowed to see the temporary leaderboard, which usually appeared above the courtyard where they stood.

This rule was meant to prevent cheating, such as denying what they had bet.

"Hahaha! Professor Daniel, you're so arrogant. But I don't blame you. After all, I'm also confident in my choice," one of the professors retorted.

His words sparked further responses from the professors present.

Watching their debate, Ronald let out a long sigh and whispered, 'They're really like children.'

But he could understand them. The stakes of this test were very high.

All the professors had spent their savings in hopes of gaining the maximum profit.

Unfortunately for them, they were definitely going to lose today. After all, the winner was the person he had bet on earlier.

While everyone was talking excitedly, balls of light emerged one after another in the lower courtyard.

At the same time, all the students who had taken the test—whether the fifty who had died early or the one hundred and ninety who had survived—appeared together.

Seeing this, the professors felt relieved and waited for the results.

Merlin was among them. He looked around, then let out a sigh of relief.

"Finally over," he whispered softly.

He looked around and saw many students wearing expressions of annoyance, anger, and happiness.

Those who were upset and angry were the first fifty to die in the test, while those who were happy were the ones who had managed to survive until the end.

Ronald stepped onto the stage and greeted them cheerfully.

"Welcome back, my students. The test is over, and now I will reveal the leaderboard for all of you."

After he spoke, the names of the students from eleventh to two hundred and fortieth appeared on the magic screen in the sky.

Everyone stared at it, unable to contain their shock.

"Damn! I really was among the first fifty to die! Argh! My fate is sealed!"

"Me too! I'm ranked two hundred and twentieth! This is unacceptable!"

"Hahaha! I did it! I got one hundred and seventy-seventh place!"

Voices of despair, anger, disappointment, happiness, and joy mixed together.

Not all students wanted to be in the top ten, let alone become the champion.

For most of them, the most important thing was to avoid being ranked above one hundred and ninety.

Those in that range would be expelled from the academy.

Many of the professors felt both pleased and disappointed. Several of the names they had expected to become champions turned out to be letdowns.

One of them was Lucius, who ranked one hundred and eightieth with zero points.

Although he managed to stay in the academy, the result was deeply embarrassing.

"Damn it! I failed!" Lucius shouted in anger.

The students around him were terrified and quickly moved away.

"Why… why did this happen!?" he growled, clutching his head.

He tried to recall what had happened, but strangely, his memories were blurry and vague, as if they had been forcibly erased.

About ten meters away, Merlin smiled at Lucius's despairing expression and taunted, 'This is what you get for trying to act tough in front of me, Lucius.'

When he had killed Lucius earlier, he had deliberately erased his memories first so that he wouldn't remember anything that happened.

Of course, he had done it carefully, ensuring Lucius wouldn't notice anything strange or suspect him as the culprit.

But this was only the beginning. In the future, he would make Lucius suffer until death felt preferable to living.

Unconsciously, a thin, sinister smile spread across his face.

System: "[Master, your smile is truly terrifying!]"

"Ahem!" Merlin coughed shyly and quickly composed himself.

"As you've seen, the leaderboard shows the test results," Ronald said calmly. "The bottom fifty, whose names are grayed out, will be expelled from the academy. You are to pack your belongings in the dormitory and report to the ID card office in the city to settle the necessary procedures. The academy will give you two days. Everything must be completed within that time. Do you understand?"

His cold gaze swept over the children ranked in the bottom fifty.

Although he always appeared friendly, Ronald was, in truth, cold and ruthless toward anyone he deemed unworthy.

To him, only geniuses deserved a place in the academy, especially those of the first wave.

The students in the bottom fifty could no longer suppress their sorrow.

Some broke down and cried.

They had not even spent a week at the academy, yet they were forced to leave immediately.

The pain and disappointment weighed heavily on them.

The remaining students watched in silence, sympathy evident in their eyes.

Some of those being expelled had already formed friendships with those who stayed behind, making the farewell even more painful.

Unfortunately, everyone understood that pleading with the vice principal was pointless.

Everything had already been decided, and no one could challenge the outcome.

Under the gaze of the crowd, the fifty students walked away with their heads bowed.

Merlin watched them in silence, the flicker of pity in his eyes hard to conceal.

He reflected seriously on what was happening before him.

"If I didn't have the system, would I have ended up like them?"

That possibility wasn't far-fetched. The real Merlin Clay had been trash—even compared to the so-called genius children ranked in the bottom fifty.

He had once been naive enough to believe that sheer determination and passion would be enough to rise.

But he knew now that it was impossible. Talent couldn't be changed unless one used a special potion rarer than a legendary artifact.

Even with the Clay family's wealth, obtaining such a thing was impossible.

Fortunately, he had the system and Lyserra by his side. With them, his path to strength became much smoother.

Once the children had left, Ronald took a deep breath and said loudly, "Now then, let's see who made the top ten. I'm sure you're all very excited, right?"

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