"The student ranking," Brant announced, his voice steady and carrying across the crowd, "will remain provisional until the fresher ranking competition, which will be held on the 1st of January. Until then, rankings are decided solely by the number of trial points you've accumulated."

He paused, letting the words sink in.

"And make no mistake—this ranking has nothing to do with individual trial city standings. That system has been revised. Your current rank reflects your position among students gathered from all twenty trial cities in Aurelius Beast Academy."

A faint murmur rippled through the candidates.

"The total number of students admitted this year is… astounding," Brant continued calmly. "Five thousand in total, three thousand more than last year. So don't expect a flattering rank. Also, AC will be distributed at the beginning of next month, according to your current standing."

The moment Brant finished speaking, chaos quietly erupted.

Candidates hurriedly rummaged through their devices, tapping and swiping with varying degrees of success. Those from inner and core cities activated their phones with ease, their movements smooth and practised. A faint sense of superiority crept onto their faces as they glanced at candidates from bordering and outskirts cities, many of whom were frantically flipping through the guide, brows furrowed in confusion.

Nobles—along with Zolton and Alric—quickly grasped the basics. Being literate, they skimmed the guide and soon unlocked the ranking interface. In contrast, illiterate candidates could only look around helplessly, searching for someone—anyone—willing to help.

Sensing opportunity, group leaders stepped in, pulling more people into their circles. Promises were whispered—we'll teach you letters, numbers, how to read—future benefits dangled like bait. Yes, many people were still illiterate.

For Leo, however, the process was unexpectedly effortless.

Having been a weeb in his spare time during the military, he had spent countless hours mindlessly scrolling through his phone in his previous life. Muscle memory kicked in. He turned the device on, navigated through the interface, and began exploring without hesitation.

Lily, watching him closely, mimicked his steps and succeeded shortly after. Miho followed as well, though she struggled more. Without basic literacy, each step took effort, unlike Lily, who had been taught to read and write by her father.

Leo quickly skimmed through the available functions.

A camera with unusually high resolution.A contact application.And a prioritised app titled Aurelius Academy App (AAA).

There were no video calls. No social media. Communication was limited to text messages.

"Not even streaming?" Leo muttered, scrolling. "Oh—there is… wait what?"

He froze when he saw the cost.

"One hour… one thousand AC?" His mouth twitched. "That's robbery."

Shrugging, he moved on.

Finding nothing else particularly interesting, Leo switched to the camera and casually lifted the phone, framing Lily beside him. Lily turned just in time to see the device raised, blinking in confusion. Her eyes wide, expression innocent and startled—

Click.

Leo chuckled softly at her adorable reaction.

Perfect shot.

Satisfied, he immediately set the photo as his wallpaper.

"What was that, Leo?" Lily asked, peering at the screen. When she saw the image of the two of them, her eyes lit up. "How did you do that?"

Leo explained briefly, guiding her through the steps. Following his instructions, Lily snapped a photo of her glowing, cheerful face, Leo striking a surprisingly dashing pose beside her. She giggled softly as she set it as her wallpaper, repeatedly zooming in—though her focus lingered far longer on Leo's face and physique than necessary.

No one paid attention to Leo's easy mastery of the device, thinking he knew one.

Except Brant, who knew Leo was from the outskirts. Even the nobles from the same city as his were struggling a bit.

"Interesting…" the professor muttered under his breath, puzzled by how Leo seemed to understand the device so intuitively.

Then—

A commotion erupted.

All eyes turned toward one particular group.

Zolton's group.

"What is this?!" one of his followers shouted. "Who the hell is Leo?!"

"Yeah! How is he ranked first?! Our lord is only ranked two-thousandth!"

"This is impossible!"

They had all seen it clearly.

Leo—Rank 1.

Zolton—somewhere beyond Rank 2000.

Even Zolton was stunned.

Of course, he hadn't expected to be first—but this? A weakling like Leo standing above everyone? His gaze snapped toward Brant immediately.

"This!" Zolton snarled, teeth clenched. "James must have bribed him! They're all conspiring against my family!"

Everything suddenly connected in his mind.

His father's disappearance just days before the academy's arrival.Brant silencing him when he confronted James, the newly appointed Baron.And now this.

"This—!" Zolton's anger surged as he noticed another detail.

Lily was ranked third.

His pupils trembled.

"This professor manipulated their points," he concluded internally, shock hardening into conviction.

Did they sell my city to this professor as a bribe?

As he tried to piece it together, an idea struck him.

Zolton hurriedly flipped through the guide, scanning page after page.

Then—

"Yes!" His lips curled into a smile.

"This is wrong!" he shouted suddenly, his voice cutting through the crowd.

Brant frowned and turned to face him directly.

"This…" Brant vaguely recalled the young noble but dismissed him as insignificant. With a slight tilt of his chin, he allowed him to continue.

Zolton stepped forward, a cruel smile spreading across his face.

"There's no way anyone can gather that many points and be ranked first legitimately. This is blatant cheating!" he declared. "I demand a challenge to verify the ranking!"

He paused deliberately.

"And I propose a DEATH MATCH!"

Gasps rippled through the crowd.

The guide clearly stated—if an opponent died in a death match, all of their assets would be transferred to the victor. Leo's vast trial points would become his instantly. First rank would follow naturally.

Two birds with one stone.

No—three.

Killing Leo and getting Lily.

Becoming first-ranked.

And finally becoming a prominent and imposing figure

Everything he desired would be his.

As a noble, Zolton carefully framed his words, branding Leo as a cheater while subtly avoiding any mention of his true strength. To the onlookers, even if Leo had cheated, gathering that many points implied significant power.

But Zolton knew the truth.

Leo was weak.

That was why he dared to challenge him openly—cementing his own image as strong while rallying others to his side. Anyone opposing him would appear suspicious.

Just as he expected, voices rose in agreement.

Support came not only from freshers—but from second-year students as well, many of whom already harbored resentment toward Leo and Lily.

The spark had been lit.

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