Lian slowly walked up the stairs of the Academy’s administrative building.
His wounds were not completely healed yet, but thanks to the Academy’s treatments, he could now walk without help. His lost eye had also been fully restored with the help of healers. His appearance had now returned to normal.
When he entered the building, several students unconsciously looked at him.
Some recognized him, but almost everyone had heard about him. The only known survivor of the tenth Ruined Realm, a title that had now spread throughout the Academy.
This title was insane to many people, because they had always heard that returning from the ruined realm for the initial sacrifices was almost impossible.
Lian ignored the looks and moved toward the student status registration section. Behind one of the desks sat a middle-aged woman.
When Lian approached, she gave a professional smile.
"Yes?"
Lian placed his student card on the desk.
"I came to update my status."
The woman took the card. A few moments later, her eyes widened slightly.
"Lian Vonhelm? The same student who returned from the tenth realm?"
"It seems my fame is more known than I thought." Lian sighed, but he did not mind it either. As long as fame did not cause trouble, it was not that bad.
At least now, unlike before, when people heard his name they used to mock him. Now, when they hear his name, shock and surprise appear on their faces.
The woman looked at him for a few seconds, then a holographic screen appeared in front of her.
"Very well. New status?"
"Awakened."
"Class?"
"Warrior."
"What star rank is your class?"
"I’d prefer not to say."
The official glanced at him and nodded.
"Level?"
"Ten."
Silence.
The woman blinked. Then she looked at the screen again, then at Lian, then at the screen again, as if she thought she had misheard.
"Excuse me... how many?"
"Ten."
This time, even the professional smile faded from her face. The average level of first-year students at the Academy was around four. Reaching level five or six was considered good.
The tenth Ruined Realm had only recently opened, and it would take time for other students to enter and start exploring and hunting to get stronger.
Level seven was excellent. Level eight was among the top talents. But level ten? For a first-year student? Right after awakening? Within about a week?
Such a thing was not normal at all.
The woman said quietly.
"Wait a moment." Then she quickly opened another window.
Several messages were sent. She needed to report this to her superiors. There was no way she could simply let this go.
A few minutes passed.
Lian waited patiently.
Finally, a short notification sound came. The woman read the message, and suddenly her expression changed.
"A response came."
Lian raised an eyebrow.
"Well?"
The woman paused for a moment.
"I have been asked to guide you to Training Ground Number Three."
"Training ground?"
"Yes."
"And the person who will confirm your status..."
She took a deep breath.
"Professor Aldric Voss."
Lian was not that surprised. After all, that man had told him that he would definitely test him to determine his level of abilities.
The woman muttered under her breath:
"Strange... I didn’t think he would personally get involved in this. Normally, they leave such things to their assistants or other professors." The woman muttered under her breath, finding it strange and surprising.
Even for her, Aldric Voss was a very special figure whom she could not see whenever she wanted. One of the highest positions in the entire Academy.
And now such a person wants to personally test a student?
But the direct order had been issued, so there was no objection.
She stood up to personally guide Lian to the training ground. She did not dare to show the slightest hesitation or waste any time against Professor Aldric’s orders.
A few minutes later, they reached their destination, and Lian entered Training Ground Number Three.
A massive circular area. The floor was made of reinforced stones. Tall defensive walls surrounded it.
This place was for testing the abilities of Awakened. When he entered, he realized he was not alone. Several other professors were also present.
Some of them were talking.
But when they saw Lian enter, they fell silent. In the center of the field, a tall man stood.
Professor Aldric Voss. His hands were behind his back. His gaze was calm but piercing.
"Finally here." He said as soon as he saw Lian. It was clear he had been waiting for this moment.
Lian approached.
"I heard you want to test me."
Aldric nodded.
"That’s right. Before your status is officially recorded, I want to see with my own eyes what has returned from the tenth realm."
A short silence followed.
"Don’t worry. We are not going to fight. I just want to evaluate your power." The professor then continued.
At that moment, one of the staff brought a metal device to the center of the field.
A device specifically for measuring striking power, something that newly awakened students are usually tested with.
But when the device was placed in position...
"No." Aldric suddenly said.
Everyone stopped. The professor looked at the device.
"This is not enough." He then said quietly.
Several other professors frowned.
"What do you mean?" One of them asked.
"This device is designed for normal people. But I want to see something." Aldric answered without taking his gaze off Lian.
Then he looked directly at Lian.
"Release all your power. No hiding, no holding back. Everything you have."
The atmosphere suddenly became heavy.
The gaze of all the professors locked onto Lian.
The professors were shocked and did not know how to react. The tests for evaluating the abilities of new students had a fixed and formal procedure.
But Professor Aldric was practically saying that this process was useless and that he wanted to test this student in a completely different way.
But this was not according to the rules. They glanced at each other, and helplessness was clear on all their faces. Unfortunately, they did not dare to say anything to this man.
Even some students who were watching from a distance fell silent.
Lian looked at Aldric for a few seconds. He could see that until he showed his power, this man would not leave him alone. It was clear he wanted to understand how he had managed to survive that ruined realm.
Should he show it? If they see his true power, they will definitely be shocked.
Then he slowly took a deep breath and stepped forward. At that moment, mana began to move inside his body.
The air around became slightly cold. Several professors unconsciously frowned, because even from this simple fluctuation, it was clear that this student was not normal.
Aldric also gave a very faint smile for the first time. A smile that looked more like anticipation.
The anticipation of seeing the truth. The anticipation of seeing what had made a first-year boy survive a hell that no one had returned from.
And just at that moment when Lian was ready to release his power...
Aldric’s eyes narrowed slightly, because for the first time, he felt that perhaps this test was going to be much more interesting than he had imagined.