Half an Hour after Ash Lost Consciousness,
Ash, slumped against the broken tree, stirred slightly. A dull throb pulsed in his head as he forced his eyes open.
Did they leave...?,he wondered.
The clearing was empty.
A small, relieved smile tugged at his lips.
He checked his body. It was perfectly healed... even his mana had fully recovered.
Then a sudden headache struck him,
He held his head and thought,
'Fuck, the skill was so powerful that my brain was overloaded'
He stood up while the headache didn't disappear, but it was bearable,
'I need to train harder...and get this shit of a body into a better form otherwise I won't be able to use the skills properly'
'But I am glad everything worked out'
A small smile appeared on his face, he felt his body relax,
Then he heard the sound of fighting from afar,
'I guess they are still fighting there'
According to the plan he had to make Ray and Ethan Fight, as that will show him weak as he lost consciousness, and also it will be the debut of the Mc with the Antagonist,
'But they were not supposed to fight' he thought as a bitter smile appeared on his face.
"Well, It won't change anything. I hope," he muttered,
Ignoring the unease he felt, he moved towards the mountain,
While walking, he opened his status to see the description of his first skill,
**
Skill: Omni Thought
Rank: Legendary (S)
Type: Active
Description: Omni Thought accelerates the user's cognitive speed to an inhuman level, enabling hyper-awareness, allowing the user to have multiple thought streams at the same time. While active, all emotions and pain are suppressed, making decisions purely logical.
Note: This skill does not consume mana, but excessive use can severely impact the user's stamina and overall mental stability.
**
"The skill is definitely powerful, and as I get stronger the side effects will reduce considerably" he thought aloud.
After walking for about half an hour, he finally reached the mountain.
"I am glad all the monster ran away due to Ray's and Ethan's Fight" he said,
Since their fight had been raging even before he woke up, he encountered no monsters on his way.
Thus, his journey till here was peaceful,
'Novel mentioned there was some sort of cave here'
So, he moved around in search of the cave,
He was lucky that the audience was mostly focused on the Ray and Ethan's fight and everybody forgot about him,
Otherwise, seeing his unusual behavior from the start, they might think he knows about the place beforehand,
After searching for a while, he found the cave he was searching for and he went inside,
The cave was dark devoid of any light, he created a ball of lightning that created light in the surroundings,
He moved in the cave,
'There are no monsters, same as mentioned in the novel'
In the novel, during the entrance test there was no obstacle for the MC,
His journey was smooth,
But now,
'It doesn't matter, it will help him grow strong' he thought, trying to hide his guilt.
After moving for a while he reached the end of the cave, there in the middle of it was an elevated platform made of stone,
It had 5 Black flags, and a Pure white Ring on it,
'That's why I didn't collect any flag, and 5 flag is the minimum to pass the test' he thought with a smirk.
I don't want to rank high now after showing myself as weak in front of everyone, if I rank high, people will notice me, which will create a lot of problems.
It's not like I am strong.
I need to hide my strength at least until I am able to find the solution to my potential cap problem, he thought while moving towards the platform.
He took the flags and hooked them with him, put the ring on his finger.
'Let's see the effect of the ring' he thought, summoning his status window.
{A/N: A person can view the information of any item or artifact after wearing it from his status window }
'Status'
He skipped his information and focused on the Ring's description.
**
Item: Ring of Healing
Rank: Master (B)
Description:
-Can Heal all the injuries and ailments once a Week.
-20% Increased resistance against curses.
Note: The Ring's Effect is only applicable till the person's Rank is Lower than Master.
**
'The effect is the same' he thought with a slight smile,
From all angles, it looks like a normal ring, who would believe it's a Rune, he thought.
But still, He has to keep it away from Ray,
His system can sense that it is a Rune
I want to absorb it right now, but, I have to fulfill the hidden condition, he thought, as his mind working furiously, thinking ahead.
Just then, his headache increased,
"Fuck!, I need to rest after the test," he said.
After taking all the items from the cave, he left.
As when the fight will be over, Ray will definitely come to this place.
He left the cave and this time he moved away from the mountain,
GR UUU~!!
His stomach announced its hunger,
"I should hunt something to eat, I haven't eaten for long", he muttered looking at the beautiful moon in the sky.
Time passed by just like that…
**
Ash felt the familiar feeling of the world around him twist and space fold itself,
The test ended, and they were teleported back to the stadium,
He felt his surroundings change as a loud voice filled his ears,
"RAY!!!"
"RAY!!!" "RAY!!!"
"RAY!!!"
"RAY!!!" "RAY!!!"
"ETHAN!!!"
"ETHAN!!!"
"ETHAN!!!"
"ETHAN!!!"
"ETHAN!!!"
He saw the change instantly, as the stadium which was previous empty devoid of people as there was nothing much to see in the first 2 tests, was now filled with people,
All of them were shouting the names of Ray and Ethan.
It wasn't that there was no one else with similar strength as them,
It's just,
'People only cheer for those who entertain them.' Ash thought, as he looked around him.
'Good, No familiar Face'
Just then Elva Quill, The vice principal of the Starlight Academy, appeared in the sky,
And the Stadium was filled with silence in presence of her overwhelming aura,
'She looks pissed,' Ash noted.
Then, her sharp gaze locked onto him.
A chill ran down his spine.
'What the fuck? Now what did I do?'
He could almost feel her itching to beat the shit out of him.
'Does everyone think I'm a temple bell anyone can just ring?' he thought with a frown.
Finally, breaking eye contact, she spoke.
"Now let's see the ranking"
**
Final Rankings
1) Melissia Ravencroft - 97 Flags
2) Grace Starborn - 90 Flags
3) Lyra Evergrove - 80 Flags
.
5)Irvin Earthrend- 70
.
.
9)Elysia Moonglow- 67 Flags
.
.
.
23)Ray Dawson - 45 Flags
32)Ethan Nightshade-37 Flags
.
.
.
.
.
.
236)Felix Stormrider - 29 Flags
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
1001)Ash Burn-5 Flags.
**
Seeing the Rankings, The whole Stadium Again Started Shouted,
But this time The name was different,
"MELISSIA!!~"
"MELISSIA!!~"
"MELISSIA!!~"
"MELISSIA!!~"
"MELISSIA!!~"
"MELISSIA!!~"
"MELISSIA!!~"
Ash ignored the shouting at looked at the ranking to find his names,
He started from the bottom,
'Ahh...I am First, but from the bottom' he thought with a felling of relief and satisfaction.
In the Novel Only 1000 Students passed the test, but this time there was an Extra,
That Extra was him,
'Ray was supposed to first and Ethan Second, but I think because of the Fight they Lost their Flags'
'But still it doesn't change anything, both of them are still within Top 50,'
Then,
He looked around to see Melissia, then he saw it
In the distance, she watched the ranking list with a satisfied smile.
'She must be feeling proud of herself. Tsk.' Ash thought as he looked away.
His gaze shifted to the second ranker—Grace Starborn.
'There she is... the Blood of an Angel.'
Half-human, half-angel... but even she doesn't know it yet. That revelation comes far in the future, he thought.
His thoughts were interrupted as Elva began speaking, ensuring that everyone had seen their rankings.
Once again, the audience fell silent.
"These are the rankings," Elva announced. "They have been determined by the number of flags collected.
In cases where the flag count is the same, rankings are based on the individual's strength. If, by chance, even the rank is identical, then the number of monsters killed is taken into consideration."
Meanwhile, the murmurs of the crowd grew louder.
"I can't believe Ethan ranked so low!"
"He was supposed to be at the top!"
"Don't you know about the legendary battle of Ray and Ethan"
"Melissia completely dominated… as expected from a Ravencroft."
Elva raised her hand, instantly silencing the crowd.
Elva's voice carried through the stadium, her sharp gaze sweeping across the students.
"This ranking will determine your initial placement in Starlight Academy," she continued. "It does not define your future, but it will certainly shape your path from here."
Ash remained silent, his expression unreadable. He had achieved exactly what he wanted—remaining unnoticed and getting the Rune.
'Good. Now, I can move freely without drawing unnecessary attention,' he thought.
"Now, before we proceed… There is an important announcement," she said.
***