(Rodova Military Academy – Academy Mess Hall, One Day Before the Mid-Term Exam)
The cafeteria was unusually quiet, but not for lack of people.
Every table was filled. Every seat was occupied.
And yet, despite the crowded space, the usual boisterous chatter and reckless laughter were gone.
Instead, what remained was an oppressive, suffocating silence—punctuated only by the occasional groan of despair or the frantic scribbling of last-minute notes.
The entire cafeteria felt like a funeral home.
And for good reason.
Tomorrow was Professor David’s mid-semester exam.
And no one was ready for it.
"Fifty marks out of eighty," someone muttered at the next table, their voice hollow with disbelief. "Fifty. With zero partial marking. How the hell is that fair?"
"It’s not," another voice snapped back. "It’s literally just him being a petty bastard. We all know it."
"I heard David actually laughed while setting this paper," a girl whispered, horrified. "Like—full-blown villain laughter."
"You mean like this?" another student rasped before letting out a low, maniacal chuckle, only for a spoon to hit his face instantly.
"Read the damn notes instead of making jokes, you idiot! We’re all dying here!" Someone from across the hall complained, as he did not seem amused at all for the disturbance.
At another table, a guy sat hunched over his notebook, muttering equations like a prayer.
At yet another, a girl had her head buried in her arms, groaning, "I should’ve enrolled into the Clarence Military Academy instead. Why did I pick Rodova? Why?!"
The entire room reeked of stress, desperation, and stamina potion abuse.
And then, from the center of it all—
BANG!
A loud slam echoed through the cafeteria as Su Yang snapped his textbook shut with so much force that even Leo flinched momentarily.
"Why am I even trying?!" Su Yang demanded, his voice filled with pure, unfiltered despair.
His eyes, bloodshot from stress, darted toward Leo.
"There is no hope for us, Skyshard," he declared. "No future. No light at the end of this hellish tunnel."
Leo raised an eyebrow, speedily chewing his food.
"...So you’re saying you’re going to fail?" Mu Shen interjected at that moment, as Su Yang turned to face him.
"I have already failed!" Su Yang shot back, jabbing a finger into his chest.
"Don’t you understand, Shen? We’re dead men walking. Me and Skyshard…. Even if we get the answers right, David will mark them as wrong– Our failure is assured" Su Yang declared, as Leo let out a small hum of amusement.
"Bold of you to assume I’m failing too." Leo retorted, as Su Yang scoffed so hard it was almost insulting.
"Oh, please," he waved a hand dismissively. "Let’s not kid ourselves. You, my brother, are going down with me."
Leo smirked, shaking his head slightly.
"I’ll take you down with me next year too," Su Yang added darkly, leaning in, his voice almost conspiratorial now.
"If we both fail again, I say we burn this damn academy to the ground." Su Yang proposed, as Leo nearly choked on his food, not from panic, but from laughter.
*Cackle–*
"No, no, hear me out," Su Yang whispered dramatically.
"It wouldn’t even be that hard. We start small. A little explosion in the library. Some mild arson in the administration building. Then, when the chaos is at its peak, we slip out—unnoticed, free men once more." Su Yang proposed, as he seemed to have planned that more than having studied for the exam.
"Sure–" Leo said, rolling his eyes, as although he agreed with Su Yang on the surface, internally, his mind was somewhere else entirely.
—-----
(Rodova Military Academy – Leo’s Dorm Room)
Later that night, Leo sat cross-legged on the floor, his breathing slow and steady as he meditated.
But for once—his mind wasn’t focused on the meditation itself, as it was instead focused on cheating.
David’s exam format was brutal. The strict grading system made passing nearly impossible. But if there was one thing Leo had learned in this world, it was that there was always a loophole.
And Leo had found one.
Jim Choo.
The smartest student in the class, who David apparently adored.
Choo came from a poor economic background and had made it to Rodova on scholarship.
But unfortunately he was only a ’Grandmaster’ level talent, with not a very bright future.
It was common knowledge that Choo was good at studies, and that he tried extra-hard to please David in his class, which was why Leo believed that if anyone was going to pass this nightmare of a test, it was him.
And with [Absolute Vision] nearing perfection, Leo could trace every single movement of Jim’s pencil strokes in real-time.
He wouldn’t even have to see the answers directly.
He just needed to mimic the way Jim’s hand moved, and he could copy every answer, without ever looking up from his own question paper, and without anyone being any wiser!
It was a solution that he had thought of, in a spur of a moment enlightenment in today’s class.
As with David finally allowing him to sit in class, Leo realized that he could perfectly mimic Jim Choo’s note making, if he used [Absolute Vision].
This was an absolute blessing for him, as he was the only individual in class being in a unique position to use his skills this way, as although the entire class had learnt perception skills, only his and Su Yang’s, [Absolute Vision] was advanced enough to precisely track something like pencil strokes in real time.
The key factor in making this work was the fact that his cycle speed for [Absolute Vision] was just under 0.2 seconds— which was fast enough to keep up with real-time movements.
If it was at (Basic) mastery, and took over a second to cycle, then Leo would not be able to trace his writing, as he would miss connecting strokes between letters, and would never have a full trace.
While lower-tier vision techniques simply wouldn’t work, as
[Peripheral Vision] → Only detected movement and couldn’t trace.
While [Full Vision] → Couldn’t capture the finer hand motions needed for precise copying.
Only Absolute Vision had the required precision.
But even with this advantage—Leo wasn’t an idiot.
If he copied everything word-for-word, David would catch him immediately when checking his answer sheet, so instead—Leo knew that he needed to be smart about it.
His plan:
1)Answer what he actually knew on his own.
2)Trace Jim’s movements only for the hardest questions.
3) Paraphrase the answers slightly to avoid suspicion.
It was risky for sure.
But so was failing.
And Leo had no intention of failing if he could pass.
—----
(Rodova Military Academy – Exam Hall, The Next Morning)
The atmosphere within the exam hall the next morning was pure oppression.
Students shuffled on their seats, while looking pale-faced, sleep-deprived, and dead inside.
Some clutched their notes like lifelines, flipping through them even as they walked.
Others simply sat at their desks, staring at the front of the room like prisoners waiting for execution.
Su Yang slumped into his seat beside Leo.
"Leo," he whispered gravely.
"Yeah?"
"I’ve accepted my fate."
Leo tilted his head. "...Good for you, they say acceptance is the first step to moving on."
"Yes," Su Yang nodded solemnly.
"I’ve decided to imbue the virtues of a monk within me." He said, as Leo rolled his eyes.
Then—
The doors slammed shut.
And a familiar presence walked in.
Professor David.
His expression was calm. His steps, leisurely.
And yet—his mere presence alone made the entire room tighten with fear.
As he strolled to the front of the hall, he set the test papers down on the desk with a loud thud before surveying the room like a predator eyeing its prey.
Then, after a pause, he smiled.
"Shall we begin?"