Chapter 44 - Results
Leo's body tensed as the screen flickered again, a single ominous line flashing across the display.
[Warning: Unidentified Anomaly Detected.]
His pulse quickened. His breathing slowed.
An anomaly?
His mind raced through possibilities, but before he could process what it meant, the machine surged with renewed intensity. The circuits pulsed erratically, recalibrating itself as if struggling to classify whatever it had just uncovered.
Then—he felt it.
A pull, deep within his core. Something hidden, something buried far beneath the surface of his awareness, being forcefully stirred by the test. His veins burned faintly, his muscles tensed involuntarily, and for a fleeting moment, he felt like the machine was extracting something from him that he had no control over.
It wasn't pain—it was pressure. A weight pressing down on him, coiling within his very genetic structure like a dormant force being unearthed.
[Attempting Reclassification...]
The pod hummed louder. The mana within it surging—
Leo clenched his jaw as another pulse of energy coursed through his body, stronger than before, like an unseen hand prying apart his very existence, peeling away the layers of his genetic code in search of something undeniable, before stopping abruptly, as a result appeared on the screen before him.
[Genetic Awakening Tier: MONARCH LEVEL]
A brief, eerie stillness filled the room, as Leo studied the words before him with wide eyes.
Then, without warning—
A sharp, ecstatic laugh broke the silence.
"Hahaha!"
"I was here to witness it! I was the one to conduct the test on a historic figure!! Woohooo!" The assistant screamed in joy, as he barely clutched onto his data slate while spinning on his heels.
Still laughing to himself, he staggered back, shaking his head in pure disbelief.
"I swear... I'll tell my grandchildren about this day," he muttered under his breath, his voice brimming with giddy disbelief, however, Leo barely acknowledged him, for his gaze was locked on the glowing words on the screen, his thoughts spiraling.
Monarch-level talent.
A true scion of the six great clans might have reacted to this news with arrogance, reveling in their own superiority.
However, Leo knew deep down that he wasn't one of the six great clans members.
On the other hand, a normal recruit would be overjoyed by the news, overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of what this meant for their future and their family, however Leo did not feel overwhelmed either.
Instead, he felt a strange mixture of relief and suspicion at once, which clashed within him to make him anxious.
The relief was instinctual. Even without his memories, even without knowing the full implications of what the genetic result meant, he understood what this grade meant—power, privilege and protection.
In the future, he wouldn't be cast aside as cannon fodder. Not within the academy, and not outside of it either.
He would be nurtured, given the best resources, and treated as a rare asset to any institution that he joined.
But the suspicion? That ran deeper.
Was this truly his talent?
Or was this yet another piece of the puzzle that had been placed in front of him?
A preordained result? A script written before he ever arrived at Rodova?
Leo's grip tightened slightly, his fingers flexing as he kept his face expressionless.
He still didn't know who he was before waking up in that transport cart.
He still didn't know who sent him here.
But they did.
Whoever wiped his memories—whoever put him in that hellish entrance exam—they must have known.
And now, as he stood here, staring at the glowing words Monarch-Level Awakening, a chilling thought struck him.
Was this result something he truly earned? Or was it something someone had ensured would happen?
Was it truly his talent? Or was it pre-arranged, just like the symbol given to him for memorization before the psychological evaluation test?
These were questions that ate away at his brain, however, before he could dwell on it any further, the assistant—still grinning like he had just won the lottery—suddenly tapped a sequence on his data slate, sending the evaluation report directly to the highest levels of the Academy.
A discreet notification flashed across the device.
[ALERT SENT TO: PRINCIPAL ALRIC DAINHART.]
[ALERT SENT TO: PROFESSOR DAVID.]
Leo didn't see it.
Didn't hear it.
Didn't know that at this very moment, two of the most powerful figures in Rodova Military Academy were reading his name on their personal devices, processing the weight of what had just happened.
All Leo knew was that something didn't feel right, and that his evaluation pod was opening up before his eyes, with the assistant rushing towards him to greet him.
"Congratulations, Cadet, No, I mean, Sir Leo, you are the ninth candidate in the history of the Rodova Military Academy to be evaluated to possess a Monarch Level Talent.
It is my life's honor to have conducted this test for you, Sir–" The assistant practically stumbled over his words, visibly restraining himself from outright cheering.
However, his subservient tone only made Leo feel uncomfortable, as Leo replied with the same humility.
"Umm, if you don't mind, can you please tell me what my talent evaluation means? My memories have all been wiped before I came to this academy, so I don't possess much of the general knowledge that you would think I do" Leo requested, as he candidly came clean about his memory loss.
"Oh? Ohhh— Ohhhh!" The assistant said, as if just realising what was going on, before nodding viciously.
"Indeed Sir, please don't worry, I will explain everything to you," the assistant said, taking a deep breath to compose himself before launching into his explanation.
"First, let's talk about skills. Every individual who possesses the talent to become a warrior, even those with Adept-level genetic potential, has the ability to learn and master skills. However, there's a fundamental limit to how many skills they can learn at a time, which is capped at —five.
No matter their dedication, no matter how much they push themselves, an Adept-tier warrior will never be able to learn and master more than five skill techniques in their lifetime."
Leo listened intently, his expression neutral but his mind actively processing every word.
"Of course," the assistant continued, adjusting his glasses, "the grade of the skills they learn can vary greatly. An Adept-tier warrior may learn weaker skills compared to a Transcendent or Monarch-tier warrior, and their mastery over those skills will always be fundamentally inferior. Moreover, there's an absolute restriction—no matter how talented they are, an Adept-tier warrior will never be able to master skills beyond the Legendary or Grandmaster grade, as the laws of genetic compatibility simply won't allow it."
Leo narrowed his eyes slightly, absorbing the implications. The number of skills one could master was fixed, and there were limits to how far a lower-tier individual could push themselves.
However, before the assistant could continue, Leo raised a hand, as not wanting to leave this conversation with more questions and pieces, he decided to take this chance to ask all the doubts he had along the way.
"Sorry to interrupt, but can you also tell me what grades skills are classified at? I don't know them." Leo asked, as the assistant blinked at him before nodding quickly.
"Ah, of course, Sir Leo. That's a crucial part of this discussion." He said, tapping his data slate, as he brought up a holographic display.
"Skill classification varies across different parts of the universe, as different factions and organizations use different ranking systems. However, there are two widely accepted methods."
He swiped across the display, bringing up two columns.
"The first method follows the same tier classification as genetic potential. It starts at the lowest level with Layman-tier skills and goes up as follows— Master, Grandmaster, Transcendent, Monarch, and God-tier at the peak."
Leo examined the list as the assistant continued.
"This system is straightforward, easy to understand, and is most commonly used in military institutions and government-run academies, like ours. However, in other regions, particularly among independent factions and elite martial families, a more detailed system is used."
The assistant swiped the display again, shifting to the second column.
"This second system has more classifications, breaking skills down into finer categories: Common, Rare, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Dark Gold, Epic, Semi-Legendary, Legendary, Semi-Divine, Divine, and finally, God-tier at the pinnacle."
Leo studied the list before glancing back at the assistant. "So, despite the different names, the second system can still be roughly mapped to the first one?"
"Exactly," the assistant confirmed. "For example, Gold-tier skills in the second system generally fall under Grandmaster-tier in the first. Legendary and Semi-Divine skills equate to Transcendent, while Divine is equivalent to Monarch, and of course, God-tier remains at the absolute peak."
Leo nodded, the information settling in his mind. It made sense why some organizations preferred the simpler system while others relied on a more detailed breakdown.
Satisfied, he gestured for the assistant to continue with his explanation.