Mr Clayman led us into an arena and led me through a door which revealed a circular room made of reinforced blue glass. In the center was a single white circle.
"The rules are simple, Jayden," Mr. Clayman said through the intercom. "Stay within the circle. Fifty hover-drones will fire low-impact mana bolts at you. The test ends when you are hit three times or when the timer hits two minutes. This measures your Reflexes and Perception."
I stepped onto the circle. Silas leaned against the observation glass, his eyes tracking my every move like a hawk. Jamie was already yawning.
Reflexes? I thought my "God-Tier" senses were already screaming. I could feel the hum of the drones before they're even powered up. To me, they weren't hovering; they were practically standing still.
[System Warning: Perception Stat is 100x higher than F-Class average. Suppressing... 99%... Complete.]
The drones hissed into the air. Zip! The first bolt came at 4 o'clock. My body wanted to pivot and counter-strike, but I forced myself to stumble. I waited until the very last millisecond, then "tripped" to the left. The bolt grazed my shoulder.
"Pathetic," Jamie's voice echoed through the speakers.
Zip! Zip! Two more from the front. I did a clumsy, uncoordinated hop, making it look like I was panicking. I flailed my arms, barely dodging them, and let out a fake, heavy gasp.
In my mind, I was bored. I could see the trajectory of every shot—the mana heat signatures were as bright as neon signs. But on the outside, I looked like a drowning cat.
"He's barely moving," Silas murmured. "His reaction time is... delayed. Typical for an F-Class."
I kept up the act for sixty seconds. My heart wasn't even racing, but I made sure to rub my chest and breathe through my mouth. Finally, I decided I'd had enough. I "lost my balance" and let two bolts hit me in the stomach.
Thud. Thud. [Test Over. Time: 1:05. Rank: F (Low Tier).]
"I'm... I'm sorry," I panted, leaning on my knees as the drones powered down. "It was too fast."
Lara rushed into the room, her face full of pity. "Don't be sorry, Jayden! You survived a minute against combat drones with no training. That's incredible for someone who was... in your situation."
She hugged me, and I buried my face in her shoulder to hide the smirk.
One minute and five seconds. Just enough to look like a 'trying' failure, but not enough to be a 'prodigy' failure. "Whatever," Jamie scoffed as we walked out. "A trained monkey could have lasted longer. Let's just get the other test over with.
After the physical "failure," Mr. Clayman led us to a room that looked like a temple to high technology. The Cognition Chamber was a vast, charcoal-colored hall lit only by thin strips of glowing cyan light. In the center, a platform rose from the floor, emitting a soft hum as a holographic desk materialized in front of me.
"This is the Intellectual Assessment," Clayman explained. "The system will adapt to your knowledge level. Just do your best, Jayden."
I sat down, and the air shifted. Transparent screens floated before my eyes, covered in ancient history, monster biology, and complex mana-flow equations.
Easy, I thought. I've read the original novel five times. I knew the "Demon King's War" better than the historians who lived through it. Okay, Jayden, keep it cool. Pick the wrong answers. Look like a kid who struggled to learn by candlelight in a damp alleyway.
I purposefully flubbed the history section. I "guessed" wrong on the mana circulation diagrams. I was doing a great job of being mediocre.
Then, the final section appeared: [Advanced Tactical Strategy & Mana Calculus].
My modern-day brain took over. I saw a complex troop formation problem—a scenario where a thousand soldiers were trapped by a high-ranking demon. In my past life, I loved puzzles. Without thinking, my fingers blurred across the holographic interface. I balanced the mana consumption, calculated wind resistance for the mages, and solved a calculus-level equation in seconds.
Wait. I froze. A fifteen-year-old beggar shouldn't know what a derivative is.
I reached out to hit the "Clear" button, my heart racing. Delete it, delete it—
[ERROR: POWER SURGE DETECTED. SYSTEM OVERRIDE: FORCE SUBMITTING...]
"Shit!" I hissed.
The screen flashed a blinding, celebratory gold.
[Result: 70% — Rank: B. (PERFECT SCORE)]
"I'm so sorry, there was a power glitch!" Mr. Clayman's voice crackled over the intercom. "The surge caused an automatic submission. Let me see what... what..."
His voice trailed off. Silence filled the chamber.
The doors hissed open. Clayman walked in, staring at the hologram as if it were a ghost. Silas was right behind him, his hawk-like eyes scanning the equations I'd written. Jamie looked like his head was about to explode.
"His instincts... they aren't just good," Clayman whispered, his hand trembling as he reviewed the script. "They're perfect. This is a level of strategic genius we haven't seen in decades."
"How?" Silas breathed, his gaze shifting to me. It wasn't a pity anymore. It was a cold, sharp suspicion.
"There must be a glitch!" Jamie yelled, his face turning red. "He's a ghost! He's trash! He can't be smarter than me!"
Clayman shook his head. "I reviewed the script manually. No glitch. He solved every variable flawlessly."
I felt the sweat on my neck. Think, Jayden. Act oblivious. Act pathetic.
"My baby is a genius!" Lara cried out, rushing forward to scoop me into a hug. She was beaming with enough pride to light up the city.
"Jayden," Mr. Clayman asked, his eyes searching mine. "How did you solve these? This is university-level mana-science."
I looked down at my feet, twisting the hem of my silk shirt. I gave them my best "innocent orphan" look. "I... I just did. When I was in the slums, I didn't have toys or friends. I was just... interested. I stole old books from the trash and read them. I kept trying to learn because it was the only thing that felt real."
I looked up, letting my eyes go a little misty. "I guess I just practiced a lot in my head."
Lara's heart broke all over again. "Oh, Jayden..."
"So you really are a genius," Clayman said, his respect for me growing.
"What's so good about being a nerd?" Jamie spat, trying to regain his footing. "You're still an F-Class. Being smart doesn't win wars."
"That's true," I said, leaning into the 'sad' persona. I looked at the floor. "Being smart doesn't matter if you're too weak to use it."
"It does matter!" Lara and Clayman said in unison, both of them jumping to cheer me up. They showered me with praise, convinced they had found a diamond in the rough.
But then I looked at Silas.
He wasn't cheering. He had a dangerous smirk playing on his lips. His expression said everything: I don't believe a single word coming out of your mouth.
One more test, I thought, my stomach turning. The Magic Test. The one where I have to touch the stone. I've already made one mistake... I can't afford a second....