After the encounter with Malphas, Caelum knew the Academy would no longer be safe. The Overseers were alerted. But instead of hiding, he decided to do the unthinkable. He would return to the Academy and force the System to recognize his new rank.
As he entered the Academy gates, a crowd had gathered. In the center stood Renard, the top-ranked A-Rank student and the man who had bullied Caelum for years.
"I heard you broke a testing pillar, Thorne," Renard laughed, his flame-covered sword resting on his shoulder. "A neat trick. But pillars don't fight back. I do."
The System immediately reacted to the tension.
[QUEST: THE PATH OF THE CONQUEROR]
[OBJECTIVE: DEFEAT RENARD WITHOUT CASTING A SINGLE FORMAL SPELL]
[REWARD: PERMANENT ACCESS TO THE ACADEMY'S HIDDEN ARCHIVES]
"I don't have time for your games, Renard," Caelum said, his voice flat.
"Too bad!" Renard roared, charging forward. His sword unleashed a wave of fire that threatened to melt the very floor. The students screamed, expecting Caelum to be turned into ash.
Caelum didn't move. He simply looked at the fire and saw the code: [FIRE_DAMAGE = 500].
With a thought, he edited the line: [FIRE_DAMAGE = 0].
The flames hit Caelum, but instead of burning him, they felt like a cool summer breeze. He walked through the fire, untouched, and stopped right in front of a horrified Renard.
"Is that all?" Caelum asked. He tapped Renard's chest lightly.
[COMMAND: DISCONNECT_MANA_CIRCUIT]
Renard's fire vanished instantly. He fell to the floor, gasping, unable to feel a single drop of mana in his body. To the crowd, it looked like Caelum had defeated the strongest student with a single touch.
"The era of Ranks is over," Caelum announced to the silent Academy. "From today, the System follows me."