Chapter 48: Assessment coming?
Alex tilted his head.
"I can try."
The principal’s face showed a flicker of hope.
"Really?"
"Yeah, I can try."
Pause.
"But you know..."
"Human nature is hard to change."
The principal’s hope died instantly.
His hand went to another wig. A gray one.
Touched it. Sighed deeply.
"I knew it."
"I knew you would say that."
He looked at Alex. Long. Hard.
"Wilson specifically asked me to take care of you."
"Said you have potential."
"So here I am. Cultivating."
"Getting more stress. More hair loss."
"Probably going to need a new wig after this semester."
Alex grinned. "Should I recommend a style?"
"Alex."
"Sorry."
The principal opened a drawer. Pulled out a file.
Placed it on the desk.
"Comprehensive Assessment."
"It is coming up in two weeks."
Alex looked at the file. "Assessment?"
"Every semester. All students get evaluated."
"It determines your ranking. Your class placement. Your entire future."
"Ranked. Scored. Compared."
"Top performers get university recommendations."
"Middle performers stay where they are."
"Bottom performers..."
"Get demoted. Or expelled."
Alex leaned forward slightly.
"And this time..."
He looked up.
"Some people are making noise."
"What kind of noise?"
"The kind that says an F-rank Slime contractor does not belong in Class 1."
Alex’s smile faded slightly.
"Let me guess. Rich parents?"
"Very rich parents."
The principal nodded.
"Parents with connections. Influence. Money."
"They are saying I made a mistake."
"That you should be moved to a lower class."
"Or expelled entirely."
Pause.
"And honestly?"
"Putting an F-rank contractor in Class 1..."
"It does put pressure on me."
He looked tired suddenly.
"I need you to perform well in this assessment."
"Show them you belong here."
"Can you do that?"
Alex leaned back. Crossed his arms.
"What is in the assessment?"
....
Hallway.
Alex walked slowly.
The corridor was empty. Quiet.
His mind replayed the assessment.
Contracted Beast Potential.
Really depends on the contracted beast, like his slime would get a really bad grade on this.
Spiritual Power Detection.
His spirit energy level! Which He is good at, he is 10th grade, very close to 9th grade, one of the top in the school.
One-on-One Combat.
Against another student.
Portal Hunting.
Real monsters. Real danger, hunting in the portal.
This one is the most important one since the portal is humans’ main enemy!
Destructive Power.
Raw damage output.
Functionality.
Skills. Versatility. Application.
Six tests.
Alex tilted his head.
"I can try."
The principal’s face showed a flicker of hope.
"Really?"
"Yeah, I can try."
Pause.
"But you know..."
"Human nature is hard to change."
The principal’s hope died instantly.
His hand went to another wig. A gray one.
Touched it. Sighed deeply.
"I knew it."
"I knew you would say that."
He looked at Alex. Long. Hard.
"Wilson specifically asked me to take care of you."
"Said you have potential."
"So here I am. Cultivating."
"Getting more stress. More hair loss."
"Probably gonna need a new wig after this semester."
Alex grinned. "Should I recommend a style?"
"Alex."
"Sorry."
The principal opened a drawer. Pulled out a file.
Placed it on the desk.
"Comprehensive Assessment."
"It’s coming up in two weeks."
Alex looked at the file. "Assessment?"
"Every semester. All students get evaluated."
"Determines your ranking. Class placement. Your entire future."
"Ranked. Scored. Compared."
"Top performers get university recommendations."
"Middle performers stay where they are."
"Bottom performers..."
Pause.
"Get demoted. Or expelled."
Alex leaned forward slightly.
"And this time..."
The principal looked up.
"Some people are making noise."
"What kind of noise?"
"The kind that says an F-rank Slime contractor doesn’t belong in Class 1."
Alex’s smile faded slightly.
"Lemme guess. Rich parents?"
"Very rich parents."
The principal nodded.
"Parents with connections. Influence. Money."
"They’re saying I made a mistake."
"That you should be moved to a lower class."
"Or expelled entirely."
Pause.
"And honestly?"
"Putting an F-rank contractor in Class 1..."
"It does put pressure on me."
He looked tired suddenly.
"I need you to perform well in this assessment."
"Show them you belong here."
"Can you do that?"
Alex leaned back. Crossed his arms.
"What’s in the assessment?"
.....
.... Hallway. Alex walked slowly.
His mind replayed the assessment.
Contracted Beast Potential.
Really depends on the contracted beast, like his slime would get a really bad grade on this.
Spiritual Power. His spirit energy level!
Which He is good at, he is 10th grade, very close to 9th grade, one of the top in the school.
One-on-One Combat. Against another student.
Portal Hunting. Real monsters. Real danger, hunting in the portal. This one is the most important one since the portal is humans’ main enemy!
Destructive Power. Raw damage output.
Functionality. Skills. Versatility. Application.
6 tests, in 2 weeks.
It’s time for the final boost!
He needed to get stronger. Fast.
And the simplest way?
Spirit stones.
He had over 40 of them now.
Could boost his power across the board.
Problem was...
Spirit stones were dense. Hard to absorb.
Two weeks wasn’t enough time to digest that many.
Not if he did it normally.
And he didn’t wanna spend all day meditating anyway.
He had girls to flirt with.
Then he remembered.
The school’s VIP cultivation rooms.
Up to 10x absorption speed.
Perfect.
He headed toward the training building.
Turned the corner.
And saw the line.
A huge crowd. Students everywhere.
Packed tight. Pushing. Shoving.
A teacher stood at the front. Clipboard in hand.
"Top-ranked classes get priority!"
"Everyone else, wait your turn!"
"No cutting!"
Students groaned. Complained.
But nobody moved.
Alex walked up. Smiled.
Class 1 perks. This was it.
He started to push through.
"Excuse me—"
SHOVE.
Someone knocked into him.
Hard.
Alex stumbled. Looked up.
A muscular student. Grinning.
Covered in tattoos. Piercings. Scars.
Two more just like him flanking.
All muscle. All attitude.
"Oops." The guy smirked.
"Didn’t see ya there, small fry."
His friends laughed.
Alex’s eye twitched.
Small fry?
He was 5’11"!
Another student tried to squeeze past.
Got shoved back.
"Back of the line, loser!"
The muscle guys blocked the entrance.
Acting like bouncers.
Nobody was getting through.
Alex raised an eyebrow.
Then text appeared.
[System Choice Detected!]
[Option 1: Wait patiently in line. Only 200 more hours!]
[Reward: Minor Spiritual Power boost]
[Option 2: Find help elsewhere. Cultivation rooms exist outside school! (Hint: $3,000 per hour)]
[Reward: Spirit Stone x3]
[Option 3: They dare block YOUR way?! Use ANY means necessary to get through!]
[Reward: Charge Skill +1 Level!]
Alex read them.
Option 1? Pass. 200 hours? Yeah right.
Option 2? Also pass. Why pay thousands when school’s free?
And if he couldn’t even use Class 1 perks, what was the point?
Only one choice left.
Option 3.
Alex grinned.
Then bent over.
Hands on his knees.
Face toward the muscle guys.
Made a gagging sound.
"Ugh—"
"BLEGH—"
The students nearby froze.
"What the—"
"Is he okay?"
Alex made another sound. Louder.
"HURRK—"
His shoulders heaved.
Like he was about to vomit.
The muscle guys stepped back.
"Yo, what’s wrong with this kid?"
"BLEEEGH—"
Alex lurched forward.
Students screamed.
Scattered.
"HE’S GONNA PUKE!"
"MOVE MOVE MOVE!"
"GET OUT OF THE WAY!"
The crowd parted. Fast.
Like Moses and the Red Sea.
Alex kept making noises.
Stumbling forward.
"HUURK—BLEGH—"
More students ran.
"GROSS!"
"DON’T GET IT ON ME!"
Even the muscle guys backed off.
"Dude, stay away!"
"I just got these shoes!"
Alex moved through the gap.
Step by step.
Still gagging.
Then someone shouted.
"Wait—I know that guy!"
"That’s the test ripper!"
"The one with the Slime!"
"ALEX!"
More voices joined in.
"Holy shit, it’s Alex!"
"The guy from the video!"
"Student of Light!"
The entire crowd turned.
Stared.
Alex stopped gagging.
Straightened up.
Looked around.
Everyone was watching.
Silence.
Then the crowd erupted.
"ALEX! ALEX! ALEX!"
Students started chanting his name.
The line parted completely.
Everyone stepped aside.
Making a clear path.
Straight to the cultivation room entrance.
The teacher at the front blinked.
"What—"
"LET HIM THROUGH!"
"He’s Class 1!"
"He deserves priority!"
"ALEX! ALEX! ALEX!"
The muscle guys stood there. Frozen.
Watching.
One of them muttered.
"...That’s him?"
"The slime guy?"
Alex walked forward. Calm now.
Waved at the crowd.
Cupped his hands. Bowed slightly.
Like a martial artist.
"Thank you, everyone."
"Your support means everything."
The crowd went wild.
Cheering. Clapping.
"ALEX!"
A voice. Loud. Excited.
From the side.
Alex turned.
A student pushed through. Phone up.
Recording.
Grinning like crazy.
"Dude! I got EVERYTHING!"
"The whole thing!"
He waved his phone.
"The gagging! The crowd parting! The chanting!"
"This is LEGENDARY!"
"I’m posting it RIGHT NOW!"
"You’re gonna be HUGE!"
Alex’s smile dropped.