Free Web NovelChapter 9: Entrance Ceremony
"There are more people here than I thought," Ruthless noted mentally, his gaze sweeping across the perimeter.
It wasn’t merely the incoming student body; parents, acquaintances, and family associates had flooded the grounds for the entrance ceremony. The massive parade square stretching before the academy’s main stage was completely packed with a living, humming crowd. The local rumors were evidently grounded in fact: this institution was widely regarded as one of the most prestigious academies, expanding far beyond the boundaries of this single continent.
The presence of the Queen of another continent’s younger sister further solidified the academy’s immense structural status in this world. Majestic stone columns, draped in heavy, weather-worn banners, towered over the assembled masses, emphasizing the monumentality and centuries-old history of the campus.
Five women stepped onto the elevated stage. Four of them carried the visible markers of advanced age, while the fifth was still quite young. They were draped in strict, ceremonial robes of a deep dark color, embroidered with complex silver threads that glinted dully under the morning sun.
’They must be the elders of the academy,’ Ruthless inferred.
"Welcome to our Vizentia Academy! We are deeply honored to welcome all our new students, as well as their parents and distinguished guests," the young woman began, her projection flawless.
"This year, I am especially gratified," she continued, her voice ringing out with a heavy echo amplified by sound magic or hidden resonance crystals beneath the roof of the stage. "Special guests have crossed borders to study with us, and I am entirely certain that this cohort will yield an unprecedented number of talented students."
’Talent is a highly useful parameter for an accelerated launch, but persistence ultimately dictates the macro-trajectory,’ Ruthless calculated objectively. ’Relying purely on baseline talent is equivalent to hoping you will become the strongest asset from day one without updating your algorithms.’
"And one of our most distinguished guests," the speaker announced, her tone rising, "is the younger brother of our own Queen—Lucian Valmont!"
A guy possessing a well-developed physical physique stepped onto the platform, offering a calculated smile and a waving gesture to the crowd. He featured perfectly styled blond hair with a distinct platinum sheen that shimmered softly under the sunlight, alongside regular, highly refined facial features that betrayed his purebred aristocratic lineage. His posture was mechanically flawless, and the burgundy uniform fit him seamlessly, as if it had been engineered by the finest tailors of the kingdom specifically to highlight his broad shoulders and the manufactured confidence behind every movement.
In that exact second, a significant portion of the female student body erupted into an earsplitting screech. The crowd immediately surrounding Ruthless exploded in a wave of girlish delight that literally shook the foundations of the square.
’He projects the profile of an ordinary, charming guy,’ Ruthless analyzed, his expression remaining entirely dead. ’But behind that smiling facade might easily hide a monster—or an operator who utilizes that persona strictly as an optimization tool, identical to myself.’
"I am exceptionally happy to be studying alongside you all, and I sincerely hope to forge productive relations with everyone," Lucian spoke, his voice smooth. "As our director noted, this institution houses highly intelligent and talented students. Allow me to personally introduce one of them: the younger sister of the Queen of the Gorman continent—Celestia Fontaine."
Lucian raised his hand, pivoting his gesture toward the side of the stage.
The younger sister herself stepped into the light. She possessed long, straight hair of a rare, stark ash-silver hue that created a sharp visual contrast against the deep burgundy fabric of her uniform. Her eyes were cold, piercing, and carried the precise color of a stormy sky. While her facial features appeared entirely flawless, the hard, arrogant line of her lips and her heavy, appraising gaze immediately categorized her as a dangerous, highly conditioned combatant. She moved with an incredible, predatory grace, yet her expression was devoid of any warmth. Her arrival seemed to pull an icy wind across the square, instantly chilling the crowd’s collective excitement.
Perhaps due to this sudden drop in atmospheric pressure, the crowd below failed to applaud or utter a single syllable. A heavy, awkward silence settled over the entire square, making the sound of each structured step Celestia took across the wooden stage distinctly audible.
"Hello, everyone," she said, her tone undeniably rude and devoid of diplomatic fluff. Her sharp, clear voice rang over the hushed square, causing several freshmen to exchange deeply displeased glances. "I hope that this year, as Lucian so optimistically stated, there are actually talented children capable of providing me with some genuine competition."
Without waiting for a response, she turned and left the stage. The remaining staff members on the platform displayed minor, awkward facial twitches, attempting to mask their embarrassment at such a hostile greeting.
Ruthless locked his gaze onto her receding figure, deploying his internal interface. Instantly, the rigid neon lines of the system report superimposed themselves over his field of vision.
’Primal Gaze!’
[Current Stats of Lucian Valmont:]
Strength: 60
Speed: 60
Stamina: 60
Intelligence: 70
Primal Level: 1
Chosen Path: Path of the Leader (20% mastered),
Path of Disguise (40% mastered)
[Current Stats of Celestia Fontaine:]
Strength: 800
Speed: 800
Stamina: 850
Intelligence: 35
Primal Level: 2
Chosen Path: Path of the Swordswoman (50% mastered),
Path of the Warrior (40% mastered),
Path of the Romantic (10% mastered)
’Remarkable,’ Ruthless processed the data strings. ’It is statistically logical that they are the siblings of Queens. Their parameters are exceptionally high; physically, I am equivalent to an insect compared to their baseline output. However, within these exact metrics lies highly exploitable information for strategic manipulation.’
’Let us isolate Lucian first. As Nora specified, his physical attributes are elevated compared to the average male demographic of this world. More importantly, his intelligence parameter sits at 70—the highest value I have encountered since insertion. But the critical anomaly is his Path of Disguise. This confirms he actively masks his true psychological profile behind a charming external facade. The full mechanical scope of that path remains unknown; I must exercise high operational caution around him.’
’With Celestia, the parameters are even more intriguing. Physically, she is theoretically indestructible to me at my current level; a single uncalculated physical altercation would result in immediate termination. Her Primal Level is already at tier 2, meaning she has successfully executed an ascension. She commands three distinct paths, two of which are heavily mastered. Yet, the presence of the Path of the Romantic at 10% is an unexpected variable—could she harbor a deeply repressed romantic disposition beneath that aggressive shell?’
"Heh," Ruthless murmured, a faint, almost imperceptible smirk touching his lips as he lowered his head, ensuring no one within the noisy, shifting crowd would detect the sudden transition in his facial micro-expressions.
’Humans remain beautifully contradictory when comparing their internal architecture to their external masks,’ he thought, watching the aristocrats fully disappear into the backstage structure.
Following their departure, the ceremony proceeded through standard administrative protocols for some time, reiterating the baseline institutional codes Nora had previously detailed.
Once the assembly officially concluded, the student body dissolved, heading toward their respective localized classrooms. Ruthless crossed the threshold into Class A.
’Exactly as Nora outlined: the demographic composition here is 100% female,’ he observed, scanning the room as he took a seat at a vacant desk. ’The biological gender of my peers holds zero intrinsic value to me, though their capacity for localized violence presents a distinct threat matrix.’
’I must begin engineering a multi-phased plan to extract the sovereign seals of the queens. This academy has conveniently concentrated two individuals uniquely adjacent to the ruling monarchs; failing to extract maximum utility from their presence would be a severe operational failure.’
’But the execution will be complex. On one side sits Lucian: equipped with a 70-intelligence stat and a Path of Disguise, he will not be easily manipulated like Nora. On the other side stands Celestia: intellectually deficient, yet carrying devastating physical stats that eliminate any direct force options.’
’The least optimal scenario involves an open, systemic conflict breaking out between them, which would force me to prematurely commit to a single faction. However, given the temporary peace treaty, an unprovoked escalation is statistically unlikely—unless, of course, an external operator deliberately orchestrates a highly targeted conflict between them.’
As Ruthless was actively mapping out the primary branches of his operational strategy, a sudden, heavy impact rattled his desk. A hand had slammed down violently on the wood directly in front of him.
He slowly tilted his head upward, his empty, expressionless eyes recording a girl standing over him, dressed in the identical burgundy uniform of Class A.
’A classmate.’
"So," she began, her tone carrying a raw, unvarnished hostility as she sneered down at him. "Are you that same pathetic worm who managed to crawl into Class A purely by luck?"
