Two rods were placed in front of Anon and Luna, each loaded with 10 kg plates on both sides.
“Let’s begin,” Seti announced.
Luna swiftly picked up the rod, effortlessly lifting it over her head, as if it were a mere toothpick.
On the other hand, Anon demonstrated his strength by using only one hand to hoist the weight over his head, showcasing the difference in their abilities. He passed the first round with ease.
Luna, observing Anon’s display, couldn’t help but think, “Show-off? How arrogant.”
Meanwhile, Anon had a different thought in mind. He wondered, “Why is this thing so light? Shouldn’t 20 kg be heavier than this?”
Seti interrupted their musings, declaring, “Next round will be 40 kg.”
Two additional 10 kg plates were added to each side of the rods.
“Let’s begin,” Seti repeated.
Both Luna and Anon effortlessly lifted the increased weight.
This pattern continued for several rounds, but eventually, the weights became significantly heavier.
“Now, the next round will be for 540 kg… Good luck, Mr. Anon,” Seti smiled, confident that Anon would soon reach his limit, considering Luna hadn’t even used her magic spells yet.
Luna firmly gripped the rod with both hands, now loaded with massive metal plates on either side. Despite the weight, she maintained a determined expression on her face.
As Luna lifted the weight, her face grew tense halfway through the motion.
“Use your spells, Luna!” Seti shouted.
“Fudge…”
Thud
The rod, burdened by the heavy metal plates, slipped from Luna’s hands.
“I admit defeat,” Luna conceded, wiping sweat from her forehead.
Seti’s mind seethed with anger, thinking, ‘This foolish girl, why didn’t she use magic?’
“You can’t admit defeat just yet. If Mr. Anon fails this test too, the next commoner will have a turn,” Seti retorted, laughing and mocking Anon.
Anon muttered under his breath, his voice barely audible, “What a woman. She’s been defeated so many times but still won’t stop mocking.”
With a slight smile, he confidently grabbed the rod with a single hand and said, “If you want a show, I’ll give you one.” Anon effortlessly lifted the 540 kg weight over his head, as if it were as light as a stick.
“Wow… Anon is incredibly strong!”
“Go, Anon! We love you!”
“Anon, you can do it!”
The second-year commoner girls immediately started cheering for Anon.
“Next student, please come forward,” Seti said, dismissing Luna’s defeat and summoning the next noble student.
Looking at the weight, Anon thought to himself, ‘This weight is no joke. I picked it up with just one hand, but it’s starting to take its toll on my body.’
“The next student will surely use magic, and the weight will immediately double, from 540 kg to 1080 kg. Will I lose this round?”
[Don’t worry, Master. I’m still here] Link assured Anon as his hand began to warm.
“No, Link. If I use magic, I’ll be instantly disqualified.”
[Master, you won’t use any magic. I will] Link declared, ensuring Anon that he would not fail.
“Well, I have no choice but to trust you,” Anon replied.
[Leave it to me, Master.]
The next student stepped onto the stage and activated their skill.
“Boulder Arms…”
[Boulder Arms]
[Increases the strength of your arms by 200%, turning them into boulders for 10 seconds. The skill can be reused within 6 seconds, up to 5 times, but each use increases the fatigue percentage in your body by 10%. By the end, you will be very fatigued and tired.]
[Mana: 2000/use]
[Warning: This skill can be used consecutively but excessive use will result in death of the user.]
After using the skill, the student effortlessly grabbed the rod, as if it were a piece of cake.
<Mimic>
[Your pet, Copy Caster Link, has used the skill Mimic on the target.]
[One skill copied: Boulder Arms]
[Would you like to use the skill Boulder Arms? Yes/No?]
[Note: The backlash from a copied skill will not have any effect on your body.]
“Link, you’re truly a genius, you know that?” Anon praised his link.
[Thank you, Master.]
“Use the skill,” Anon commanded firmly.
Suddenly, an immense surge of energy began coursing through Anon’s hands.
‘Woah, this energy is explosive,’ Anon thought to himself as he effortlessly lifted the weight, as if it were as light as a feather.
‘Go ahead and pretend all you want, but you’ll soon tire out. After all, you’re just a commoner,’ Seti thought to herself, chuckling softly.
“In the next round, it’s 1080 kg,” Seti announced.
The guy utilized the same skill once again and effortlessly lifted the weight.
Anon also employed the same skill, effortlessly lifting the weight as if it were nothing.
The competition continued for another 10 minutes, and the noble student began to feel the strain of fatigue.
“I… I quit,” he confessed, his body drenched in sweat and his biceps turning a purplish hue.
The weight had now reached 8,250 kg, and Anon remained unbeatable.
Seti’s face turned pale as she witnessed the failure of the noble student, renowned for having the strongest hands in his family, against a commoner who had even used magic.
Letti, on the other hand, appeared ecstatic and amused. She didn’t understand what was happening or how Anon was still winning, but a glimmer of hope reignited in her heart.
‘He’s the one who will shatter the arrogance of these noble pigs,’ she thought, laughing like a maniac.
“He’s cheating!” Seti shouted, pointing accusingly at Anon.
“Madam Seti, what are you saying? He hasn’t used any spells or skills. How can you blame him for something so significant?” Letti immediately stepped in to support Anon.
“Are you kidding me? Do you truly believe that a human can lift such weight without using magic?” Seti spun around, shouting like a madwoman, as she glared at Letti.
“Can you prove it?” Anon asked, sporting a mocking smile.
“Oh, I will prove it. I will prove it right here and right now,” Seti declared as she rushed out of the room, only to return five minutes later.
‘Link, I won’t be caught, right?’ Anon inquired cautiously.
[I cannot guarantee that, master, without inspecting the testing apparatus. However, I can assure you that 90% of the tests cannot detect my presence.]
‘90%? What about the remaining 10%?’
[That may pose a slight problem.]
‘What the hell, bro? If she discovers that I’m cheating, I’ll have to use mass hypnosis to make them forget everything.’
[That seems like a viable backup plan.]
‘That’s the only backup plan, and I’ve already depleted most of my mana. I don’t want to suffer from mana fatigue.’
[I apologize, master.]
‘Fuck…’
Seti approached the stage and handed a white ball to Anon and another white ball to a noble child.
“This is a test ball. It will turn green for every true answer and red for every false answer. Let me provide you with an example.”
She turned to the noble child and asked, “Are you a donkey? Answer incorrectly.”
“Yes…” .𝓬ℴ𝓶
Buzzzzz
The white ball immediately turned red.
“You see this? Now, before I test you, do you want to confess to your cheating voluntarily or not?” Seti inquired.
“I am innocent,” Anon replied, maintaining a straight face.
“Still not admitting it, huh? Well, we’ll find out soon. Now, my first question for you is: What is your name?” Seti inquired, raising an eyebrow.
“My name is Anon Agreil.”
The test ball turned green, indicating that Anon’s response was correct.
“Good. Now, did you use magic during this exam when you were not permitted to?” Seti continued.
“No, I didn’t use any form of magic during this exam,” Anon replied firmly.
The test ball once again turned green, confirming Anon’s claim.
“How can this be possible?” Seti wondered aloud, her eyes widening in surprise as she observed the ball’s green glow.
“Madam, as you can see, he is an honest and hardworking individual, not a liar,” Letti interjected.
“No, no, no, I can’t believe this.”
“Did you cheat in any exams prior to this one?” Seti inquired, determined to uncover the truth.
“But, ma’am… you can only ask about this test since you—”
“Shut up! Don’t tell me what to do. This is my testing ground, and everything here will be done according to my rules,” Seti shouted at Letti.
“Tell me, did you cheat in any exams prior to this one?” Seti repeated her question.
“Yes,” Anon confessed.
“I knew it,” Seti declared with a triumphant smile on her face.
“Now, tell me, Mrs. Letti, what were you saying? He’s a hardworking child, huh? An honest child…? My foot, he’s a damn cheater.”
“Heheh…”
“Hahaha…”
“Mwahhhh…”
Laughter erupted from the Commoner section.
“Hey, why are you all laughing? Have you all gone mad because your top cheater just got disqualified?” Seti asked, baffled by the amusement around her.
“Ma’am, you should look at the test ball,” Letti suggested.
“What?”
When Seti turned her gaze towards Anon and observed the test ball, she noticed something that left her in awe. The ball was shining in a vivid crimson red color.
“What? This is impossible. You lied?”
“Yeah, I just wanted to see the red color on this ball,” Anon answered with a straight face.
“Hahaha.”
“Hehehe… he really got her.”
“Bro just owned the test instructor.”
Laughter and mockery filled the Commoner section as they poked fun at Seti.