Chapter 98: When the Top University Came Knocking

When the Top University Came Knocking

Leon.

That name felt heavier now than it had a few hours ago.

Not because it had changed.

Because everyone finally understood what it meant.

"Leon... your beast-girls are only A-rank and S-rank?"

Steffan stared at the screen.

His voice was quiet, almost disbelieving.

"That can’t be right..."

He kept looking at the rankings.

Then at the battle records.

Then back at Leon’s name.

His brows slowly tightened.

There was something wrong.

Or, at least, something he couldn’t understand.

How could an A-rank beast-girl defeat an SS-rank beast-girl?

It made no sense.

Even if there was a difference in combat experience, the gap between ranks should not have been that easy to overcome.

And the S-rank beast-girl was even more confusing.

She had fought alongside the A-rank beast-girl as though the two of them had trained together for years.

Their movements had been perfectly synchronized.

Their attacks had complemented each other.

Most importantly, their combined strength had produced results that no one had expected.

Terrifying results.

Steffan replayed the battles in his mind again.

The opening exchange.

The sudden change in momentum.

The way Leon’s beast-girls had adapted to their opponents.

The final attacks.

Every time he went through it, he expected to find something.

A hidden technique.

A mistake from the opponent.

Some weakness that could explain everything.

But there was nothing.

The more he thought about it, the more uncomfortable the truth became.

Leon was simply too strong.

Steffan slowly exhaled through his nose.

His fingers tightened slightly at his side.

There was still one thing that bothered him more than anything else.

Selena.

She was clearly hiding something.

There was no other explanation.

An ordinary S-rank beast-girl could not have displayed that level of power.

Not like that.

Steffan had seen enough powerful beast-girls to know the difference.

Selena had something else.

Something she had deliberately kept hidden.

And Leon...

Steffan’s gaze returned to the name at the top of the screen.

Leon had either known about it from the beginning—

or he was hiding even more secrets himself.

That possibility made Steffan’s expression grow heavier.

Beside him, Victoria remained silent.

Her long black hair rested over her shoulders, barely moving in the still air.

Her golden eyes stayed fixed on Leon’s name.

She didn’t look surprised anymore.

She simply stared.

There was no need for words between them.

They both understood what had happened.

They had lost.

And Leon had taken first place.

The realization was difficult to swallow.

Especially for people who had entered the examination believing they had a clear understanding of the strongest competitors.

Now, all those assumptions had been overturned.

The ranking screen continued to update.

Then the news spread.

It started in Jade City.

Within minutes, people in the surrounding examination venues were talking about it.

Soon, the announcement appeared across Aurelia City.

Then Redcloud City.

Spiritan City.

Windermere City.

And countless other examination venues throughout Bellemont Province.

The same ranking was displayed everywhere.

The same name stood at the top.

Leon.

The reaction was almost immediate.

"Whoa..."

Someone stared at the ranking screen with his mouth hanging open.

"The top three don’t make sense."

Another person leaned closer.

"How did Steffan not even make it into the top three?"

"Yeah! How is that possible?"

Several people began talking at once.

"Steffan was supposed to be one of the strongest candidates this year!"

"Exactly. Everyone thought he would take first place."

"Second and third are understandable..."

A young man pointed toward the screen.

"But first place isn’t Steffan?"

The people around him fell silent.

For a moment, nobody knew what to say.

Then someone muttered,

"Who the hell is Leon?"

The question spread through the crowd.

And for the first time, countless people across Bellemont Province began asking the same thing.

Who exactly was Leon?

And just how strong was he?

The arguments kept coming.

Some spectators had followed Steffan throughout the entire examination.

Others had been waiting for one of the famous SS-rank beast-girls to claim the highest position.

Nobody had expected a student almost nobody knew to suddenly appear above all of them.

"This year it’s an unknown student who took first place—named Leon. And he’s got two beast-girls!" Someone pointed at the rankings, their voice filled with awe.

"This guy is incredible. He got first place with one A-rank and one S-rank beast-girl."

"Wait—how did he get 100 points?"

"Exactly! How can it be a perfect score?!"

"Getting a perfect score is no joke."

A spectator suddenly opened the examination replay system.

"Oh—I get it. He got a ’Complete Victory’ in every match. That’s why he has perfect score."

The person froze while looking at the replay list.

Then his eyes widened.

"Holy shit—everyone watch the replays! Leon is insane! Ten matches in just over twenty minutes—is he even human?!"

"What a beast. And every match was a total sweep?!"

"Whoa—watch the tenth match!"

"Damn—Steffan actually lost! No wonder he only got 8th—he got eliminated!"

"Who is this student exactly? This is terrifying!"

Many echoed the sentiment, their eyes filled with shock and fear.

The more people watched the replays, the quieter they became.

The battles were too brutal.

Too fast.

Leon didn’t fight like an ordinary examinee.

His beast-girls didn’t behave like ordinary beast-girls.

Every match looked like a storm sweeping through a field.

One moment, dozens of examinees were standing.

The next, they were flying from the stage.

And at the center of it all was always the same person.

Leon.

At that moment—all eyes were on one name: Leon.

Jade City, Exam Rest Area.

After the placement matches, Leon was given a private, quiet room.

The room was simple but comfortable.

A large window overlooked part of Jade City, where countless lights glittered beneath the evening sky.

The faint hum of the city’s energy formations could be heard outside.

Inside, however, everything was peaceful.

It was exactly what Leon needed.

To focus on the upcoming practical exam—and avoid unnecessary interruptions.

Selena sat near the window.

Her long white-silver hair rested over her shoulders, and her fitted snow-white robe was tied around her narrow waist with a gold sash.

Evelyn sat across from her.

Her long green hair fell down her back, while her fitted purple robe moved gently whenever she shifted.

Leon sat between them, his shoulder-length black hair slightly falling across his purple eyes.

The three had finally gotten a moment to breathe.

Then the communication screen activated.

"Leon, you did excellently."

Principal Lawrence’s excited face appeared on the screen, his eyes burning with admiration—as if he was gazing at some rare treasure.

Leon hadn’t expected the principal of Aurelia No. 1 High to call personally after he took first place.

"As a student, this is what I should do," Leon said with a faint smile.

Principal Lawrence immediately shook his head.

"No, no, no! It’s more than that!"

The principal waved his hands frantically.

"This is the honor you’ve brought to Aurelia No. 1 High!"

Leon smiled faintly.

Lawrence continued before Leon could answer.

"Do you know? You’ve broken our school’s record—and the entire city of Aurelia’s record!"

"Many top universities have already contacted me. They all want to offer you early admission!"

Principal Lawrence’s voice trembled with excitement.

"This year, you’re the undisputed dark horse. You’ve already caused quite the stir!"

"Early admission?"