The S-Class Gambit
The Academy's mandatory placement day began with a ceremonial selection for the Special Division S-Class. I walked into the Grand Auditorium, fully expecting to be placed in the C-Rank Commoner Class—my true ambition. Kaelen, the decoy, walked beside me, his presence radiating an aura of overwhelming, bored power.
"Young Master, my research indicates the S-Class is dedicated to 'Prodigies of Divine Lineage,'" Kaelen murmured, adjusting his spectacles. "It is highly probable they will attempt to place you there to monitor your progress."
"Then you go, Kaelen," I whispered back. "You're the one who caused the Altar to crack. I'll take notes from the sidelines."
The Chief Seer, who still wore a nervous tic from the day I cracked his altar, called the names.
"The Special Division S-Class will consist of six students this year," he announced, his voice trembling slightly. "Princess Jenny Carmela (Silveron's Blessing), Lucy Velfist (Star Goddess Blessing), Mariana (Anubisian's Blessing), Christopher Silkream (Griffinrome's Blessing)... and the Savior of Humanity." He paused, sweat beading on his brow. "Due to the unique, multi-faceted nature of the blessing, the Divine Authority has designated two spots for the Velfist name: Rafehleon Velfist and his attendant, Kaelen Velfist."
I froze. They didn't just put me in S-Class; they created a whole new rule to force both me and my decoy into the same room. My quiet life was permanently dead.
Kaelen simply bowed. "An honor. Though I must clarify, I am merely the Young Master's valet and would be taking the seventh slot to ensure his tea service is not compromised." He was using his perfect etiquette to subtly manipulate the system, making the class size seven. The Seer, terrified of arguing with a Demi-Cosmic Deity, instantly conceded.
And so, the S-Class was officially formed: Jenny, Lucy, Christopher, Mariana, Leon (me), and Kaelen.
The Evolution of the Black Thunder
That night, alone in my room, I knew I had to be ready. Jenny was going to fight Kaelen, and Kaelen would have to hold back to maintain the "strong butler" façade. The illusion would eventually break. I needed a secret, internal power-up.
I focused on my new skill: Lightning Blade (Chidori). I knew from my otaku past that lightning magic could be upgraded with different affinities—darkness, fire, shadow.
The Lightning Blade is based on kinetic energy and high voltage, I mused, focusing my thoughts and pushing a billion units of mana into the skill's core. But my Lock Magic includes Scarlet (Chaos) and Death/Undeath (Shadow). I need to merge that Shadow affinity for a stealthy, high-impact finish.
My body glowed with a terrifying mix of electric-blue and shadowy purple. The mana fused, strained, and then solidified.
Category Value (Pre-Evolution) Value (Post-Evolution)
Skill (4) Lightning Blade (Attack Magic) Black Thunder Blade (Attack Magic)
Mana Cost 50 50
Damage 800 (Pure Shock Damage) 1,500 (Chaos/Shadow Shock Damage)
Effect N/A Debuffs target's movement speed by 20% for 5 minutes.
I opened my palm, and the familiar blue sphere of the Chidori was gone, replaced by a crackling orb of pitch-black lightning, humming with suppressed power. Black Thunder Blade. Perfect. Subtle, devastating, and aligned with my hidden Shadow and Chaos affinities. My peaceful life may be over, but I was going to enjoy the ride with my cheat skills.
The Clash of Blue Lightning and Black Thunder
The next day, during the S-Class's first practical assessment, Princess Jenny snapped.
"Enough of this theory!" she roared, her body wreathed in Silveron's aggressive blue lightning. "We are meant to fight the Neon Apocalypse, not read books! I demand a real test!"
The A+ Rank Training Gauntlet was the Academy's ultimate test: a single student against a wave of 180 magically-enhanced A+ Rank golems. Jenny immediately stepped onto the field.
She was incredible. Using pure speed and brute force amplified by Silveron's blessing, she was a blur of righteous, chaotic light. Her Lightning Fist technique turned the golems into shrapnel. She fought with the raw, untamed fury of a true warrior, and it was mesmerizing to watch.
After two exhausting hours, the last golem fell. Jenny stood there, utterly spent, her breathing ragged, yet her eyes blazed with a manic, victorious hunger.
"Next!" she screamed, looking around the class. Her gaze fell on me, then Kaelen. "The butler! You're next! If you can't beat me, you're not worthy of the five-god blessing!"
But then, she looked closer at me. My internal martial arts obsession—the part of me that studied Tang Soo Do and Shotokan for decades—was resonating with her warrior spirit. My face, still that of a simple ten-year-old, must have betrayed a flash of genuine, unbridled excitement.
Jenny's eyes widened. She wasn't seeing the frail boy; she was smelling a centuries-old martial artist.
"Finally," she whispered, a fierce, predatory smile spreading across her face. "I've finally woken up the Gentle Giant."
I knew the plan was over. My true nature, my history as an instructor, had slipped out. If I didn't fight now, my peaceful life would be replaced by endless, annoying questions from a Thunder Princess.
"My apologies, Kaelen," I sighed, stepping past my bodyguard. "I can't ignore a challenge like that. I need to stretch my legs."
Kaelen simply bowed, a faint smile on his lips. "As the Young Master commands. I shall ensure no collateral damage occurs... outside of the training grounds."
The Six-Hour Lie
I stepped onto the field. Jenny, her fatigue forgotten, charged, a human thunderbolt.
"Lightning Fist!"
I raised my arm. My goal was simple: Maintain the illusion of effort, but ensure the win. I couldn't use my 105,000 Speed—I had to slow my movements to match a very strong S-Class student. I had to stretch a five-second kill into a six-hour spectacle.
I activated the Black Thunder Blade. A black, roaring sphere of lightning enveloped my hand. I let Jenny hit me first—her Lightning Fist glanced off my Defense 60 (multiplied by my immense mana) barrier. It felt like a gentle tap.
I countered with the Black Thunder Blade, striking her fist. The impact was deafening. Jenny stumbled back, her eyes wide with shock—not from the damage, but from the shadow affinity's 20\% speed debuff that instantly hit her.
"Black Thunder!" Jenny gasped. "You're using two elements! Chaos and Darkness!"
We clashed, repeatedly. Jenny fought like a furious, beautiful storm. I fought like a bored, patient master. Every time she attacked, I met her with a restrained blast of the Black Thunder Blade, careful to only deal a fraction of its power. I let her wear down my HP 120 (which was secretly regenerating instantly), and I let her deplete my Stamina 105,000 (which was completely fake).
For six hours, the Academy shook. The S-Class students—Lucy, Mariana, and Christopher—watched in stunned silence. Mariana was mesmerized by the subtle, dark-magic affinity of my strikes. Christopher frantically scribbled notes, trying to calculate the true source of the chaotic power.
Finally, after six exhausting hours of me deliberately slowing my heart rate, controlling my breath, and faking deep exertion, Jenny collapsed, her lightning dissipating entirely.
"I... I lost," she whispered, her voice raw.
I stood over her, breathing heavily (for show), my face flushed (also for show).
"It was a good fight, Princess Jenny," I said, offering her my hand.
She ignored it. She looked up at me, her eyes clouded with intense emotion—a mix of defeat, awe, and burning respect.
"You are stronger than my father, the King, when he is serious," she said, her voice barely audible. Then, she did the last thing I ever expected.
She pulled me down and pressed a surprisingly firm, non-romantic kiss on my cheek.
"I confess," she said, before passing out from sheer exhaustion. "I am absolutely devoted to you. You are the only person who can match my speed."
I stood there, paralyzed, my face now genuinely flushed, not from exertion, but from the sudden, aggressive act of affection.
First rule of the quiet life: Do not outshine the decoy.
Second rule of the quiet life: Do not let the Thunder Princess confess to you.
I looked up at Kaelen, who was smiling, his eyes twinkling. He already had a silk blanket and a hot cup of herbal tea ready for the collapsed princess.
"Master," Kaelen said, his voice laced with amusement. "Your exhaustion is quite convincing. Allow me to handle the... confession cleanup."
The After-Action Report and New Powers
I made a mental note of the new status updates. The prolonged, intentional restraint of my infinite mana pool had forced the system to generate new output mechanisms.
Category Value (Post-Fight LVL 5)
Title (The Gentle Giant, Master of Restraint, Thunder Magnet)
New Title Effect Thunder Magnet: 50\% chance of attracting Silveron-blessed individuals.
Locked Magic \text{140 Lock} \times 5 (Lock reduction due to prolonged mana expenditure)
New Skills Acquired Skill (5): Nature Generation, Skill (6): Undead Skeleton
New Unique Skills Acquired Unique Skill (3): Scarlet Crush Blood, Unique Skill (4): Lightning Flickering Step
New Special Skill Acquired Special Skill (4): Intelligent Fairy Loan
The Scholarly and Possessive Challenges
I quickly reviewed the new skills. The Intelligent Fairy Loan would be useful for research. Scarlet Crush Blood and Undead Skeleton confirmed my dark affinities, which Mariana sensed instantly.
Christopher Silkream approached, his golden aura of wisdom flaring slightly, indicating intense mental calculation. "Rafehleon Velfist, the data from your fight is illogical. Your stamina should have failed four hours ago. I suspect your true power lies in support magic and hidden resource management," he concluded, presenting me with an ancient textbook. "You will be my personal research subject, Leon. We will begin with advanced Arcane Theory tomorrow."
Before I could process the academic threat, Mariana glided back. "Christopher, you can study his body later," she stated, placing an obsidian skull on the bench. "I merely require his company for the next week. As a necessary step for soul bonding." She smiled faintly. "You have embraced the shadows, Leon. I felt the Undead Skeleton skill awaken, and the deep affinity for the Scarlet Crush Blood is exquisite. You are becoming a beautiful monster. And beautiful monsters belong to me."
The war for my attention—The Magnet, The Scholar, and The Owner—had just begun.
The Sister's Stoic Demand
"Master, I recommend immediate retreat," Kaelen murmured. I activated my Lightning Flickering Step to create a visual distraction, then ducked and weaved through the stunned onlookers, racing back toward my room.
I slammed the door shut, only to find another problem: Lucy Velfist, my sister, was sitting cross-legged on my bed.
"Your battle was too long, Brother," Lucy stated, her voice devoid of any warmth. "I was getting bored."
Then, she did the unimaginable. She pushed out her cheeks in the universal gesture of childish sulking, only on her emotionless face, it looked like a perfectly sculpted, squishy cloud of silent accusation.
"Can we have some dungeon fight tonight?" she requested, her eyes holding an unnerving, vacant intensity. "I know you were sneaking up last time and farming a new level without permission, Brother. I want to level up too, Brother. I am getting tired."
This girl... she sees everything and feels nothing, I thought, the sheer, stoic disappointment more devastating than Jenny's lightning.
I sighed in defeat. "Okay, Sister. We will go," I conceded. "Bring your sword and wait for me tonight. We are going to a B-Rank Dungeon, okay?"
"Yeyeye," Lucy replied, her face remaining perfectly stoic, her tone absolutely flat. She didn't even twitch. She just accepted the command and stood up, gliding out of the room as silently as she had entered.
She is going to be the death of me. I have the deadliest family, I silently wailed.
The Massacre Hunting Trip
That night, Kaelen stood guard while Lucy and I entered the B-Rank Gate.
"Remember, Lucy," I instructed, summoning my Black Thunder Blade, ready to pretend to struggle. "We need to maintain a realistic pace. Don't waste energy on small-"
My instructions were cut off by a high-pitched, terrifying whistle.
Lucy hadn't drawn her ceremonial blade. She had drawn a gleaming, shadow-forged katana.
She moved. Not with my restrained 105,000 Speed, but with a blur of kinetic energy that made the entire corridor seem to ripple. Her style was not a fight; it was a salvage and massacre hunting trip.
Her sword was pure, unpredicted chaos. One moment, she was low, using a flawless thrust that pierced an Elder Devil's core; the next, she was airborne, unleashing a flurry of devastating slashes that defied gravity and physics. The B-Rank dungeon monsters weren't even seeing their killer; they were just finding themselves suddenly headless, sliced precisely in half, or turned to ash by pure speed and kinetic force.
Oh my god. Oh my god, I mentally chanted, horrified. This was not the technique of a ten-year-old; it was the style of a master swordsman who had killed for centuries. The Star Goddess's Blessing had unlocked the terrifying, innate sword mastery of her past life.
I followed behind her, the designated cleanup crew. We emerged three hours later. The dungeon core had been shattered by accident, and Lucy stood there, her uniform not even stained.
Category Lucy Velfist (Post-Hunt)
LVL 16 (Up from LVL 1)
Kill Count (Notable) 2 Adult Cave Dragons, 7 Elder Devils, 500+ B-Rank Monsters
Note Achieved Level 16 purely through solo-style hunt mechanics.
"I was not bored, Brother," Lucy stated, looking at the dungeon gate. "It was... adequate."
I had gained five levels from a staged fight. She had gained fifteen levels in a three-hour massacre. I, the Savior of Humanity, had the greatest cheat skill in the cosmos, yet my ten-year-old sister was a self-leveling, silent sword prodigy.
I have the deadliest family. I am crying to myself. I don't have any water in my eyes left for crying again. I was emotionally arid.
Suddenly, a voice cut through my existential panic.
"Young Master, Young Mistress. Welcome back," Kaelen said, stepping out of the shadows. He looked completely unfazed by the dungeon's implosion.
Kaelen smoothly guided me to a plush, magically-summoned garden chair. He placed a tall, iced glass into my shaking hand.
"A fresh Lemonade Butter," Kaelen announced, his voice soothing and perfect. "Specifically blended to heal the emotional trauma inflicted by your family's inherent talent for mass destruction. Drink, Master. Let it heal your soul."
The flavor—tangy, sweet, and comforting—hit my tongue. Ahhh.
"Thank you, Kaelen," I sighed, leaning back and closing my eyes. My life may be a disaster, but at least I had the most perfect, multi-functional, Demi-Cosmic Deity butler to handle the clean-up and the trauma therapy.
"Brother," Lucy stated, her voice breaking my moment of peace. "Let's do this again tomorrow."
I took a large gulp of the lemonade butter. The massacre continues.