As the phenomenon slowly faded, Su Chen's awakened ability was clearly displayed on the awakening device.
[Su Chen: S-rank Ability — Shadow King]
The moment Wang Donglai saw it, he completely lost control.
He grabbed the Class 6 homeroom teacher beside him, lifted her straight off the ground, and planted several excited kisses on her lips, his joy spilling over uncontrollably.
Even though the earlier phenomenon had already prepared him mentally, personally confirming an S-rank awakening still sent his emotions surging like a tidal wave.
Two S-rank awakeners—at the same school, at the same time!
This was huge!
They'd struck gold. Absolutely struck gold!
"Principal… you didn't brush your teeth, did you?" the homeroom teacher said awkwardly, her face burning red.
Wang Donglai coughed twice, embarrassed, quickly set her down, then turned toward the students and announced loudly:
"Su Chen! S-rank Dark-type ability — Shadow King!"
The crowd instantly exploded.
"Sss—an S-rank Dark-type ability? Looks like the duel in three days just got interesting!"
"An S-rank versus S-rank battle—this kind of fight is once in a lifetime for us! I'm definitely watching!"
"Hold on. Dark-type S-rank isn't that impressive. It's weaker than Ice-type S-rank, and it's even inferior to A-rank Lightning or Fire abilities."
"Exactly. Dark-type is only good for sneak attacks and reconnaissance. It's not fit for the main stage. Have you ever seen a Dark-type powerhouse dominate? It's always Lightning, Fire, or Ice."
"Besides, Su Chen's just an orphan. How could he compare to Miss Luo's family? That duel in three days will just be a little more entertaining, that's all."
Jealous murmurs spread through the crowd like a sour haze.
It couldn't be helped.
Engaged to the school goddess and now an S-rank awakener—Su Chen looked like the ultimate winner in life. Of course people were bitter.
Hearing the discussion, Wang Donglai patted Su Chen's shoulder and said reassuringly, "Kid, don't listen to their nonsense. An S-rank Dark-type is still S-rank. It's not worse than anything else."
"Principal," Su Chen asked calmly, "do you also think my S-rank Dark ability is weaker than Lightning or Fire of the same tier? Or even weaker than A-rank Lightning and Fire?"
Wang Donglai froze for a moment. "Uh… no, that's not what I meant…"
After a brief pause, he sighed and admitted honestly, "Alright. In terms of raw destructive power, S-rank Dark-type does fall behind elemental Lightning and Fire. But I believe in you. Come to my office later and collect the S-rank Prodigy resources."
S-rank Prodigy resources were specially allocated to S-rank awakeners.
Likewise, A-rank awakeners received A-rank subsidies.
Su Chen smiled faintly. "Don't worry, Principal. In three days, I'll prove just how ridiculous the claim that Dark-type is weaker really is."
Dark-type weak?
What a joke.
People just didn't understand its true power.
In his previous life, many of the strongest characters in comics and anime wielded Dark-type abilities—terrifying beyond belief.
One line in particular still echoed in his mind.
"Rise, shadows."
Since he'd awakened Dark-type in this world, he would force everyone to rethink it.
Sneak attacks? Assassins? Recon only?
He'd overturn all of it.
He would make Dark-type synonymous with overwhelming destruction.
"Good," Wang Donglai said with a hearty laugh. "I'll be waiting for you to make a name for yourself in three days."
No matter what, an S-rank awakener was the school's treasure. He'd make sure Su Chen was well protected.
Su Chen nodded. At that moment, a blue system interface appeared before his eyes.
[Name: Su Chen][Ability: S-rank — Shadow King][Realm: Awakener (+)][Combat Skills: None][Companion Spirit Weapon: S-rank — Death Scythe][Cultivation Method: Basic Ability Cultivation Manual][Slaughter Points: 1000]
"System," Su Chen asked, "does the plus sign mean I can upgrade?"
[Yes, Host. The plus sign indicates available upgrades.]
"Can my ability be upgraded to SS-rank?" Su Chen asked curiously.
In this world, S-rank was the highest officially recognized tier—though rumors spoke of SS-rank abilities.
Naturally, the higher the rank, the stronger the power.
[Yes. Upgrading to SS-rank requires 100,000 Slaughter Points.Upgrading the Death Scythe to an SS-rank companion weapon requires 50,000 Slaughter Points.]
Su Chen felt a surge of excitement—then deflated instantly.
Good news: SS-rank was possible.Bad news: the cost was insane.
The revolution was far from complete. He still had a long way to go.
Next step—leave the city, hunt monsters, and farm Slaughter Points.
Grow stronger, dominate harder, and three days later, crush Luo Qingxue to restore the glory of Dark-type abilities!
Slaughter Points could also be earned by killing people—but he wasn't about to start murdering innocents.
Closing the interface, Su Chen stepped down from the stage, planning to head to the principal's office after the ceremony to collect his resources.
Before he could leave, Wang Donglai suddenly grabbed him.
"By the way, Su Chen," he asked, "have you noticed your Dark-type trait yet?"
Su Chen turned back, puzzled. "Trait?"
"Yes. Traits are unique abilities exclusive to elemental powers above S-rank. Most S-rank abilities come with a single trait."
"For example, our nation's Thunder God, Mo Lei—his S-rank Lightning ability has the trait of having several times the destructive power of other S-rank Lightning users. That's a trait," Wang Donglai explained.
Among abilities of the same tier, strength often depended on the power of their traits.
Su Chen absorbed the information and gathered Dark energy into his palm, black shadows flickering and dancing.
So… what was his trait?
"No rush," Wang Donglai said kindly. "Traits take time to discover."
Su Chen nodded. "Thank you, Principal."
Wang Donglai waved him off with a smile. "Go on."
As Su Chen walked down, he noticed many girls staring at him with starry eyes.
He felt confused. Sure, he was decent-looking—but this seemed excessive.
What he didn't know was that the image of him seated on the shadow throne had already captured countless hearts.
Han Xiaoli came running over excitedly. "Brother Chen! That throne scene was insane! Totally worth those two centimeters, right?"
"You're my real brother," Su Chen said, giving his shoulder a solid pat.
Han Xiaoli grinned and shamelessly added, "Honestly, I could be your girlfriend too. I could go overseas and get a full transformation… Chen-ge~"
Su Chen's mouth twitched. "Sure. Just remember to go for 48E. Brothers before comfort."
Han Xiaoli stared blankly. "…Are you even serious?"
"I think you're just starving, Brother Chen!"
Su Chen slapped him lightly. Looking up, he saw the Luo family's butler approaching.
"Su Chen, you're quite impressive," the butler Luo Hai said arrogantly, eyes filled with condescending pity. "How about this—cancel the duel in three days. As long as you marry into the Luo family, take our surname, we'll provide you with cultivation resources."
…