(Rodova Military Academy – Notice Board Area, Evening)

A loud murmur filled the air as students pushed and jostled around the large holographic display projecting the newly released rankings.

Everywhere, there were mixed reactions—some filled with elation, others with frustration or disappointment.

"I made it into the Elite Class!" One student cheered, pumping his fist. "Man, I was so sure I'd end up in the Regular Class! But I did not. Haha, guess I'm an Elite afterall–"

"Ugh, I barely missed it," another groaned, shaking his head. "My combat evaluation score wasn't high enough."

"Two Monarch talents in the same batch? That's unheard of—" A hushed voice carried through the crowd, drawing attention to the rankings at the very top.

"Leo Skyshard? Who the hell is that?" A student muttered in confusion, reading the name that had claimed first place. "I've never heard of him before."

"There's no way he's not from one of the Big Six clans," another added. "I mean, his genetic potential is Monarch-level, and he even beat Su Yang's score. That's insane."

"But the Skyshard name isn't tied to any of the major clans…" someone pointed out. "Could he be using an alias?"

More whispers spread as students took down notes, discussing potential rivalries, alliances, and what this meant for their futures.

But all conversation came to a sudden halt—

When 'he' arrived.

The crowd instinctively parted as Su Yang made his way toward the notice board, his expression unreadable.

Dressed in his pristine academy uniform, his long black hair was tied back neatly, his piercing golden eyes sweeping over the gathered students with a quiet intensity that sent chills down their spines.

His presence alone commanded respect—and fear.

The son of the Su Clan. The prodigy that was destined to dominate this batch.

And now, everyone was watching—waiting—to see how he would react to the news.

Su Yang stopped a few steps from the board, his hands clasped behind his back as his gaze calmly moved over the rankings.

His name was there.

[2nd Place – Su Yang – Monarch Level Talent – 94.5 Points]

But above him—

[1st Place – Leo Skyshard – Monarch Level Talent – 95 Points]

A single half-point difference.

A brief flicker of surprise crossed Su Yang's eyes before he schooled his expression, scanning the top of the list, where he saw another 'Monarch Level' talent take the top.

This was unexpected, because Monarch level talents usually did not choose to join Rodova, but chose to join Geneva instead.

He himself had only chosen Rodova because of a special circumstance, and had not expected to see any other such individual in this year's batch.

'Hmm…. What about the others? Who else is near me?' He wondered, quickly scanning the list under his name, as he looked for other potential rivals.

[3rd Place – Mu Shen – Transcendent Level Talent – 87 Points]

[4th Place – Ru Lan – Transcendent Level Talent – 85 Points]

[5th Place – Gu Feng – Transcendent Level Talent – 82 Points]

[6th Place – Du Yiren – Grandmaster Level Talent – 79 Points]

[7th Place – Tyran Crest – Grandmaster Level Talent – 76.5 Points]

His eyes narrowed slightly as he observed the list.

As expected, most candidates on the top were from the Big Six clans, however, none of them were really close enough to him to be called a rival.

In this regard, only Leo Skyshard had matched him.

And only Leo Skyshard had surpassed him.

The air around the notice board thickened as the watching students felt the weight of the moment.

Su Yang wasn't just the strongest in the batch—he was the heir to the Su Clan, a Monarch-level prodigy who had been trained from birth to stand at the top.

To see someone else above him—someone no one even recognized—was something no one had expected.

The tension was suffocating.

The students braced themselves, some already stepping back in fear that Su Yang might lash out at them randomly.

They had seen what happened to the poor guy in the mess hall before and did not want to take chances with his temper.

But then—

Su Yang smiled.

It was a slow, genuine smile that caught everyone off guard.

"So it looks like I have a worthy rival this year," he murmured, amusement flickering in his golden eyes. "This surely makes things interesting."

His voice carried through the silent crowd, not in anger, but in intrigue.

Then—his gaze slid toward the dormitory assignments written beside the names.

[Leo Skyshard – Dorm 22C]

The smirk on his lips widened slightly.

"Well, time to introduce myself to this other genius."

And with that, he turned on his heel, making his way toward the dormitories—

The gathered students hesitated for only a second before hurrying after him, eager to witness the first meeting between the two titans of this generation.

**********

Leo chose to avoid the notice board until later in the evening, once the crowd had thinned.

Though he doubted anyone would recognize him by name alone—for he wasn't that well-known yet—he preferred not to take any chances.

Preserving his anonymity for as long as possible was his priority.

Which was why he was surprised to see a crowd of students gathered outside his room when he responded to a simple knock on his door.

At first, he was merely surprised to hear a knock at all, assuming it was something trivial. A misplaced delivery? A staff member with instructions?

Getting up, he opened the door without much thought—only to regret his decision instantly.

Nearly twenty students stood outside, filling the hallway, their expressions ranging from curiosity to outright scrutiny.

His grip on the door handle tightened instinctively as his body prepared for a fight, but none of them seemed hostile. Their postures were relaxed, their eyes filled with intrigue rather than aggression.

"He's Leo Skyshard?"

"Whoa, he's so lanky, barely over six feet. He doesn't look imposing at all—"

"No wonder he's from the assassin branch. We'd body this guy in the swordsmanship branch—"

People whispered amongst each other, their voices carrying just loud enough for Leo to hear. He absorbed the information quietly, his gaze scanning their faces, already committing their words to memory.

Then, as the crowd began to part, a presence emerged that instantly shifted the atmosphere.

Leo's eyes landed on a man he recognized immediately, not from personal interactions but from reputation alone.

A young man with sharp golden eyes, dressed in an immaculate academy uniform, exuding an aura of effortless confidence.

It was Su Yang. The bully.

Unlike the others, he didn't gawk or whisper. He simply approached, his movements precise, his expression unreadable.

"You're Leo Skyshard?" he said, closing the remaining distance before extending his hand forward for a seemingly simple handshake.

Leo observed his extended arm for a moment, wondering if he should take it or not, as a part of him really did not want to accept the handshake, but another was afraid of the consequences of if he did not.

After a while, he decided to accept the handshake after all, as he meekly extended his hand to meet that of Su Yang.

*Clap*

Su Yang pressed his hand with a firm squeeze, gauging the change in his expression as he clamped down on his hand with all his strength, however, Leo did not budge.

Internally, he was in a world of pain, however, externally he remained as stoic as ever, not backing down at all.