Looking at the stunned faces across the hall, Brandon blinked 'Was it really that impressive?'

"Holy Shit..."

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" one of the students finally blurted out in excitement.

"He just—"

"Wow..."

"Is he really just an E rank?"

"I am sure, he hasn't even condensed his ether core yet..."

"What the hell?"

"And did you see, he even reinforced his body with ether."

"Are you guys sure he joined the academy just yesterday?"

Murmurs rippled among the students and the seniors who were watching the practice.

Lee Haeun snapped out of her surprise and walked to him "Brandon.. that was unexpected."

She gave quite a tough challenge for him because the high authorities requested her to.

This combat will be recorded and sent to the higher authorities to review about the first male awakener.

She took a holographic tablet in her hand and her gaze narrowed slightly as she scrolled through the data displayed across its glowing surface.

The combat session had been recorded and analyzed in real-time, with every movement, every ether fluctuation, and every ability activation logged in meticulous detail.

Her eyes flickered as she read through the system logs and then paused.

'This skill signature...'

Her fingers tapped against the holographic screen, pulling up the combat analysis.

The system had detected the ether fluctuations when Brandon used Gravitational Vortex, and right beneath it, the original user's name was displayed.

[Eira Bleaufort]

Lee Haeun's gaze subtly shifted toward the small crowd of students gathered nearby.

Among them she noticed Eira 'So that's it… he mimicked her skill.'

'Interesting...'

Taking a deep breath, Lee Haeun returned her attention to Brandon "You killed a D-Rank Aberrant while being an E-Rank awakener. That alone is impressive. But…"

She tapped the holographic display again, pulling up a new set of data "It took you 57 seconds to eliminate the target. Because of that, your time doesn't qualify for the Academy's official rankings."

Brandon looked at her in confusion "Rankings?"

A small smirk tugged at the corner of Lee Haeun's lips "Oh? No one told you?"

She tilted her head slightly before chuckling "Well, from E-Rank to S-Rank, the Academy keeps track of a specific combat ranking system."

She gestured toward the air in front of them, and immediately, a massive holographic screen appeared.

The transparent display was filled with glowing names and numbers, each entry detailing the fastest combat clear times recorded by the Academy's students over the years.

Brandon's gaze swept over the rankings.

The first section was marked in bold letters.

[S-Class Aberrant Rankings]

[Elizabeth Fleurdys - 0.04 seconds]

[Kang Hyejin - 0.08 seconds]

[Charlotte Fleurdys - 0.10 seconds]

He blinked in utter shock '0.04 seconds?!'

Brandon's gaze lingered on the first name 'Aunt Elize...'

He expected to see Charlotte Fleurdys there.. after all, she was known as one of the strongest people in the entire world.

But what shocked him was that his Aunt Elize had a faster record.

His jaw nearly dropped. Just how powerful was she in her prime?

[A-Class, B-Class, C-Class, D-Class, and E-Class Rankings]

Almost every top record in each category was dominated by the Fleurdys sisters.

Lee Haeun watched his reaction with mild amusement before continuing "In order to set a record, you must defeat an Aberrant of the same rank as you."

"If you're E-Rank, you can only challenge an E-Rank Aberrant to secure a ranking. Once you move up to D-Rank, you can no longer set a record for E-Rank kills."

Brandon's eyes narrowed in thought.

That means if he want to his name on the board, he'd have to fight an E-Rank Aberrant within the required time frame before advancing.

Not that he particularly cared about the rankings, but…

His gaze flickered back to Elizabeth Fleurdys' name.

His Aunt had been beyond powerful in her time, strong enough to top the Academy's historical records.

But now, due to her damaged ether core...

Brandon clenched his fists slightly 'I wonder… is there any way to restore her ether core? To bring her powers back?'

The idea had never crossed his mind before.

But now, seeing just how incredible she used to be, a strange, burning determination ignited within him.

If he could find a way to heal her—if there was even the slightest chance that she could regain what she had lost…

Then he had to try.

As his thoughts raced, he felt a subtle shift in the atmosphere around him.

He looked up, only to find several people staring at him.

Some of the first-years. The seniors. Even Lee Haeun and other teachers.

Brandon snapped out of his thoughts and uttered "Uh… something wrong?"

Lee Haeun chuckled "You just went completely silent for a full minute. Looked like you were plotting something interesting."

With a chuckle, he brushed it away "Just thinking about entering the rankings."

Lee Haeun shook her head with a small smile before turning to address the rest of the students. "Alright, that's enough of a spectacle for today. We still have a training session to finish. Next! Who's up?"

At the same time, among the third year students, a woman dashed to the front and looked at Brandon Kael.

Her eyes trembled as she instantly recognised 'It was you after all, you damn bastard...'

---

As he reached down, Elena raised her hand for a high five "That was awesome, Brand."

Letting out a chuckle, he gave her a high five as their hands clapped in a satisfying sound "Thanks..."

Eira nodded her head and flicked her blonde as she spoke proudly "Of course..."

As they were speaking, Lee Haeun spoke "Elena Zoyrdius."

Without wasting a second, she hopped forward and as she walked up, she shot a grin back at Brandon.

"Watch me, Brand! Hehe."

Letting out a chuckle, he replied "Don't trip."

Elena stuck her tongue out at him playfully before turning her attention to Lee Haeun.

Brandon glanced at Eira, who was watching the scene with mild interest. "Is she really that strong?"

Eira simply nodded "She's one of the top melee fighters in our year. You'll see for yourself soon."

The training platform lit up, and a deep humming filled the air as a new Aberrant materialized.

This one was different from the one Brandon had fought.

It was a humanoid-type Aberrant.

It stood at around seven feet tall and its entire body was covered in a dense, chitinous exoskeleton.

Lee Haeun's voice echoed through the hall "Your opponent will be a D-Class Aberrant-Category: Reaper Stalker."

The students immediately reacted "A Reaper Stalker?"

"Those things are fast."

"Yeah, they specialize in high-speed movement and relentless attacks. They're one of the hardest Aberrants to deal with in close combat."

Brandon furrowed his brows slightly 'That doesn't sound like a fair match-up.'

Elena, however, simply cracked her knuckles and her grin widened "Ooooh~ a Reaper Stalker? Now that's more like it."

*swoosh* In the next instant, the creature launched itself at Elena.

Its body blurred and its black limbs snapped outward aiming for Elena.

The moment its claws whipped toward her face, there was a small explosion and then Elena was gone.

Brandon raised an eyebrow in surprise. What?

The Aberrant's claws slashed through empty space.

The creature's body stopped and its grotesque head jerked from side to side as it searched for its prey.

But it saw nothing.

Brandon's gaze condensed "She disappeared?"

With a nod, Eira replied "Hmm.. her signature is invisibility and invincibility."

Invisibility and Inviciblity? Isn't that like... too OP?

The Reaper Stalker twitched and its body crouched low as it extended its claws in all directions, trying to pick up any movement.

But then— CRACK!

The Aberrant's body jerked violently as its entire torso snapped sideways.

A brutal punch had driven directly into its ribs.

Brandon's gaze darted toward the source-

But there was nothing there.

Only a slight distortion in the air, like heat shimmering off the ground on a scorching summer day.

Then— WHAM!

Another hit and this time, it was a sharp kick to the back of the knee.

The joint buckled inward with a sickening pop, sending the towering Aberrant crashing onto one leg.

Brandon raised an eyebrow in amusement 'Hoh...'

---

Dont forget to drop powerstones for bonus chapter!