The National Hunter Academy was less of a school and more of a heavily fortified military compound. High concrete walls lined with mana-infused barbed wire surrounded a massive, state-of-the-art campus.
Today was the Public Assessment Day. Thousands of young Awakened, ranging from ages 16 to 25, were gathered in the Academy's colossal outdoor arena. The stands were packed with military officials, government bureaucrats, and scouts from the country's top guilds, all looking for the next generation of S-Rank prodigies.
Elias stood in the middle of a massive crowd of students, wearing his usual plain black hoodie. He looked completely unremarkable.
"Look at all these commoners," a loud, arrogant voice sneered from the front of the crowd.
The crowd parted nervously, revealing a tall, muscular teenager with slicked-back blonde hair and a custom-tailored, crimson Hunter uniform. He wore a heavy gold ring that pulsed with fire mana.
"Leo Valerius," someone whispered nearby. "His dad is the Master of the Crimson Dawn Guild. I heard he Awakened as an A-Rank Fire Mage right out of the gate."
Leo scoffed, looking at the poorly equipped independent Hunters around him. "The military is wasting time. They should just put the A-Ranks in the Elite Class and send the rest of you to the logistics department to carry our bags."
Several students glared at him, but no one dared to speak up. The Valerius family had too much power.
Elias didn't even look at Leo. He was busy looking at the center of the arena, where a massive steel cage was being lowered by a crane.
"Attention, recruits!" a booming voice echoed through the stadium speakers. A scarred, veteran military instructor stepped onto the central podium. "I am Instructor Graves. Today, we will not be testing your raw power! You already hit a crystal for that when you got your license."
Graves pointed to the steel cage. Inside, a massive, four-meter-tall beast covered in thick, rocky plating was thrashing wildly, denting the steel bars.
"This is a C-Rank Armored Bear! It is starved, enraged, and highly aggressive," Graves shouted. "Your test is 'Aura Pressure'. A true Hunter doesn't just use magic; they use their killing intent to dominate the battlefield. You will step into the ring with the beast. The longer you can withstand its killing intent without stepping out of the circle, the higher your grade. If you run, you fail."
Murmurs of panic broke out among the students. A C-Rank monster's raw killing intent could cause low-level Hunters to faint or vomit.
"I'll go first," Leo Valerius announced loudly, vaulting over the barricade and landing perfectly in the arena.
The crowd watched in awe as the steel cage was opened. The Armored Bear roared, a sound that shook the bleachers, and charged at Leo.
Leo didn't flinch. He unleashed his A-Rank fire aura. A massive pillar of crimson flames erupted around him, and the heat washed over the entire stadium. The bear, sensing the overwhelming destructive power, stopped a few meters away, growling cautiously, unable to advance further.
After ten seconds, Instructor Graves blew a whistle. "Excellent! Class A placement for Cadet Valerius!"
The crowd erupted into cheers. Leo smirked, waving to the guild scouts in the stands before walking out of the ring. He intentionally bumped his shoulder against Elias as he passed by. "Watch and learn, Summoner."
Elias didn't even blink.
"Next! Cadet Elias!" Graves called out, looking at his clipboard with a frown. "Registered B-Rank Summoner. Step into the ring."
Whispers broke out immediately. "A summoner? Without his beasts, his own aura is probably as weak as a normal human." "He's going to get mauled." "Why isn't he summoning his creature?"
Elias casually walked into the arena. He stopped exactly in the center of the white circle, his hands shoved deep into his hoodie pockets. He looked completely relaxed, as if he were waiting for a bus.
The Armored Bear, still agitated from Leo's fire, locked its bloodshot eyes onto Elias. It saw a frail, unarmored human with zero magical energy radiating from his body. To the beast, this was free food.
The bear let out a deafening roar and charged at full speed, the ground trembling under its massive weight.
"He's not moving!" one of the students screamed. "Instructor, stop the test! He's frozen in fear!"
Graves reached for his weapon, preparing to intervene.
The bear was only three meters away, its jaws opening wide to snap Elias in half.
Elias finally looked up. He didn't summon Iron. He didn't summon Blood. He didn't cast a spell.
He simply allowed a microscopic fraction of his Absolute Necromancer aura—the suffocating, cold weight of death itself—to leak out of his eyes.
Elias stared directly into the beast's eyes and whispered a single word:
"Kneel."
It wasn't a spell; it was an absolute command from an Apex Predator.
The Armored Bear's momentum completely shattered. It didn't just stop; its massive legs gave out entirely. The beast crashed face-first into the dirt, sliding until it stopped mere inches from Elias's sneakers.
The entire stadium went dead silent.
The C-Rank Armored Bear—a monster known for its berserker rage—was whimpering. It pressed its massive snout into the dirt, tucking its paws over its head, completely paralyzed by a primal, soul-crushing terror. It wouldn't even dare to look at Elias's shoes.
Up in the stands, the Guild Scouts dropped their pens. Instructor Graves stood completely frozen, his hand hovering over his sword hilt.
Even Leo Valerius, who had been smirking a second ago, felt a sudden, inexplicable chill run down his spine.
Elias stood there in the absolute silence, looking at the trembling instructor.
"Has it been ten seconds yet?" Elias asked smoothly, his voice echoing in the quiet arena.
Graves snapped out of his daze, swallowing hard. "Y-Yes! Test concluded! Cadet Elias... Class A Elite Placement!"
Elias turned around and walked out of the ring with the same casual, bored expression he had when he walked in. As he passed the crowd of students, they instinctively backed away, parting like the Red Sea. They didn't know what kind of power he used, but their instincts screamed at them to stay away from him.
The Academy was supposed to be a training ground for the elite. But they had just let a wolf into the sheep pen.