Starting With SSS-rank: I Get A New Skill Every Livestream

Chapter 260: You passed

[A few hours ago]

"You called for me, sir?" Russel asked as he stepped into the headmaster’s office, stopping before the desk.

The old man folded the newspaper and set it aside. "You’re assessing Kyle today, correct?"

Russel nodded. "Yes. Jean already sent him an email. The meeting is scheduled for five." He tilted his head slightly. "Has the plan changed, sir?"

Christopher shook his head. "No. I just wanted to warn you about a few things. Have a seat."

Though surprised, Russel quietly took the chair across from him.

Resting both hands on the desk, Christopher spoke in a calm voice. "I assume you’ve heard the rumors surrounding that boy lately."

Russel gave a small nod. "If you’re referring to the rift incident and his confrontation with a Special Grade, then yes. I’ve heard a few things." His brows furrowed. "Even so, I don’t believe any of that will affect how I assess him."

"And that’s exactly why I chose you, Russel," Christopher replied with quiet conviction. "You’re impartial and possess exceptional judgment. You see through people even when they say nothing at all."

Russel let out a quiet hum. "Then why did you call me, sir?"

Christopher leaned back in his chair. "Because today, I’m giving you full authority."

His expression turned cold.

"Your report will determine whether Kyle deserves a place in this academy... or whether he should be trained in complete isolation."

Russel’s eyes widened. "Sir? Isolation? I don’t understand."

Christopher raised a hand, motioning for him to remain calm.

"You know how militants are trained," he said. "Always isolated. Living alone. They can’t be exposed to the public, nor do they usually have comrades to share the barracks with."

Russel frowned in confusion. "But why would you train a young man like a militant?"

"Because I’ve seen him fight, Russel." Christopher’s voice grew heavy. "And Kyle struck me as someone who bleeds his opponents without the slightest hesitation."

Russel’s frown deepened. "Sir... I heard he was raised on the battlefield instead of in a classroom. Maybe that’s why he turned out this way."

Christopher slowly shook his head.

"This is different, Russel." He reached into his desk, pulled out his terminal, and turned the screen toward him.

"Take a look at this."

"This is an old recording I barely managed to obtain through my connections." Christopher pointed at the boy on the screen. "That’s... Kyle."

Russel’s eyes widened slightly as he watched a much younger Kyle straddling another boy who looked to be around the same age.

The footage showed Kyle driving both fists down in a relentless barrage. Blow after blow rained onto the helpless boy until blood spread across the training mat beneath them.

The children surrounding them stood frozen in horror.

Yet Kyle never stopped.

He kept punching with the same cold rhythm, as though he had been programmed to do nothing else.

Christopher switched off the terminal.

"And that’s not all." His voice turned solemn. "When I saw him fighting that ghoul... there was a certain emptiness in his eyes. It was as if..." He paused for a brief moment. "As if he was looking down on that gigantic monster... the very same monster that had my grandson cowering in terror."

Silence settled over the room.

For the first time, Russel found himself seriously reflecting on everything he had heard.

He had deliberately kept every rumor about Kyle from influencing his judgment.

Now he finally understood why the headmaster had entrusted him with such authority.

"I understand, sir." Russel rose from his seat, his expression growing resolute. "I’ll put him in a situation that reveals his true nature."

With that promise, he left the office, already piecing together the test he would subject Kyle to later that day.

....

"Haah..."

They were both wrong.

Russel stood at the edge of the arena, silently observing every exchange with unwavering focus. The more he watched, the more everything the headmaster had told him fell apart before his eyes.

Kyle was fully aware of his opponents’ abilities and level of experience.

That was precisely why he wasn’t fighting seriously.

Not even once.

He simply parried their attacks, slipped past their strikes, and delivered only enough force to push them back. Throughout the entire battle, Russel had yet to see Kyle throw a single clean, full-powered punch.

Yes, the students were getting injured.

But most of those injuries came from crashing into one another in their desperate attempts to overwhelm him.

More than anything, it was Kyle’s demeanor that caught Russel’s attention.

No matter how recklessly his opponents attacked, Kyle never lost his composure.

His eyes remained calm.

His movements stayed precise.

Every dodge, every block, every counter was measured with remarkable control, as though he had already calculated the outcome long before the attack was thrown.

’This isn’t the fighting style of someone raised solely on the battlefield,’ Russel concluded inwardly. ’This is the discipline of someone who has spent years refining every movement.’

"This little..." Veronica growled.

At that exact moment, Ren ignored Russel’s explicit orders and materialized his armament with Genesis.

Russel raised a hand, stopping her.

He wanted to see what Kyle would do.

"Ah..." Veronica let out a resigned sigh. "Well... he has to use magic now."

A faint smile appeared on Russel’s face.

"He could have used it from the very beginning if he wanted to."

Veronica frowned. "But you..." She suddenly paused, realization dawning on her.

The restriction on using magic had only applied to the students.

Not Kyle.

And yet, throughout the entire assessment, he hadn’t relied on his greatest advantage even once.

Russel noticed that as Ren charged straight at him, Kyle angled his arrow toward the ground instead of aiming at the student.

A blinding flash erupted.

For a split second, both Russel and Veronica felt their minds sway. Even their Genesis stirred on its own, responding to the strange burst of energy without either of them activating it.

The two observers exchanged startled glances.

Then...

Dhak.

A dull thud echoed across the arena.

They immediately turned toward the sound.

Kyle had already closed the distance.

Ren had his eyes closed, knocked out by a single punch.

Without a trace of arrogance or excitement, Kyle calmly caught him before he could hit the floor and gently lowered him onto the arena.

Silence settled over the arena.

Jean was rarely one to show emotion, her face almost always unreadable. But watching students who had spent years training in martial arts being effortlessly thrown around the arena left even her feeling a hint of embarrassment.

Russel gave a satisfied nod.

"You did well, Kyle."

Kyle let out a quiet breath and turned toward them.

"I hope I didn’t hurt them too badly."

"They’ve endured far worse during training," Russel assured him before the corners of his lips lifted into a knowing smile. "Now, I’d appreciate it if you stopped pretending, Grey."

The student who had been knocked out first after Kyle hurled another classmate into him cautiously cracked one eye open.

After making sure the fight was truly over, he slowly climbed to his feet.

"Grey?" Jean frowned at him. "Why were you lying on the mat the whole time when you look fine?"

Her voice carried unmistakable dissatisfaction.

She knew Kyle belonged to a named clan, meaning he had undoubtedly received martial arts training from a young age.

Even so, seeing her students suffer such a one-sided defeat against a Nightwalker who had never formally trained at the academy was difficult to accept.

Grey scratched the back of his head, visibly flustered.

"I’d already heard about him from Charles," he admitted with an awkward laugh. "So... I knew we never stood a chance."

He confessed without hesitation.

Kyle let out a thoughtful hum.

"Charles... the headmaster’s grandson, if I remember correctly?" he asked, glancing at Veronica.

She gave a small nod.

Russel shook his head before turning to Grey.

"You’ll be punished for your conduct later. For now, help carry the others to the infirmary."

Grey nodded obediently.

With Jean’s assistance, he began helping the injured students out of the arena.

Ren, Ethan, and Mary were in no condition to walk, forcing the two of them to support and drag them along.

Once everyone had left, silence returned.

Russel folded his thick arms across his chest and fixed Kyle with a steady gaze.

"I must admit, I’m impressed." His tone was calm, yet filled with curiosity. "You maintained remarkable control throughout the entire assessment."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"But tell me, Kyle."

"How were you able to restrain your punches so precisely, despite learning real combat with the aid of Genesis through life-and-death battles?"

Kyle faintly smiled at him before muttering, "Because recently I have been training with someone who sees me the same way I saw those students. I just followed their steps and kept myself under strict control."

Veronica was confused hearing that while Russel nodded with a smile.

"I understand." Raising his hand he said, "Welcome aboard, Kyle. You are now officially a part of the Academy."

Kyle was surprised, his heart skipping a beat before he shook the man’s hand and said, "Thank you, sir."