Subtitle: The Principal Chose the Wrong Kid to Mess With
After Ray read the warning message from his father, he sent his spirit friends out to see if he could find a better way to win without getting pranked. At first, he planned on staying not too high or not too ranked, keeping things modest. But when he saw that the principal was trying to make him forcefully rank down by pranking him, the plan wavered.
He knew he would have to get back at the principal after he was done with this, or else the principal would keep on bugging him. A quiet spark lit behind Ray's eyes—he was already thinking of a couple of ways to get back at the man. He slowly waited for his friends to return, standing still inside the strange, rune-carved hallway of the maze as the faint hum of the formation stones echoed around him.
And after waiting for a while, all his spirit friends came flying in, their tiny bodies shimmering like droplets of light. They zipped around Ray in a jolly mode, eager to give their reports. These spirit friends had been living freely inside his storage space, but they sometimes felt guilty that they weren't doing anything wonderful for Ray. Being summoned like this made them feel useful—made them feel alive. Then they started to report as Ray listened to them one at a time, his expression calm yet sharp, absorbing every detail. Finally, after hearing everything, he took his first step.
He told one of the spirits to lead the way. But after taking that step, he suddenly looked straight at the camera in the air—a small, crystal lens glowing faintly—and gave a smile. A slow, meaningful smile. A smile that said it won't go as the principal planned. Then, without hurry, he followed the spirit deeper into the maze.
A few minutes ago,
POV: Principal Howard and Vice Principal Rosemary Maplewood
Outside the maze, Principal Howard sat beside the vice principal, tapping his fingers irritably against the wooden armrest of his chair. The glowing projection screen floating in front of them showed Ray standing still. Too still.
Howard scowled. "Why isn't he moving? What is he watching on that wristwatch at a time like this? Shouldn't he value his time?"
His tone was sharp—his patience already fraying.
"Well," Vice Principal Rosemary said, crossing her arms as a breeze fluttered the ends of her coat, "someone might have seen you act fishy and thought to inform the little fella before he went in."
"Who would inform him, Rosemary?" Howard snapped.
"I don't know. Maybe his parents? They were once students here as well. You act like you're young, you ancient creature." Rosemary chided him with a smug smirk.
Howard's jaw tightened. "Who are his parents?" he asked, annoyed but now tinged with unease.
"Hohoho! You will get shocked hearing their name," Rosemary said, her eyes glinting as she shuffled through the papers until she found Ray's file.
The principal leaned closer, his expression sour. "Who?"
"Duke Robert the 'Hero' and Diana the 'Chaos of Storm' of the Richard Kingdom. And that's not all." Rosemary chuckled, enjoying the moment far too much. "This kid, hehehe, he is from the famous Inventor Guild. You want to mess with this kid?"
Howard felt the blood drain from his face. Sweat began to form at his temples. Anyone who lived near the Ashbourn border knew the stories—what Robert and Diana had done to that kingdom was something bards still sang about with trembling voices. And the Inventor Guild… the very name carried weight. Half the gadgets Howard used daily came from their creations.
But he straightened his posture, puffing himself up, refusing to let his fear show in front of Rosemary.
"So what? I'm not afraid of any of them," he said stiffly. "You know my lovely granddaughter, who would only think and talk about me and Theresa, is now only talking about Ray this and Ray that. Do you know how frustrating it is? I will definitely take my revenge."
Just then, both of them saw Ray take his first step on the projection screen. Howard leaned forward, eyes gleaming with anticipation—finally, the kid was moving.
But then Ray looked back and gave that strange smile. A slow, unsettling one.
Howard blinked. "What was that?"
Rosemary frowned. "I… don't know."
POV Robert, Selene, and Diane
Diane and Selene gained confidence after hearing Robert say it was fine since he had personally trained Ray. They relaxed—until Ray took his first step. Then he looked back and gave that smile.
All three of them froze. A collective chill crawled down their backs.
Because they all knew exactly what that smile meant.
They exchanged glances.
Then all three burst out laughing—loud, relieved, yet wickedly amused. They had seen that smile more than once. Ray always paid things back tenfold if not a hundredfold. Whatever Principal Howard thought he had prepared… he was about to regret even thinking of pranking Ray, much less actually attempting it.
Present
Ray followed the single spirit holding the best route, sending the rest back into his storage space. The air grew cooler as he walked, the stone walls of the maze becoming narrower, lit only by faint blue runes. Ray reviewed the information his spirits had gathered.
The other candidates had two routes at every turn—one "free route" and one "challenge route." If they guessed right, the way would be smooth and safe. If they guessed wrong, they'd face a challenge route: fighting a rune-beast, dodging traps, quizzes, and avoiding pitfalls.
But Ray's routes?
Both were filled with traps and challenges.
Every. Single. One.
A soft glint of annoyance flickered in his eyes.
Ray decided to take the first few "free routes" that were still free of pranks—these early ones, apparently, the principal hadn't tampered with. There, he took the first exam: touching the orb, confirming his identity, and signing the register form that his parents had already filled out.
Then he entered the second exam chamber. Another glowing orb awaited him. The moment he placed his hand on it, the orb flashed—showing he had awakened and that his cultivation was at the seventh Qi stage. The instructor let out a soft sigh, giving him a sympathetic look as he said, "You pass."
Ray thanked him with a polite smile and walked away.
That smile didn't fade.
It lingered—because the next round was coming.
A round where he could choose between a challenge or the prank-laden "free route."
Ray chose the challenge route: a quiz.
A quiet grin formed. Quizzes were his forte—he had read almost the entire library of both his family and the king's castle in the Richard Kingdom. It didn't take him long to finish the exam.
His smile grew wider, wicked amusement flickering behind his calm facade.
Because the third exam was about to start.
And Ray was going to cause chaos for the principal.