"Welcome. You're the new guy who'll be sharing the room with us," one of the boys said.
Silas looked at him and replied calmly,
"Thank you. My name is Silas."
The boy said,
"My name is Robert."
"This one is Ali," he continued.
Before he could say the last name, the third boy interrupted.
"My name isn't something weak people get to know," he said coldly.
"If you want to know my name, defeat me first. Only then will you learn it."
Silas replied without interest,
"I'm not interested in your name. Where is my bed?"
Robert laughed quietly.
The arrogant boy became angry.
"That's fine if you're scared," he said.
"But remember—only those who deserve it learn my name."
Before the argument could continue, the ground suddenly shook.
---
ALARM SYSTEM
Warning! Warning!
MID-TIER BEASTS detected
Type: Razorback Hounds
Number: 13
Danger: Normal
KING-LEVEL BEAST detected
Type: Ironjaw Behemoth
Danger: Difficult
Silas was shocked.
"How could a monster like this enter the academy?" he asked.
Robert replied,
"It's time to earn points."
Silas had no skills and had never seen a real monster before.
Tiago laughed loudly.
"So you're scared now that you heard 'monster'? I knew it. You're nothing."
The three of them ran off together.
Silas remained standing alone.
He wasn't afraid—
he was thinking.
He thought carefully about what to do next.
Silas began moving toward the battle area.
---
Silas saw a monster as large as a house.
When their eyes met, he felt fear unlike anything he had ever felt before—
as if the monster could kill him without even moving a finger.
To the beast, Silas was not even something worth noticing.
A Razorback Hound charged toward him.
Silas defended himself with his sword, but the monster's spikes struck him.
At that moment, Silas used his power.
---
Power Analysis
Silas' Power: UNKNOWN
The system clock was unable to identify or display Silas' power.
Silas defeated the monster with a single slash.
---
Observers
The manager was watching through the cameras.
He stared seriously at Silas.
"This boy is not ordinary," he said.
"He may come from a powerful family we don't know about. Make sure nothing happens to him."
The vice manager asked,
"Did you record the top students you've seen here?"
The manager immediately sent two men and ordered them to eliminate the King-Level Ironjaw Behemoth.
"Understood, sir," the two men replied.
They didn't even use their abilities—
their speed alone surpassed what the human eye could see.
In an instant, the King-Level monster was killed.
Silas and the other students were shocked.
Some students' mouths were left open in disbelief.
Immediately, a voice echoed:
"All students, gather at the main plaza."
---
The students gathered, confused and shocked.
"Welcome," the manager said.
"I know you're all confused."
"What happened today was a special exam designed to measure students' courage."
"These monsters were part of the test."
"If this were a real city attack, would you hide in your rooms like some of you did today?"
"Those who stayed inside due to fear have already failed."
"They will leave the academy at dawn."
"Iron-Gate has no place for the weak."
Some students cried.
Some were furious.
They shouted that it was unfair and a trick.
But none of them could oppose the manager.
They were powerless.
They would be forced to leave in the morning, carrying their anger and sorrow.
Silas understood everything.
He thought to himself:
I knew this was an exam.
There's no way a Big Four academy would allow monsters to pass the guards.
At the main gate alone, there were nearly twenty guards.
Even if they don't look like guards, you can feel their movements—they are not ordinary humans.
Silas remained calm.
To everyone else, this was chaos.
To him—
this was just the beginning.