Scarlete stood calmly in front of the principal. Her eyes were steady and confident.
She said quietly, "To be honest… that paper was easy for me."
The principal looked surprised. Almost every student had complained that the exam was extremely difficult, yet this boy was saying it was easy.
The principal leaned back in his chair and studied him carefully.
"Is that so?" he said slowly. "Then let me ask you a question."
Scarlete nodded without hesitation.
"Alright."
The principal tapped the table lightly and said,
"Tell me… what is 1 + 3 + 4?"
Scarlete answered instantly.
"8."
There was no pause. No thinking.
Just one simple answer.
For a moment the room became silent.
The principal blinked in surprise. He didn't even think for a second, he thought. This boy… is not ordinary.
He looked at him again and asked,
"What is your name?"
Scarlete replied calmly
"My name is Kiel."
The principal continued,
"And your family name?"
For a brief moment Scarlete said nothing.
A faint shadow passed across her eyes.
Then she spoke in a quiet voice.
"I only have one name… Kiel. I am a commoner… and I am an orphan."
The words hung in the air.
The principal felt a strange feeling in his chest. He had expected this talented and handsome boy to belong to some noble family.
But instead, the boy standing in front of him had no family at all.
Still… there was no weakness in Kiel's expression. Only quiet determination.
Scarlete slightly bowed her head.
"Principal, I should go now. The second exam is about to start.
"
The principal nodded slowly.
"Alright. Go."
A few minutes later, Scarlete entered the magic examination hall.
The hall was huge, filled with hundreds of students and teachers watching carefully.
In the very center stood a massive magical stone.
It was enormous.
So large that even a thousand students standing together would still look small beside it.
A teacher stepped forward and announced loudly,
"For the second test, each student must break this stone using their magic power."
Murmurs spread through the hall.
One by one, students stepped forward.
Some used fire magic, launching flames at the stone.
Others used wind magic, sending powerful gusts crashing against it.
A few tried to strike it with pure magical force.
But the stone barely reacted.
Some students only managed to leave tiny scratches.
A few stronger students broke about ten percent of it.
But then something strange happened.
The stone began to glow softly.
Slowly… the cracks disappeared.
The scratches vanished.
Within seconds, the stone returned to its perfect original form.
It was a special magical stone that could repair itself.
Students stared at it nervously.
"Is it even possible to break it?" someone whispered.
Then the teacher called out loudly,
"Next… Kiel."
The hall suddenly grew quiet.
All eyes turned toward Scarlete.
She walked forward slowly.
Step by step.
Her footsteps echoed softly in the silent hall.
Teachers watched carefully.
Students held their breath.
Even the principal, standing at the back of the hall, focused his gaze on her.
Scarlete stopped in front of the enormous stone.
She didn't raise her hand.
She didn't chant a spell.
She simply stood there.
And then—
CRACK.
A sharp sound suddenly echoed through the hall.
The giant stone split apart.
For a moment… nobody moved.
Teachers froze.
Students stared in shock.
"He didn't even touch it!" someone shouted.
Whispers filled the hall.
"How is that possible?"
"What kind of magic is that?"
Even the principal was stunned.
It's the same boy who finished the written exam in seconds…
But the test wasn't over yet.
Soon it was time for the mana test.
A magical device was brought forward to measure each student's mana power.
One by one, students placed their hands on it.
The device glowed faintly for most of them.
Then it was Kiel's turn.
Scarlete slowly placed her hand on the device.
At first… nothing happened.
Then suddenly the device started shaking.
The crystal began to glow brighter.
And brighter.
And brighter.
The mana level kept rising.
Students stepped back nervously.
Teachers looked at each other in shock.
"What is happening?" someone whispered.
Then suddenly—
BOOM!
A powerful burst of magical energy exploded from the device.
Wind and light filled the entire hall.
Teachers quickly used protective magic to control the energy before it spread further.
When the light finally faded…
The entire hall was silent.
The principal looked at Scarlete with wide eyes.
Then he whispered to himself,
"This child… is not just talented."
"He is a genius… a terrifying genius