Bakugo was as if he had been ripped off his chain, ready to destroy Deku on the spot.
But I just stood there, ignoring him with complete disinterest. This kid thought he was the center of the universe, but his tantrums meant nothing to me. I turned my back on him and continued to look toward the main building.
"My lord," Agrona chuckled in my mind. "The blond youth may have boisterous energy, but he lacks any self-control. Your ignoring him punishes him more than knocking him to the ground."
That's right, Agron. I have no reason to mess with someone who can't even control his own emotions, I thought.
The moment Bakugo took another step, white, tight bands wrapped around his body in a flash. Aizawa's scarves completely immobilized him, skidding him to a stop in his tracks.
"What... they're solid as a rock!" Bakugo growled, trying in vain to yank himself out of the grip.
"They're made of a special alloy with carbon fibers," said Aizawa, standing a little way off. His hair flew wildly around his head and his eyes glowed a menacing red as he erased Bakugo's Quirk. "Stop that. You're making me use my Quirk repeatedly, and it's really drying out my eyes."
Aizawa blinked wearily, his hair falling back onto his shoulders and his scarves loosening. "We're wasting time. Bakugo, go calm down. Midoriyo, you kept your arm intact, but the muscle fatigue is there, so go see Recovery Girl after the test. The rest of you, let's move on to the next disciplines. Movement."
Bakugo was still growling at me through his teeth, his hands shaking, but Aizawa's threat had worked. With a loud snort, he turned and charged back into line, burning me with a look that promised revenge.
Meanwhile, Midoriya was slowly breathing out the shock. As he passed me, he looked at me with such immense gratitude, as if he had seen a true savior. "Mephisto... I don't even know how to thank you. Those muscles hurt, but... I made it through without getting hurt for the first time!"
"I told you so," I replied in a low voice with a slight smile as we moved to the next stations. "It'll be easier next time. Just practice your control."
[System notification.]
[Special Task: Show Your Dominance! Progress: 80%]
[The last disciplines remain. First place is within reach.]
The rest of the test was already fast-paced. In the sit-ups and stretches, I easily dominated thanks to the passive power of my Divine Body and collected the highest points without having to reactivate the Ether Core. The others in the class preferred not to even comment on me anymore, in fact they began to consider me as in a completely different league.
When it was all over, Aizawa clicked on his tablet and projected a giant holographic scoreboard into the air in front of us with the overall rating.
"Here are your results," he said monotonously. "Reading the whole thing would be a waste of time, so see for yourself."
I scanned the list from the bottom. At the very bottom was the name Minoru Mineta, who immediately fell to his knees and began to cry hysterically that his life was over. Midoriya, who, thanks to my advice, had scored great points in the throw and not been injured in the other events, finished safely somewhere in the middle of the table.
And at the very top, in first place with a huge points lead, my name was shining.1. Mephisto.
[The special task was successfully completed
[Random loot box.]
[The loot box has been placed in your inventory.]
I grinned inwardly. It worked.
"Yeah, and about the expulsion," Aizawa added as he put the tablet away, his trademark, slightly terrifying grin appearing on his face. "It was just a logical fallacy to get the most out of you."
"WHAT?!" most of the class exclaimed in unison.
"That was obvious," Momo Yaoyorozu remarked shrewdly. "All I had to do was think about it a little."
"You're free for today," Aizawa turned his back on us and walked away. "Get your syllabus in the classroom and be ready tomorrow. The real heroic training will begin."
When Aizawa left, the tension on the field finally subsided. Most of my classmates let out a loud sigh and slowly started to file back into the locker rooms. However, several of them surrounded me on the way.
The first to jump up to us with great enthusiasm was the brown-haired girl, Ochako Uraraka, followed by Izuku Midoriya and Iida.
"Mephisto, that was incredible!" Uraraka blurted out, her eyes shining with admiration. "Four kilometers?! And the way you advised Deku with the control was so cool! I'm Ochako Uraraka, by the way."
"I'm Tenya Iida from the first city high school!" the robotic bespectacled boy interjected, bowing deeply to me. "I must thank you for your sporting attitude and for how rationally you helped our classmate, even though we were rivals in the test! Your sprint was also fascinating."
"I'm glad it happened," I replied calmly, nodding slightly. "Iida, you don't have to bow so convulsively, we're classmates."
Midoriya stood there, still shaking a little, but his eyes were filled with genuine gratitude. "Mephisto... I... I mean, I couldn't have figured it out on my own. Your advice about energy flow... it completely changed the way I think about my ability. Thank you very much indeed."
"You're welcome, Midoriya. Just don't overdo it and listen to your body," I patted him lightly on the shoulder as we entered the locker room.
The locker room was bustling with activity. The guys were shouting at each other and discussing the test, but as soon as I entered, most of them lowered their voices. A red-haired, muscular boy, Eijiro Kirishima, grinned at me. "Hey, man, that grip of yours, what set off the dynamometer? That was rough! That's what I call manly strength!"
"Thanks," I smiled, opened my locker, and began changing back into civilian clothes.
Bakugo stood in the corner of the locker room. He was sitting on a bench, furiously tying his shoes, and his whole body showed that he would like to kill someone. As I walked past him, he just growled through clenched teeth, "Don't look at me, you monster. Next time I'll sweep you off your feet."
I just mentally shrugged it off and continued to ignore him. There was no point in feeding his ego.
Once I had my things packed, I threw my backpack over my shoulder and turned to the others who were still saying goodbye to me. "Okay, guys, I'm going now. See you tomorrow."
"Good morning, Mephisto!" Kirishima called after me and Midoriya waved at me once more.
The trip to the U.A. Heights Alliance dormitory was pleasant. The campus was vast and modern. I took a deep breath when I reached the doors of Class 1-A. In canon, students only lived in dormitories later, after the villains attacked, but in this version of the world, it was established from the beginning, which suited me perfectly. At least I had peace.
I walked through the empty common room, took the elevator to my floor, and unlocked the door to my room.
I threw my backpack on the bed and sat down with relief. The room had been fairly bare, with only basic furniture, but that didn't matter to me now. My attention was on something else entirely.
"My lord," Agron materialized beside me from the shadow. His massive dark armor with red eyes filled part of the room, but he moved in complete silence. "Today was a success. You have shown those people your superiority, just as the System demanded."
"Yes, Agron. But now let's look at the reward," I answered him in a low voice.
I focused and mentally summoned the interface.
[System notification.]
[Open: Random loot box?]
[Yes/ NO]
"Yes," I thought.
Before my eyes, the semi-transparent window glowed with a bright, purple-gold light. The box virtually opened, and various icons of items and abilities began to rotate inside. After a few seconds, the rotation stopped and the System let out a sharp ding.
[You have gained active skill: Stealth]
[Mana to activate: 200]
[Maintenance: 1 mana per second]
[Description: Allows the user to blend in perfectly with their surroundings, hiding all traces of their presence, including physical appearance, sound, smell, and heartbeat. Attacking the target while in this state will cause critical damage. The effect is canceled when taking damage or being directly attacked.]
I watched the text in front of me, a satisfied smirk forming at the corner of my mouth. Hidden. This was exactly what I needed.
"The ability to walk as an invisible ghost, my lord?" Agrona spoke from the corner of the room, his red eyes flashing curiously. "For someone with your... distinctive appearance, it is an extremely practical reward."
"You're welcome, Agron," I laughed quietly. "With those horns and the viral video, everyone in Japan knows me now. This gives me a huge tactical advantage. Especially for those times when I want to be left alone."
I stood in the middle of the room and decided to test the new skill immediately. System, activate Hide.
I immediately felt a small amount of energy drain from the Ether Core in my heart. My body seemed to tremble for a moment and the air around me bent. My skin, clothes, and black horns began to fade second by second, until they completely dissolved into the space of the room.
I looked at my hands, but all I saw was emptiness. I looked down, even my shadow on the floor had disappeared. Agron, who was standing right next to me, turned his head in confusion.
"My lord...?" the shadow soldier muttered, looking around. "Your presence... has disappeared. I can't even hear your heartbeat. If I didn't know you were here, I would think you had left this dimension."
I grinned, canceled the skill, and reappeared right in front of him. "It works perfectly. I'll definitely surprise someone with this at my first Heroic Training."
He lay down on the bed and put his hands behind his head. The first day at U.A. was wild, but worth it. I earned Midoriya's respect, pissed off Bakugo, won the physical fitness test, and now I have a hidden ace up my sleeve. Tomorrow we have our first proper training session with All Might. Costumed combat training.
I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep while Agron silently watched over my room from the shadows.