Chapter 60: I don’t have to go Bald.
Sebastian stood amidst the ruin, trees splintered, ground scorched and frozen in equal measure, the air thick with the heavy scent of ozone and blood. The mammoth’s corpse, or what was left of it, was rapidly disintegrating into shimmering motes of blue light, signaling the end of the trial’s deadliest creature.
He exhaled slowly, lifting a hand to wipe the blood from his cheek. With a flick of his wrist, the exam card materialized in a flicker of light. The holographic display shimmered before his eyes, updating with a melodic ding.
[Leaderboard Update]
Sebastian Nekros – 1,255 pts
Annalise Astraeus – 810 pts
Nora von Velkaris – 805 pts
Liam Luceris – 600 pts
Xavier Evernight – 580 pts
Kent Takeahint – 520 pts
Sebastian grinned, sharp and satisfied. "First place. As it should be."
Annalise, sprawled out a few meters away, coughed out a laugh and glared up at him. "You’re kidding me... you actually caught up?"
He tilted his head, smirk widening. "Caught up? Annalise, please. I didn’t catch up, I lapped you."
’Papa wins! Papa wins!’ Sacha’s excited voice rang in his mind, her tone pure joy.
"Damn right, I did," Sebastian murmured, exhaustion tugging at his limbs as his gaze flicked back to the glowing leaderboard.
At the top, his name burned brighter than the rest, and he allowed himself the satisfaction of seeing it there.
’And I don’t even have to go bald,’ he thought with smug relief.
{You were actually going to shave your head?} Bastard’s voice drawled lazily in his mind.
’Of course not. I would’ve just faked an illness or something.’
{Coward.}
’Strategist,’ Sebastian corrected inwardly.
He looked up at the timer in the corner of the holographic screen [Time Remaining: 02:00] and exhaled. The blue light of the disappearing monster washed over him, casting shifting shadows across his face.
Two minutes left. The hardest part was over.
Or so he hoped.
Sebastian stretched his arms over his head, joints popping as the adrenaline faded. The forest around them was silent now, eerily so, save for the faint hiss of frost melting off Sacha’s last burst of power.
Annalise sat on the ground nearby, hair a total mess, her once-neat black-and-blue coat torn in half a dozen places. She looked like she’d just crawled out of a blender.
Sebastian tilted his head. "You know, for someone ranked second, you really scream ’damsel in distress’ a lot."
Annalise shot him a glare sharp enough to peel bark off a tree. "You threw me at a giant obsidian murder-elephant, you lunatic!"
He shrugged. "And look at that, you’re still alive. You’re welcome."
"Welcome?! I had to use my string arts just so I wouldn’t become modern art!"
"Teamwork," Sebastian said, dead serious. "It builds character."
She blinked at him, jaw dropping. "You’re insufferable."
’Papa is very insufferable,’ Sacha added cheerfully in his head.
Sebastian sighed. "You’re supposed to be on my side, you know."
’Sacha is on the side of truth!’ she declared proudly.
Annalise watched him with a suspicious squint. "Are you—are you talking to your sword again?"
He looked at her like she’d just asked if water was wet. "Of course I am. What kind of neglectful parent do you think I am?"
Annalise blinked twice, processing that, then buried her face in her hands. "Gods save me... I teamed up with a lunatic."
Sebastian’s grin only widened. "Correction, the lunatic. And that lunatic just came in first place." He flicked his wrist, projecting the leaderboard hologram between them like a trophy. His name, bold and glowing, sat proudly at the top.
Annalise peeked through her fingers and groaned. "You’ve got to be kidding me. You actually won?!"
He winked. "What can I say? Baldness doesn’t suit me."
"...What?"
"Long story. You wouldn’t get it."
Before she could retort, a deep chime echoed across the sky, resonating through the trees. The world shimmered with streaks of light as the system announced the end of the exam.
[Time Over. Returning to the academy.]
Annalise looked around as the air began to ripple, the edges of her form glowing blue. She crossed her arms, still glaring at him. "Next time, I’m throwing you at the murder-elephant."
Sebastian smirked. "You can try. But I’m heavier than I look."
The light around them intensified, their bodies dissolving into motes of shimmering blue.
"Goodbye, menace," she muttered as her form began to fade.
"Goodbye, runner-up," he said sweetly.
And with that final jab, the two vanished in a burst of azure light, one smirking victor, one seething second place, and one very smug tiger-sword purring somewhere between them.
The control room beneath the Aetherium was absolute chaos.
Dozens of holographic screens flickered above the circular table, each replaying the exact same scene from different angles, the moment Sebastian’s glass sword obliterated an evolved mammoth into a fine mist of blood, snow, and regret.
Half the instructors were frozen in stunned silence. The other half were groaning, wailing, or banging their heads against the table.
"THAT’S IMPOSSIBLE!" one of them shrieked, tearing at his hair. "That thing was ranked C-tier! You can’t just throw a sword and nuke a C-tier beast!"
Across the table, another instructor was on his feet, arms raised in triumph. "I TOLD YOU! I TOLD ALL OF YOU THAT BRAT WAS INSANE ENOUGH TO PULL IT OFF!"
He pointed at the pile of betting chips stacked like a small mountain beside him. "I BELIEVE in chaos! Chaos always wins!"
A third instructor groaned miserably, slamming his forehead against the desk. "I bet on the mammoth. I named the mammoth."
Someone patted his shoulder sympathetically. "You also cried when it died."
"IT HAD A FAMILY!"
Meanwhile, Belle leaned back in her chair, legs crossed, wearing the smuggest grin imaginable. The blue glow from the holo-screens reflected perfectly in her sharp, triumphant eyes.
"Told you he’d make it interesting," she said, sipping her coffee like a queen watching peasants bicker.
The principal was currently pinching the bridge of his nose as if trying to keep his soul from escaping. "Belle," he said slowly, "don’t start."
She raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I’m definitely starting."
She leaned forward, smirk widening. "So, about that little wager..."
The principal’s hand froze mid-air. "...What wager?"
Belle held up a glowing digital receipt projected from her wristband. The number on it made several instructors gasp.
"One. Hundred. Million. Thalgar," she said, voice practically singing. "You bet against my boy. Pay up, old man."
A ripple of laughter spread across the room as the losing instructors perked up instantly, delighted at the impending drama.
"I—That was metaphorical! I wasn’t serious!" the principal stammered, turning a shade of crimson not found in nature.
Belle’s grin turned predatory. "Oh no, you were serious enough to have the system register it, sir. Don’t make me call finance."
One instructor choked on his drink. "She’s robbing the principal in 4K!"
Another whispered, "She’s my hero."
The principal exhaled sharply, glaring at her. "You’re unbelievable."
Belle shrugged, unbothered. "And you’re 100 million poorer."
The betting instructor from before raised his mug like a toast. "To Sebastian Nekros—the kid who just bankrupted our boss!"
Laughter and cheers erupted through the control room as Belle leaned back again, smirking like a cat who had just won the kingdom.
Somewhere in the background, the replay showed Sebastian grinning as he vanished in blue light. Belle’s smirk softened for just a second.
"That’s my boy," she murmured under her breath, before turning to the nearest instructor.
"Now, who’s up for round two of betting?"
The room roared again, and the principal quietly contemplated retirement.