It has been about five hours since the exam began, and we had already completed all the tests except for the Math portion.
The sequence of events had unfolded with me finishing my work—Amy persistently calling me—and finally using Gobo to pass the script to her.
She smiled each time I handed the paper to her, but I didn't reciprocate the gesture.
Why? Because I wasn't doing it out of goodwill.
Zack Savior—apart from my disdain for him for touching my favorite character while pretending to be her friend, I also despised his very presence, and seeing him in person only made it worse.
He was a narcissist, a classist, and, worst of all, a deeply entrenched pedophile with a following.
Yes, I made him as detestable as possible.
My mind briefly flashed to the morning before I came to school.
The plan I devised was only meant to be enacted in the likely event that Zack confronted me and—
"Hey, orphan! Why are you so downcast? Do I take that as a forfeit?"
I shook my head, doing my best to play the role of a weak student who barely survived the combat exam.
Zack's eyes scanned me repeatedly, making it difficult to pass anything to Amy—but that was exactly what I wanted.
'Let's uproot a potential villain.'
"Take." I addressed her, stretching my hand behind my back just enough to be visible, yet conveying multiple meanings at once.
As if waiting for me to act, Zack sprang from his chair, moving away from the podium near the door.
He dashed toward me at a blinding speed, grabbing my hand just before I could make any further moves.
"What do you think you're doing, applicant?" He said, his voice cold, yet subtly laced with a trace of pleasure.
The exam hall seemed to freeze as the students turned to look at me.
Releasing my hand, Zack screeched at the top of his lungs. "I knew it! The only thing street rats like you know is cheating!"
Zack's face was a mixture of satisfaction and sorrow—I was essentially his creator, so I understood his emotions.
Ten years ago, after the old generation of mages retired, Zack enrolled in Noctis Academy with the ambition of becoming a top mage, but—
"This is why I said people from humble backgrounds shouldn't come to Noctis!"
His loud outburst soon drew the attention of the teachers nearby.
I lowered my head in apology; I didn't need to speak... But it wasn't like I could.
After Zack entered Noctis, he soon realized that dreams and achievements were not the same thing.
In a school teeming with talented students, where mental games were as routine as meals, Zack quickly learned he couldn't keep up.
And to make matters worse, him—the son of the guild master of Aston Guild and a descendant of the Savior clan was being outperformed by three commoners in his class.
He decided to become the perfect sycophant—praising and fawning over the wealthy while scornfully treating the poor. He aligned himself with nobles, mistreated commoners, and sabotaged others' lives.
Slowly, that once hopeful man, filled with dreams, turned dark. He went on to ruin not only the protagonist that was a bastard son, but also many others' lives.
He eventually embraced the dark side alongside Deerheart.
"Yes! Mr. Kelvin, look at this brat cheating during the exam," Zack said, rushing over to meet the rock-and-roll professor.
'Let it escalate.' I thought to myself, raising my gaze to meet Professor Kelvin's, who looked at me with a hint of disdain.
"This can only mean one thing, young man." Professor Kelvin's voice resonated throughout the quiet hall. "You will have to be eliminated."
"Wai…"
I flicked my fingers, secretly signaling Amy not to move. She may act recklessly at times, but that didn't mean she was foolish.
Sitting back in her seat, Amy bit her lip, frustration bubbling inside her.
"Now, give me your papers—" Zack's words were interrupted by the sound of gentle footsteps.
They were poised, elegant, and refined. A smile curled on my lips as I saw the beautiful blonde-haired woman entering through the door.
'You almost made it late.' I thought as the woman's emerald eyes locked onto mine. She was stunning, more captivating than anything I had seen before.
"Oh, Miss. Rosewell, I didn't know someone like you would come here," Zack said, flattering her.
"Don't give me that, Zack... And what are you doing to a student?"
"Oh, this street rat wanted to spread his filth in Noctis, so I uprooted it," he said smugly.
"Filth, you say?"
"Yes…" Zack's eyes widened at her response, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "That's not what I meant..." he stammered.
But the beautiful figure couldn't care less.
Elizabeth Rosewell—the one I considered my favorite character, that I could spend an entire chapter ranting about her, to the extent that even my readers noticed and gave her a nickname due to her cat-like eyes and features.
"Neko-sensei."
'What?' My eyes quickly scanned the room to locate who said that word. 'I heard it right, didn't I?'
It was subtle, but it was a term that only I and my fanbase were meant to know—one that had never been mentioned in the novel... was spoken by a student.
For a brief moment, my gaze locked with a figure who was looking at me.
At the very back of the room—the main female lead of the novel—the cold princess sat there, her mouth shut tightly with her palm.
'Relax.' I thought, trying to calm myself. 'I can deal with that after this.'
"Did you even check the contents of the paper…" Neko-sensei added. "It could be anything."
Zack smiled confidently. "Of course, I can spot a cheater when I see one."
Neko-sensei turned to me, and I shivered under her gaze—not out of fear, but out of necessity.
I could sense the doubt in her eyes, but being the reasonable person she was—along with the fact that Zack had played similar tricks on her during high school, which led to the expulsion and elimination of the other commoners she entered Noctis with—she opened the paper.
Her body froze as Zack's face lit up. Some media personnel I had personally contacted had already entered the hall to film the unfolding situation.
"See? I told you…"
Before he could finish, Neko-sensei, fitted in a business suit that looked a bit like a siren's office wear, shot him a glare.
"There's nothing here," she said, her tone sharp.
"What?" Zack stuttered. "But I was sure he was cheating."
'Here comes the drama.'
From what I knew about Zack, he always believed his ways were right, and that all high-ranking figures in society supported him.
'It's your turn, red panda.'
As if on cue for my words, Zack turned to Amy, who was visibly perplexed by the situation. "You saw it too, right, Lady Amelia? That thing cheated, didn't it?"
Amelia's face darkened as she stared at the professor. "Mr. Zack, I've been watching that young man since the start of the exam, and not once did he pull out anything. The only thing he did was calculate on a piece of paper."
Zack flinched as he ran over to me, trying to reclaim his pride.
Jerking my arm, he searched me, only to find another blank paper.
"See? I told—" Again, the contents were empty.
Neko-sensei's face contorted in disgust at the shameful display from someone who was once her classmate, and to make matters worse, the media was present, recording the humiliation of a student for doing nothing at an academy that claimed to be equal.
"Stop this, Zack," she ordered, moving toward me.
"No, see, I found another one," he said, his hair disheveled and his voice cracking.
"Stop!" Neko-sensei, abandoning her usual reserved demeanor, yelled at him, pulling him away from me.
'That was close.' I thought, looking at the pocket that contained the paper Zack almost pulled out.
It was a gamble, but it paid off. By agreeing to Amy's request, I was able to create a way to break Zack, knowing his strength stemmed from noble children. Since I was already a loner, he must have assumed no one would side with me.
But that was his fatal mistake—by making Amy my accomplice, giving her the sheets while filling my pockets with self-placed evidence, I provided Zack with both a path to pride and a path to his downfall.
The media were just the cherry on top.
Plus, I knew she wouldn't stand by and watch it—
"I, along with the entire Noctis, apologize for this. We will ensure you are compensated for the humiliation," Neko-sensei bowed slightly, seeking forgiveness.
I nodded and returned to my seat.
"Thanks for covering for me. I owe you one," Amy whispered to me.
"Yeah, we're in this together," I smiled back at her.
'Now, for the main reward.'
Ding!
'Refreshing.'
[YOU HAVE PUBLICLY DISGRACED ZACK SAVIOR...]
[EXTRACTING SAINT—]
I felt the world grow still, as a fragment of Zack's shadow crept into mine.
[CONGRATULATIONS 🎉]
[YOU HAVE EARNED 4 STAT POINTS—]
[THE CONDITION: PUBLICLY DISGRACED ZACK SAVIOR— HAS BEEN ACHIEVED]
[DO YOU WISH TO EXTRACT SAINT—YES/NO.]
'Yes.'
Ding!
[USER HAS EXTRACTED SAINT—NAME____]
Seeing the fox-like shape the saint formed while dancing in my shadow, I answered. 'Gumiho.'
[SHADOW SAINT GUMIHO HAS BEEN BORN.]
'Haah, that felt good.'
[Pick One Of Shadow Saint's Abilities... Shadow Saint Had Only One Ability... Automatic Reward....]
[User Has Earned The Ability:—]