Reincarnation Of A Swordsman: The Omni Mage

"Yes!" another chimed in. "The way he was moving… it was like the dummy couldn't even touch him. I've never seen anything like it."

"It's not fair," a boy said bitterly. "How are the rest of us supposed to compete with that?"

"Relax," someone else said with a laugh. "We're not competing against him. We're just here to do our best, right?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

The group chuckled, though the tension remained there. As the bus continued its journey, the students turned their focus back to their own performances, comparing their history answers and laughing at their struggles.

The bus ride, though short, felt like an eternity to the hungry students. When the bus finally descended and came to a halt in front of the dormitory, a collective sigh of relief escaped the group.

They gathered their bags and other stuff they had carried with them, stretching their sore muscles as they prepared to disembark.

The moment they stepped off the bus, they met another boy leaving his bus. His dark blue hair flew in the wind and his topaz blue eyes remained sharp and indiscernible as they could only wonder what went on in his mind, if only they knew that he was focused on what he'll be having in the cafeteria.

All eyes turned to Kyle. The curiosity that had been simmering throughout the ride now bubbled over, and they couldn't hold back any longer.

"Kyle!" one of the braver students called out, one Kyle would recognize from his mission outing — Lina. "How many points did you score?"

Kyle heard his name from behind as he walked toward the cafeteria, and his pace slowed. The voices of his classmates rose in curiosity and excitement. He sighed internally, already predicting the onslaught of questions.

'What do I do now?' he wondered, his mind racing. He didn't want to tell them his actual score, knowing it would only discourage them further.

He'd overheard some of their scores on his bus and he knew how bad they were. However, ignoring them outright would only fuel wild rumors.

He bit his lip, then suddenly stopped walking. Without turning around, he raised his right index finger high into the air, holding it there deliberately for a moment before continuing toward the cafeteria without another word.

The group froze, their eyes glued to his retreating back.

"Did you see that?!" one of them exclaimed, the tension breaking into frenzied chatter.

"He scored 100! How's that even possible?"

"Of course not, dimwit," another retorted, smacking the first lightly on the head. "He scored 1000!"

"WHAT?! A THOUSAND?!" the group screamed in unison, their disbelief echoing through the dormitory entrance.

"That makes sense," someone muttered, recalling Kyle's fluid movements during the combat test. "He handled that dummy like it was nothing."

"But still… 1000 points? That's not human. That's…"

"A monster!" another student shouted, voicing what they all felt. They stared at Kyle's figure with a mix of awe, envy, and unease. Kyle was the only one that finished the history exam now he scored a thousand points in the combat exam, 10 times more than many of them.

***

Kyle, oblivious to their dramatics, or perhaps intentionally ignoring it, pushed open the doors to the bustling cafeteria.

The room was packed with students with even more coming in every moment. It was to be expected as almost all the students in the year would be visiting there at the same time to have their denied lunch. But thankfully, the cafeteria was large enough to contain all 300 students, with more than enough space to spare even.

Kyle ordered some nice meals of Tier-2 before finding a seat to eat, he kind of felt bad from the wrong misconception about his point but he shrugged it of quickly.

'They were the one to misunderstand, not me.'

Kyle are his food silently before leaving. He had enough food in his inventory and could have ate at home if he wanted, but it had been long since he came here and he admired the warm and lively atmosphere around him.

On returning to his home, Kyle met Void cultivating as usual. He had left more than enough food for the dragon in the morning but knew that Void could never be filled so he chose to leave some more on the table.

After getting refreshed and changing into casual clothes, Kyle jumped onto the bed. He had exhausted himself and knew he needed rest more than anything.

"System, wake me up by 10:00 PM," Kyle instructed before closing his eyes. He'll be taking his rune making examination tomorrow and while he was already grounded in the subject, far more than any other student, except Lora of course; it wouldn't hurt to study some more.

***

The next morning, the Rune Making hall buzzed with nervous energy. Every seat was filled as students, their eyes ringed with exhaustion from sleepless nights of studying, whispered among themselves.

"Do you think this exam will be as bad as the last two?" someone muttered, clutching their notes.

"Definitely," another replied with a groan. "This is Instructor Victoria we're talking about."

"Still, it's Rune Making," someone else said, trying to sound optimistic. "It can't be as bad as the combat exam nor History."

"Are you kidding?" another shot back. "Instructor Victoria probably designed something worse."

Despite their anxiety, most students were still flipping through their books, memorizing formulas, symbols, and crafting sequences. The room grew quieter as anticipation thickened in the air.

Then, the door creaked open, and all heads snapped toward it. Instructor Victoria strode in with her usual elegance, her heels clicking against the tiled floor and her slim hips swaying in pride. She carried herself with a confidence that made everyone straighten in their seats.

As always, she locked the door behind her with a decisive click, a gesture that sent a shiver through the room.

"Good morning, Instructor Victoria!" they stood up and greeted in unison, though the nervousness in their voice were easy to make out.

"Good morning, class," she greeted in return. "I hope you had a sleepless night because this exam would not be easy.