Void Absorption: Rise of the Martial God

4

With a calm flick of his sleeve, Dorian glanced at Elder Harwick and said coolly, "Oh, go ahead and expel me if you want. Either way, I'm taking today's entrance exam."

Without another word, he brushed past Elder Harwick and strode into Duskfall Academy.

"Damn it! You'd rather take the hard way than the easy one — ungrateful bastard!"

Watching Dorian's defiant figure disappear into the academy, Elder Harwick clenched his fists, his face darkening with rage.

Then, he quickly followed after him.

......

The Martial Hall — Duskfall Academy

This was where Duskfall Academy held its entrance exams.

The dean and vice deans of Duskfall Academy were all present, standing respectfully alongside over thirty stern-faced martial academy representatives from across the kingdom, each exuding formidable auras.

Every single one of the thirty-two martial academies in the Ironveil Kingdom had sent their enrollment officers.

Hundreds of third-year students stood in orderly rows across the vast hall, awaiting their turn for evaluation. The massive space was eerily quiet, save for the examiner's voice announcing the results.

"Strength 630 pounds, speed 11.1 m/s, reaction speed average, total score: 73!"

"Strength 710 pounds, speed 12.2 m/s, reaction speed average, total score: 79!"

"Strength 660 pounds, speed 11.8 m/s, reaction speed above average, total score: 77!"

"..."

The examiner, an instructor from Duskfall Academy, called out each student's performance in a steady monotone.

On the elevated platform, the martial academy representatives remained stone-faced, showing no reaction whatsoever. Meanwhile, Dean Aldren and the vice deans wore strained smiles, not daring to speak too much.

Though these enrollment officers held relatively low ranks within their respective martial academies, their status far surpassed that of mere academy deans.

And that wasn't all —

The weakest martial academy's admissions officer already surpassed Four-Star level!

Meanwhile, the strongest fighters in Duskfall Academy barely reached the peak of Three-Star.

The gap was staggering.

"Warren Cole — strength 1,020 pounds, speed 14.7 m/s, high-tier reflexes — comprehensive score: 91 points!"

Suddenly!

The examiner's voice boomed across the testing grounds once more.

Hiss—!

Gasps of shock rippled through the crowd at the announcement.

"Warren Cole is absolutely phenomenal! Every metric is off the charts!"

"No kidding! He's the crown jewel of our academy's third-year class — a genius martial artist at late Two-Star level. These results are exactly what you'd expect!"

"Scoring over 90? Unreal! Rumor has it you could count the number of students in Duskfall Academy's history who've broken 85 on one hand!"

"Insanely strong. No way we can compete with a prodigy like that. No way!"

Murmurs rippled through the crowd.

Up on the high platform, the stone-faced recruitment officers from various martial academies finally showed signs of softening. A few even cracked faint smiles.

"Not bad at all."

"Decent. A minor prodigy, I'd say. Probably late Two-Star level."

"Eighteen years old and already at late Two-Star? Impressive."

Hearing the recruiters' remarks, Dean Aldren and the vice deans beamed with pride, their wrinkled faces lighting up like sunflowers in full bloom.

Of course they were thrilled — Warren was their third-year star. Having him earn the recruiters' approval was a massive win for the academy's reputation.

And then —

They caught the slightest nod from the recruitment officer of Stormcrest Martial Academy, the most prestigious martial academy in the Ironveil Kingdom.

At that, the two elders' faces practically burst into radiant, crinkled blossoms of delight.

The assessment continued.

Over there, Warren strode back to the ranks amidst a sea of admiring and envious gazes, the corners of his lips curled in a self-satisfied smirk.

"Warren, you're amazing," cooed a heavily made-up girl with a fox-like allure, batting her eyelashes at him flirtatiously from the crowd.

A flash of desire flickered in Warren's eyes before he leaned in close, his voice dropping to a husky whisper. "Lyra, graduation's just around the corner. You know I'm the best man for you, right? Stick with me, and I'll make sure you're well taken care of."

"Mmm, Warren, you're so strong — how could I not like you?" she purred, her voice dripping with honeyed sweetness.

"Good. Then —"

Warren's blood burned with anticipation. He was about to seize the moment and set a date to finally claim this vixen when —

Suddenly.

A lone figure stepped slowly through the entrance of the Martial Hall.

"Dorian Ash?!"

At the sight of the newcomer, Warren's face darkened instantly. Beside him, Lyra Ashton's seductive smile vanished, her delicate features twisting into a scowl as she clenched her jaw, glaring at the intruder.

"Huh?"

"Dorian Ash?"

At that moment, not just Warren and Lyra, but everyone in the hall noticed Dorian walking calmly through the entrance, hands clasked behind his back.

A brief silence fell over the crowd.

They seemed genuinely surprised.

"Dorian, what are you doing here?"

As Dorian approached, the nearest male student blurted out in disbelief.

Clearly, they had all heard the rumors.

Those with abysmal skills — those who stood no chance of entering a martial academy — had supposedly been advised by instructors to take a temporary leave and skip the assessment.

Given Dorian's reputation as the weakest in his year, his presence here was nothing short of baffling.

"Why shouldn't I be here?"

Dorian remained unfazed, his hands clasped behind his back as he replied coolly, "I'm here to take the assessment."

Pfft —

The moment the words left his mouth, laughter erupted around him.

"HAHAHA! Dorian — no, Dorian the Useless — you actually came for the assessment?"

"This fool can't even lift 500 pounds! Don't embarrass yourself up there!"

"Are you kidding me? Dead last every single year, and now you think you can get into a martial academy? Keep dreaming!"

The crowd erupted into raucous laughter, the noise exploding like a boiling pot.

"Silence! What's all this commotion?!"

On the high platform, Dean Aldren bellowed furiously, his face dark as a thundercloud.

Damn it all!

Couldn't they see the esteemed officials from the martial academies were present? Such disorderly conduct was utterly disgraceful!

The instant the dean's roar echoed across the grounds, the crowd fell into hushed stillness.

Just then, Dean Aldren's sharp eyes caught sight of Dorian, who had been about to merge into the queue. His brows knitted together in an instant scowl as he barked,

"Dorian Ash! What do you think you're doing?"

Dorian paused mid-step, lifting his gaze calmly toward the platform. A faint smile played on his lips as he replied, "What does it look like, Dean? I'm here to take the examination."

"You? Taking the examination?!"

Dean Aldren's expression darkened further. At that moment, his peripheral vision caught Elder Harwick scurrying in from outside the Martial Hall. A quick, meaningful glance passed between them.

Elder Harwick shook his head grimly, his face stormy.

In that instant —

Understanding dawned on the dean.

Damn it!

This bastard just doesn't know when to quit!

"What's the matter, Dean Aldren?" A nearby martial academy official frowned and asked, "Is this student here for the assessment? If so, hurry up and have him join the line. We don't have time to waste!"

The chief admissions officer of Stormcrest Martial Academy, seated at the head of the group, remained silent but shot Dean Aldren a cold glare.

Dean Aldren stiffened instinctively and quickly replied, "Honored officials, no — this student has already been expelled!"

"Oh? Expelled?"

"That's right. This student repeatedly violated academy rules, skipping classes for seven straight days. His behavior was disgraceful, so he was dismissed!"

Dean Aldren first addressed the officials with deference before abruptly turning and jabbing a finger at Dorian. "Dorian Ash! You've been expelled! What are you doing here? Get out! Don't disrupt the other students' assessments!"

The crowd swiftly parted, leaving Dorian fully exposed under the light of the hall.

The surrounding students cast him looks of pity and sympathy.

Warren smirked coldly.

Meanwhile, a flash of satisfaction flickered in Lyra's eyes.