Months passed.
As the academy examination approached,
Axl was summoned to the headmaster's office.
"Why was I called?" he wondered.
Upon opening the door, he found himself instantly teleported into a chair.
"Hello, Axl," said a beautiful woman, whom Axl considered the most beautiful he had ever seen, believing she possessed S+ charm.
"Hello. If I'm correct, you're the headmistress?"
"Yes. Do you know why you were called?" she asked.
"No, I don't."
"I've called you to announce that we'll place you at rank 1, and you won't be taking the test."
"Eh?" He was surprised.
"But why?"
"Because of your class: Elemental Swordsman. Did you know that only Anya the Steadfast has ever had that class?" she said, smiling.
"Okay, so what will I do about the students protesting?" he asked.
"Just demonstrate your power and class; they'll quiet down," she said, smiling mischievously.
~~~
The students chattered noisily, but five remained quiet in a corner. Two others stood together, memorable for their red eyes and hair—twins, a girl and a boy.
"I'll be number one!" a random boy declared.
"Not with your weak fire spell," a girl retorted.
"Oh, please, the princess is here. How could *we* rank number one?" another girl sneered.
As they argued, a beautiful woman suddenly appeared with an equally handsome boy, his hair white and eyes blue.
"Quiet," the woman commanded.
"I'm going to make an announcement." She paused as they fell silent. "This young man will be ranked number one. He will not be taking the test." She pointed to Axl.
The students erupted in protest.
"Bullshit! What kind of blatant favoritism is this?"
"Is he your lover or son?" a boy asked sarcastically.
"Did he pay you with a platinum coin?"
"Or did he charm you with his handsome face?" another chimed in.
The Headmistress, losing patience, said, "Quiet! Do you know *why* I've ranked him number one?" When they quieted, she pointed at Axl. "Axl, show them."
At her words, Axl drew a sword, and it instantly transformed into a blade of lightning.
"What? An Elemental Swordsman!" everyone exclaimed, even the five quiet students.
"An Elemental Swordsman is a stronger version of a magic swordsman because they can combine their elemental affinity with their swordsmanship," the student with glasses explained.
"So, he's ranked number one just because of that?" he said. Suddenly, they felt an immense pressure.
Looking up, they saw Axl smiling, but the pressure he emitted forced them to their knees, except for the five.
"So, who's going to question my spot?" he asked arrogantly.
The students were angry but also intimidated, so they remained silent.
"Okay, it's settled then. I'll be leaving," he said to the Headmistress, and walked out.
The Headmistress teleported away as well.
~~~
"Alright, everyone, as Axl and the headmistress leave, let's get ready for the test," one of the students said.
"Time to head to the VR capsules for the virtual battle royale. I heard there are around 1000 students participating, but only 160 can pass this initial selection," another student added.
"Axl already secured a spot, damn him. That leaves only 159 available," a student grumbled.
A handsome young man scoffed, "Damn, that guy was arrogant."
A girl replied, blushing, "Well, he was cool, though."
Another girl added, smiling, "Yeah, he was super handsome."
"But why is this the first time we've seen him?" a girl asked, puzzled.
"No, I saw him at a clothing store weeks ago," a girl chimed in. "He was charming everyone there, you know," she said, grinning.
"Well, he's strong and handsome, so of course he's going to be popular," a girl said excitedly.
"Yeah, we need to get into the top 10 to be in the same class as him," a girl said, her eyes wide.
A guy mumbled, "I feel like people would kidnap him if he wasn't strong," but everyone heard him.
"Wait, that could work," a girl said, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"Let's try-" she started to say when they heard a voice boom,
"Okay, get to the VR capsules now. The test is about to begin!"
So, they hurried to the VR capsules as the test was about to begin.