<Blood Potency: 13,200 (Princeps)>
On the following morning, Mithras left a cum drunk queen in his bed, got dressed, and left for the first day of the new school year. Ishtar, Nagini and Honoria joined him along the way, followed by the brothers and sisters of Mithras, who aligned in impeccable order.
'The Jade-Faced Academy is no doubt the most superficial environment of the Purple Dawn Continent. Wealth, looks, power, and talent is pretty much all that matters there. The administration is lawless, professors behave more like gang leaders than instructors, often leading their students into inter-class conflicts that pretty much always end with a poor kid's head rolling.
As if that wasn't bad enough, many of the top factions of the Purple Dawn use the Academy as a military base to launch invasions into the Sanctuary. This includes the noble houses of Angra…all pesky troublemakers who fear no one but Akamana.
Mhm…why do I have a feeling the welcome committee waiting for you there will be epic? You should prepare for the worst. But then again, at your current power level, they should be the ones hoping you don't act a fool. Please don't act a fool. Please…I really want to bury the hatchet with Mana.' Vel'Asha's voice echoed in Mithras' mind, warning him of the academy's unusual administrative structure.
It was more like a cross between a professional army and a crime syndicate, to be honest.
A place of higher learning, yes—with some of the greatest libraries and Sid-related facilities the Purple Dawn had to offer. But still run by thugs and criminals. "Aristocratic thugs," as Mithras liked to call them.
These aristocratic thugs now assembled at the entrance gate of a crystalline building, all facing tall white steles that flashed with various numbers. The moment Mithras appeared on campus, all eyes shifted towards him, the large procession of intimidating figures commanding maximum attention.
Mithras ignored the looks and noise, more intrigued by the numbers on the crystal white steles. Whenever students landed a number below 100, they'd smash their fists, cry, break down, and leave.
Those above 100 alternated between relief, pride and joy—depending on how high their numbers went. They then moved to the sidelines, watching the other students suffer while hoping for epic fails.
Meanwhile, a group of supervisors recorded names and GR levels, reporting the various results to their superiors.
"It's the Genetic Rating. Even with the recommendations and whatnot, you need to pass the Genetic Rating to enter the academy. It goes from 1 to 250, but you only need 100 to pass. With that said, a low rating will get you ridiculed and locked out of the best classes for decades to come." Honoria explained.
Unlike Mithras and the rest, the rabbit girl was a returning student with already two years of studies in the academy—all sponsored by Vel'Asha. The result? She now got the chance to become Mithras' guide—a glorious promotion!
"What a shitty system," Mithras said out loud, his comment catching the attention of a crowd of professors and students whose faces twisted at the words. But once they turned and saw Mithras' face, without exception, they all scurried away, suddenly finding the words sound and reasonable.
A shitty system, indeed!
"It's only a shitty system for the genetically inferior. And for the gifted, a free pass for bragging rights." A low-pitched voice came from Mithras' left, followed by the appearance of a youth with tanned skin, and a slender frame topped by short blond hair.
Now more familiar with the power players of the world, Mithras recognized him at a glance. The man most likely to succeed Akamana as Grand Priest of the Angra Theocracy when she ascended to the Higher Planes, nicknamed the Prodigy for his unusual affinity with Sid Manipulation: Kimari di Angra.
"Bragging rights, he says. Can you eat that? I prefer more practical rewards." Mithras clapped back, making Kimari's lips curl in a defiant smile.
"Mhm…we do have a rule that for each person of your group with a GR over 200, you get a free five-star suite and a full-ride scholarship—plus a variety of other perks. But considering the max is 250, I wouldn't count on that.
250 is for the true legends of the Purple Dawn. Being inferior to them…is nothing to be ashamed of." Kimari rubbed his nose, outright hinting that Mithras couldn't match those so-called legends of the Purple Dawn.
Mithras was confused. With his recent feats and achievements, why would a rationally thinking human being want to mess with him?
'Ah…could it be that he's one of those? The degenerative breed of masochistic young masters who can't help but ask for a beating…still has some representatives? Sweet…' Mithras kept that thought to himself, glancing towards the jade-green tower that recorded the top 100 ratings of all time.
Number one: Aurelian di Hadubrangr, tied with Fylkir Hadubrangr at 250.
"250 is the highest score?" Mithras asked while going down the list. Guys like Belphegor and Elektra had a rating in the 240s. But Akamana was nowhere to be seen, meaning that she was not in the top 100 all time.
"The highest recorded from time immemorial. Even in Balmaria, they probably can't go over 250. But don't let a bad result bring you down, even the Grand Priestess started with a 100 rating, barely making the cut. Long term, it's not that big a deal," Kimari said in a provocative tone, almost as if hoping that Mithras' results wouldn't make the cut.
A tragic expectation.
"Honoria…" Mithras ordered, and getting the hint, Honoria walked to the nearest stele, pushing her hand on the detector. The moment next, a series of numbers flashed on the screen, peaking at...250!
"Nagini..." Mithras ordered, and Nagini followed, she too getting herself a nice comfy stele, and pushing her hand on the detector with a bubbly smile. Numbers flashed once more, again peaking at…250!
Kimari's jaw fell, his eyes popping out as he reeled left and right.
The audience of prospective students and professors dropped their work, all shifting their attention to Mithras' crew.
"Brothers and sisters…" Mithras ordered, and to the audience's shock, the legion of 3,000 Blood Disciples lined up behind the steles, getting their GR levels with military discipline.
250! 250! 250! 250…250! From the girls nurtured by Mithras' secret juice to the brothers enhanced by his blood, not a single member of Mithras' crew had a rating lower than 250!
Kimaria's skin turned sickly pale, his eyes red and moist as the brothers of Mithras looked at his 190 rating with disdainful sneers.
"Ishtar…" Mithras said, and with a shy look on her face, Ishtar walked to the nearest stele, getting the measure of her Genetic Rating.
"250…300…500…9…900!" Kimari stuttered the words, stumbling as he reeled back, and falling flat on his ass.
Nine hundred…nearly four times the max limit! How…how was that even possible? If before, the results of Mithras' crew were leaving eminent professors awestruck, Ishtar's 900 flipped their world upside down, forcing them to investigate the state of the crystal steles and look for answers.
A pointless probe. The steles' GR detectors all ran smoothly, and Ishtar's results…were nothing but facts! Mental messages fused left and right, power players of various factions rising and rushing to come up with bribes, sponsorship deals and the like for Ishtar and the rest!
Here, Mithras himself stepped forward, picking a stele at random. The world held its breath, sweat dripping down Kimari's forehead as Mithras raised his hand, pressing onto the crystalline surface.
"250…300…500…1,000…3,000…5,000…9….9,001! His GR level…it's…it's over 9,000!" This time it wasn't Kimari who made the count, but a random professor who, just like the rest, dropped to his knees, shaking in complete terror.
Where…where was this gang coming from? The Higher Planes? The Wrathful Gods' Palaces? Make it make sense!
Little did they know that Mithras cut the rating short. For some reason not wanting to go high above 9,000. "Over 9,000" is such a beautiful meme after all, alone encompassing the blood-pumping memories of raging ki blasts and the heroes of a generation of hot-blooded youths!
Mithras' gaze lingered on the number, and with a nostalgic look, he put one hand on his chest, bowing at the number. "All hail the G.O.A.T," Mithras said, taking a minute of silence, before lifting his head and casting Kimari a sidelong look.
"By the way, though I'm now roleplaying the ordinary student, don't forget that I'm the overlord of this city. Me…not Akamana, and trust me when I say that if you piss me off…even Mana will not be able to bring you back from what I will do to you.
Life's short my brother. Don't waste it playing the role of a one-dimensional side character. For real man, your mother didn't go through nine months of hard labor so you could become a one-dimensional side character.
You're better than this Kimari, I believe in you…" Mithras said in a calm and serious tone, giving Kimari a few taps on the cheeks before leaving with his gang of beauties and soldiers, about to make the Academy go bankrupt on the first day of school.
The Angra prodigy, however, suffered cardiac arrest, immediately taken to the emergency room. When he woke up, he had a monkey tail at his back, now cursed to turn into a massive gorilla once every full moon and go travel the stars.