As Lucas stepped into the classroom, the previously noisy discussion about the upcoming monthly exam quieted down slightly. Even with a baseball cap pulled low over his head, his clean and sharp features still drew the attention of several girls. But everyone also knew. After today’s exam, Lucas would no longer be one of them.
He walked to his seat near the window without a word.
Whispers resumed almost immediately.
“Why’s Lucas wearing a cap?”
“Probably knows he’s about to get kicked out. Too embarrassed to show his face.”
Lucas didn’t react. He simply stared out the window.
Three years ago, the name “Lucas” had echoed throughout the entire city.
Now?
It was a joke.
Still…
Maybe today would be different.
Right then, the class monitor, Li Xiang, walked over.
“Lucas, don’t feel too bad. If you get removed from Spirit Class… it’s not the end.”
“Maybe being an Awakener just isn’t for you. At least your spatial ability can store things. That’s… practical.”
Some students snickered.
Li Xiang continued proudly:
“My dad runs a logistics company. After graduation, you could work for us.”
“Three thousand a month. Pretty solid, right?”
Laughter broke out across the room.
“Three thousand? That’s generous!”
“For him? Might be too much!”
Lucas slowly looked at him and smirked.
“So you’re recruiting me to deliver packages?”
The entire class burst into louder laughter.
“Hey, spatial Awakener doing express shipping? That’s professional alignment!”
“Three thousand. Final offer!”
Lucas leaned back lazily.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“I actually know a construction site manager. With your earth-element ability, you could probably replace ten excavators.”
Silence.
Then suppressed laughter. A few students nearly choked holding it in.
Ten excavators?
Li Xiang’s face turned dark instantly.
[Anger Points from Li Xiang +999]
“Don’t push it.”
Just as Lucas was about to say more, the classroom door slammed open.
Li Muyan stormed in.
She had obvious dark circles under her eyes.
“You’ll take responsibility for what you did last night.”
Lucas paused for two seconds.
“Last night? You mean the beating?”
The classroom fell dead silent.
Wait.
Last night?
What beating?
What responsibility?
The gossip engine started revving instantly.
Li Muyan froze mid-expression as she realized how that sounded.
Her face flushed red.
“You’re shameless!”
[Anger Points from Li Muyan +789]
At that moment, the homeroom teacher walked in, tapping the podium with a textbook.
“Everyone back to your seats. Quiet.”
Li Xiang shot Lucas a glare.
“Just wait.”
Lucas smiled slightly.
More Anger Points. Not bad.
Soon after, the third-year Spirit Classes gathered at the city gymnasium.
A glass-like modern building that had been renovated specifically for Awakener combat assessment.
Nearly five hundred students lined up by class.
After a painfully long speech from the principal, the monthly exam began.
At the center stood a reinforced alloy testing machine, equipped with a digital damage display.
A Class Ten student stepped forward first.
Flames erupted from his fists.
A fireball slammed into the machine.
Boom!
“Black Iron Nine-Star. Attack Rank A.”
Applause.
One after another, students went up.
Most had awakened one of the five elements.
Some had rarer types—beast morphing, strength, telekinesis.
The rankings shifted constantly as attack scores updated.
Two hours later.
It was finally Spirit Class One’s turn.
Students looked excited.
Li Xiang stepped forward confidently, stomped hard, and smashed his fist into the machine.
The reinforced floor cracked under the impact.
“Bronze Three-Star. Attack Rank S.”
Gasps.
He jumped directly to first place.
“As expected of Class One’s monitor.”
“They say his innate talent is A-rank.”
Li Xiang returned smugly and glanced at Lucas without hiding the meaning.
A few more students followed.
Then Li Muyan.
Golden-metal energy condensed into a solid sphere before she hurled it forward.
The explosion echoed through the hall.
“Black Iron Peak. Attack Rank A.”
Her rank surged into top ten.
“Class One monsters everywhere.”
“She’s insane.”
Li Muyan walked past Lucas coldly.
“Enjoy your last day.”
The examiner called out:
“Spirit Class One. Lucas. Your turn.”
Whispers rose from the crowd.
“That bald guy from the night market? I saw that video.”
“He probably won’t even move the machine.”
“Space-type is useless for direct combat.”
Lucas slowly stepped forward.
He lowered his cap.
A faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
“Who said Class One doesn’t have monsters?” he murmured.
He ignored the surrounding noise.
Took a deep breath.
His muscles tightened like forged steel.
Left foot forward.
Right fist rotating.
Then—
A punch exploded forward.
BOOM.
The alloy target caved inward like soft clay.
The four anchor bolts tore free.
The entire testing machine flew backward.
It shattered through the reinforced glass wall.
Fell from the third floor.
Smashed into the lower rubber field.
Rolled twenty meters before stopping.
A violent shockwave lifted Lucas’s cap straight off his head.
Revealing a perfectly bald scalp glinting under the lights.
Total silence.
Li Xiang froze.
Li Muyan froze.
Students froze.
Teachers froze.
Even the principal froze.
One punch.
Destroyed the testing machine. Plus he is bald.
A student whispered weakly:
"Is that you, Saitama?"
