Chapter 454: Chapter 456: Sir... I Think This Reader’s Broken Damon had always had low mana. Which was fine—his class didn’t actually need a lot of it. Still, it was funny how things had changed. These days, he gained mana so easily that he often found himself on the verge of saying: "Damn, I have too much mana." Well... he did lose it quite easily too, so he didn’t say that. Now that he was stronger, weaker enemies barely gave him any stat points, but he still remembered the last time he’d tested his mana. Thirty. Just thirty. ’The academy’s weakest... right, that was my moniker.’ Now? He had a lot. The real question was—should he show them everything? Or boost it with [5x] and drop a nuke of a number just to mess with them? He weighed the options. Show off and shock everyone... or hold back and avoid unnecessary attention? ’But... I already stand out,’ Damon thought, half-smirking. ’I’ll get in trouble whether I reveal my power or not...’ Besides, hiding his true strength wasn’t really his style. It wasn’t like he’d be showing off all his skills. And even if he did... well, his enemies would only get to see them once before their deaths. Then he glanced at his status window. [Mana: 23,567/23,567] He’d been keeping it at that level for a while now—sustaining his hunger by dumping points into shadow. Which, naturally, meant he’d been killing a lot. He almost multiplied it by five right then and there... but shook his head. This much is fine. No need to show off... Until— "Yeah, I remember. His mana is poor." "Right? He had 30 before. Two rank-ups later, I’d say he’s got, what—maybe three thousand?" Someone snorted. "He’s just a brute with his fists. I bet he’ll have 2,000 at most." Damon’s lips twitched. This bastards done did it now. Lilith smiled, glancing sideways at Renata. "How much do you think he has?" Renata shrugged casually. "Not too much. Maybe around the same as Matia Faldren. So I’d say... 8,000 at most." Lilith sneered. "I say he has at least ten times that." Renata scoffed, her gaze sharpening. "Is that right?" Lilith’s smile didn’t waver. "I trust my intuition. If you doubt me, why not make it interesting? If I lose, I’ll do one thing you ask of me. Anything. If you lose, you’ll do the same. Or cough up 90 million zeni." Renata tilted her head, smiling back—but there was calculation behind her eyes. "Okay... not interested." Lilith’s eyes narrowed. She nearly bit her lip. Renata Malcrist wasn’t stupid. Pushing her any further might make her suspicious. Damon heard all of it. He looked over, his smile thin and dangerous. "Miss Violet Hair... are you scared of our president? That gutless, cowardly nature is exactly why you’re number two." Renata flinched—he’d struck a nerve. She scoffed. "I thought you didn’t know me. How do you know I’m number two?" Damon chuckled darkly. "I sensed the deep stench of defeat." A wave of murmurs passed through the crowd. Renata had never felt so cornered. Her jaw tightened. "Fine. I’ll bet. Make it one hundred million. Whoever gets closest to his exact mana level wins." Lilith smiled, her eyes glittering with amusement. Damon’s status window was visible to her—this was a rigged game, obviously. "Alright. Closest to the real number wins. You first." Renata hesitated. Her gut told her this was absurd. But if she aimed too low and Damon had more... she’d lose by default. She gritted her teeth. "Thirty thousand." The crowd jeered. "No way!" "She’s joking, right?" "Relax. She’s just putting on a show—she knows that’s impossible." Renata’s hands trembled, but she kept her head high. Lilith had mentioned ’ten times higher’ earlier. That meant it had to be high. "So... it must be high," she whispered to herself. Lilith smiled. "My bet is... 117,835." Dead silence. The professors blinked. "The student council president is in a joking mood today," one said lightly. "Ah, to be young again," another laughed. "If he has that much mana, I’ll shave my head," a third added. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦 "You’re already bald," someone muttered. The bald professor smiled. "Exactly. Because it’s impossible." No one dared say anything else. Because that number—117,835—was beyond absurd for his rank. Damon smirked. He had shown Lilith his actual mana earlier. She just multiplied it by five. He stepped forward and placed his hand on the reader. Then, with a quiet breath, he activated [5x]. The air shifted. Shadows flickered unnaturally. His own shadow expanded, stretching across the polished arena floor. The atmosphere twisted. Distorted. A wave of mana exploded outward. The mana reader blackened, coated in unnatural shadow. Gasps erupted. The academy staff leaned in, checking the numbers—then glanced back at the Headmaster in disbelief. "Sir... I think this reader’s broken..." A professor rushed forward, eyes twitching. "This reader’s definitely broken. Get another one." The Headmaster nodded. A second reader was quickly brought out and connected. "Try again," he said calmly. Damon placed his hand on the new reader. Same result. The numbers appeared. A professor gasped. "Impossible... 117,835." Renata’s eyes widened. Her knees wobbled. She turned toward Lilith, who gave her a calm, smug smile. She had just lost a hundred million zeni... or worse. "No way... that’s not possible... this was rigged from the start." She couldn’t breathe. Her gut twisted. The number didn’t make sense. No second-class student had that much. Not even prodigies born into noble clans. Lilith smirked. The Headmaster chuckled, his voice rich with amusement. "117,835 mana... That’s unheard of—for someone still in the second class." He looked at Damon, eyebrows raised. "Boy... are you secretly a mage-type?" Damon shrugged. "No. I mean, I’m not that good with spells. They take too long to cast, anyway." The professors stared at him like he had three heads. "Do you know what that kind of mana means?" one asked. "Yes, I have a lot" Damon said blandly. They all exchanged looks. Then smiled. Sinisterly. "We can use this... to disgrace those arrogant fools from the Eldorian Academy of Magic!" Damon sighed. They were already plotting to use him to show off to their rivals. The Headmaster raised his hand. "Now, let’s test your combat aptitude." He grinned. "After all... mana means nothing if you can’t win a battle."