Genius to Meritocratic High School

After a short nap on the minimalistic but comfortable dorm bed, Kay was awoken by the sound of his system. He was still fully clothed, sleeping on top of the blanket since the school's air-conditioning kept the room at a decently-warm temperature—and also because there was a girl wandering around.

[Don't forget to collect your rewards]

Ah. I need to do that.

- Attribute Increase!

- Ability Merging Unlocked!

- {x2} Random [Uncommon] Ability Unlock!

A few moments later, another screen appeared. It showed the two new abilities that he would be receiving.

EM Sonar (Uncommon)

{Concentrate and bite your tongue to scan the nearby area. The Sonar detects anything as long as it is making at least a sound of some sort. Overuse of the ability will cause headaches which increase in severity to more you use it.}

Instant Heal - Light (Uncommon)

{Hold your right wrist to use this ability. Instantly heal minor wounds and quicken the healing process of major wounds. Using this ability will cause you to feel lethargic for a period of time. Too much use will cause you to faint.}

[You can have a maximum of 3 abilities at once. Merge them to make them stronger.]

Before long, Kay was given his attribute increases as well.

Strength: 31 (+8)

Speed: 27 (+6)

Stamina: 32 (+4)

Intelligence: MAX

That looks about it.

Slowly, he pulled himself up from the bed. Sitting awkwardly on his bedside table was Shiina, facing the opposite direction. She was swinging her legs, but the table was slightly too short, so her feet were scraping against the ground. She was scrolling through her phone, looking at posts on social media.

"What are you doing?"

"Ah, you're awake. How was your nap?"

"Um... it was alright, I guess. What were you doing while I was asleep."

He looked around to see that his wardrobe had moved to a different location, although it was still placed in a spot convenient enough so that he didn't see the need to move it back. Despite being slightly confused, he didn't see a need to question it.

"I moved your furniture to better locations. You can thank me now."

"I didn't really need you to do that."

"Aw, but I worked so hard~ oh well, check your phone. The school sent another message."

"Another message?"

Opening his phone, he indeed saw another message.

Elaine Academy Administration

All students attending Elaine Academy; you will be undergoing your physical examinations in the next few hours. Please make sure you are not late. Otherwise, you will receive deductions from your results. Details for your exams are included below. On behalf of the staff, we wish you well in your exams.

The exams may be late at night. Please ensure you get an adequate amount of sleep.

Student: Kay Rudiless

Exam Time: 7:30 pm to 7:45 pm

Exam Room: #3

"What time is yours?" asked Shiina.

"I'm at 7:30."

"Oh, I'm right after you! I'm at 7:45 pm. What a coincidence~"

"I'm just surprised they're so short."

"I guess they don't need to see that much. Probably a few combat tests, and you're done."

***

The time was 7:19 pm.

Kay made his way to the door.

"I'm going to my exam now. You should probably leave my room."

"Alright, I'll be coming as well since mine's right after."

"Suit yourself."

Locking the door behind them, Kay and Shiina began making their way down the elegant, modern halls of the dorm room. Judging by the looks of the rooms as they walked down, it seemed that there were definitely different qualities of accommodation for the students. Before long, the two of them bumped into another group of students who were discussing their results.

"Hey, the two of you, have you guys done your physical exams yet?"

There was a mixture of boys and girls. However, there was one person who stood out from the crowd. There was a tall, lanky boy dressed in a suit and tie like he was about to go to a business meeting. With a serious look on his face, he pulled back his friend, who was talking to Kay and Shiina.

"Leon, you shouldn't go around asking random people about their results."

His friend smiled before raising his hand in apology.

"Ah, sorry, sorry, I should at least get to know you first. I'm Leon, and this is my friend, Mateo. We just finished our exams, and I've been wondering what other people have got."

"Oh, I haven't done mine yet. I'm just about to go do it now."

"I see; that's fine. You should be on your way then."

"Yeah. I'll see you around."

"By the way, what's your name?"

"Eh, I'm Kay."

"That's a weird name."

"I guess. The people who raised me are a little bit bizarre."

"Oh, well, alright, see you later, Kay."

As he made his way toward the exit of the dormitory, Shiina broke out of the conversation that she was in and followed behind him. Walking beside Kay, she held her hands behind her back, looking out into the distance.

"You know, some of the boys from before wanted my number~"

"That's cool."

"Aren't you jealous? I might leave you for someone else~"

"I hope you do."

She pouted.

"Hey! You're lucky my job is to supervise you. Otherwise, you'd have no friends."

"Honestly, I don't mind that too much."

"You say that now, but I bet you'd be really lonely if I actually left."

Before long, the two of them arrived in front of the large training building. It was fitted with many different training facilities, from gyms to swimming pools to combat centres. After wandering around the building for a little bit, Kay made his way to the exam room. The student before him had just finished, so he was invited inside by the instructor. Shiina took a seat outside.

"Welcome. The exam doesn't go for very long, so let's get started right away."

The examiner was a lady wearing what seemed to be a lab coat. Holding various measuring instruments in her hands, the two of them made their way into an open area of the exam room. It was like a high-school gym, with slick wooden floorboards and padding around the walls. It was clear that it was made for strenuous exercises.

"Alright, to start, I'm going to get you to run from this line to that."

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