"Where the fuck is that bastard?"
A sharp gust of wind reached my ears, but before I could turn—
All eyes shifted to the man of the moment.
I didn’t know much about him. For some reason, the game never bothered to show.
What I did know, however, was that he was a transmigrator from Earth.
Reborn in a weak and worthless body, he somehow managed to grow strong in just a week.
He became the pillar of Apex.
And he was also the one who betrayed all races, becoming the Devil everyone feared.
Back on Earth, gamers had varied opinions of him.
Some called him a tragic villain.
Some called him cruel.
While others even called him a hero.
A hero who would burn the world for the ones he loved.
But seeing him here... face to face... there was something no one mentioned.
Even the original Sylvia—whose game POV usually either glazed him or narrated his backstory—never brought it up.
’People are surprised he mastered it in two days? How the hell will they react when they find out he only awakened two weeks ago?’
And he had no prior knowledge of mana before then.
He’s a fucking monster.
I turned away. ’I’ve already finished my test, so there’s no reason to stay.’
"I can’t believe I was worried about him?"
Thought I needed to protect him?
It was laughable, really.
Even without help... Allen would still become the strongest.
Not because of plot armor, or some grand heroism.
But because he was Allen Vanderbilt.
The moment I landed and the sounds of both the girls and Miss Mirabel reached me, my gaze landed briefly on Sylvia, who stared at me before walking away.
’What’s wrong with her?’
I quickly shook off the thought.
There would be plenty of opportunities to talk to her after this.
"Okay, since our Apex is here, I think we should start."
Professor Mirabel’s voice was drowned out by murmurs and screams around me.
’I guess, unlike my classmates, this is the first time most seniors are seeing me.’
I ignored all the noise and turned toward where my other classmates stood.
It seemed other groups were done with their tests and only mine remained.
Scanning the area, my eyes landed on a floating holographic screen in the sky.
It looked like a blue status window and displayed the current ranks of students.
And just as anyone would assume, Sylvia was on top.
I sighed as Miss Mirabel announced,
"Just like the other badge, all of you will have to use Flashstep to go from this floating island to the next."
My gaze shifted toward a distant location from the academy’s floating island.
About twenty miles away from the cliff, there was a small floating island. I hadn’t noticed it before, but there were a total of three floating islands I could see.
And there were probably more if I moved.
If we traveled at the speed of sound, it would take about two minutes to reach there.
’Maintaining Flashstep for two minutes.’
It wasn’t that I couldn’t do it, more that I hadn’t tried it before.
But that didn’t mean it would be easy. Even Sylvia couldn’t reach the target point and had only been airborne for forty seconds.
"Okay, all students, on your marks."
Bending slightly near the edge of the cliff, I felt the hostile glares of the students around me, and one particular guy smirking.
It was none of my concern what expressions they made.
Even if they tried to stop me, they would fail, and I could use them as a stepping stone to show "dominance."
I straightened my posture.
Sweat trickled down my chin, and my shirt clung tightly to my skin, revealing my form.
The wind suddenly picked up, and as it blew, it found a way under my shirt, making it billow slightly.
"Now..." Professor Vantis, who was counting down, paused before dropping his hand sharply. "Go!"
All thirty students in my group rushed toward the cliff.
This test wasn’t just to gauge learning capability.
It was about bravery and perseverance.
If one was scared of the cliff and used Flashstep too quickly, they would fail halfway.
If one couldn’t endure the pain of pushing past their limits during the race, they would all fail.
But I knew fear, and fear knew me.
If I had the courage to turn the world to ash before my death, then what was a mere cliff I couldn’t face?
It was my closest companion.
My body had been battered so much these past few days that any other person would have gone insane.
I wasn’t some monster or a prodigy, but these little things?
Different streaks of light illuminated the sky as students too scared to face the cliff edge used Flashstep.
One after another, the cadets took to the sky, none willing to reach the end.
Some even glanced at me briefly.
Now, it was just me and the brute guy.
He was still grinning, but I could see a flicker of fear in his eyes.
He didn’t yet know fear.
When I glanced at him, he met my gaze as if expecting me to recognize him.
Well, if I remembered every extra in the world, I wouldn’t have become the legendary programmer.
The young man finally gave up and took to the sky too, leaving only me.
I could hear the crowd’s stifled gasps as the wind whipped harshly against my skin.
I was sweaty and too tired to even think clearly.
But my mind remained sharp.
Perhaps the sharpest it had ever been.
Today... I was going to fly and show the world who I—Allen Vanderbilt Park—truly was.
The moment I reached the edge of the cliff, I jumped.
Not in a stance to use Flashstep, I just jumped and fell into the abyss below.