EX-Rank Villain: Rise Beyond Fate-Chapter 64 - 27 – Beneath the Shadows of the Test

The academy was quiet.

Too quiet.

But Lucien had already sensed it — the final embers of the Liberation Organization still flickered within the walls. While the academy’s staff had eliminated most of the spies, a few were intentionally left behind... as bait, or worse — as a test.

Lucien wasn’t one to play games.

---

A lone student moved carefully through the halls. Smiling. Laughing. Blending in.

Lucien never approached. He never even looked at him twice.

But his shadow did.

Tatia Dichhi, the cotton-doll shadow general with eerie button eyes, watched the boy from the dark. Her limbs stitched and frail, yet her presence... suffocating. Her hollow eyes never blinked.

And when the time came, she struck.

No screams. No mess.

The final spy student died with a small gasp, throat carved open in silence.

---

Beneath Nalanda’s Skin

The corpse led to something deeper — a clue tucked away in his belongings.

Lucien followed the trail to a hidden chamber far below the academy. An ancient tunnel. Dusty, forgotten... but alive with whispers.

It was a makeshift base — maps, glyphs, old insignias of the Liberation Organization scattered everywhere. But one heartbeat still echoed within.

A teacher.

Not a regular one.

A sleeper agent — an S-ranker, cloaked in years of loyalty, hiding beneath the academy’s skin like a parasite.

---

The spy didn’t hesitate. Neither did Lucien.

Tatia Dichhi emerged first, skipping with unnatural grace. Behind her came Shakal, the second general — a mind manipulator with a grin carved too wide.

Then came thirteen more shadows.

Thirteen soldiers — once spy students — now loyal only to Lucien.

The chamber exploded into chaos.

---

The teacher roared. He wasn’t weak — not by a long shot. His spells tore through stone, his aura burned through the dark.

But Lucien didn’t flinch.

He let his shadows fight. ƒreewebɳovel.com

Tatia’s threads coiled like nooses. Shakal warped reality, bending the teacher’s senses. The soldiers moved with cruel synchronization.

Lucien stood still.

Silent. Watching.

But his heart beat faster. Not with fear — with clarity.

---

At the peak of the battle, something changed.

Inside him, Skill: Flow of Adaptation surged.

From S-Level (99%)...

To S+.

Every movement made more sense. Every weakness more obvious. Lucien didn’t just fight.

He evolved.

The skill pushed him past his limit — a C-Ranker commanding the battlefield against an S-Rank beast.

Because Lucien didn’t rely on strength.

He relied on inevitability.

---

The teacher faltered. The shadows didn’t.

Tatia’s limbs twisted, slamming into his chest.

Shakal invaded his mind.

And in the final instant, Lucien stepped forward.

One command.

One final strike.

The shadows swallowed the teacher whole — not a trace left.

Lucien stood over the place where the body once was... and devoured what remained.

A new Trait awakened within him:

Memory Alteration – S-Rank.

(Able to change memomry of other whose rank lower than you if the person is willing )

[Students were made spy by using this trait.]

The night ended in silence.

No alarms. No applause. No witnesses.

Just shadows.

---

Unbeknownst to Lucien, the academy had known.

They had cleaned out nearly all Liberation spies themselves.

The few who remained... were part of a test. A cruel evaluation of this year’s talents.

Lucien passed with flying colors.

But none of them saw the shadows. None knew the truth. They thought he’d used some forbidden technique. Something dark. Something... monstrous.

Not even the academy’s high-rankers realized:

Lucien had built an army beneath their feet.

The professors watched his performance, impressed yet wary.

"He’s dangerous," one whispered.

"But for enemies" another replied.

And far away, in an even deeper part of the academy...

Eyes opened.

The real test had just begun.