Ruslan's Respect and the Director's Summons
"Are you really from the lesser mantis clan?"
Ruslan's question came out of left field. I tilted my head and shot back, "And?"
"Hmm..." A subtle glint of admiration flickered in Ruslan's eyes.
I couldn't make sense of his attitude. That look—like he knows me. Did I have some connection with this guy before?
I racked my brains, but nothing came up.
As I puzzled over it, Ruslan extended his hand. "Ah! My manners. Nice to meet you. I'm Ruslan."
"Yeah. Aleck."
We shook hands, and whistles erupted from the crowd around us. We were the top two rankers from this survival exam, after all, standing side by side.
"But did you really take down that midges island bumblebee all by yourself?"
"Yeah."
I answered while locking eyes with him. Thick goodwill shone in his gaze. This guy's the real deal.
I immediately rated Ruslan highly. No envy or jealousy in how he looked at me—just pure respect. That meant he was mentally tough as nails. Guys like him always grew big later on. He had the essential qualities to reach Ultimate Body.
Shield mantis clan to boot. If he grows steadily without issues, he's got a sky-high shot at surpassing Complete Body and hitting Ultimate Body.
I could see why Ruslan had been assassinated in the past. From the Four Great Lords' perspective, a standout talent like him emerging from the mantis clans was the last thing they wanted. It'd ruin their eternal grip on the mantis tribes, keeping them underfoot.
If I can save him this time, I should.
As I quietly sized him up in my head, some voices piped up.
"No way he took it down solo."
"Maybe the lesser mantis was just quick on his feet, dodging around and getting lucky? Bumblebees do that—hopping solo till they trip themselves up."
"Could be."
A few boys eyeing me and Ruslan started spouting nonsense.
"Those punks... Hey! Aleck really took it down alone, got it?"
Kind jumped in for me, jabbing a finger at the loudmouths. They seemed to know each other from before.
"Hmph. How do we know? No one saw it but your crew."
I crossed my arms and let their bullshit play out, curious how far they'd go.
Desperate to downplay my achievement, huh.
That was the normal reaction, really. When a lesser mantis clan they saw as beneath them outdid them, they couldn't stomach admitting it.
"Is it true?"
"Hard to picture a lone lesser mantis nailing a midges island bumblebee."
A few other exam survivors crowding around started nodding along. It sounded reasonable on the surface.
That's when it happened.
"You're all overlooking one thing. The leaderboard doesn't lie."
Ruslan pointed at the rankings floating on the ceiling and spoke up.
The rankings are absolute.
"Ah...!"
"Right, Sergei of the Shinseon butterfly clan made that thing."
"Can't trust our eyes, but Sergei's spells? Rock solid."
"So he really did it solo."
"Tch, I believed him from the start."
"Yeah! You doubters, reflect on that. Who ended the exam early for us?"
Ruslan's words flipped the mood. Even the ones bickering with Kind grumbled once and shut up. Their jabs had been pure jealousy anyway—not real conviction.
"Looks like now's not the time for a long chat. Catch you later."
"Sure."
I nodded lightly at Ruslan's words and shook his offered hand again. His grip was rock-solid, screaming relentless training.
Solid guy, no doubt.
My first impression of Ruslan? 99 out of 100. My standards had sharpened since hitting Ultimate Body, and he cleared them with room to spare.
If I keep him alive, he'll be a huge help against the Four Great Lords down the line.
[Result Report]
Title: Report on the Status and Key Issues of the 58th Sama Battleground Survival Exam.
—The status of the 58th Sama Battleground Survival Exam is reported as follows.
1. ……
2. ……
……
"Hmm."
A burly middle-aged man scanned the report, his eyes lighting up.
"Ho, a lesser mantis clan kid like this?"
The numbers were all freakish.
"100,000 points? Even I never hit that. And how the hell did he snag a midges island bumblebee? Ha, what a monster."
The man—Norton—flashed pearly whites in a grin.
"Well, well?"
He checked the attached footage, and his smile deepened. Aleck's movements were impossibly light and swift. And that dagger work? Clean, precise—enough to impress even him. No overnight fluke.
"Already at Infant Stage, and pulling this off?"
He double-checked Aleck's profile, rubbing his eyes. Physically impossible timeframe for that dagger mastery. The instructors had missed the depth, but not him. He was one of the mantis clan's sole Ultimate Body absolutes.
"Damn, insane."
He glared at the footage with burning eyes. Ruslan was impressive too, but pale next to Aleck. Especially against the bumblebee—chilling instincts, no training needed. A once-in-ten-millennia prodigy.
I scoured for a successor worthy of my legacy... and it's a lesser mantis, not shield or king.
Never dreamed it'd come from them. But Aleck's talent screamed successor material.
"Can't wait. Gotta see him myself."
Thud.
He set the report down, grinning with excitement.
The passed survivors rested in Sama Battleground-provided dorms, chatting in groups about the exam—including who would take top spot.
"Gotta be Aleck, right? 100,000 points—record-breaking."
"But the training hall director's a superiority supremacist. Rumor is Ruslan might snag it."
"Yeah, heard that too."
"Back in the day, a spear mantis topped scores, but a king mantis second-place got top honors."
"Whoa, I heard that story. Total BS. Old fogeys should retire already."
"Right... Sigh, if Aleck gets robbed, we riot."
The boys clicked their tongues. Supremacists still around in this era? Superior clans meant standouts like shield and king mantises.
"Makes sense, though—if those two clans had numbers, the whole mantis tribe's tier would rise."
Not that they fully disagreed, but this time felt different.
"Still, 100,000 points? No way he doesn't take top."
Rankings weren't pure score, but the gap was massive. And the point wasn't just raw numbers—it factored unquantifiable heroics.
"That king mantis second-place had merits—like saving squads mid-exam for bonus points."
"But nothing tops Aleck's bumblebee kill."
Ruslan shone too, but faded next to that feat.
"Doubt the old man hangs top spot on a lesser mantis, though."
They tsked, wondering if Aleck would claim it.
Abian Continent's civilization hovered at Earth's 15th-17th century level—pre-industrial. Coming from advanced Earth tech, I figured it'd chafe, but sorcery filled the gaps.
I lounged in the dorm, basking in its magical comfort—until a message hit.
"Sudden meeting, huh."
I crossed my arms, recalling it.
'Examinee Aleck, please visit the training hall director's office at 11 AM today.'
Before rankings dropped, only one reason to summon me.
They don't want to hand me top spot.
I'd heard the rumors too—Ruslan might take it. Supremacist Monahan? Totally his style.
Didn't expect to clash with him here.
I tsked inwardly. We'd butted heads plenty before. Diehard supremacist to the bone. Once I started shining, he meddled nonstop—capping lesser mantises, funneling perks to rival shield and king talents.
He came around eventually.
Despite it, my Limit Break S trait let me hit Complete Body first. That's when Monahan flipped, acknowledging me.
Not malicious to other clans, though.
He favored shield and king but never scorned others. I'd always wondered why the obsession. Wished I'd asked back then.
Would've smoothed future run-ins.
Tsk. If I'd known regression was coming...
Anyway, top spot's non-negotiable.
The perks were snowball starters—why I bagged the bumblebee.
Time neared; I headed to the director's office and knocked.
Knock knock knock.
"Come in."
A gruff voice from beyond. First time this life, but familiar to me.
Creeeak.
Inside, a wrinkled figure sat at the desk.
Monahan.
Identical to my memories. Aged, but king mantis bulk intact. Sour face oozed intimidation even stone-faced.
Normal kids would've shrunk. Not me.
"I'm Aleck. Heard you called for me."
I spoke casually, smiling easy—no flinch. Interest sparked in Monahan's eyes.
He stared me down, then opened his mouth.
"You..."