2 Fake it Till You make it

Everyone at the plaza gazed at Miss Ava in surprise, finally understanding what she meant. Anyone with such a grand name would have to be the best and no one could match him. The moment Number One ever lost, he would be no longer number one and he could easily become a laughing stock.

'Where did he get the confidence to accept such a name?' Luna wondered as she analyzed her future competitor. 'What was his Master thinking?'

Luna's worry came from her understanding of high-status families. She knew how much they valued respect and how unnecessarily big was their ego. All the teachers seemed to have the same opinion as they scratched their heads, clearly unsure what to comment on that.

"Number One, huh…" Headmaster Blake repeated with interest as he scanned the man in front of him. "Miss Ava is right. You will have a hard time in the Academy with such a bold name. It won't be long before you are challenged by your seniors who will try to prove you wrong."

Number One showed no reaction till he arrived in front of the Talent Crystal and finally replied, "I am not worried. I am going to become the strongest Soul Artist, so any challenge is welcome."

His words caused unrest within the crowd. Many thought he was delusional and arrogant, but there were some who went silent as if to rethink their mindset. Their most common goal was to earn money and receive respect from their families. No one thought of becoming a number one Soul Artist since it wasn't a realistic goal.

Even Luna had her own moment of reflection and her motivation exploded to the sky. She has always been ambitious and had what it takes to go head-to-head with the best.

"It's good to have big goals in life. I hope you can achieve them," Headmaster Blake wished and finally gestured at the stand. "Go ahead, you can start your test. I hope you can shock us all with your talent as you did with your name and goals."

It was just a simple test that measured Soul Talent, but for Number One it was much more. He had to display a great talent if he wanted to live up to his name. Despite that, it seemed like he wasn't bothered in the slightest as he reached out his arm with confidence.

Number One touched the translucent crystal and the milky mist inside began to mix. No one dared to blink as they waited to see his Soul Talent, but the waiting made everyone impatient. Even Headmaster Blake raised his eyebrows when the Talent Crystal remained undecided for almost a minute. Murmurs momentarily filled the air.

"Bruh, did he break it?"

"I doubt it. His Soul Talent must be trash."

"Is it working…?" Headmaster Blake asked in confusion as he began walking to the stand only to stop when the Talent Crystal finally shone brightly with a clear color. Anyone watching couldn't help but look twice to make sure they saw it right.

"Is this white?" Luna wondered out loud as she wiped her eyes to see clearer.

The Soul Talent ranking was quite simple. White Talent was the most common, followed by Yellow, Orange, Green, Blue, Purple, Red, Black, and Gold. The last three were extremely rare with the Gold being seen at most once in a single millennium.

Number One's result didn't make sense. How could someone act so boldly and then show the lowest-ranked Soul Talent? He couldn't even pass the requirements of the Soul Academy with it. One needed to have at least a Yellow Talent to have any chances of becoming a Soul Artist.

"It looks like the Talent Crystal was this slow because it couldn't determine the absorption of your Soul," Headmaster Blake pointed out as he scratched his chin. "I have seen this happen in the past but it's extremely rare… It only happens when the person's Soul is either crippled or they have no Talent to become a Soul Artist."

Headmaster Blake's words were like heated blades that cut through the strings of love in every young female's heart. The interest they showed just a moment before vanished in a blink of an eye, causing all the guys to burst out laughing.

"What the hell?! Here I was thinking he was some god-tier young master!"

"I was about to dust off my knees to bow to him too!"

"How embarrassing, I wouldn't even show my face around here."

The situation was slowly getting out of hand when the whole crowd of recruits began gossiping with each other, forcing Headmaster Blake to act. His palms suddenly covered with ruby light and he clapped his hands, each time as loud as lightning. The roaring crowd was silenced within seconds and they all looked at him in awe.

"It is unfortunate to end on such a note but we can finally proceed to the second stage of our Selection. I hope you all focus and do your best," Headmaster Blake announced to divert the awkwardness and gazed at the teachers. "You can lead everyone who passed into the Training Grounds."

It was clear that Headmaster Blake tried to save Number One from further embarrassment, but despite all the laughter, the latter remained calmly on his spot. Luna gazed at Number One with a disappointed look when he finally reacted.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you all but there is a third option that wasn't mentioned," Number One announced, causing everyone to turn around.

"Third option?" Headmaster Blake repeated. "Enlighten me please."

"Those Talent Crystals are designed to calculate the ease and the speed of absorption. It also measures how much Soul Energy in total was absorbed within a short amount of time before finally displaying your Soul Talent," Number One explained patiently. "If my Soul didn't draw in any Soul Energy, the crystal would show the White Talent. Coincidentally, the same thing would happen if all Soul Energy was absorbed since it received no data."

"Hmm…" Headmaster Blake paused while locking his gaze on the young man. "That's technically possible, but it would mean you have the Legendary Gold Talent and your Soul has an instant, one hundred percent absorption rate. It would explain why the Talent Crystal was slow but it is also impossible to prove."

"You are free to kick me, or you can let me show my strength in the second stage," Number One suggested with a shrug. "You are losing nothing while having the chance to discover an expert with unlimited potential. I will leave the choice to you."

One of the teachers with a massive muscular body gave Number One a look over and commented, "I just want to point out he remained calm this whole time like this wasn't his first time experiencing this. It's also the first time I see such a bold man so I want to find out what he got."

Everyone turned to Headmaster Blake since he had the last say only to hear Luna speak before he could decide, "I think the Academy should give him a chance. It would be interesting to see if he is lying or not." 

Number One's confidence could be a cover to mask his lack of talent but at the very least, the Selection wasn't boring thanks to him. Luna hoped for a bit of challenge and wished someone could push her to train harder. 

"I am not against it but if he claims to be an expert he should perform well in the second stage. If he doesn't, it means he was lying and that only ends with one outcome," Headmaster Blake replied as he gazed at the teachers. "What threshold should we set for him?"

"First place," Number One replied in their stead, setting the highest bar possible.

His words took Luna off guard, but that wasn't all. Number One pulled up his hoodie and displayed a fat leather sack. He patted it gently and withdrew a small, yellowish crystal with a light glow.

"I am also willing to bet a hundred Yellow Soul Crystals on myself," Number One announced while gazing back at Luna. "Anyone can match it if they are not scared of losing."

That small crystal was a crystalized Soul of a deceased beast, and one could absorb it to strengthen their own Soul. It was a time-consuming process but also one of the safest ways to improve.

Even though the Yellow Soul Crystals were second-lowest ranked, they were still hard to get for commoners. For Number One to have so many of them was beyond impressive.

It wasn't much money for Luna though and his bet awakened her competitive spirit. She reached out her hand before Headmaster Blake could say anything and agreed, "I am in. Don't regret it later."

Number One only pursed his lips and walked up to shake her hand. "Why would I regret free money?"