The Return Of The Exiled Villain

The first day of classes had already ended.

It had been far less interesting than Gray expected.

The teachers explained the academy’s rules, the grading system, the student point system, the various training facilities, and the basic structure of the curriculum. Most of it was useful information, but almost none of it was difficult.

Gray had already learned more complicated things before reaching the academy.

By the time the final class ended, he had already made up his mind.

He was not going to spend several years sitting through material he already knew.

The Demon Academy was useful because of its resources, its people, its archives, and the things hidden beneath its official structure.

The classes themselves were not the reason he had come.

After leaving his classroom, Gray headed to one of the quieter parks in the academy’s eastern section.

The park was large enough that students could sit without being surrounded by crowds. Black-leaved trees grew around a long stone path, and a narrow stream passed through the middle of the area.

Gray sat beneath one of the trees.

Across from him sat the Crimson Moon Princess.

She had changed out of her battle clothes and was wearing the academy uniform, though even the uniform somehow looked more like royal clothing on her.

One leg was crossed over the other.

Her hands rested loosely over her lap, and her expression remained as cold and composed as always.

Gray looked at her before suddenly speaking,

”I want to skip years.”

The princess did not react for several seconds until she slowly turned her head toward him.

”...What?”

”I want to skip years.”

”I heard you the first time.”

”Then why did you ask?”

”Because I thought I had misunderstood you.”

Gray smiled.

”You didn’t.”

The princess stared at him.

”You’ve attended a single day of classes, and you have already decided that you want to skip years of the academy?”

”Yes.”

She remained silent.

A breeze moved through the black leaves above them.

Rustle... rustle...

Finally, she spoke.

”Why?”

Gray rested his back against the tree.

”Because most of what they taught today was either common knowledge or something I already understand. The academy has resources I want, people I want to meet, information I want to access, and places I want to investigate. Sitting through years of introductory classes would be a waste of time..”

The princess looked at him for a while.

”You really have no intention of acting like a normal student, do you?”

”I never said I did.”

”I noticed.”

She looked toward the stream.

”The academy does allow students to skip years, but it isn’t as simple as walking into administration and asking them to move you.”

”I assumed as much.”

”You need to prove that you deserve it.”

”Tell me the requirements.” Gray leaned forward slightly, tilting his head.

She gave him a sideways glance.

”You aren’t even going to think about whether you should do this?”

”I’ve already thought about it.”

”And you’re certain?”

”Completely.”

She let out a slow breath.

”Fine. Then listen carefully.”

Gray nodded.

”The academy has something called a Promotion Assessment. New students normally begin in the first year, regardless of their performance during the entrance examination. The reason is simple. The academy wants every student to understand its rules, training methods, and internal system before giving them access to higher-level facilities.”

”So there is no automatic promotion.”

”No.”

”Then how do I skip?”

The princess folded her arms.

”There are three methods, although only two are practical.”

”Only two?” Gray raised an eyebrow.

”The first is a recommendation from an instructor with enough authority.”

”Who?”

”An instructor above the normal teaching rank, a department head, or one of the senior academy officials.”

Gray nodded.

”And the second?”

”The Promotion Assessment.”

”What’s involved?”

”You prove your cultivation, combat ability, theoretical knowledge, practical knowledge, and understanding of the academy’s rules. Depending on how many years you are trying to skip, the academy adds more difficult examinations.”

”How many years can I skip?”

”Normally? One.”

Gray frowned.

”Normally?”

The princess smiled slightly.

”You asked how the academy works. You didn’t ask how normal students behave.”

”So there is a way to skip more than one.”

”There is.”

”How?”

She looked at him directly.

”The Grand Assessment.”

Gray’s eyes sharpened.

”The academy only uses it when someone is considered exceptional enough to justify the trouble. You are tested against the standards of every year you want to bypass. If you want to go from first year to second year, the assessment is manageable. If you want to go from first year to third year, you have to satisfy the second-year and third-year requirements in the same process.”

Gray nodded slowly.

”And if someone wants to skip even further?”

”Then the academy decides whether to allow the request in the first place.”

”Why?”

”Because the later years are not simply stronger versions of the earlier years.”

She leaned back slightly.

”The academy expects upper-year students to handle field missions, lead teams, study advanced techniques, manage resources, and deal with situations that first-year students don’t even know exist. Passing a combat examination alone does not prove that someone is ready for that.”

Gray smiled.

”That’s fair.”

The princess looked at him.

”You still intend to do it.”

”Obviously.”

She sighed.

”I knew you’d say that.”

Gray looked toward the stream.

”How far do you think I can go?”

The princess did not answer immediately.

She seemed to think about it for a few seconds, thinking whether she should give him the answer plainly or prepare him for what it meant first.

Eventually, she spoke.

”Second year.”

Gray turned his head toward her.

”Second year?”

”Yes.”

She rested the shaft of her spear against the ground beside her.

”If you are asking how far you can reasonably jump through the academy’s system right now, second year is the highest I would tell you to aim for.”

Gray frowned slightly.

”Only second year?”

”Don’t say it like that.”

Her ruby eyes narrowed.

”You are treating the academy as if the difference between each year is only another lesson or two. It isn’t. The students become stronger at an absurd rate.”

Gray remained silent.

The princess continued.

”Listen carefully. If you entered the second year immediately after your first-day examination, the academy itself would already consider it extraordinary. In fact, I’d put the chances below ten percent for almost anyone, even among the students who performed exceptionally well during the entrance examination.”

”Below ten percent?”

”Yes.”

She paused.

”And for someone with your displayed cultivation, it is even lower.”

Gray’s expression remained calm, but his eyes sharpened.

”Explain.”

The princess nodded.

”The academy does not divide its students into years for appearance. Each year represents a different stage of strength and experience. By the time a student reaches the second year, they are expected to have crossed into the Ruler Realm.”

Gray’s eyes narrowed.

The princess continued speaking without realizing how significant those words were to him.

”Not near it. Not someone who is one breakthrough away. I mean that every proper second-year student is expected to be at least a Ruler.”

Gray’s fingers slowly tightened inside his pockets.

Ruler.

The name immediately brought back memories.

It had been a long time since he had thought about the complete cultivation ladder from the perspective of a normal human.

Trainee Knight/Mage → Elementary → Intermediate → Advanced → Master → Grandmaster → Great Grandmaster → King → Saint → Emperor → Sovereign → Monarch → Ruler → Great Ruler → Overlord → Great Overlord → Apex (Peak Mortal)

Gray had always known about them, but hearing the princess casually explain that every second-year student at the Demon Academy was at least a Ruler put the scale into a completely different perspective.

He was still a Peak Saint, even after everything.

He had climbed faster than most cultivators could even dream of, but the distance between Saint and Ruler was not something a few extra days of cultivation erased.

’...Mhm.’

He nodded slighly.

”Keep going.”

She gave him a small nod.

”Third-year students are different.”

”How?”

”Great Ruler.”

Gray’s eyes narrowed further.

”All of them?”

”Again, not literally every person without exception. There are always special cases, injuries, cultivation deviations, and people who progress more slowly. But if you are talking about the students who properly qualify for third year, Great Ruler is the minimum standard they are expected to work toward.”

She folded her arms.

”A third-year student who is still sitting at ordinary Ruler would already be considered behind.”

Gray was silent.

The princess watched his expression and continued.

”Then there is the fourth year.”

She paused.

”Overlord.”

Gray finally looked directly at her.

”A whole realm gap between each year?”

”Yes.”

She spoke the word so naturally that it sounded almost ordinary.

”By then, they have spent years fighting, training, completing missions, studying advanced techniques, and competing against other monsters of talent. The strongest among them are often far above the minimum requirement.”

’Passing a whole realm in a single year...?’

Gray thought about it.

’What are they feeding these demons?’