Chapter 2: Wait, My Disciple is a Hidden Boss?

Nanako blinked, completely bewildered.

What on earth does the number "1" have to do with him getting kicked out of the valley?

Still, looking at her disciple’s deadly serious expression, she decided to humor him. She tilted her head and tentatively answered:

"Uh... One?"

Lynn froze for a second. Then, his entire body relaxed, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his soul.

"Thank you, Master. One it is."

Perfect. Since someone else made the choice for him, his crippling Decision Paralysis was cured.

Nanako stared at his relieved smile, her confusion maxing out. She had absolutely no idea what language this boy was speaking.

"Whatever," Nanako sighed, giving up. "Just... take the test. Face the results with dignity. Even if you get expelled, you can still be a productive member of society. Maybe a baker. Or a farmer."

With a heavy heart, Nanako turned around. She swished her robes, preparing to leave. She didn't want to watch the inevitable train wreck of his failure. It would only hurt her feelings.

But just as she took a step—

A voice rang out in her head. Clear as day. High definition audio.

[ Inner Voice ] [ Alright. Since the Loli Master picked "1", I’ll go with Plan A: Releasing 1/100,000,000th (One hundred-millionth) of my total mana pool. ]

[ Inner Voice ] [ Can't risk releasing more. If they find out I’m smurfing, I’ll have to delete this character and find a new starter zone to camp in. What a drag. ]

Nanako: "????"

She froze mid-step. Her face contorted into a mask of pure shock.

She had lived with this boy for three years. She knew his voice better than her own. That was definitely Lynn.

But... why was his voice echoing directly inside her brain?

She whipped her head around, staring at Lynn. He was already standing on the platform, his hands resting on the cold surface of the [Mana Monolith], eyes closed in concentration.

"Initiating Scan!" The Proctor shouted. "Relax your body! Sync your mana with the crystal! Hold for ten seconds!"

Lynn took a deep breath, entering a meditative state.

And the voice returned.

[ Inner Voice ] [ Okay, let’s calibrate. One hundred-millionth of my power... Wait. ]

[ Inner Voice ] [ CRAP. I think I miscalculated. ]

[ Inner Voice ] [ The 1/100,000,000th stat ratio was from last year’s patch! I’ve leveled up since then. Right now, to simulate a Tier 2 Mage, I need to lower the output to 1/500,000,000th! ]

[ Inner Voice ] [ Dammit, I forgot how OP I am! That was close. I almost accidentally nuked the crystal and exposed my power level. ]

[ Inner Voice ] [ I hope that tiny mana leak just now didn't alert anyone. My Loli Master is pretty oblivious, so she probably didn't notice. ]

Nanako's jaw hit the floor.

It IS his voice! But his lips aren't moving! Am I... hearing his thoughts?!

As a powerful [City-Destroyer Rank] mage, Nanako quickly deduced the situation. Through some magical anomaly, she had gained access to a private chat channel directly linked to her disciple's brain.

But wait...

What the hell is this nonsense about 1/500,000,000th of his power?!

Hiding his power? Smurfing?!

Nanako’s eyes widened to the size of saucers. She perked up her ears (figuratively), desperate to hear more.

[ Inner Voice ] [ Man, this is tough. Being a God-tier entity but having to roleplay as an NPC... the struggle is real. ]

[ Inner Voice ] [ But I have no choice. The "Gods" are waking up soon. If I show up on their radar with max stats, they’ll definitely try to farm me for XP. ]

[ Inner Voice ] [ Gotta keep turtling. Once I hit the absolute level cap and ascend to Godhood myself, I’ll go find those Admins who killed me in my last life and settle the score. Yeah. Solid plan. ]

Nanako: "!!!!"

What. The. Hell?

God-tier? Level cap? Killing Gods?! Is my disciple hallucinating from the stress? Did his brain finally snap?

Then, the voice continued its terrifying calculations.

[ Inner Voice ] [ Alright, locked in. 1/500,000,000th output. According to my math, this should result in a reading of exactly 2,321 Mana Points. Flawless execution. ]

The moment that thought finished echoing in Nanako’s mind—

The Proctor bellowed: "Lynn! Mana Value: 2,321! Rank: Tier 2 Mage! PASS!"

Silence. Then, chaos.

Lynn smiled faintly, opening his eyes. The crowd of young mages erupted. The girls, in particular, looked at him with sparkling eyes.

"He passed! Lynn actually passed!" "No way! I saw his stats a month ago, he was barely at 1,200! Did he grind 1,000 mana in four weeks?!" "He gets to stay! The handsome trash gets to stay!"

Nanako stood rooted to the spot, trembling. She wasn't shocked that he passed. She was terrified because he predicted the exact number.

One five-hundred-millionth... equals 2,321 points?! If that's a fraction of his power... then what is his total?!

Is he crazy? Or am I crazy?!

"No, no, no," Nanako muttered, clutching her forehead. "I must be tired. Stress-induced auditory hallucinations. There is no way I'm reading minds. That's absurd."

As she tried to gaslight herself, Lynn walked over, looking breezy and relaxed.

He placed a hand over his chest and bowed elegantly.

"Master! I didn't let you down. I barely scraped by, but I passed. Now I can stay in Winterspring and continue to honor you as your dutiful disciple."

[ Inner Voice ] [ "Honor her" aka "Leech off her resources." Besides, keeping this Loli Master around is great for eye candy. ]

[ Inner Voice ] [ Even if she IS a klutz who trips over her own twin-tails and bounces away when you poke her... she’s still kinda cute. ]

[ Inner Voice ] [ But seriously, she’s hundreds of years old. How has she maintained this petite hitbox for centuries? Is it a glitch? ]

Nanako: "?????"

Forget if the mind-reading is real or not—this kid is pissing me off!

AND! Stop calling me "Loli Master" inside your head!

Nanako whipped her head around, her sapphire eyes drilling into Lynn like laser beams. She stared at him as if trying to X-ray his soul.

Lynn blinked, looking innocent. "Master? What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"

[ Inner Voice ] [ The Short-stack is acting weird. ]

[ Inner Voice ] [ Did she sense that tiny mana leak earlier? ]

[ Inner Voice ] [ Nah. Impossible. I scrubbed the signature before it left my body. She’s way too weak to detect high-level stealth mechanics. ]

[ Inner Voice ] [ Maybe she’s just staring because I’m too handsome today? ]

Nanako: "?????"

Okay. It’s not a hallucination. This brat is actually roasting me in 4K resolution.

If that "1/500,000,000th" stat is real... then just how high is his level? Is he a Demon Lord? A Raid Boss? Lucifer on a vacation?

"Disciple," Nanako said slowly, her voice trembling with suspicion. "Are you... hiding something from me?"

Lynn paused. He rubbed his chin and put on his best 'innocent sunshine boy' smile.

"Master, would I ever hide anything from you? If you mean the kitchen incident two days ago, I swear I wasn't stealing snacks!"

[ Inner Voice ] [ She’s acting super suspicious. Did I get flagged? ]

[ Inner Voice ] [ Impossible. My "Stealth" skill is maxed out. No one in Winterspring has the perception stats to see through my disguise. Even if Master is an Ancient Loli Hag, she can't possibly know. ]

[ Inner Voice ] [ Yeah. I’m overthinking it. ]

Nanako: (Sound of sanity snapping)

Abandoned

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