Solo Cultivating in Superhero Academy
Chapter 93: Entering a Class

Chapter 93: Entering a Class

The old woman blinked, then typed slowly. "Relation?"

"Brother."

"Is he a registered Super?"

"No."

"Has he awakened any known ability?"

"Superhuman strength."

The old lady frowned. "That’s it?"

"He’s hiding the rest."

That made her pause. She studied him again, more carefully this time. "You sure he’s not just some muscled-up gym rat with a protein obsession?"

Elius met her gaze with a cold, impassive look. "He could snap metal bars with his fingers at age twelve. He doesn’t train, he doesn’t diet, he doesn’t follow any program. He just is."

The woman pursed her lips, clearly skeptical, but not entirely dismissive.

"What’s his combat aptitude rating?" she asked.

"Unknown."

"Has he been in a real fight?"

"Constantly."

"Is he aware of his potential?"

"No. But I am."

She stared at him again, brow furrowing. "You know, kid, this isn’t a casual thing. You invite someone who turns out to be a fraud, and it reflects back on you. Badly. You’re staking your reputation on this."

"I know."

"There are penalties. You waste Academy time, you pay for it."

Elius nodded, calm and absolute. "That’s fine."

She sighed and tapped a few more keys. Then she held out her hand.

"Alright then. If you’re really serious, you’ll need to pay the verification deposit. Five magic crystals."

Elius didn’t even flinch.

He reached into his spatial pouch and drew out five fire magic crystals, each one glowing softly with inner energy. He placed them gently onto the counter.

The old woman raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised at how easily he parted with them.

Most students would flinch at handing over even one crystal—let alone five, and even right after completing their first real dungeon.

That’s how rare it is.

"You seem very confident," she said.

"I have reason to be."

"What’s so special about this Keith Northrim, anyway? Why risk your future over him?"

Elius tilted his head slightly.

"Because if he doesn’t get in now," he said quietly, "he’ll have to wait another two or three years. And by then, someone else will have discovered him. Someone dangerous. Someone who might want to... exploit that potential."

The woman’s fingers hovered over the confirmation key.

"So you’re doing this to protect him?"

Elius didn’t answer for a moment. Then he simply said, "I’m doing this because I know what’s coming."

A long silence stretched between them. Then the old woman hit enter.

"Invitation created. Status: Pending review. He’ll be contacted soon."

Elius gave a small nod, turned without another word, and walked back down the hallway.

The sound of his footsteps echoed again, steady, controlled.

The hallway’s lights flickered slightly behind him, the hum of the building growing quieter with each step.

Outside, the campus was still busy. Heroes-in-training flew overhead, students raced across the quad in training suits, and the smell of cafeteria food still lingered in the air.

But Elius had done what he came to do.

He adjusted his robe, eyes narrowing.

One problem handled.

A hundred more waiting.

...

Elius pushed the classroom door open with a quiet nudge, the metal hinges letting out the softest creak. He slid in unnoticed.

The lights were dimmed, as the holographic whiteboard glowed with warm yellow text at the front of the room.

Rows of sleek silver desks stretched before him, with students already settled in. Most were still chatting, fidgeting, or trying to project confidence as the class began.

Without a word, he made his way to the back corner. A few heads turned, but they didn’t pay him much mind.

Elius had long since mastered the art of existing unnoticed. He sat down, adjusted the hem of his robe, and exhaled through his nose.

Then, his eyes flickered gold for just a second.

Spiritual Qi flowed from his core, wrapping around him, sinking into the floor beneath. It wasn’t for power—it was for concealment.

Elius compressed his presence, masking his Qi entirely. It was as if the air around him shifted, pushing him out of others’ awareness.

A subtle aura of forgetfulness.

A mental haze.

Within seconds, even the students beside him acted as if the seat were still empty.

Perfect.

From the front of the class, a tall, elderly man with wild white hair and a long coat that shimmered with kinetic circuits clapped his hands together, drawing everyone’s attention. He had the rough, sun-worn skin of someone who’d fought wars with his bare fists. The kind of teacher whose presence commanded respect, even without trying.

"Alright, greenhorns," he began, voice like gravel and thunder mixed in a blender. "Welcome to Hero Ethics and Identity. I’m Captain Grit. Retired B-Class. I’ve taken down bombs, monsters, and one very arrogant weather god. Don’t let the wrinkles fool you—I’m tougher than titanium, and older than most super-nations."

The students chuckled nervously.

"But enough about me. Let’s talk about you."

Captain Grit paced in front of the whiteboard, arms folded behind his back.

"I want each of you to answer a very simple question. Stand up. Tell us your name. And tell me: what kind of superhero do you want to become?"

A few groaned under their breath.

"Don’t sigh," Grit barked. "If you don’t know who you want to become, then you’ll just become what the world forces you to be. You want to wear the cape, you better earn it."

He pointed to a red-haired boy in the front row.

"You. Start."

The boy jumped up, flustered. "Uh! My name is Finn! Finn Jettison!"

"Good, Finn. What kind of hero?"

Finn’s fists clenched. "I want to be fast. Like, insanely fast. I want to move faster than light—rescue people from disasters before they even happen. I want to be like Velocity Viper!"

Captain Grit’s eyes gleamed. "Viper, huh? Hell of a role model. That man once evacuated an entire city in six minutes before a tsunami hit. Broke seventeen ribs doing it. Still smiles every time I see him. Good choice, kid. Sit."

Another hand shot up. A girl with lavender pigtails.

"I’m Reina Kix! I want to be a pop-idol hero!"

Grit arched a brow. "Explain."

"I want to inspire people! Like Celestial Starbeam! She sings and fights crime! She beat a Void Lurker using a microphone charged with kinetic harmony!"

Grit chuckled. "She also shattered both vocal cords during that fight. But yeah, fine. Great spirit. Next."

One by one, the students stood, spoke, and sat again.

"I want to be a monster hunter!"

"I want to fly higher than anyone else!"

"I want to defeat all the evil companies controlling the world’s food supply!"

"I want to be like Cold-Edge. So chill, so cool—literally."

Captain Grit nodded with every answer, occasionally giving long anecdotes or wise commentary.

"Great pick. Cold-Edge once froze a magma giant in thirty seconds using his tears."

"I remember that one. Skybound Hero of the Arctic. Trained with penguins. No joke."

"I was with Black Thunder once. Dude punched a lightning storm."

Elius kept his gaze lowered, half-listening. Every now and then he’d close his eyes and sense the Qi levels of his classmates—average. Low. Decent potential, but nothing compared to what he had witnessed back in the dungeon. Nothing like what Keith had. Or even Lina and Ron.

Still, he didn’t scoff. He wasn’t here to mock them. Just... observe.

Then, Captain Grit pointed toward a blond boy with sculpted cheekbones and a shiny badge-shaped tattoo on his cheek.

"You there. Pretty boy. Who’s your role model?"

The boy stood proudly. "Radiant Man, sir!"

A hush fell over the class. A few heads turned, eyebrows raised. Even the ambient hum of the whiteboard seemed to go quiet.

Captain Grit tilted his head. "Oh yeah? Why Radiant Man?"

The boy puffed out his chest.

"Because he’s the greatest. He’s everything a hero should be! Strong, brave, noble—he doesn’t hesitate. He’s a shining beacon, like the sun itself! He saved my city when the Sky Shards fell. He lifted a collapsing tower with one hand and smiled like it was nothing!"

He clenched his fists.

"He flies above all of us, not because he’s arrogant, but because he’s earned it. He’s not just powerful—he’s just. He knows the law, enforces it, but doesn’t let it blind him. He doesn’t pick sides between people or nations—he picks justice."

The kid’s voice grew louder.

"He defeated Solar Parasite without any backup! He withstood a direct hit from a Type-Zero cosmic disruptor cannon! He doesn’t even need a team—he is a team! I’ve watched every documentary, read every speech, seen every battle recording. Radiant Man is the gold standard of what it means to be a superhero!"

Captain Grit scratched his beard, giving a thoughtful nod. "Well, I won’t lie. Radiant Man is impressive."

The blond boy nodded eagerly. "He’s not just impressive—he’s unstoppable! And one day, I’ll train until I can fight beside him!"

Most of the class burst into applause. A few students even stood to clap. The energy was electric.

Elius?

He just sneered inside his mind.

If that kid knew the truth...

That Radiant Man was no sunlit savior. That beneath the glowing heroics and gleaming teeth was something far darker.

An alien creature from the Solarion Empire.

A being bred not to save worlds, but to conquer them.

One who saw Earth not as a home, but a farm. A breeding pen. A testing ground.

Elius remembered too well the brutal way his father had stared at him when hebwas about to kill them.

He remembered his mother’s fearful silence, and struggle in his palm when she was about to die.

That was scary.

If Radiant Man wanted to erase the Earth from existence, Elius thought grimly, he wouldn’t even blink.

That kid... he’d cry himself to death if he ever saw Radiant Man’s true form. The twisted Solar Core that burned behind his flesh.

The blackened wings of nuclear flame.

The laughter that echoed like dying suns.

Elius shook his head.

Idolize him all you want, he thought. Just don’t get in my way.

He was lost in thought when—

"Hey, you!"

A sharp voice cut through his focus like a blade.

Elius blinked and turned slightly.

A freckled girl with electric-blue bangs glared at him, hands on her hips.

"You’re in my seat."

Elius blinked again, slowly. He looked at the empty desks around him. Then back to her. Then to her desk.

She was serious.

Huh.

He tilted his head and gave her a lazy stare, lips twitching into the faintest smirk.

"What is it, again?"

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