But he was just a Magic Apprentice, yet he had surpassed all the geniuses and climbed the Holy Demon Prison Tower with overwhelming force. Such an absurd feat was impossible to explain.

  The more Allen thought about it, the more his head ached. His mind raced, trying to come up with a reasonable excuse, but no matter how he reasoned, he could not cover up this level of strength that defied all magical logic.

  Before Allen could dwell on it further, the excited crowd once again surrounded him, guiding him back to the front of the Holy Demon Prison Tower.

  Those who had exhausted themselves climbing the tower were also gathered there, supported by their companions. Valerius and Felix wore grim expressions, while Evelyn and Aerin leaned on each other for support.

  Evelyn looked at Allen, encircled by the crowd, and still found it hard to believe. She muttered instinctively,

  "It's not a hallucination. He really reached the top."

  At that moment, a clear, hearty laugh rang out from nearby, piercing the noise of the crowd and instantly overtaking the scene.

  "Seems like the tower competition has its results. Let me see who has claimed first place this year!"

  The crowd turned toward the sound, seeing a white-haired elder who, using exquisite spatial teleportation magic, appeared before the Holy Demon Prison Tower in an instant.

  "It's Headmaster Augustine! He actually came in person!"

  An excited apprentice exclaimed.

  "Wow! I've been at Radiant Magic Academy for three years, and this is the first time I've seen the Headmaster himself!"

  Another apprentice stood on tiptoe, eyes fixed on Augustine, full of admiration.

  "I heard that the Headmaster is already an Archmage, mastering both Holy Light and Spatial magic. Even the governors of Aetherlan City bow respectfully when they meet him!"

  Eleanor stepped forward quickly, slightly bowing to Headmaster Augustine and performing the most formal gesture in the magical world.

  "Greetings, Headmaster Augustine."

  Her tone was respectful, but a trace of worry flashed in her eyes. The Headmaster's personal presence meant he would inevitably inquire about the details of Allen's climb.

  Augustine nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the four rows of apprentices in front of the tower, each with their own bearing, his eyes filled with expectation.

  Seeing this, Eleanor hurried a step forward and spoke with a troubled expression,

  "Headmaster, regarding this year's tower competition…"

  Before she could finish, Augustine raised a hand to stop her.

  Looking at Eleanor's unusual expression, he had already guessed the general situation, yet his face still carried a smile.

  Although he had not personally seen the rankings, as Headmaster he knew the top talents of the four academies intimately. Evelyn was strong, but she would not necessarily crush everyone else.

  To him, Eleanor's troubled expression surely meant that Radiant Magic Academy had not taken first place, leaving her with guilt.

  Augustine cast a slightly reproachful glance at Eleanor, signaling her not to speak further. Then he turned his attention to the jubilant Radiant Magic Academy apprentices, his face immediately softening with satisfaction.

  He raised his hand in a gesture for silence and spoke in a clear, resonant voice,

  "I am very pleased. I did not expect that our Radiant Magic Academy apprentices would all display such composure and dignity!"

  "Although first place was not achieved this time, all of you can still face the results with ease and sincerely congratulate Blaze Light Academy. This grace and magnanimity truly surprises me and makes me proud!"

  Augustine's words were gentle yet firm. Yet after they fell, the scene fell into an awkward silence.

  Everyone exchanged glances. No one had expected the Headmaster to make such a misjudgment. Eyes instinctively turned toward Allen, pressed in the center of the crowd, creating a slightly awkward moment.

  Allen's heart tightened. He thought to himself that this was going to be a problem. The Headmaster's misjudgment made it even harder for him to conceal the truth.

  Headmaster Augustine spoke as he approached Valerius, his tone full of praise:

  "Valerius, I knew it. Who else could claim first place this time but you!"

  Stolen story; please report.

  He raised a hand to pat Valerius on the shoulder, the gesture carrying the recognition of a senior toward a junior.

  "With your talent, this first place was always destined to be yours."

  Valerius immediately felt embarrassed. He instinctively lowered his head, ears turning red, and spoke awkwardly,

  "Headmaster Augustine, it wasn't me…"

  He could feel the gazes cast from all around him, some teasing, some sympathetic, and others filled with the pride of Radiant Magic Academy's apprentices, making him extremely uncomfortable.

  Even though he and Felix had set the record for the fifteenth floor, being overshadowed by a Fourth-tier Magic Apprentice created a gap he could hardly admit aloud.

  The smile on Augustine's face stiffened. He paused for a moment and murmured under his breath,

  "Not you?"

  After a brief pause, he turned his gaze toward Felix. A glimmer of understanding appeared in his eyes, and his tone became cheerful again.

  "Well done, boy. Your headmaster mentioned you before, said you were a talent second only to Valerius!"

  "Truly remarkable! To rise above and surpass Valerius!"

  Curious, Augustine asked,

  "How far did you ultimately climb? To surpass Valerius, your achievement must be outstanding."

  Felix bit his lower lip and said,

  "Eighteen floors…"

  Hearing this, Augustine's pupils constricted, disbelief filling his voice,

  "Good boy! You actually…"

  He had intended to praise Felix for breaking the record, but Felix quickly interrupted him, anxious,

  "Headmaster Augustine, it wasn't me. The one who reached the top was someone from your academy!"

  Felix hurried to explain, a hint of reluctance in his tone, but he had no choice but to accept the result. The records on the screen did not lie, and so many eyes had witnessed it.

  Augustine paused, then realized the truth. A smile he could not hide crept across his lips, his eyes filled with satisfaction and pride.

  He turned and quickly walked toward Evelyn, his tone full of praise,

  "Evelyn! Well done!"

  "I knew you would not disappoint me. You truly earned first place by your own strength!"

  In his eyes, the only one capable of reaching the top from Radiant Magic Academy had to be Evelyn.

  Evelyn's face flushed slightly, and she was about to speak when Eleanor, unable to remain silent any longer, stepped forward quickly and said to Augustine:

  "Headmaster! This way! Over here!"

  With a hint of exasperation, she guided the Headmaster toward Allen, her tone conflicted,

  "This is my apprentice, Allen."

  "He is the one who reached the eighteenth floor and claimed first place in this year's tower competition."

  Augustine looked at Allen, clearly embarrassed, then glanced at Eleanor. His brow furrowed as he struggled with the situation. Finally, he lowered his voice, a trace of reproach in it,

  "Fourth-tier Magic Apprentice?"

  "Eleanor, this is a bit excessive."

  "If you wanted to give your apprentice some benefit, you could have told me privately. I would have made arrangements accordingly."

  "Even if I had awarded the prize to Evelyn first and then had her pass it to Allen, it would have been far more proper than handling it like this."

  Augustine's tone carried disapproval,

  "To allow a Fourth-tier Magic Apprentice to reach the top so openly will make people question whether Radiant Magic Academy shows favoritism. This is simply improper!"

  He had run the academy for years and valued fairness above all. Such a public manipulation displeased him greatly.

  Eleanor was conflicted as well. She understood the Headmaster's concerns, but with so many witnesses to Allen's climb, it was impossible to falsify the event.

  Just as she was about to speak in defense, Valen, Eileen, and Tobias stepped forward from a distance.

  Their eyes swept over Allen briefly, then, feeling awkward, they bowed to Headmaster Augustine,

  "Greetings, Headmaster Augustine."

  They had come both to confirm the result and to discover what kind of secret this Fourth-tier Magic Apprentice might be hiding.

  "Headmaster Augustine, I never expected Radiant Magic Academy to be hiding such a talented apprentice!" Valen spoke first.

  "A Fourth-tier Magic Apprentice! And he actually reached the eighteenth floor of the Holy Demon Prison Tower!"

  "Unbelievable, truly unbelievable!" Eileen added in agreement.

  The three of them exchanged words, their shock genuine, leaving Augustine unable to maintain his composure despite his best efforts.

  "You three are teasing me as well… you…" Augustine began, but he immediately noticed the strange atmosphere around him.

  Every apprentice from Radiant Magic Academy was beaming with excitement, their eyes burning as they fixed their gaze on Allen.

  Meanwhile, Valerius, Evelyn, and the others who had attempted the tower hung their heads in dejection, their expressions filled with frustration and unwillingness, clearly still struggling to accept that Allen had outperformed them.

  Augustine stepped forward quickly and grasped Allen by the shoulders. He said to everyone,

  "Wait here. I will personally confirm this!"

  With that, he and Allen vanished instantly from the front of the Holy Demon Prison Tower.

  "Where is the Headmaster taking Allen?"

  "Looks like he wants to personally investigate Allen's power. After all, a Fourth-tier Magic Apprentice reaching the top is completely outrageous."

  "Maybe the Headmaster will discover some forbidden magic Allen is hiding!"

  Everyone whispered excitedly, curiosity written all over their faces as they waited for the result.

  ...

  In the deepest palace of Radiant Magic Academy, Augustine brought Allen, and in an instant they arrived here.

  The situation was highly abnormal. In Augustine's understanding, the magical power of a Fourth-tier Magic Apprentice could not even resist the pressure surrounding the Holy Demon Prison Tower.

  Allen had not only entered the tower successfully but also claimed first place.

  Augustine had to personally investigate to determine whether Allen relied on outside assistance or genuinely possessed extraordinary power.

  He no longer bothered to maintain the dignity of his position as Headmaster. He immediately grasped Allen's wrist, gathering magic at his fingertips to carefully sense the flow of magical power within Allen.

  A faint, barely noticeable tension crossed Allen's face, his fingers curling slightly.

  He was not worried about exposing his identity. With his strength, he could completely conceal his presence, and Augustine would never be able to detect that he was from the Demon Tribe.

  What truly concerned him was the deliberately suppressed human magical rank he displayed.

  For the sake of hiding in plain sight, he had maintained the appearance of a Fourth-tier Magic Apprentice.

  If Augustine examined the true Intermediate Mage magic circulating within him too carefully, it could not be hidden.

  As expected, after a moment Augustine released Allen's wrist and let out a soft sigh.

  "So that explains it. You are actually an Intermediate Mage."

  He thought he had found the answer and then looked at Allen.

  "Why did you hide your magical rank? Was there a purpose, or were you trying to avoid unnecessary trouble?"

  In Augustine's view, Allen must have deliberately suppressed his power to stay low-profile, but he did not expect it to be accidentally revealed during the tower competition.