The Sovereign System.

"Good luck, son."

Sebastian cast a lingering look at him before reluctantly following the other soldier out of the room. Luke thought he detected concern, perhaps suggesting Sebastian's loyalty wasn't purely out of duty to the Nero family.

Whatever suspicions he had about Sebastian's odd behavior since arriving in Clayton City were somewhat eased in that moment.

'I should be able to trust him.' Luke said in his heart, feeling a weight lift from his shoulders.

After reading almost a thousand books prior, he'd come across some information about the Military Academy. With this new knowledge, the earlier interaction between Sebastian and the officer began to make a lot more sense.

Luke recalled what he'd learned—commoners filled the ranks of the army, risking their lives for the kingdom, meanwhile nobles like Luke Nero were groomed for officer roles. It made him uncomfortable to think how deep the class divide went

Commoners rarely entered the Officer class, and those who did faced a mountain of troubles. After all, when people were separated by class, it was almost human nature to discriminate against those different from oneself.

Luke shook his head, trying not to think about such things. He would rather be bullied by a few nobles than be thrust in the middle of a battlefield with a sword and shield.

Luke glanced at the test papers. His eyes scanned the page, and almost instantly, answers bubbled up—as if waiting to be written. But with each answer, a dull throb pulsed through his skull.

Rubbing his temples, Luke winced. The pain was manageable, but noticeable.

Scholarly Pursuit might allow him to read at an incredible speed, but there were limits. Absorbing a thousand books in mere hours had pushed him close to the edge.

The Lieutenant glanced at him from across the room, sneering. Though his words were too soft to make out, Luke could easily guess the man's disdain.

Luke ignored the officer's sneer and drew in a deep breath. He had to focus. 

'Looks like I'll need to handle this one question at a time,' he thought.

He squinted at the first question, narrowing his focus so the rest of the page blurred into the background. His brain processed the information with mechanical precision, the answer appearing almost effortlessly.

The Lieutenant, unaware of Luke's methods, scoffed again. "Bah! He can't even read!" he barked, his face reddening. Luke suppressed a smile, holding back the dark chuckle rising in his throat.

'This guy doesn't know who he's dealing with,' Luke thought. 

He quickly forced his expression back into seriousness, feeling the Lieutenant's eyes on him. The officer was watching him closely, as if looking for any excuse to dismiss him, but Luke had no intention of giving him that satisfaction.

Luke's old habits surfaced briefly, his arrogance from gaming bleeding into the moment. It was hard to shake off the satisfaction of being ahead of his opponent.

'Stay focused,' he reminded himself. 'This isn't a game.'

Taking a moment to compose himself, Luke focused on the first question.

'What tactics would one use when facing cavalry on an open plain?'

Luke frowned.

'What kind of question is that?' he muttered. It seemed too simple.

Even without Scholarly Pursuit, Luke could've answered the question in his sleep. After all, he'd read enough war-type manhwa to know a dozen answers. But the simplicity of the question nagged at him. Was it a trick?

For a moment, doubt crept in. Were they looking for something innovative, or just the traditional answers? He couldn't tell. 

'Better to cover all bases.' He thought.

Luke scribbled down multiple strategies, outlining each approach in detail. If they wanted textbook answers, they'd get them. If they wanted creativity, he had that too.

The rest of the exam followed a similar pattern—easy at first glance, but with underlying complexities that kept Luke's mind sharp.

"Heh... Hehe." A dark chuckle slipped out as Luke glanced at the Lieutenant. The man hadn't even looked up since the start.

'You dare try to trick me? I see through all your deceit,' Luke mused.

After nearly two hours, Luke finally placed his quill back in the ink pot. His mind felt exhausted, but a satisfied grin spread across his face.

"Alright, time's up, Bring me your papers." The Lieutenant barked, motioning over impatiently.

Luke's gaze darted to the medium-sized hourglass on the guy's desk, still showing another third of the time remaining. As if seeing this, the Lieutenant's face reddened before he shamelessly knocked it over.

He sent a look at Luke, as if asking 'what are you going to do about it?'

Luke smiled, he didn't care about the remaining time since he had already completed the exam to the best of his ability. In fact, he was quite looking forward to wiping the arrogant and dismissive look from the Lieutenant's face.

He stood up from his seat and handed in his papers, maintaining a respectful tone despite his inner amusement. The Lieutenant took the papers with a grunt, his dismissive attitude unchanged. 

"Now leave me." He said gruffly.

Luke bowed slightly before he left the room, walking down the hall to find Sebastian waiting. The familiar soldier who had escorted him earlier gave him a surprised glance.

"You're finished already?" He asked with shock written clearly on his face. Yet in the next moment his face morphed into an understanding expression.

"Your father is in this room over here." He pointed before taking his leave. His quick actions made it seem like he wanted nothing to do with them anymore, which was fine by Luke.

'He probably thinks I failed,' Luke mused, shaking his head. He approached Sebastian, who stood quickly upon seeing him.

"Well?" Sebastian asked, his eyes full of urgency.

Luke grinned. "Too easy," he said, giving a confident thumbs up. Sebastian's face wavered between skepticism and hope, unsure whether to believe Luke's arrogance.

"How sure are you?" the butler pressed.

Luke shrugged. "Seventy-five percent. As long as the Lieutenant marks me fairly."

Sebastian's eyes widened in panic. "Luke, what did I tell you about watching your words?" he hissed, scanning the area nervously. Luke winced, realizing his mistake. This wasn't a world where he could throw out careless remarks without consequence.

Luke covered his mouth, realizing he'd just messed up. Even if the Lieutenant was corrupt, with his status now, just mentioning it out loud could get him into a lot of trouble.

And by trouble he meant, losing his life.

'I really need to keep my mouth in check,' he thought. His earlier cocky attitude faded as he remembered how serious things could get. This wasn't a game—this was real.

The wait dragged on for more than three hours, and Luke could feel the weight of every passing second. He glanced over at Sebastian, who sat perfectly still, his patience seemingly endless. 

In contrast, Luke's leg bounced restlessly, his mind swirling with anxiety.

Meanwhile, in the exam room, the Lieutenant stretched, the metal of his armor clanking as he moved. His thoughts had long drifted from the test, his attention consumed by his own discomfort. 

He let out a few grumbles, rubbing his sore muscles, unaware of the tension still lingering in the candidates outside.

"That's enough work for today," he muttered, standing up. But as he walked past the desk, a few pieces of parchment fell to the floor.

With a groan, he stooped to pick them up, his gaze landing on one of the pages.

"Ah, shit… that boy's exam," he cursed. He had been so wrapped up in paperwork that he had completely forgotten.

For a moment, the temptation to flunk the test without reading it crossed his mind. But then he thought of the potential fallout.

With a reluctant sigh, the Lieutenant returned to his chair and opened Luke's exam to the first page. Immediately, the neat and precise handwriting caught his eye.

"This is a commoner's writing?" he mumbled, surprised.

As he read the answers, his initial surprise morphed into disbelief. The questions, designed to gauge basic problem-solving skills and knowledge retention, were intended to be simple—nothing too deep, given the lack of real battlefield experience expected of the candidates.

But Luke's answers went far beyond what the exam required.

"Pikes, spears, caltrops, traps, making use of the terrain…" His eyes scanned the page, noting how Luke had listed not only the tactics but also the pros and cons of each method.

Each response was concise but detailed, as though lifted straight from a military textbook. The Lieutenant's brow furrowed as he flipped to the next page.

"Any counterattack, whether from infantry or other cavalry, must be timed to hit the enemy cavalry at their weakest moment—just after they've lost the momentum from their charge…" His voice trailed off.

The Lieutenant's mouth hung open slightly. Some of the tactics described here were beyond what even he could fully comprehend, and he'd fought in numerous battles.

Of course he was merely an appointed officer who had gone through the Soldier class. After his merits on the battlefield, he had risen to his current rank, now able to command 1000 soldiers.

"This is ridiculous…" he muttered, falling back into his chair.

Just then, a commanding voice interrupted him.

"Lieutenant? Why are you still here?"

The Lieutenant shot to his feet, standing at attention as a tall, broad man with a thick black beard entered the room.

"Sir, I was just grading someone's exam papers," he replied.

The bearded man glanced at the papers spread out on the desk. "Mind if I have a look?"

The Lieutenant stepped aside, handing over the exam without a word. 

As the Deputy Commander read through the pages, his brow furrowed in concentration. Suddenly, his eyes widened in amazement.

"Amazing! What a talent!" he exclaimed, his voice tinged with excitement. "Which noble's son is this?"

"Err…" The Lieutenant shifted uncomfortably, unsure of how to answer.

The Deputy Commander glanced up, his gaze full of suspicion. "What is it?"

"He's… a commoner, sir," the Lieutenant replied, almost wincing as the words left his mouth.

For a moment, the Deputy Commander stared at him in disbelief. "A commoner? You can't be serious…"

He looked down at the exam again, silently reading the pages while Lieutenant Crowe stood at attention, his nerves beginning to show.

With the way he had treated the boy earlier, it was a possibility that he could have caused great offense. Judging by his answers on the exam paper, the boy was not simple, in fact he could already be hailed as a genius without any formal training.

'I messed up…' He thought grimly.

The Deputy Commander put down the papers, massaging his glabella gently.

"The King was clear in his directions. Whether commoner or noble, the kingdom needs talented people…" Although his words were direct, the Lieutenant could sense an unease in his tone.

"Are you worried because he's a commoner sir?" He probed.

"Of course. Those ruthless nobles are rife within the Academy. If he was a soldier it wouldn't matter, but no commoner has entered the Officer's class in over 100 years." The Deputy Commander stated gravely.

A stretch of silence spanned between them, creating a somber atmosphere.

"Well, there's no point in delaying. Go tell the boy he passed Lieutenant."