MIGHT AS WELL BE OP Chapter 9: 4 years later

Still feeling the lingering haze of sleep, Anthony rose from his bed. He went through his morning routine of brushing and bathing before dressing himself, performing his daily sign-in as he did so.

[Congratulations to the host for obtaining knowledge on all beasts and demons]

Accepting the reward immediately, Anthony felt his mind overwhelmed by a flood of information for two full minutes until a sharp light flickered in his eyes.

He had just acquired a comprehensive understanding of every demon and beast in existence—their weaknesses, habitats, and even racial secrets were now his to command. As he finished dressing, he thought to himself that those demons better stay out of his path.

Once ready, he paused before his mirror to appreciate his reflection once more.

(You cannot blame him; he was quite unattractive in his previous life.)

At fifteen years old, he now stood at a height of 6'2. This newfound stature brought him great joy, as he had never been this tall before.

His impressive height was perfectly paired with his white hair, captivating blue eyes, and a flawless jawline, all supported by a well-toned and muscular physique.

His physical form was practically screaming "PERFECTION."

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he headed downstairs to the dining hall. Since his grandparents had already departed, it was just him and his parents. They sat for breakfast, discussing his progress and asking about his training.

His mother eventually inquired, "How are you preparing for the academy?"

Anthony let out a sigh. ‘So, the Academy Arc is finally starting,’ he mused internally.

"Mom, there is no need for preparation. Just be ready for the name NULL to echo throughout the academy." His parents shared a smile, fully aware of the kind of monster their son had become.

"Make sure everything is ready. In one week, your father and I will take you there and witness your entrance exam," she instructed.

"Will Grandpa be attending?" he asked.

"It is possible," his father replied.

With breakfast finished, everyone departed for their daily duties.

Anthony retreated to his room and summoned his status window to evaluate his progress over the last five years.

Following the initial year, he had spent the subsequent four years within the divine realm while a clone took his place in the outside world. He no longer had to lie about entering seclusion, though the clone continued to mimic the act of Cultivation periodically.

He had utilized a 1:5 time dilation within that realm, emerging only once or twice a month to ensure he didn't lose his sense of reality.

Thanks to the 5x speed, he had effectively spent twenty years inside the realm.

It had taken him a full decade of divine realm time just to process the vast knowledge he had received. When he reached A+ rank at the age of eleven, his thought compartments expanded from one million to five million. With the Parallel Thinking blessing, this reached ten million compartments. By distributing the information across these ten million spaces, he spent ten years digesting it all. Subsequently, he spent seven years refining his magic and weapons, aligning his skills with his knowledge. He even developed a unique weapon technique, merging his abilities to create a Magic-Swordsman skill.

The final three years were dedicated to Cultivation, pushing him to the SS+ rank. This would have been incredibly difficult without consuming every resource available in the system shop to force his rank upward. Because of the system's spending limits, he was currently unable to break through to SSS rank. Fortunately, his unique physique ensured a perfect Foundation; without it, he would never have dared such a reckless Cultivation method.

Suddenly, a message flickered before him.

[???: No gratitude for me, I see? Perhaps I should reclaim my Cultivation manual.]

Anthony jumped up instantly, bowing deeply and showering the entity with flattery. After an hour of shameless bootlicking, he finally stopped.

‘Status,’ he commanded in his mind.

[Host: NULL ANTHONY]

[Age: 15 years old]

[Race: Human]

[Rank: SS+]

[Class: Magic Swordsman]

[Physiques: The Beginning of All Things]

[Bloodline: Primordial Bloodline]

[Talent: Limitless]

[Skills: Click to view]

[Affinities: Fire, Water, Earth, Wood, Wind, Lightning, Light, Darkness, Space, Time, Metal, Ice, Void, Illusion]

[Authority: Authority of Information]

Ding...

[Due to the host reaching Rank SS, the new bloodline ability: Bloodline Servant has been unlocked. Additional mana and magic knowledge have been granted. New affinities ‘Void’ and ‘Illusion’ acquired.]

[Due to the host reaching Rank SS, new knowledge from the physique will be allocated. True Poison Immunity and Poison Body unlocked.]

[Due to the host reaching Rank SS, the final skill from the host’s wish is granted. Passive: Scheming Mind—grants the host all knowledge and experience regarding the schemes of those he knows.]

[Due to the host reaching Rank SS, an Authority skill has been unlocked: Perfect One.]

Scheming Mind was his final wish, providing him with immense experience in intrigue. Memories of plots and counter-plots flooded his brain in an instant, alongside advanced battle tactics. This was intended to work in tandem with his battle experience, making him a seasoned veteran in combat.

After all, survival in this world was impossible without combat prowess and cunning. There was no telling what plots were already brewing within the academy.

The thought of those old men who schemed from the shadows had always unsettled him when he read about them in novels.

He felt a dull ache in his head from the sheer volume of bloodline and physique data he had to process, especially after spending twelve years on the previous batch.

[Blood Servant: Allows the host to bestow his blood essence upon others, raising their talent to one rank below the host. It grants perks based on their class and enhances their existing elements to be the best in their field, second only to the host. They are incapable of betraying the host; even if they exceed the host’s rank, betrayal is impossible as their souls are enslaved.]

[Poison Body: Allows the host to manifest any poison with any desired effect within his body through thought alone.]

Anthony was stunned by these revelations. Blood Servant would fit his future plans perfectly, but Poison Body was a complete game-changer. He could essentially generate a toxin and disperse it into the air, specifically targeting those who utilized Chaos instead of mana.

He now possessed numerous ways to dismantle the demons and the forsaken cult. He smiled.

He looked forward to seeing those "Young Masters" who were likely still struggling at D-rank or lower. He chuckled at the thought; he truly couldn't wait.

[Passive skill: Perfect One: Any attempt to search for information about the host via magical or physical means will only reveal what the host permits.

The host will be alerted when someone is digging for information and can modify the data the seeker discovers.]

This ability made him laugh. He could now mislead anyone—seers and diviners alike would be unable to track him.

Recently, his father had mentioned ranks that existed beyond SSS: the Master Rank, the Grandmaster Rank, and the Paragon Realm, each divided into nine levels.

He didn't mind the abundance of ranks. With a shop system that was essentially a free resource, he could empower himself and his blood slaves, even purchasing pills to grant them physiques. They would all become freaks of nature.

He began to drool at the prospect of his plans, but for now, he had to focus on the academy. Based on the novels he had read, entrance exams usually involved fighting beasts or one-on-one duels.

Furthermore, he would encounter other races and the children of prominent families within the human domain. ‘There’s going to be a lot of conflict in that academy,’ he thought. However, he was ready. His battle intent surged from his body, even though his only real experience came from fighting robots purchased from the system.

But with his current rank, wasn't this just bullying? He sneered at himself, ‘Thinking like that will get me killed.’

Checking the time, he saw it was already 10 PM. He closed his eyes to rest, even though his body no longer required sleep.