"Nari, your son is..."

  Antonio's expression changed the moment he saw Jinyo's cultivation rate. It was a disappointment difficult to describe. He was no different from a cripple destined to be unable to fight. But it was strange. It shouldn't be possible for a cultivation rate to be this low. If he remembered correctly, Jinyo had competed and won trophies back when he was young.

  There was only one answer: Jinyo hadn't been born with this abnormality. It was something that happened later.

  The testing grounds were filled with commotion. Gretel was confused because no one congratulated Jinyo. There were only jeers, insults and gossip, and pitying gazes.

  Gretel wanted to cry. It felt terrible when Jinyo was being looked down upon. His mother's hand rested on the boy's head, calming him down.

  "Don't overthink it."

  "But I'm hurt."

  "Why are you hurt?"

  "Because... because I wanted him to show off!"

  "And why did you want Jinyo to show off? Would you benefit from it somehow?"

  "I... I..."

  Gretel couldn't answer his mother's simple question. He just didn't want his father to be weak. He wanted everyone to know how skilled his father was so he wouldn't be looked down on anymore. Gretel knew Jinyo's abilities well. The aura that grew stronger every day. Fighting monsters that came to destroy the garden. Defeating thugs despite having little power.

  Jinyo wasn't weak! Jinyo was strong.

  Gretel wanted to shout it for everyone to hear. But that was something only Gretel knew.

  "I know Bro Yo is skilled. I just wanted others to admire him."

  It wasn't fair for Jinyo to be jeered at.

  "If you already know it in your heart, what are you afraid of? A strong person, even if covered by clouds, will still shine. Clouds can't hide the sun forever, can they?"

  Rina didn't want her son to stress. But she wasn't a woman skilled at comforting others either. She just hoped Gretel would understand that everything wouldn't go as desired one hundred percent of the time. But if he waited patiently, he would eventually see the scene he wanted.

  Jinyo paid no attention to the gazes around him. His cultivation technique wasn't like ordinary people's anyway. Without the Garden of the Sword producing Spirit Essence from magical plants, Jinyo couldn't cultivate Planar at all. Spirit Essence and Magic Essence were completely different things.

  Magic Essence was power that came from living beings and the world. Magic Stones could be found in monster cores, humans who could cultivate, mines, or dungeons. Spirit Essence, on the other hand, came from natural plants, herbs, and celestial power. The cultivation exam mattered greatly for others, but not for Jinyo.

  A low cultivation rate meant a future with a line drawn saying this was your limit. But for Jinyo who had the Garden of the Sword, his future wasn't something anyone could draw a line on.

  The cultivation test concluded smoothly. The most watched people were Theo and Luciria. Following them were Nephrin and the remaining examinees. Jinyo was also watched, but in a different way from the others. They had never seen someone with a cultivation rate below 1% dare to take the exam. When this was posted online, Jinyo's news attracted attention from small-time reporters.

  SwordNoodle :Last Heir of Famous Family Takes Hunter Exam — 0.01% Cultivation Rate!]

  Googoon :The Collapse of Southerncross The Talentless Final Heir

  If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  BrokenSoda101 :He Should Have Preserved the Family's Last Dignity, Not Destroyed It in Public

  Inwza007 :If It Were Me, I'd Rather Hide at Home Than Shame My Ancestors!]

  Some used harsh mocking language as clickbait. Many people weren't familiar with the Southerncross name—some even thought it was made up for a novel, not a real surname. Reporters used Jinyo's face as a selling point to attract readers, successfully drawing in a decent female audience to read their articles.

  While waiting for the next test, Jinyo pulled out his phone to browse and found those articles.

  "I didn't expect this much attention."

  Jinyo truly hadn't anticipated it. He was just a man with a cultivation rate below 1%, wasn't he? It seemed the prestige his ancestors had built helped him get mentioned in the media somewhat.

  "That's fine. Let it be this way."

  Jinyo opened the System to check. He found that his academy's Reputation had increased slightly. The System evaluated how much the public currently recognized the Southerncross family's existence. As long as he occupied media space and generated discussion, the family's reputation would rise.

  No one came to talk to Jinyo. He was left alone in solitude. No one wanted to approach someone with a 0.01% cultivation rate who had no future. Jinyo didn't care either and sat quietly reading his book until he heard footsteps approaching.

  "What's up, Southerncross? Though I don't know what made you score higher than me on the written exam, the fact that you're incompetent hasn't changed."

  "Sigh. Why do you have to bother me? Have I ever done anything to displease you?"

  Jinyo turned to look at his former employer. Even now, he didn't understand why Joden kept harassing him. Jinyo wouldn't have minded if they had some grudge—if anything, Jinyo should be the one displeased about being fired. When he was a teacher at the tutoring school, he'd worked his hardest at teaching. There had been no shortcomings, yet Joden still found excuses to fire him.

  "You just offend my eyes. I'm driving a Lamborghini on the road, but there's some rickety old cart driving in the same lane. Obviously it's going to be an eyesore, right? But it seems I worried too much. You're not qualified to stand before me anymore anyway. My condolences, Mr. 0.01%."

  Joden didn't hide his mocking smile toward Jinyo. The lower Jinyo fell, the better Joden felt. It meant his decision had been correct. Not a mistake.

  "You seem to misunderstand something. A person's success doesn't depend on their cultivation rate. It's about creating benefit for humanity. Do you believe my 0.01% cultivation rate will create a million times more benefit for humanity than you?"

  "What did you say!?"

  Joden wanted to wash out his ears and hear clearly again. How dare someone with just a 0.01% cultivation rate look down on him? Though Joden didn't have exceptional talent like Luciria or Theo, he was confident he had more value than Jinyo.

  "You're just someone banned from academia. A talentless person abandoned by God. You're a disgrace to your family. Believe it or not, without the Southerncross name, you'd have no value at all. No one would care about you. I suggest you give up on becoming a Hunter and go apply at a host bar instead. Maybe some rich woman will take care of trash like you. Because you have no ability to do anything anyway, just waiting for your family to collapse in your generation."

  The people around who heard Joden's words got goosebumps. It was the ultimate insult to a man's dignity. Jinyo's eyes narrowed slightly. An icy coldness enveloped the testing area. People outside the grounds couldn't hear the conversation but could feel tension building.

  "Heh."

  Jinyo smiled. His response made Joden flinch.

  "So if trash like me ranks higher than you, you'd be lower than trash, right?"

  "!!??"

  Joden's face turned beet red. How could that be possible! An incompetent person with a cultivation rate below 1% scoring higher than him on the Hunter exam? If it were the teaching license exam, Joden could still accept it. But the Hunter exam didn't focus on theoretical knowledge—it measured overall potential.

  Joden sneered at Jinyo. His gaze radiated increasing contempt.

  "Are you daydreaming? Even passing is hard for someone like you."

  "Then let's make a bet. If I win, you have to apologize to me on social media and help promote my school for one year."

  "And if I win, what do I get?"

  "I'll teach at your school for free for one year. I won't accept even a single coin in payment."

  "Hmm?"

  "I got my teaching license in the top ten. Even if I fail the Hunter exam, having a teacher with high test scores teach at your school should raise your school's profile. Plus you wouldn't have to pay me. Not a bad deal, right?"

  'He has a point.'

  Joden calculated in his head. The salary of a combat instructor was much higher than a textbook teacher. His school was just opening and had spent a lot on construction and recruitment. If he got Jinyo with his high exam scores to teach at his school, not only would it boost the school's reputation, but he'd save a year's salary for a combat instructor.

  Most importantly—if I'm the boss and he's my subordinate, I can spit on him however I want!

  "Deal. Whoever ranks lower loses. But that's not all—you have to announce on social media that you're a loser with no ability."

  "Fine. But you have to do the same if you lose."

  "Absolutely! Remember your own words."

  Joden smiled with satisfaction. He was confident he couldn't lose. He was about to walk away but bumped into someone while turning around. Joden was knocked to the ground. The pain in his hip made him look up at the idiot who'd hit him.

  "What the hell! Don't you have eyes!?"

  "Sorry about that. I just couldn't see someone below my eye level."

  It was a large, tall man in shabby clothes. Joden gulped because he remembered clearly—the man with a 79% cultivation rate. The uneducated person who'd captured everyone's attention. Theo looked down at Joden, who scrambled to his feet and fled. His face was tense, filled with contempt.

  "Little brother, I don't understand why you didn't just beat that trash into the ground. Why tolerate him talking down to you? I definitely couldn't do what you did."

  "I don't like unnecessary violence. Besides, confrontation doesn't solve anything anyway. And you too—it's fine that you're not talking to others. There are people more beneficial for you to associate with than me."

  "I don't like talking to weak people! I like talking to cool, strong people. Like you."

  Theo smiled meaningfully. Those wild-animal-like eyes that seemed friendly and harmless appeared to see through the true identity of the handsome young man everyone else overlooked.

  "Come to think of it, you really are pitiful. If you get bullied in the future, come tell me. I'll help you out. My sworn little brother!"

  Theo sidled up and wrapped an arm around Jinyo's neck. Jinyo got goosebumps and wanted to push Theo away, but he was afraid it would be rude.

  "Sorry, but I'm not comfortable being touched by strangers. It would be great if you removed your arm."

  "So protective of yourself! Just like those young masters and ladies."

  Theo laughed and agreed to remove his arm from Jinyo's shoulder. Jinyo brushed the dust from his clothes. He hoped Theo wouldn't pay attention to him anymore after the exam ended. Dealing with someone so full of energy exhausted Jinyo too much. Even more exhausting than facing an Unknown.