Standing beside Valen, Jeremy frowned, his eyes fixed on the screen. One of the teachers spoke excitedly, "I know her. She's been causing a stir in Nine Tower, clearing straight to the third floor. She even beat Ferro, the Combat Institute's second-ranked student, with one punch. The students have been talking about her nonstop." When everyone turned to him, the teacher felt a strange sense of pride and asked, "You guys seriously didn't know?" Some had heard rumors, but since the faculty didn't interfere with Nine Tower, few knew the details. William looked pleased and said loudly, "That's right. She's from our institute." At this pace, Thora could break into the top 20—maybe even the top 10. Combat Institute's reputation as the weakest across the academy was finally within reach. That thought filled him with satisfaction.Seeing Roth's sour expression only improved his mood. Thora's comprehensive score kept rising at a visible rate, already surpassing Roxen and Tobias. Roxen and Tobias were close in strength, their abilities balancing each other out. Thora, however, was shockingly balanced across every category. The gap between her and Adrian was razor-thin. Several Command Institute freshmen were also climbing fast in the rankings. There were also a few students with outstanding performances but serious weaknesses. Their overall ranks barely reached the top hundred, yet their specialty scores sat at the very top. The clearest example was Shirley from the Shooting Institute. Her shooting data was nearly maxed out, while her other stats hovered just above average. Teachers actually preferred that kind of specialist. The real awkward ones were those who were average in everything—neither great nor terrible.As they watched Thora's performance, the research experts exchanged looks, shock written all over their faces. "Her body..." one expert muttered heavily. The person beside him nodded. Though the rest wasn't said out loud, they both understood. While everyone focused on Thora, no one noticed a student whose performance looked ordinary but had quietly locked in tenth place and stayed there. That student was Lance, who used the alias Ashley. It was also Davis's first time closely watching Thora's performance. The longer he watched, the more serious his expression became. In his mind, Thora's figure overlapped with someone from his memories. Suspicion flickered in his eyes, and he paid even closer attention to her. As expected, Adrian finished first. When he walked out of the testing room, everyone stood and applauded. With his level, he could have completed all evaluations and graduated in record time, even before this year's freshmen arrived. He stayed only because Davis asked him to remain for another six months. No one at the academy questioned Adrian's strength. Davis nodded with satisfaction. Adrian stayed expressionless, only returning the nod politely. Five seconds after he exited, Thora walked out as well. Adrian turned slightly to look at her. Thora lifted her gaze to meet his. A faint smile touched his lips. "Five seconds." She raised an eyebrow. "Next time, it won't be." The understanding between them left no room for outsiders. Davis and Valen exchanged a glance, and the deans were clearly stunned.So Adrian wasn't some emotionless robot after all. He could smile. And he seemed quite familiar with Thora. What had happened in the past month that they didn't know about? Valen was just as confused. When had those two gotten so close? Thora had only been here a month. Not long after they came out, Tobias, Roxen, and Mike exited one after another. Everyone else kept their original ranks. But when the name in tenth place appeared, Valen's expression changed instantly.