Supreme Lord: I can extract everything! Chapter 2 Examination Chamber

"Mr. Fang, it appears you are quite eager to be the first one inside the Examination Chamber. Don't you think you're being a bit overzealous?" A voice he recognized cut through the air toward the young man.

Lifting his gaze, he realized he was back in the classroom. Over thirty pairs of eyes were fixed on him; some students were baffled as to why he was making himself a target, while others struggled to hide their mocking grins. The young man, however, remained indifferent to their reactions.

'What on earth was that experience just now?'

He checked his chest once more, but he found nothing. There was no massive hole, no wound, and not even a faint scar to be seen.

The only object he held was a worn-out, ragged book.

The vivid tales described within its pages read like something pulled from a well-crafted but impossible fantasy novel. It was the kind of story no sane person would believe actually happened.

And yet…

That was the exact history Michael had been raised on.

His entire family insisted that this battered book contained the absolute truth regarding the deeds of their first ancestor. While he held a lingering skepticism toward his parents, he knew his brother would never intentionally deceive him—at least, not anymore. Still, such tall tales were difficult to swallow.

'Was that a dream, a fragment of the past?' Michael wondered. Recalling the vision, he compared it to the passages in the book. They were identical.

"Michael Fang, I am speaking to you!" The familiar voice thundered through the room again, this time sharp with irritation and authority.

Michael, however, was still lost in thought, his mind lingering on the man from the battlefield. The shouting in the classroom was a mere distraction, causing him to mutter his internal frustrations aloud, "Oh… fuck this shit…"

"Mr. Fang. Examination Chamber, NOW!" The man roared, finally snapping Michael's focus back to reality.

Blinking in confusion, Michael finally centered himself as he met the furious gaze of Mr. Kelen Dame, their homeroom teacher.

'That’s right. The graduation exam.'

Though a haze of confusion remained, it was clear he didn't have the luxury of time to sort through his memories.

His teacher glared at him with pure venom, a look that only softened slightly when Michael reached for his bag. He tucked the tattered book away and stood up to approach the teacher. As he moved, he glanced briefly at the holographic projection shimmering above the crystal watch on his wrist.

'9:01 am. If the exam starts now, I should be finished by lunch. That gives me some time to process everything before tomorrow. It might be useful!' he mused. The light from the projection faded a second later.

The crystal watch was standard equipment for every seventeen-year-old student. Beyond tracking time and generating holograms, it provided a link to the Starnet—a massive stellar network used for communication and information across various star systems. For most students, this was the watch's most vital feature.

As Michael reached the front of the room, he was greeted by Mr. Dame’s usual brand of 'guidance.'

"Looking at you makes my heart ache with disappointment. Don't you dare grow arrogant even if you manage to pass this exam with high marks. If you think life within the Origin Expanse is anything like this, you're as good as dead."

The teacher's underlying insult was blatant, but like most of the class, Michael was used to it.

"Mr. Dame, please don't worry. You've cautioned us plenty; we get it. Besides, it’s not like everyone is even capable of awakening their War Rune!" a student with an athletic build shouted, raising his right hand high. A sneer was fixed firmly on Michael.

A tattoo glowing with a soft white light was visible on the back of the student's hand. This was the War Rune he spoke of. Yet, no one cheered for Niklas Liekhoven’s display. Most of the students simply shot him looks of disgust before turning away. Michael followed suit.

It was common knowledge that the homeroom teacher and Niklas Liekhoven enjoyed teaming up to bully others. Michael wasn't sure how they had bonded, but in his mind, they were definitely soulmates in misery.

"Mr. Liekhoven, even though your War Rune manifested two days ago, there is no need to flaunt it constantly," Mr. Dame said in a mock reprimand, though he emphasized his words to ensure the class remained focused on Niklas.

Michael watched the pair's antics for a few more minutes, his mind still plagued by the dream. Once the teacher finished praising his favorite student, Mr. Dame escorted Michael out. He led him to a small chamber adjacent to the classroom and signaled for him to enter.

As soon as Michael crossed the threshold, the door slid shut, plunging him into a world of absolute silence.

Meanwhile, his homeroom teacher moved to a separate observation room.

Over a dozen people were already gathered there, mostly faculty members. None of them acknowledged Mr. Dame’s arrival; they were all preoccupied with the holographic displays showing various examinees.

'Jasmine Blade, Oliver Kaelte, and Peter Seakal?... I really should have sent Niklas in first,' Mr. Dame thought, giving a small shake of his head.

It was too late for that now, as a screen featuring Michael appeared. It was a pity, really.

In Mr. Dame's eyes, Michael didn't belong in this class. He simply wasn't on the same level as the others.

In his decade of teaching, he had seen many like Michael Fang. They came from humble backgrounds and developed an ego just because they managed to get into a top-tier high school.

But getting into a good school was merely the beginning, not the victory!

'Wait until reality hits you. Without wealth, power, or connections, someone like you has no business trying to become a Lord.'

Cruel as it was, life was never fair. Those chasing power either crushed the hurdles in their path or were swallowed by time.

The list of common students who reached the peak through luck rather than strength was short enough to fit on a single page.

"Is that your student, Kelen? I don't recognize him. Have you been hiding a dark horse this whole time?" one of the teachers nearby asked.

Realizing the other teachers had brought their star pupils to the chamber to impress the visiting dignitaries, Kelen gave up on competing. A little rivalry was fine, but these people always took things too far.

"A hidden trump card? Don't make me laugh, Hagen! Michael Fang is just a commoner with no pedigree. The boy is just lucky," Kelen Dame replied with a dry laugh. "His brother was fortunate enough to get a War Rune and hold his Lord status for a few years, but that's the extent of it."

Michael was a diligent student, but that was all. There was nothing remarkable about him.

"He's a social outcast who does nothing but read and sleep. It's a miracle he even made it to his final year," Kelen added.

Hagen looked at his peer and frowned.

'Why did I even bother talking to him? He's just trying to shame his student by throwing him to the wolves first!' he thought.

For a moment, Hagen questioned what he was doing at a prestigious academy dedicated to teaching the ways of the Origin Expanse and the lives of Lords and Adventurers.

'A fat paycheck without the daily risk of death can turn even the worst jerks into obedient dogs, that's for sure!' Hagen mused, shaking his head.

He was about to respond to Kelen when he heard footsteps approaching from behind.

"Are you certain you are describing the student you just sent into the chamber? Your assessment seems quite inaccurate," a sudden voice broke into their conversation.

Kelen Dame was ready to snap at the speaker for the interruption, but he froze when he saw the woman. She was beautiful yet radiated a fierce intensity, dressed in casual attire. She stood behind them with an air of absolute authority, as if she owned the building—which wasn't far from the truth.

"M-m-m-miss Z—...." Kelen Dame began to stutter, only to be cut off.

"I asked a question," the woman stated, her voice cold and demanding.

"Yes, yes, of course. Please, just a moment!" Mr. Dame stammered, frantically turning back to the monitors to find Michael’s feed.

He felt a sense of unease, but he never expected to see something so impossible happening right before him.

"Who is that? What happened to the 'Sloth' I knew?"

'Is that actually Michael?'