Leonar took a deep breath as he pushed open the door to the evaluation room. The door creaked slightly, the sound echoing faintly down the corridor.

Just before stepping in, the mage—who had stayed at the threshold—gestured for him to stop.

"Alright, Leonar, this is simple," she said, crossing her arms and leaning against the doorframe with a calm expression. "Just do what they ask in there. No more, no less."

Leonar tilted his head slightly.

"How... *simple* are we talking?" he asked, his tone laced with sarcasm, though his eyes betrayed a hint of concern.

The mage raised an eyebrow, as if deciding whether it was worth her time to answer.

"Simple enough that you don't mess it up by lying or trying to show off. Just stick to the script."

With a resigned sigh, Leonar nodded and stepped inside. The door clicked shut behind him with a metallic sound that seemed louder than it should.

The room was larger than he expected, with smooth, almost clinical white walls. In the center, a glowing sphere rested on a metallic pedestal.

On either side of the room stood armed guards, clearly prepared for any contingency. Their presence made Leonar instinctively straighten his posture.

Even so, it wasn't the guards that held his attention—it was the woman approaching from a nearby desk. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, and the glasses she wore gave her a professional air. In one hand, she held a tablet, her fingers scrolling quickly across the screen.

"Leonar, right?" she asked, not bothering to look up as she continued skimming the display.

"The one and only," he replied, trying to sound relaxed, though the guards' stares made that difficult.

The woman glanced up briefly, giving him a once-over as if evaluating every detail about him. Then, without a word, she returned her attention to the tablet.

"Take a seat in front of the sphere," she instructed, gesturing casually toward the pedestal.

Leonar complied without protest, lowering himself onto the metal chair in front of the sphere. His left arm, bandaged and aching, brushed against the edge of the table, causing him to wince slightly—though he tried to hide it.

"Full name," the woman requested, her fingers continuing to glide across the screen.

"Leonar Hart," he replied, noticing his voice sounded deeper than usual.

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She nodded, still engrossed in her device.

"How long has it been since you awakened?"

Leonar frowned at the question but chose to answer honestly.

"Technically speaking, I'm still on my first day."

That made her pause. She looked up again, this time with a raised eyebrow, studying him more closely.

"First day?" she repeated, her tone skeptical.

"That's right," Leonar shrugged, careful not to move his injured arm too much.

The woman fell silent for a moment, reviewing something on her tablet.

"According to the report I received, you escorted a group of five people to the checkpoint of a portal. Is that accurate?"

"Yeah," Leonar confirmed with a slow nod.

"Alright," she said, then gestured toward the sphere. "Place your hand on the surface. Keep it there until it lights up."

Leonar did as instructed, pressing his right hand against the sphere. Its surface was cold to the touch but not unpleasant. Several seconds passed in silence before the sphere began to glow softly, emitting a faint white light.

The woman observed the reaction, and for the first time, her professional demeanor cracked into an expression of confusion.

"Rank... F," she muttered, as if the words were stuck in her throat.

Leonar looked up, his brow furrowing at the declaration.

"F?" he repeated, incredulous. "Is that... bad?"

The woman stared at him as though he'd just asked the dumbest question in existence.

"Bad? It's... unexpected."

She glanced back at the sphere, almost as if waiting for it to change its mind.

"With a rank F, it's a miracle you survived a dungeon alone, let alone one with a C-class worm."

Leonar let out a nervous laugh and raised his bandaged left arm.

"Well, technically, I didn't come out unscathed. This should count for something, right?"

The woman's eyes flickered with doubt.

"If you were truly rank F, you wouldn't have walked out with an injury that can heal so easily." Her tone was sharp, almost cutting.

Leonar clicked his tongue, leaning back in his chair.

"So, what now? Am I stuck as rank F, or do I get a promotion to C?"

The woman sighed, the kind you give when dealing with an especially frustrating student.

"Standard procedure would place you at rank F. Your mana capacity and physical strength are limited. However..." She paused, studying him intently. "According to the report, you rescued five people from a B-class dungeon. That doesn't add up for someone with your current abilities."

Leonar opened his mouth to reply, but she raised a hand to cut him off.

"Tell me the truth," her voice grew more serious. "Do you have some hidden power or a temporary way to boost your abilities?"

Leonar felt a lump form in his throat. He hesitated, weighing whether he should tell the truth. Ultimately, he chose the safest option.

"I've got nothing like that," he said calmly.

The silence that followed was uncomfortable but brief. One of the armed men spoke for the first time.

"Lie."

Leonar turned his head toward the man, startled. The guard wasn't looking at him with hostility, but his tone was firm and unyielding.

"Excuse me?" Leonar asked, forcing a nervous smile.

The woman didn't seem surprised by the guard's interjection. If anything, she nodded as though she'd been expecting it.

"He has a skill to detect lies," she explained, her tone tinged with resignation. "So try again. And this time, don't waste our time."

Leonar gritted his teeth, his mind racing.

"That's all there is," he insisted. "I'm telling the truth."

The armed man stepped forward, fixing him with a steady gaze.

"That's another lie," the man said, his voice implacable.

The woman let out an exasperated sigh, snapping the tablet shut.

"Listen, Leonar. You're not leaving this room until you tell us the whole truth. So why don't you make this easier for everyone?"