The Royal Military Academy's Impostor Owns a Dungeon [BL] novel Chapter 870

Chapter 870: An Impossible Playback

If anyone else had seen what Doctor Brent was doing at that moment, they would have immediately concluded that he had finally lost his mind.

Because really, what was he trying to accomplish by waiting for and watching the equipment’s recording?

In a sense, he knew he was grasping at straws. But if his suspicions about Luca’s spiritual rank were even remotely correct, then confirming that there was nothing to see was still a form of confirmation. At the very least, he wanted certainty.

And maybe, just maybe, he wanted proof that even outliers were still bound by the same universal rules. That in the end, they were just like everyone else in that department.

Then again, when doing such a thing, both good and bad answers were still considered answers.

What kind of research enthusiast would pass up the chance to confirm every little thing?

Certainly not him.

So he pressed play to watch.

But maybe he shouldn’t have.

And in hindsight, future him would definitely agree.

"..."

"..."

The physician who had eagerly prepared snacks and even adjusted the lighting for optimal viewing found himself sliding out of his chair instead.

Thud!

Oof!

Doctor Brent ended up on the floor, back against the cabinet, hands braced at his sides as he sucked in air like a man who had forgotten how breathing worked.

"Haaa...!"

What.

On.

Solaris.

Did he just watch?

No. No, that was impossible.

By any chance, had he opened the wrong file?

Maybe this was some corrupted recording?

Better yet, maybe the staff thought he had been a difficult ass to deal with, and this was all a prank?

Brent scrambled upright, fingers shaking as he rewound the footage.

Once more.

From the beginning.

This time, he forced himself to focus.

The projection lit up with the familiar diagnostic interface. As expected, it looked normal. Ordinary. A field of dots against a dark background, evenly spaced, calm, and unremarkable.

Well, at least at first.

Then they moved.

Yep. Much to the mind-blowing surprise of the thoroughly frazzled doctor, the supposedly stationary dots were moving.

And not in a way that could be brushed off as eye strain, hallucination, or the consequence of too many sleepless nights.

Unless he had been unknowingly drugged, there was simply no reason to doubt what he was seeing.

One dot slid to the left.

Another drifted upward.

A small cluster gathered together, compressing neatly as if guided by an unseen hand.

Then it spread apart again, unhurried and precise.

Doctor Brent stared, unblinking.

And now that the initial shock had worn off just enough for his brain to function again, the poor doctor found himself holding his breath, waiting.

Waiting to see what else he had missed earlier.

Waiting to witness whatever secret of the universe he had almost overlooked simply because he had been too stunned the first time the dots decided to disobey everything he thought he knew.

But now he was ready. He—

"?"

That in actuality, they were being moved.

At that moment, he would have been lucky to even get a message through when half the master mechanics and a sizable portion of the military were all circling the same young cadet.

And even if he did manage to get Luca in front of him, then what?

Using the same machine again wouldn’t yield anything new. The equipment was hard capped at S-rank.

Anything beyond that simply couldn’t be measured.

As for assigning an SS-rank, that had always been a contentious matter.

There was really no specific equipment meant for it. Not only would developing such a thing be difficult, but they also needed a bigger sample size to use as a basis.

Which brings him to the second point: having no clear metrics.

It was mostly a range, one where someone initially classified as S-rank would be able to hold the assessment far longer than their peers.

And yes, that would be the third point: which was how SS-ranks were established through comparison. Against other S-ranks. Through repeated manual demonstrations and with far too many people required to be present to agree.

It would usually take years of having to prove themselves to be well above the other S-ranks.

But in truth, the main reason why the ranking procedure was rarely discussed was mostly because no one wanted to seem like they were questioning the results.

Especially when the known SS-ranked individuals were the Emperor, the Empress, Duke Leander, and that Federation traitor.

So really, which idiot would volunteer to poke at their spiritual ranks?

No one.

But what about Luca Kyros?

Brent had never heard of anyone rearranging the dots like that.

Then again, had anyone ever even tried?

The possibility made his head hurt.

So instead of dragging Luca in for a conversation he was not prepared to have, Brent chose a different approach.

He would answer his own questions first.

That way, when they finally did meet, he would at least have something to say.

Anything at all.