The majority in the hall was shocked. Some thought it was a trick from Arsene to observe their reactions and behavior in order to identify them, so they tried to hide their expressions. Clem was one of those who believed it was part of Arsene's plan.
He wanted to take advantage of it to read the expressions of those present, but the problem was—they were too many, even for him.
As for Arsene, he wasn't joking, and it wasn't some ploy. He had truly discovered the real singularities from the fake ones in the entire hall.
The committee was waiting for an explanation and follow-up from Arsene after what he said. Not even five minutes had passed, and he had already distinguished the real from the fake. Even the evaluation committee considered this an impossible feat.
Because they knew the nature of Arsene's singularity.
"It's actually quite simple," Arsene smiled and continued speaking—explaining and, of course, giving his answer.
"Last night I met with my friend Clem, the one sitting over there. We talked about this meeting we were supposed to attend as Information-type singularities."
"We didn't really give it much thought, thinking it was just a basic introductory meeting between singularities of our type. But isn't it strange to organize a meeting for a group of new singularities who can basically be counted on one hand—and who will spend the next five years together getting to know each other anyway?"
"That's when I started to suspect there was something behind this meeting, especially since the invitation didn't mention any purpose or objective."
"So I figured being a little late might be useful, in case there was something else going on here."
"Of course, that was just a theory of mine, but it was better than nothing."
"I suspected there might be a test or evaluation—and that's exactly what happened."
Yugur Baltis raised his thick white eyebrows in confusion: "I don't understand! Why be late then?"
Arsene smiled again. "I don't know if this part was intentional on your end or not. The invitation we received included the date, time, and location of the meeting—along with one more thing: we were told to bring our ID and identification card."
"That's what made me decide to arrive late. It meant they would verify our identities before letting us in, which means the guards at the door would know which singularities were entering the hall."
"But here's what really puzzled me. Before we even handed over our IDs, when we were still approaching, the guards called us by name as if they already knew us—even without checking our identity. That's when I assumed the guards were part of the test—to see if we could figure things out even before entering the hall."
"The academy is usually full in the morning, but the corridors leading to the meeting room were empty. That means the other students were blocked from this area, and only invitees were allowed in."
"That was also to help us during the evaluation—because some Information-type singularities require silence. And I noticed that too, when I entered the hall—the fake singularities were completely quiet. That was an instruction they received to ensure the real singularities had an environment that allowed them to focus."
"The moment I handed my ID card to the guard, I already knew the purpose of this meeting, and I already knew who the real singularities were and who the fakes were."
Arsene spoke calmly. Everyone in the hall was stunned—shocked, even. All these calculations, possibly made days in advance, just for this one moment.
It was insane. Truly. Even the committee felt some shock. They didn't expect someone to have figured out things to this level.
He was a genius. In everyone's eyes, that confident, handsome young man standing there was a real genius.
"I also found it strange that the evaluation committee was observing the real singularities—as if they were helping us uncover the answer. Was that intentional on your part too?" Arsene asked with genuine curiosity.
Yugur Baltis replied: "I didn't expect someone to make all those calculations and connect them with such flawless logic. I commend you, Arsene Vaille. You truly deserve to be an Information-type singularity of Grade 0."
"But there's something I'm curious about as well. I'm certain there was no physical contact between you and the guards. And taking your singularity into account—it requires touch to be activated. So how?"
Arsene smiled slightly. "Yes, touch is required. Without it, I can't use my singularity. But... it doesn't always have to be direct physical contact between me and the target."
"The thing is, I can manifest my Singularity even through physical objects that connect me to the target I choose.
When the guard held my ID card, I was still holding it too—so I could use my Singularity on him.
As long as something links me to my target, I can activate my Singularity. If the target is standing on the same rug I'm on, or sitting at the same table, or present in the same space—I can always use it on them. Unless they can float in midair or fly.
Everyone was shocked at what they heard. Even the genius Faradice Forbes was stunned. A Singularity like that? It defied logic itself.
That was everyone's thought: a Singularity like that—!
But Arsene quickly replied, shattering their hopes—or perhaps, renewing them.
"But this is just a theoretical conclusion I've come to. While it's true, I still need to be very close to my target—at least one or two meters—and the conditions I mentioned earlier must be met.
But if one day my Singularity evolves and I reach the Classless Grade, then maybe I won't need the proximity factor."
Arsene was playing with fire now. These were strangers. He didn't know their intentions. He knew nothing about them.
And yet he was revealing himself, laying out his cards, explaining how his Singularity worked.
But Arsene didn't care. So what if they knew how his ability worked?
It didn't matter. As long as they didn't know what his Singularity actually was, they knew nothing about it."
Naturally, up to this point, Arsene had only been explaining without actually revealing the answer, so he had to hurry and tell them before someone else figured it out.
But given the current state they were all in, there was no way anyone could concentrate enough to identify a true Singular.
Once again, Arsene spoke:
"The true Singulars among those present and participating in this hall are: number 75, number 13, number 24, number 56, number 9, number 47, number 31, number 40, and finally number 19."
Lady Maclenny laughed,
"It seems we have a winner. Of course, based on his earlier explanation, he truly deserves to win. Without that kind of reasoning, no one would have succeeded."
"You mentioned earlier in the invitation that the meeting would take place at 9 AM. Was that a hint that there would be nine Singulars?" Arsene asked.
Maclenny replied,
"In truth, that was the real test for all of you: to figure out the purpose of the meeting, the content of the test, the evaluation criteria, and the answer—all before even stepping through the gate.
We wanted you to know everything before knowing anything.
But unfortunately, only one person succeeded, while we had hoped that several of you would."
Everyone was stunned, especially the eight other Singulars, including Clem.
"They wanted us to know everything before knowing anything?
What is this? What do they even mean?"
"There were multiple clues in the invitation and along the path to the meeting. Clues sufficient for you to uncover everything, but you didn't pay attention to them. That's what Lady Maclenny meant," Professor Juaking now spoke, explaining her words.
"But there's no need to worry. You're still at the beginning of the year, and this is your first class. You still have a long way to go, especially in developing your personal genius."
"As for Arsene, I won't deny he handled things smartly, but there was certainly a factor of luck involved, in addition to his Singularity."
The boy Faradice objected,
"No, that's not it! Info-type Singularities have always been directly connected to and built upon a person's intelligence. So Arsen's Singularity isn't luck or some golden Finger—it's something he earned through his extraordinary intellect."
Yugur Baltis nodded in agreement with what Faradice had said, and finally declared,
"The test is over. We have Arsene Vaille as the one who succeeded."
"He has successfully passed the test. Now, the fake participants may leave. Thank you for your efforts—there will be compensation for what you've contributed."
"As for the nine true Singulars, you may stay to get to know one another. You're also welcome to ask us any questions, and we'll answer them all."
"There will be a table full of food as a banquet."