After discussing with Shadow Nine, Mike decided to put the matter of [Wind’s Reach] on hold for now. By tonight at the latest, before Mike enters the Tower of Truth, a brief report will be delivered to both of them.
This report will include data on the production of [wind elemental cores], an assessment of the skill books market, and an analysis of the scenarios where these skills are used. With this investigative report, the parties involved can finally sit down and settle the accounts properly.
Mike had ten unrestricted [Wind’s Reach] in his possession, which he sold to the Hurricane Corps through Shadow Nine’s connections for the price of two Elemental King cores.
The leader of the Hurricane Corps, a Wind Element Warrior himself, has many wind element experts under his command, making it a perfect match. They had just returned from a fierce battle in the Abyssal Plane and were now resting while also being responsible for guarding the students at the summer camp.
The summer camp, located outside the Forest of Truth, gathers Supreme Being seeds from around the world, along with students from top superpower universities, providing one-on-one tutoring to these seeds. If these yet-to-grow Supreme Being seeds were wiped out by the demon race in one fell swoop, it would be no laughing matter.
…
After the morning classes, Cain enthusiastically offered to treat everyone to lunch to celebrate his A-grade conquest of the third level yesterday. Of course, the meal was reimbursed by the summer camp.
“Mike, this [Exotic Gourmet] buff is just too awesome!” Cain, brimming with excitement, shared his experience from yesterday. With a bounty of food and the boost from Exotic Gourmet, he achieved an A-grade on the third level and even stumbled upon a B-grade ore!
Cain is now challenging the fifth level and still stands a chance to score high.
“Congratulations!” Mike said sincerely, then asked, “Today is the third day of the training camp, what are your plans?”
The summer camp training session eliminates participants every seven days. Cain’s progress was quite good, even faster than many of his peers with B-level talents. He was confident about winning the first round of eliminations and staying on.
“I haven’t really decided…” Cain sighed, a bit helplessly, “I thought I was just coming to gain some experience, and we’d head home early together, treating it like a vacation. But now it seems like there might be a chance to stay. Well, we’ll just have to see how it goes.”
Cain only had a D-level talent and no chance for a second awakening. The reason he had made it this far was entirely due to the various buffs provided by Thor, combined with his own efforts, stumbling through the Tower of Truth.
Anderson was also very responsible, not looking down on him for his D-level talent and being strict in all aspects. From the fresh ingredients Cain ate every day, it was clear that Anderson was very attentive.
“Mike, how about I give you the B-grade ore? It might boost your final score a bit.”
For some reason, Cain hadn’t even considered the possibility of Mike not being able to stay. In his mind, if Mike wanted to stay, he would definitely find a way.
“Uh, I’m planning to stick around. Kaelum works so hard every day, I can’t let him down, right?” Mike pointed at the stone in Cain’s arms, “I don’t need that, though. If I took your stone, it’d be cheating, and we’d both get in trouble if it got out.”
Cain, somewhat puzzled, nodded and then looked curious. “Why’d you suddenly ask about that?”
“It’s nothing, I’m just a bit worried. With the way you’re eating now, you’d go broke in less than a week once you get home.”
“Ah, shoot…” Mike’s point was so valid that Cain found himself unable to argue.
Of course, that wasn’t the real reason Mike brought it up.
He was reminded of a terrifying statistic: [100% casualty rate].
That was the casualty rate among the classmates of Supreme Being [Morpheus]!
It was almost universally acknowledged that among all Supreme Beings, [Morpheus] was the strongest.
The Supreme Being among Supreme Beings.
Such a powerful entity, yet unable to protect those around him. Even Shadow Nine was in a half-dead state…
If Cain continued to stay at the summer camp, Mike didn’t know if one day he might suddenly receive terrible news. Just like what Carson had said on the first day of the drill: “The war is never over.”
…
Gregory Blackwell’s office.
Two cups of coffee were brought in, and the assistant explained, “Gentlemen, Professor Gregory has been called to an emergency meeting. Please wait a moment.”
“No worries, we’ll just sit here and wait,” they replied.
“That’s fine. If you get bored, feel free to look at the materials on the coffee table. They’re papers Professor Gregory has been working on recently.”
Professor Gregory was always keen on sharing his work, some of his ideas being profoundly enlightening.
“Alright, that’s always been the rule.”
Bob Emberclad and Blaze Morrow sat on the couch, casually flipping through Professor Gregory’s papers while chatting.
“Back in our school days, we were students of Professor Gregory too. It’s been so many years.”
Blaze Morrow remarked, “If you were still a Battle Chief…”
“How did you know I regained my Battle Chief strength?” Bob Emberclad said, slightly surprised. “I thought I hid it well!”
It was then Blaze Morrow noticed, Bob Emberclad’s outfit today had a [Chief] emblem right in the middle.
Not only that, but the thermos he was holding was engraved with [Battle Chief Commemorative Edition], and his shoes were [Battle Chief Limited Edition]…
Bob Emberclad might as well have written [I am Battle Chief] on his forehead.
He wasn’t hiding it at all; he was flaunting it from head to toe!
“I was wondering why that assistant was giving you weird looks, now it makes sense!”
Blaze Morrow scoffed at his old friend’s behavior, “Making a big deal out of nothing, can’t you be more mature like me? Speaking of maturity, do you remember my granddaughter Jessica? She’s had her second talent awakening…”
The two chatted idly, and Bob Emberclad curiously asked, “Blaze, what did you need from Professor Gregory?”
Blaze didn’t hide it, “I’ve been having some headaches recently, went to the hospital but they found nothing. The Battle Lord who checked me said it might be a problem with my soul. Professor Gregory is highly skilled in soul matters, the Battle Lord recommended I get a preliminary diagnosis from him. Once we have a direction, we can look for a soul element specialist for treatment.”
“Eh, a soul issue?” Bob Emberclad exclaimed,
“Coincidentally, Professor Gregory is actually writing a paper on that subject. This paper is something else, I hear it even includes human experiment data from Battle Chief-level fighters. Most importantly, it was a Battle Chief who volunteered for this, what a great person!”
“Hand it over, let me see.”
Blaze Morrow took the paper, reading line by line, nodding frequently, occasionally shaking his head, his brows furrowing then relaxing, and from time to time, his face lit up with sudden understanding.
He was so engrossed that he lost track of time.
“So, what do you make of it?” Bob Emberclad was baffled by Blaze Morrow’s demeanor.
Had Blaze Morrow gotten smarter since the last time they met?
Blaze Morrow put down the paper, looking unusually composed, and smiled slightly,
“Heh, I can’t understand a thing.”