Mindful of the lingering “Broke” debuff, Mike logged out of the Tower of Truth promptly at 6:10 AM.
Back in the Forest of Truth, Mike looked around, but found nothing unusual. Ares had mentioned Morpheus’ arrival, but it seemed the elusive Supreme Being was continuing his game of hide-and-seek.
*No matter!* Mike reassured himself as he walked back. Once he became a Supreme Being, nothing in this world could stay hidden from him.
Reaching the edge of the Forest of Truth, he found the Teleportation Array and returned to New York Superpower University, ready for his third day of campus life.
…
New York Superpower University, Combat Simulation Zone A.
Following the instructions he’d received, Mike arrived at the designated time. As before, Libra, Sophie, Blackdragon, and Candy were already present.
“Morning,” Mike greeted them, then paused, looking at Blackdragon with surprise.
“Huh?”
Blackdragon appeared normal, but a faint scent of holy water clung to him. Clearly, he’d just received healing, freshly recovered from serious injuries. Mike wondered who Blackdragon had offended to get beaten up so badly.
“You’re sharp to notice that,” Libra stepped forward to explain. “Orion Starwind from Star Class One had a sparring match with Blackdragon earlier.”
“Orion Starwind?” Mike raised an eyebrow.
Libra coughed awkwardly. Even Blackdragon himself was clueless about why Orion Starwind had singled him out.
However, the chance to spar with Orion Starwind was invaluable. For Blackdragon, as long as he wasn’t dead, it was a win!
“Now that everyone’s here, let’s go over today’s training,” Libra announced. Since Nine-Star Lord Joseph was busy, he usually assigned tasks in advance, leaving Libra to supervise their execution. This, combined with the university’s own curriculum, formed Mike and his classmates’ daily routine.
Other Star Classes followed a similar structure. Their instructors were Lords, all with important responsibilities. They couldn’t personally train them every day. Guidance was provided only at crucial moments.
Libra displayed Joseph’s assigned task: “This morning, we’ll familiarize ourselves with each other’s fighting styles to improve future coordination.”
Yesterday’s tests only measured their theoretical strength. Often, paper stats didn’t reflect actual combat ability.
Some could exceed their paper stats in battle, while others fell short. However, Mike understood the underlying reason. The other four members of Star Class Three already knew each other well. The real familiarization was between Mike and the rest of them.
“So…” Libra said hesitantly, “This morning, we’ll take turns sparring with Mike.”
It sounded a bit like bullying.
“No worries, just a casual spar. Let’s go.” Since everyone was ready, Mike didn’t bother with modesty, leading them into the combat simulation arena.
The first round was one-on-one: Mike versus each of the four in turn.
Blackdragon stepped up first, removing his jacket to reveal bulging muscles. From a comprehensive combat perspective, Blackdragon had the strongest individual combat ability among the five!
Before the fight began, both Candy and Sophie were unconditionally optimistic about Blackdragon. Libra, however, shook his head slightly, murmuring, “Have you seen Mike’s records?”
The two girls nodded. Mike’s records weren’t extensive, and much of it was fluff.
Like: *D-rank talent.*
Like: *Soloed two level 100 demon creatures.*
“I noticed something,” Libra said, his tone serious as he glanced at the arena. “Mike has an undefeated record in the training camp, against everyone he’s faced.”
Sophie countered, “But Mike’s opponents, in a way… weren’t as strong as Blackdragon, right?”
“You’d be wrong.” Libra shook his head, leaving it at that.
Mike’s record included victories against many. From James in Florida to Ethan at summer camp, all seemingly shining stars.
However, in the eyes of geniuses like Libra, they were nothing. Their talent alone created a vast gap.
Ethan, one of Mike’s defeated opponents, had sparred with Blackdragon and couldn’t even last three rounds!
The key was an inconspicuous entry in Mike’s record, overlooked by almost everyone: *Victory against Kaelum.*
Others might not understand the significance of that name, but Libra did. Kaelum was Joseph’s uncle, and this relationship led many to underestimate him.
Few knew the true extent of Kaelum’s terrifying strength among his peers! Libra happened to be one of the few! He had privately sparred with Kaelum dozens of times. Fair duels under equal stats and levels!
Orion Starwind? Lost every single time. And Mike had defeated Kaelum in an official
tournament…
“Could Mike’s talent counter Kaelum’s?” Libra didn’t have the authority to access the detailed combat logs. However, having defeated Kaelum, Mike’s true strength was undoubtedly formidable!
Libra looked at the arena with anticipation, expecting a fierce and evenly matched battle! Then… he was disappointed.
From the moment the fight began, Blackdragon couldn’t keep up with Mike’s speed! It was
almost comical.
He couldn’t land a single hit. One chased, the other ran, racking up an impressive step count. A serious sparring match had turned into a parkour exhibition!
Libra’s attitude shifted from anticipation to disappointment, then to numbness.
“Enough, stop!” When the step count exceeded 300,000, Libra called a halt. At this rate, they’d spend the entire day watching Mike run circles around Blackdragon. It was supposed to be a friendly spar. Both sides, understanding the unspoken rules, stopped.
“Huff…” Blackdragon panted, drenched in sweat. “You should’ve waited a bit longer.” His tone was laced with dissatisfaction.
Libra raised an eyebrow, a flicker of hope returning. “Do you have a trump card to turn the tables on Mike?”
“No,” Blackdragon shook his head honestly. “A little longer and I would’ve forfeited.”
Everyone: “…”
*Sorry, we shouldn’t have expected anything.* Or rather, Mike’s performance had exceeded all expectations, shattering their preconceived notions about those with less than SS-rank
talent.
“Mike, your evasion is incredible. Even Orion Starwind probably can’t match you.” Libra looked at the group, his voice serious. “The other classes see Mike as our weak link. That’s why we need to keep his true strength a secret!” This way, they could catch their opponents
off guard at a critical moment!
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Libra turned to Mike. “Mike, you might have to play it down for a while. Don’t be too flashy. Coast if you can. Save your true strength for critical moments.”
Hiding a trump card depended not only on the others’ discretion, but also on Mike’s
willingness.
Libra assured him, “Your team rewards won’t be affected by your performance!”
Coasting and still getting full rewards? A dream come true!
“That’s a bit tricky. I’m not very good at hiding my strengths,” Mike sighed modestly. “You
know, with my poor talent, I had to use everything I had at summer camp to get this far.
Otherwise, I would’ve been kicked out.”
Everyone nodded, seeing his point. They all had SS-rank talent. Their hidden trump cards were game-changers. Mike, starting from a lower point, naturally had a different mindset. Take the second talent awakening, for example. Orion Starwind from Star Class One was rumored to have already completed his second awakening. No one could confirm it, and only a
few knew for sure.
But when Mike, with his D-rank talent, had his second awakening, the news spread
throughout the summer camp like wildfire! The same happened with Jessica, Mike’s classmate, who also had a second awakening. News that should have been kept secret was
everywhere.
Why the difference? Because people like Mike had to fight tooth and nail for every advantage. So, they understood Mike’s reasoning.
“I’m not good at slacking, but it’s okay!” Mike nodded resolutely. “For the team, I can learn!”
Mike’s declaration touched everyone present. Someone so driven was willing to play the role of a slacker for the team! How commendable!
Mike then changed the subject. “What about the rest of the test?” His spar with Blackdragon was over, but he hadn’t faced the other three yet.
“Candy and Sophie are out,” Libra explained. “Their movement and casting speeds are too
slow.” If they couldn’t land a hit, it would be a waste of time. Moreover, Sophie was primarily
a healer and support, making one-on-one combat her weakness. Candy did have ways to counter Mike, but as indiscriminate attacks, they weren’t suitable for this test.
“Okay.” Mike nodded, looking at Libra. “So, we spar?”
“Exactly.” That was Libra’s intention. Even after witnessing Mike’s terrifying speed, he was
confident of victory.
“Interesting.” Libra’s SS-rank talent was no secret to Mike.
[SS-rank talent ‘Absolute Fairness’: Forces a situation to become fair.]
[Of course, this is ineffective against SSS-rank talents!]
Although Mike hadn’t seen Libra use his talent in action, his thrice-awakened Eye of Truth
could directly nullify its effects. Of course, during the sparring match, Mike could manually disable this immunity to avoid suspicion.
“Ready?” After a short break, Mike re-entered the simulated arena, this time facing Libra.
Libra, ranked sixth in the SS-rank training camp, was a formidable opponent! In fact, his true combat strength was even higher than his ranking suggested. Even Orion Starwind had invited Libra to join Star Class One. However, Libra preferred to build his own team, leading to the
formation of Star Class Three.
Besides Kaelum, this was likely Mike’s strongest opponent in official records!
“Mike,” Libra asked as he warmed up, “have you ever lost?”
Mike shook his head truthfully. “No.” He had a perfect record in all official tournaments. Even against Blackdragon just now, given a little more time, he would have won. Hearing this, Libra smiled and nodded. “Congratulations, you’re about to.”
How arrogant! But Mike liked it! He decided to teach this young Libra a lesson!
Mike nodded slightly, deciding to fight fair without using the Eye of Truth, relying solely on
This level 499 strength.
“3, 2, 1!”
“Begin!”
The moment the simulated spar began, Mike moved! His incredible speed was on full display
again, leaving afterimages that dazzled the onlookers.
Libra remained calm, extending his right hand. “Mike, you’re too fast.”
“It’s not fair!”
As he spoke, Libra slammed his right hand down. A mysterious force descended, slowing Mike
down as if he were stuck in mud. Even raising his hand felt like slow motion.
*So this is Absolute Fairness?* Mike felt the restriction, but he could break free at any
moment with ease.
Sophie explained from the side, “This is one of Libra’s talent applications. Your movement
and casting speeds are now equalized!” This was to give Mike a chance and make it more challenging for Libra. Winning too easily wouldn’t be fun.
Mike looked at Libra. His casting speed was also slow, unable to complete even a basic spell
incantation. Understanding the effect of Absolute Fairness, Mike decided to end the spar.
*Whoosh-*
In a blur, a reinforced rocket launcher appeared in the center of the arena, its muzzle aimed
directly at Libra.
Libra: ???
*Sizzle-*
The fuse was lit!
Affected by “Absolute Fairness,” both their movement and casting speeds were slow.
However… the projectile’s speed remained unchanged! Before Libra could even deactivate Absolute Fairness, a 155mm shell came hurtling towards him.
*Boom-*
After the smoke cleared, Mike looked at Libra’s empty health bar and said seriously, “Sorry, I
win again.”
