Chapter 362

Today was the final day of the monthly exam’s individual battles, with only the last ten people remaining on the field. Among them, Zhou Renjie had already lost once, but to balance the numbers, the academy arranged for him to fight Mu Tieren again.

“It’s finally the last day, I’m so excited!” A red-eyed girl held her phone, the screen displaying the betting interface for the competition. “As long as I go all-in on the right person, I’m sure to make a huge profit this time!”

Go big or go home. The short-haired girl next to her thought the same thing, but she wanted to get someone else’s opinion first. “Who are you betting on?”

“Su Bei,” the red-eyed girl answered without hesitation. As she spoke about her favorite contestant, her expression grew excited. “Don’t you think he’s amazing? I haven’t seen him use his ability even once so far!”

Among the ten remaining contestants, Su Bei was undeniably the most popular. Unlike the other contestants’ spectacular ability duels, Su Bei hadn’t used his ability from start to finish. This led to him accumulating far more popularity than the other Class F students who had made it this far.

Although everyone knew the reason he only used physical skills was because his ability, [Gear], was too weak, the fact remained that he had won his matches. For someone with a nearly useless ability to outperform those with powerful ones, didn’t that just prove how much stronger he was?

After all, even though this was an Ability academy, most of the first-year Ability users still had the mentality of ordinary people. Beyond that, students from Class F and Class D whose abilities were useless, as well as support-type and special-type Ability users whose powers weren’t suited for combat, all found themselves inspired by Su Bei.

Most importantly, even though Su Bei could only rely on physical skills, his fights were anything but dull or ugly. Instead, they were filled with a kind of beauty that combined violence and intellect.

“I love Su Bei too! Watching his matches is a real treat. No matter what ability his opponent has, he seems to turn it into an advantage for himself.” Hearing that her friend had made the same choice, the short-haired girl nodded vigorously.

The red-eyed girl was a bit calmer, offering a rational analysis. “Actually, his ability to exploit his opponents’ powers is largely because we’re all first-years and not very proficient with our abilities. But if they’re not even proficient with their own abilities, and an opponent like Su Bei can use them so skillfully, that just goes to show the gap between them.”

As the two of them were chatting, a boy nearby who had been listening for a while finally mustered the courage to ask in a low voice, “Are you guys fans of Su Bei too? Want to join our fan club?”

“A fan club?” The short-haired girl looked surprised. “For Su Bei?”

She knew that the Endless Ability Academy’s student council privately organized fan clubs, but usually only for second and third-year students who had participated in major competitions, or for the first-place winner of the monthly or final exams. She hadn’t expected Su Bei to have one already.

The boy nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “The second and third-years have them, so how could we first-years not? Su Bei is super cool! A lot of us were wondering if we could ask him to be our master.”

“Ask Su Bei to be your master? Are you serious?” The red-eyed girl had a look of disbelief. It wasn’t that she thought Su Bei’s skills were inferior to the academy’s teachers and unworthy of being learned, but rather that she couldn’t imagine Su Bei ever agreeing.

“I get what you mean, that’s what we’re hesitant about too.” The boy hadn’t misunderstood at all, and he pouted. “He doesn’t seem like the type to agree, right?”

Another person chimed in, a student from Class F. “Right? You guys also think Su Bei is hard to approach, don’t you? But it’s strange, his personality is actually quite good.”

As his classmate, she had more contact with Su Bei and naturally understood him a bit. In her eyes, Su Bei was the perfect school bully type. He had good grades, was a strong fighter, and while his personality was a bit roguish, he was very straightforward. He always completed any task given to him, had a relationship with the teachers that was like both teacher and friend, and most of his classmates trusted him.

“I’m so jealous you’re in the same class as Su Bei. Your Class F has really stolen the show this time, with Su Bei, Jiang Tianming, Lan Subing, and Mu Tieren.” At this point, the short-haired girl’s eyes widened. “My god, I didn’t even notice until you mentioned it, but there are so many Class F students competing today. Your class is insane. Did they get the class assignments backward or something?”

The Class F student shook her head with a peculiar expression, clearly finding it amazing as well. “I have no idea. Anyway, who are you guys planning to bet on? I’m betting on Lan Subing. She’s definitely going to take first place!”

After going in circles, the topic returned to where it started, and everyone began to discuss animatedly. Meanwhile, Su Bei stepped onto the arena platform.

His opponent for this round was Feng Lan. Because they were on relatively good terms, Su Bei had watched a few of Feng Lan’s matches. With Su Bei’s keen eye, he could naturally see clearly what his ability was.

The ability to predict an opponent’s next move was incredibly effective in physical combat and one-on-one ability duels, but only on the condition that the gap between the two wasn’t too large. The difference in physical skill between Su Bei and Feng Lan simply couldn’t be bridged by an ability; Feng Lan couldn’t possibly beat Su Bei in either technique or stamina. So even with a bit of a cheat, the only outcome was defeat.

“I lose.” Knocked off the platform, Feng Lan said calmly. Su Bei could predict this outcome, and Feng Lan himself was well aware of his own limitations.

Su Bei stood on the platform, looking down at the scene, which felt a little familiar. It seemed he watched his opponents from this angle every match. This was probably the standard victor’s perspective.

Of course, Su Bei wouldn’t engage in classless behavior like gloating. In fact, defeating an opponent with average physical skills and an ability that was relatively countered could hardly be called a “triumph.”

So, he just calmly jumped off the platform and offered a piece of well-intentioned advice. “You should work on your physical skills.”

An ability like [Prophecy] had no offensive power at all. If he didn’t want to just stay in the rear, heavily protected, then training his physical skills was an essential task.

Feng Lan nodded, then hesitated for a rare moment. “Can you help me train?”

Although his family was wealthy and could hire more professional trainers, they didn’t place much importance on physical training. Furthermore, any hired trainer would surely be mindful of his status and wouldn’t dare to be harsh. In comparison, having a classmate like Su Bei help was more reliable.

After making the request, Feng Lan was silent for a moment, then quickly added, “I can pay you.”

Unlike what others believed about their close relationship, Su Bei and Feng Lan were really just meal buddies. Su Bei could sense that Feng Lan kept a certain distance from everyone, and he had no intention of breaking through that barrier.

So, it was only when he heard Feng Lan offer payment that Su Bei’s brow twitched. He nodded. “I want one danger warning. The next time you sense I’m about to run into danger, give me a heads-up. Can you do that?”

“Yes.” Although the request was a bit difficult, given that the two of them were often together, any danger Su Bei encountered would likely involve him too. So, Feng Lan agreed readily.

Seeing him agree, Su Bei gave an “OK” sign. “We’ll start after the monthly exam.”

With that, he looked up, acknowledged something, and strode over to check his next opponent. “Si Zhaohua… alright then.”

He was long prepared for his luck. Out of four choices, to precisely draw the current favorite to win the championship—how could this not be considered a twisted form of good luck?

Looks like this is where it ends, Su Bei pursed his lips. He had seen Si Zhaohua’s [Angel] ability, and it was indeed powerful. Flight plus long-range attacks—it was the ultimate combination of buffs. With no long-range capabilities of his own, relying solely on physical combat, he had no way of dealing with his opponent.

But was he truly helpless against someone with such a strong ability? Su Bei was unwilling to just give up.

It was true that he loved to slack off, but there was no doubt he had a competitive side. If he was going to compete, he would see it through to the end. Forfeiting might seem dignified, but he wasn’t a celebrity on constant display. For Su Bei, having a satisfying fight was what mattered most.

“I know you.” As he stepped onto the platform, the seemingly arrogant Si Zhaohua spoke first, much to his surprise. “Your physical skills are impressive, but it’s a shame you have a Class F ability.”

There was no mockery in his tone, but the words weren’t pleasant to hear. “Give up. You won’t even have a chance to touch me.”

“How will we know if we don’t try?” Su Bei replied with a grin, not looking the least bit provoked.

Seeing that he still intended to fight despite being completely countered, a scrutinizing look appeared in Si Zhaohua’s sky-blue eyes, as if asking what other tricks he had up his sleeve.

The moment Su Bei charged toward him, Si Zhaohua activated his ability and flew into the air. “Then let me see how far you can go!”

The match officially began. Just as both had predicted beforehand, Su Bei was completely suppressed. He couldn’t get near Si Zhaohua, yet his stamina was constantly being worn down by sharp feathers.

Even though his speed was fast and his movements were agile, if things continued like this, he would be the one to lose. The Mental Energy Si Zhaohua consumed using his feathers was definitely less than the stamina Su Bei expended dodging them.

But Su Bei clearly had no intention of remaining a target. Soon, after confirming a suspicion, he used his ability in a match for the very first time.

For every feather Si Zhaohua summoned, Su Bei summoned a gear made of cesium and sodium. The material would spontaneously combust in the air, and upon contact with a feather, would instantly set it ablaze. Seeing his own feathers ignite, even though they weren’t attached to him, Si Zhaohua’s expression changed.

His feathers couldn’t be regenerated or replicated in a short amount of time. If every feather he sent out was burned, it wouldn’t be long before he became a bald-feathered angel, unable to even use his basic attacks.

Moreover, it wasn’t just a matter of looking ugly; a reduction in feathers meant he would lose his long-range attacks. Once he was forced to the ground, it would be anyone’s game.

Realizing the match had reached a stalemate and that he had been pushed into a corner by someone with such a weak ability, Si Zhaohua began to take his opponent seriously for the first time. He called out his name solemnly, “Su Bei, you are very strong. As a sign of respect, I will now use my most powerful move.”

“Divine Judgment—”

Su Bei: “?”