Chapter 155

Chapter 155 Chapter 155 Undoubtedly, this battle made Su Bei famous overnight. Everyone at Alpha Ability Academy learned of this exchange student from Endless Ability Academy. After the match, many began probing Su Bei’s Ability. Even Alpha’s teachers, who knew some of his capabilities, sought Meng Huai for more details. Meanwhile, Su Bei was eating in the dorm. The cafeteria was out of the question—going there meant being gawked at. Unlike before, this was true scrutiny from everyone. Even Su Bei, bold as he was, didn’t want to be ogled like a monkey. Lunch was brought back by Jiang Tianming. To keep him company, Jiang Tianming and Si Zhaohua ate in the dorm too. Jiang Tianming, not one for silent meals, asked curiously: “So, why’d you two fight?” “Same as you,” Su Bei said, looking at him. “I fought him, and win or lose, no one will challenge me next.” Surprised, Jiang Tianming said: “He’s helping you?” He’d thought they had a conflict, but it seemed they got along well? Recalling Elvis' aid for a game name, Su Bei chuckled: “Just a small deal.” Jiang Tianming caught the nuance: “Meaning no one in the first year will challenge you?” Su Bei nodded, matter-of-factly: “I drew with the year’s top student. Others shouldn’t be foolish enough to challenge me.” “What if someone does?” Ai Baozhu asked, not arguing but noting a real possibility. Some, unable to beat Elvis, might target Su Bei as a “proxy” after his draw. “Simple,” Su Bei leaned back casually. “I’m on Elvis' level. If you can’t beat him, don’t come for me.” Si Zhaohua burst out laughing. As exchange students, they could refuse challenges, and Alpha’s students couldn’t force them. They hadn’t refused before because doing so would seem like Endless Ability Academy students conceding, reflecting poorly on the school. Meng Huai would punish them first. But now, with Su Bei’s draw against the strongest, refusing challenges was unassailable—his strength was proven. After banter, they turned to serious matters. Jiang Tianming asked: “How’d it feel fighting Elvis today?” Su Bei paused, then said: “Very strong, but he’s far from his peak.” In their match, Elvis' pressure was immense, his time-based Ability used masterfully. Slowing Su Bei, boosting his attack speed and frequency, and teleporting via time regression were all formidable. But clearly, time-based Abilities had more potential, far beyond these uses. Elvis felt like a child wielding gold in a market—holding a Gatling gun, inaccurate but oppressive. Yet he wouldn’t always miss. Mastering such skill a year after awakening, Su Bei couldn’t imagine what [Time Hourglass] would become in two years at the world championship. That’s why he said Elvis was far from his peak. Hearing this, Jiang Tianming and Si Zhaohua fell silent. Si Zhaohua suddenly asked: “If I used [Holy Judgment] right away, could I beat him?” For current students, [Holy Judgment] was a one-shot kill. Instantly defeating Elvis could work. But Su Bei, after thinking, shook his head: “Not likely. During your skill’s wind-up, Elvis might interrupt.” Si Zhaohua’s [Holy Judgment] had a long prelude—flying and chanting took about five seconds. Not long normally, but in combat, it was significant. Usually, his aerial position made interrupting hard, except by flying Ability users. But Elvis was different; his Ability had no clear range limit. Though Su Bei didn’t know exactly how Elvis could interrupt, he had a hunch Si Zhaohua’s ultimate move might indeed be stopped. Knowing Su Bei wasn’t baseless, Si Zhaohua trusted the possibility and fell silent, pondering how to prevent interruptions. After eating, back in his room, Su Bei’s phone pinged. Meng Huai messaged: “Well done. You’ll get 500 points as a reward when you return.” Seeing this, Su Bei grinned. An unexpected bonus—this fight with Elvis was worth it. Afternoon classes resumed, but they were starkly different from the morning. Everyone in Class 1 had witnessed Su Bei’s strength. His power wasn’t overt, like Si Zhaohua’s visible might, but eerie and unfathomable. Unfamiliar with his Ability, they couldn’t fathom how he made Elvis fall repeatedly. Elvis could rewind damage or enemy Ability effects, achieving untouchability—a fact Class 1 knew from past arena fights. Su Bei’s ability to make him fall repeatedly was clearly an Ability effect. But how, when Elvis was nearly immune to others’ Abilities? “Can I ask how you did it?” Ian asked curiously beside him. “Elvis can rewind Abilities applied to him. How’d you make him fall over and over?” Su Bei didn’t mind answering: “Some effects, even with time regression, will reapply.” Ian nodded vaguely, then asked eagerly: “Can I fight you? I want to try your Ability.” After a noon of pondering, he still couldn’t grasp why Elvis kept falling. Was something controlling his mind or limbs? Experiencing it would clarify. Su Bei refused flatly: “No, I only fight the strongest.” Seeing his resolve, Ian sighed: “Fine, fine. But aren’t you curious about my Ability?” Su Bei wasn’t, having known it already. The teacher’s table listed three Special Track students, including Ian, with the Ability [Golden House in Books]. But he didn’t reveal this, feigning curiosity: “I am. What’s your Ability?” “Fight me, and you’ll find out,” Ian urged. Su Bei dropped the act, saying coldly: “Then I’m not curious.” Ian: “...” Speechless for a moment, Ian eventually shared his Ability. Unlikely to qualify for the world championship, he held nothing back, explaining both name and usage. Similar to Zhou Renjie’s Ability, [Golden House in Books] created an independent space to trap people. But those trapped had to clear challenges inside to escape. As the Ability’s user, Ian could adjust the book’s time flow, currently up to double speed, with potential for more. Hearing he could manipulate time flow, Su Bei saw a use: “If your Ability reaches its peak, could it grant eternal life in the book?” Slowing the book’s time tenfold could turn fifty real-world years into five hundred. Further, a thousand, ten thousand... Ian was stunned, never considering this: “Huh? I... could I?” Su Bei didn’t answer, giving a meaningful look: “I’m not the only one who’ll think of this.” If [Golden House in Books] could grant eternal life, Ian’s position was precarious. Eternal life was many’s dream, especially in this melodramatic manga world. Ian, unseasoned by manga tropes or worldview shocks, missed Su Bei’s hint, scratching his head with a laugh: “Okay, I lack imagination. But you’ve given me a direction to explore!” People with this hair color in the manga world were predictably dim, Su Bei thought, looking away: “Class is starting.” After class, Elvis approached, asking the same question as Ian, curious how Su Bei applied his Ability to him. But Su Bei sensed, from Elvis' distracted air, that wasn’t his real question. Sure enough, after Su Bei answered, Elvis hesitated, then casually asked his true intent: “Are you good at that game?” Su Bei nearly laughed. Suppressing a smile, he teased: “What, want me to carry you?” Elvis pursed his lips. Perhaps acknowledging Su Bei’s strength, he was more honest, though still awkward: “I’m not bad at games. Just not familiar with this one. Wanted to see a veteran’s moves.” This time, Su Bei couldn’t hold back, snorting with laughter but quickly recovering: “Hahaha, fine, fine, let’s play after next class?” Elvis' expression was complex, torn between “mortified rage” and “murderous intent,” standing frozen before shifting to business: “I’m heading to other academies tomorrow.” Su Bei, missing the connection, asked hesitantly: “So... we play after school?” “Not that!” Elvis rolled his eyes. Notably, his white-pupiled eye’s roll was less obvious, making Su Bei briefly think he’d mastered single-eye rolling. After the roll, Elvis coughed: “I’m asking if you want to class-hop with me. Your Ability fits any academy, right?” Su Bei’s Ability suited Special Track, his Gears fit Attack Track, and his untouchability against Elvis proved Defense Track. He could affect enemies and allies, fitting Control and Support Tracks. Elvis was similar, showcasing multi-track prowess in their match, why the principal allowed his class-hopping. Class-hopping? A great idea. It’d let Su Bei catch every class' drama. But unlike Elvis, he wasn’t free. Su Bei doubted Meng Huai would allow this trouble-prone opportunity, shaking his head: “Our teacher probably won’t agree.” “Just say if you want to,” Elvis said expressionlessly, but with authority. Su Bei nodded, catching his meaning: “Waiting for your good news.” Just then, Manga Consciousness pinged: “《King of Abilities》 has updated. Please review.” Unexpectedly updating now, Su Bei was surprised. Their plot’s highlight likely centered on him. Next was combat class, a core course for all academies. No matter the Ability type, combat was essential to leverage their physical prowess. The class headed out together. Ian explained beside Su Bei: “Unless the teacher specifies otherwise, we go to the combat classroom early for this course.” Since they’d been talking, Elvis joined them. Combat class reminded him: “Su Bei, your combat skills are impressive.” In their match, Su Bei’s skills clearly outmatched Elvis, forcing him to rely on his Ability. Su Bei didn’t hold back: “Your combat skills are awful.” Ian’s heart raced, fearing Elvis' anger. But Su Bei saw clearly: Elvis might be stubborn about games, but in serious combat, he was pragmatic, or he wouldn’t have chosen a draw. As expected, Elvis wasn’t mad, though his tone was curt: “Hmph, do I need you to tell me? I just didn’t prioritize combat before. Starting today, I’ll train seriously. Make sure you don’t also lose in combat in our next match.” He felt rare regret. Had he trained combat diligently, even if not Su Bei’s equal, he wouldn’t have lagged so far behind. With his Ability, he might’ve subdued Su Bei on the ground, not giving him a chance to reach the high platform. “Thought you’d be mad?” Ian looked at Elvis, surprised. He’d always seen Elvis as cold and short-tempered. Usually, Elvis barely interacted, gaming with earphones after class and returning to the dorm, distant from others. Many students thought he looked down on them. Ian didn’t buy that childish notion but still felt Elvis was prickly. Yet, from this, his temper wasn’t as bad as imagined. Though gruff, he didn’t deny his poor combat skills. Was it because Su Bei’s strength earned his respect, tempering his attitude? Hearing Ian’s doubt, Elvis glanced faintly: “What’s there to be mad about?” He knew Su Bei spoke truth. He accepted facts outside gaming. Shortcomings were to be fixed—impotent rage was pointless. He wouldn’t stay deficient; with persistence, his combat skills would improve. Though Su Bei’s words were blunt, after spending time with him and fighting, Elvis somewhat understood his personality. Su Bei loved provocative speech; getting mad played into his hands. Though not warm, Ian smiled: “Dunno why, but I feel my past impression of you was way off.” Elvis frowned, about to speak, when Su Bei cut in: “Don’t you know the more you explain, the worse it gets?” Fair point. Elvis clammed up. They reached the combat classroom, a dance studio-like space at Alpha Ability Academy, but far larger, spanning an entire floor, seven or eight regular classrooms combined. Mirrors lined the walls, Ian explained, to help students correct movements. Their school trained students to fight not just effectively but elegantly. Soon, the bell rang. The buzz-cut, muscular combat teacher entered, scanning the room, his gaze locking on Su Bei: “Su Bei, right? I saw your noon match—very exciting.” “Thank you, teacher,” Su Bei nodded politely. After brief pleasantries, the teacher used this to segue: “In that match, both showed precise Ability control, which many of you likely noticed. But did you catch Su Bei’s exceptional combat skills?” Few had, but some did. A few nodded, acknowledging they’d noticed Su Bei’s combat prowess. “Since you noticed, you should know his combat skills were key to the draw. Ask Elvis if you don’t believe me.” Elvis didn’t speak, but his lack of rebuttal and not gaming as usual spoke volumes. Using Elvis to briefly highlight the course, the teacher turned to Su Bei: “Your combat skills are highly refined. If I say the others’ skills don’t even match Elvis', are you confident in beating everyone in this class in pure combat? I mean a gauntlet.” Before Su Bei reacted, the class erupted. They hadn’t expected the teacher to say something so demoralizing. If Su Bei beat the whole class in a gauntlet, they’d lose face spectacularly. In a gauntlet’s later stages, Su Bei’s stamina would wane. Win or lose, the class would be shamed unless they knocked him out early. But as the teacher said, the academy’s low emphasis on combat meant their skills lagged behind Elvis'. Elvis was easily beaten by Su Bei—wouldn’t they be crushed? “Teacher, that’s not fair,” a girl said softly. “A gauntlet against him? We lose face if we lose, and even if we win.” The teacher turned, half-smiling: “You really think you’d lose in this? That’s some self-awareness of your combat skills.” The class fell silent. After a moment, someone muttered: “It’s not that. It just feels humiliating. He can’t possibly beat thirty of us in a row, right?” One-on-one daily, they’d likely lose. But thirty at once—could Su Bei’s stamina hold? Plus, in a gauntlet, they could strategize. Early fighters didn’t need to win, just drain him. The buzz-cut teacher ignored this, looking at Su Bei: “Think you can do it?” “I could, but why should I?” Su Bei met the teacher’s gaze calmly, his clear, amethyst-like eyes seeming to pierce the teacher’s intent. He indeed understood the teacher’s aim: to use him as a whetstone. His excellence, paired with mockery, would spark Class 1’s fighting spirit, encouraging serious combat training. The teacher’s intent was admirable, caring for the students. But what did that have to do with Su Bei? Why do something so thankless? Unfazed by the counter, the teacher had prepared a reward, knowing without it, Meng Huai would object first. He called Su Bei out of the classroom, then said: “You likely know you’ll participate in our school’s resource dungeon as exchange students. I have a map to a hidden resource point. If you compete with them, win or lose, it’s yours.”