12 AM, the next day.
Groups of people were packed at the entrance of a main gate. It was like a station; numerous guards were stationed there. Ethan had already arrived at the place. As always, he just stood alone, observing the surroundings.
Ethan could see that this time, a lot of people had made friends and grouped themselves together, gisting and laughing. He also saw some rich, affluent people among them obviously separated from the commoners.
After a while, some rich, arrogant kids headed toward Ethan. He already knew they had their eyes on him. Among them, he saw a face he remembered — Cedric. The guy he robbed with ease.
If Ethan could guess, Cedric must have gone to report him to his rich friends who thought they could look down on anyone who wasn't of equal social status.
At the front, a rich kid with dark hair and a bright face walked toward him. Behind him were three others with sneers on their faces.
"Ethan, right?" the front guy asked.
Ethan just looked away as if he didn't see them.
"The gutso," one of them muttered. The front one was still smiling, obviously waiting for Ethan to say something.
"Get lost, scum," Ethan said calmly. Even if these guys were richer than him, they were still just pesky flies in his eyes.
The front one's face changed. When people talked to him, they always looked up to him with respect. But this guy — this Ethan — was the opposite.
"Idiot, do you know who he is?" the one on the left hurriedly said.
"I don't give a damn. Well, at least you could do me a favor how about you go sit in a corner and beat your meats together," Ethan said calmly.
"What did you say, brat?!" the one on the left shouted, angry.
"You heard me, deuce. I don't talk twice," Ethan said, walking forward.
The right one immediately rushed forward and grabbed Ethan's shoulder.
"The audacity," Ethan said.
Bang!
As fast as the eye could see, Ethan flipped the guy to the ground and twisted his arm.
"I could have killed you on the spot, but since we're on military grounds, I'll let you off," Ethan said as he kicked him, sending him flying.
This time, everyone was looking in his direction.
Woosh!
Ethan pocketed his hands as he weaved past a flying punch the other arrogant guy had thrown it.
"Too slow," Ethan said truthfully. If he wanted, he could've used the Black Knight to suppress him with one finger.
The lead guy just stood there, not moving, but clearly, you could see the anger on his face.
Again, the guy rushed forward.
Slap!
A red hand mark formed on his cheek as he passed out. Dusting his hands, Ethan just sneered at the lead guy and blended back into the crowd.
Of course, the rich guy was afraid to react.
"This is beyond my power… I should tell my cousin Alex to help deal with this guy," the rich guy muttered.
Obviously, his cousin was the famous celebrity Alex from Planet Helios.
"Isn't that Alex's nephew?" someone asked.
"Yh, it is."
"That rich brat is too arrogant; someone should teach him a lesson."
"Don't you know who Alex is? Anyone who offends him or his nephew doesn't usually end well."
"I heard Alex is at the Peak Awakened and is the number one strongest awakened currently."
"Poor guy, he was only trying to defend himself. Now he's caused himself more trouble."
"I'm sure Alex will cause him problems in the final trial."
********************
"Eh, whoever comes next will receive the same beating," Ethan snorted.
"Come to think of it, I can't wait to meet that Alex everyone's talking about," he said.
'Attention cadets, please submit any devices on you at the deposit box,' a female voice said.
'Kindly obey the instructions and move according to your number,' it continued.
"What? Drop our phones? That's not fair," someone said.
"Well, according to the female voice, it's considered cheating to enter with a cellphone."
"Eh, whatever guys, let's move we're going in now," a rich kid said as he walked forward.
********************
"Cadet 589, please step forward," a guard said.
Walking forward, Ethan handed his cellphone and ID. The attendee scanned it and looked at him. Ethan felt suspicious of the gaze as he continued walking.
After about two hours, 1,250 cadets were now at the entrance of a heavily fenced land, about 30 miles wide. Ethan used his [Third Eye] to scan everywhere. He could see numerous huge buildings in ruins scattered across the vast land, and he could sense strange auras within.
Around the fenced land was a large audience stand for spectators. He could also see numerous people in fine uniforms entering neatly and taking their seats Ethan guessed they were Helios War Academy students.
There were also other people possibly rich civilians or news media among them. Drones flew around the vast area, monitoring every corner. Most were military surveillance drones, while others belonged to the media broadcasting the event.
"Ethan, here you are!" a familiar voice called. It was Gloria, together with Freddy.
"Good, now we're together. We're not separating again," Ethan said, smiling.
"I agree," a male voice sounded behind them. It was Lynx, the supposed Beast Tamer.
"Uh, who's this?" Gloria asked, curious.
"Oh, guys, meet Lynx a friend I met on the Omega Ship," Ethan said.
"Nice to meet you," Lynx said.
"Lynx, meet Freddy and Gloria, my close friends," Ethan said.
"Great! Now that we're together, we can strategize well," Lynx said.
"Uh, okay, that's nice. It's good to meet you too," Freddy said, scanning Lynx.
"No need for formalities we're all friends now," Lynx said.
"So, any idea how the trial will go?" Ethan asked Lynx.
"Well, my guess is we'll be battling beasts," Lynx said.
"Hm, that's shallow, but we can still hope it goes well like the other trials," Ethan said.
"Look, it's the head of the Helios Academy and her staff!" someone shouted.
Sure enough, ten streaks of colorful light tore through the artificial sky as they landed on a special podium. They quickly condensed into ten figures, all wearing special cloaks with unique designs.
The one at the front was too attractive many men couldn't help but gawk at her. Her curves were stunning, and her bosom rose like two soft hills. She had white lustrous hair and green, charming eyes but her face emitted coldness to the world. It was the head of Helios War Academy, a Supreme warrior.
The others beside her were male and female Transcendence warriors the academy's teaching staff.
"Look at her isn't she gorgeous?" a man said.
"I pity you. If she hears you, she'll wipe you out with her eyes," another replied.
"I can't believe Transcendence and Supremes can fly," Freddy said.
"Of course. When you become a Transcendence, you're able to manipulate and store Mana, which makes you fly," Lynx said.
"Don't worry, we'll all reach there," Ethan said, as if it was already a sure thing.
"Rise before the Supreme Diana!" an announcer shouted.
Everyone, including the Transcendence warriors, rose and bowed. Ethan hesitated at first, then tried to bow but couldn't.
[You can't bow to an inferior being because of your
"What?" Ethan almost screamed. Did this system just call a Supreme… inferior? Something was off.
"What are you doing, Ethan?! Do you want to die?" Gloria said, shocked to see him still standing.
"I'm trying fuck!" Ethan said, struggling to bend.