CHAPTER 98

The speed of XLR8 was indeed as advertised. Ethan was a blue-and-black blur, a living missile streaking through the streets of New Veridia. By the time he returned to the training hall, his clothes changed and the stench of blood washed away, the practical combat class was still in full, bloody swing. He slipped back into the observation area just as the proctor's voice called out a new name.

"Marcus Vance!"

"Present!"

Since the Direwolf from before had been kicked into a bloody ruin by Ethan, the staff had to replace it with another one. The school's warehouse, it seemed, still had sufficient reserves of low-level monsters for this brutal new curriculum. Marcus, now a powerful Rank Two master, stepped up to the line, a confident grin on his face. The fate of that new Direwolf could be imagined; it was directly blown apart by his single, overwhelming punch, the concussive force turning the beast into a red mist. Afterwards, covered in a similar spray of gore, he also had to ask for leave to go home and change. The two friends just brushed past each other at the exit.

"See ya," Marcus grunted, looking annoyed at the gory mess on his clothes.

"See ya," Ethan replied with a sympathetic smirk.

Mr. Gordon sighed, shaking his head at the bloody spectacle before walking towards the warehouse again to pull out yet another unfortunate Direwolf.

"Next up… Seraphina Linley."

"Present!"

Perhaps inspired by the messy outcomes for Ethan and Marcus, Seraphina took a more intelligent approach. A shimmering layer of rock coalesced around her, encasing her completely in her firm, solid Bedrock Armor. Then, without any hesitation, she walked forward and delivered a single, precise, and controlled punch to the Direwolf's head, killing it instantly with a sharp crack of bone. The resulting blood splattered harmlessly all over her psionic armor. When she retracted the armor a moment later, her clothes were still perfectly clean and tidy.

Ethan, who witnessed this from the sidelines, couldn't help but exclaim internally, “Why didn't I think of that! I was so focused on showing off my power I didn't even consider the clean-up!”

The students behind her, seeing Seraphina's powerful and clean solution, looked at her with envy, some even hoping she could perhaps help them out. But Mr. Gordon immediately scolded them, "Can't you be a little more promising? That is her innate talent skill. What about you? In the future, on the battlefield, are you still going to find a companion to apply a layer of protection for you every single time? You should be ashamed of yourselves!" Hearing this, everyone could only sigh helplessly and give up on that hopeful idea.

Time passed quickly. In one class session, less than half the students had their turn. Iris Thorne was the last one of the morning. Her performance was, as expected, outstanding. She stood calmly at the red line and, with a flick of her wrist, launched a single, sharp ice thorn that killed the Direwolf instantly, without her moving an inch.

After the morning's lessons, only one class was left: Advanced Combat. The teacher in charge was a fierce-looking man named Instructor Jaeger. He was tall and powerfully built, his muscles like thick cords under his skin, and he couldn't help but remind one of a movie star from an old-world action film. It was said he was a retired veteran from the elite psionic corps, possessing rich combat experience and deadly skills.

In the school's main gymnasium, the students were doing warm-up exercises. Instructor Jaeger stood to the side, his arms crossed, silently observing them with an unnervingly sharp gaze. When his eyes fell on Ethan, Marcus, and Seraphina, his gaze lingered for a moment longer than the others. The trio probably hadn't noticed that since the incident with the Evolution Cult, they were now always exuding a faint, almost imperceptible, dangerous and bloody aura. It was a natural result of their desperate battle. Although this aura was very faint, in the eyes of a true veteran like Jaeger, who had experienced countless life-and-death battles, it was as obvious as a beacon. To him, these three were already quite satisfactory.

Jaeger clapped his hands, the sound like a gunshot in the large gym. “Alright, everyone, from today onwards, I will be your advanced combat teacher. In the following year, I will teach you professional combat skills that will keep you alive. Do not think about slacking off in my class. If you are even a little lazy, you will fall far behind. You'd better train with all your might for me!”

Hearing his words, the students all shivered.

“Alright, be quiet!” Jaeger barked. “Those whose names I call, step forward! Ethan Atherton, Marcus Vance, Seraphina Linley!”

The three of them walked out from the group. Jaeger sized them up, his eyes sharp and analytical. “I've heard about your deeds. You fought with those fanatics from the Evolution Cult and even managed to kill quite a few of them, right?”

The three of them nodded.

“Well done,” he grunted. “Our country needs courageous young people like you. But with only courage, without real strength and skill, it's far from enough. That group of cultists was just a disorderly mob. If it weren't for your good luck and the fact that Rank Three and Four masters were there to deal with the stronger enemies, you would have died without a burial place. Have you ever thought about what would have happened if you were the only ones there?” His gaze was piercing. “Your homeroom teacher gave you some basic combat training. Now, let me properly test how much you've all actually learned.”

He smirked, a dangerous look in his eyes. “My psionic rank is Two, Level Eight, and you three have all also reached Rank Two. This time, I won't use my psionic ability. We'll just have a simple, physical fight.” He looked at their determined faces. “Don’t worry, I won't take advantage of you. As long as the three of you, working together, can land a single, clean hit on me, I will give you all a full score. From now on, you won't even have to come to my class for the rest of the year.”

Hearing this, the three of them felt their eyes light up. “Really, Instructor?” Marcus asked.

“Of course,” Jaeger confirmed. “If you have already learned what I have to teach, there's no need for you to waste your time here. Pass this one test, and you can have free time in all my future classes.”

The three of them looked at each other, a silent conversation passing between them. Then, a unanimous, determined look appeared in their eyes. “We'll fight!”

They made some preparations and, in a triangular formation, surrounded Instructor Jaeger in the center. Ethan, at Rank Two, Level Five, was the strongest, so he took the lead. He rushed forward and unleashed the “Crushing Fist” from the combat system he had learned, aiming for Jaeger’s head. But the instructor just slightly tilted his head, and the powerful punch easily, almost lazily, missed him by a centimeter. Without missing a beat, Ethan transformed his hand into a sharp claw and slashed at his face. But Jaeger still just tilted his head back slightly, and the attack once again missed by a hair's breadth