My setting is above yours!

Chapter 112: The Monthly Exam Begins, a Simulated "Potion Era" (4k3)

Thinking about it carefully, Yu An was only first in academic ability, not the truly recognized number one in strength, right?
He did indeed elevate his academic ability to a level that others could never reach through the [Ability Formula], but the monthly exam is, after all, a combat assessment in the [Hollow Battlefield], not a crude test that only considers academic ability...

So, here comes the problem——

Even though Ron is currently ranked only eighth in academic ability and seems unremarkable, can Yuan really beat Ron in terms of combat power in the Hollow Battlefield?

This is not necessarily the case...

After all, based on the teacher's performance in the previous magic class, everyone knew that Ron not only possessed superpowers, but also received a gift from a Heroic Spirit, giving him the ability to use what is called "Original Magic".

Using these methods, coupled with Ron's previous victory over Euan in the Hollow Battlefield...

Whether considering battle record or methods, Ron is superior to Euan... He might actually be the most capable fighter!
With this thought in mind, everyone's gaze toward Ron became increasingly fervent.

Although none of them could see that Ron was hiding his true strength, and theoretically Ron's displayed abilities were actually inferior to Euan's, no one was willing to believe it at that moment.

If anyone could rival Wang Yi for first place in the monthly exam, it would only be Ron, who had once beaten You An, who was the last hope.

If even Ron is going to be defeated, then wouldn't all the superpowered people in their physics department be no match for this magician who transferred from another school?
As the pride of the experimental class, no one would willingly endure such humiliation. Even if, rationally speaking, Ron's demonstrated strength was actually inferior to Euan's, they still wanted to believe that Ron was stronger.

At this moment, seeing everyone turn their heads so tacitly, Wang Yi also raised an eyebrow and followed their gaze to look at Ron.

The next moment, his expression froze for a moment, then he burst into hearty laughter:
"Ha, ha... You actually expect Ron to stand in my way and compete with me for first place in the monthly exam?"

As he spoke, he glanced at the crowd with a mocking expression, then patted his chest and said:

"I am the Grand Candidate of the [Astrological Society], and the future pillar of [Heavenly Hearing]..."

As he spoke, he pointed at Ron:
"And he, the sole investor in Tianting Media, is also a pillar of Tianting's future..."

“Ron and I are brothers, we wouldn’t have any conflict over this thing…”

Upon hearing this, Ron frowned slightly.

If others don't know, how could he not know?
Wang Yi and he had only just met; they weren't even acquainted yet...

If there were a real chance to compete for first place in the monthly exam, Ron wouldn't feel any pressure at all; he would definitely grab it without hesitation—they had absolutely no so-called "brotherly affection"!
unless……

Ron immediately had a bad feeling, while Wang Yi had already taken out his phone and dialed a number:
"If you don't believe me, I can prove it to you right now—"

As he spoke, the call was quickly connected. After whispering a few words to the person on the other end of the line, he looked at Ron with a smile:

"Ron, answer the phone."

'Could it be that……'

Ron felt helpless and immediately realized that his bad premonition was about to come true.

His phone rang quickly. When he answered, Ms. Irina's somewhat serious voice came through:

"Ron, don't try to compete with the Astronomical Society for rankings in this monthly exam..."

“Although you are unlikely to beat him, this matter is related to the upper echelons of [Heavenly Listening], so I need to make you understand the trouble this matter is in.”

As she spoke, she sighed, her tone carrying a subtle warning:

"This is an instruction from the board of directors; don't ignore it..."

'As expected… what Wang Yi just said wasn't to prove how good our relationship is—he was trying to say he has connections with the higher-ups at [Tian Ting]!'

'Facing You An, he might have to take action personally, since You An has no connection whatsoever with [Tian Ting Media], and is even highly likely to be an employee of [Noah Pharmaceuticals], leaving him with no choice but to use force to coerce him.'

'But when it comes to me, he could easily use [Tian Ting Media] to put pressure on me and intimidate others, making it clear that he not only has power, but also unfathomable influence…'

These thoughts flashed through his mind, and Ron's face darkened. After a moment of silence, he said:
“…Okay, Ms. Irina.”

After receiving Ron's promise, Ms. Irina immediately hung up the phone without discussing whether she needed to compensate him or offering any words of comfort...

Wang Yi, however, curled the corners of his lips, swept his gaze over all the superpowered individuals, and seeing the helpless and humiliated expressions on their faces, he knew they had completely lost the will to resist. Only then did he revert to his previous gentle expression.
"See, wouldn't it have been better to do this sooner?"

As he spoke, a look of disappointment and frustration crossed his face:
"I've already said it, no one can beat me... I clearly gave you a win-win situation, but you didn't take it. It's really hard to understand..."

"Alright, that's settled then..."

As he spoke, he glanced at Euan, who was still lying on the ground, groggily writhing, then looked at Ron, whose face was grim, and a mocking smile appeared on his lips:

"When he wakes up, tell this Yu'an that my invitation is still valid... Come find me after the monthly exam, and I'll give him a chance to come with me to the [Astrology Society] to study the secret manual..."

"Of course...that also depends on how he performs, doesn't it? Haha..."

Having said that, he lazily left, seemingly unconcerned about everything that had just happened. He even had the leisure to open the bribe someone had just given him and light the gems inside...

The magician transfer students who hadn't yet had a chance to connect with Wang Yi hurriedly caught up with him, afraid of missing this opportunity to get to know the [Grand Candidate].

But at this moment, the gloom on Ron's face vanished instantly, and a playful look appeared in his eyes as he stared at Wang Yi's back, a half-smile curving his lips.

'Just now... that reaction of being overpowered and powerless to resist, it seemed like you acted it quite well?'

'Nobody could tell I was acting...'

Ron's eyes swept over the crowd. At this moment, most of them had complicated expressions, and their faces clearly showed a hint of dejection.

Someone tried to wake You An, but they didn't expect that You An was more severely affected than they thought. Even though Wang Yi had left, he was still in a dazed state, constantly writhing on the ground, getting covered in dust...

But at this moment, Ron felt quite relaxed.

There is no other reason——

However, amidst Wang Yi's extremely arrogant and conceited demeanor, a fact that everyone had subconsciously overlooked came to light—that is, without being possessed by a Heroic Spirit, Wang Yi was merely a [Prime Minister], and did not possess the power that a [Color Rank] magician should have!
His greatest reliance, the ability he used to defeat Yu'an and establish his authority... was merely magic derived from a Heroic Spirit, similar to the extraordinary abilities of the [Mithril Knight]!

Thinking of this, Ron couldn't suppress the relaxed smile that curled up at the corner of his mouth.

To be honest, that's a really strong ability.

If Wang Yi were to face off against other physics-based superpowered individuals, he could easily defeat them by simply using his [Confusion] ability to turn the vast majority of them into idiots who could only say "Aba aba".

No wonder Wang Yi is so arrogant; with such an ability, he is indeed capable of crushing the vast majority of superpowered individuals.

Even if he only possessed the [Rank] when not possessed by a Heroic Spirit, he was absolutely confident that he could defeat others.

But for Ron, even if Wang Yi had learned all the abilities a [Mysterious] Sequence 5 "Mithril Knight" should possess and replicated them all in magical form, there was still a solution—

After all, most of the extraordinary abilities in the [Mysterious] sequence are ultimately just [confusing] and [weakening] people.

As long as one can remain clear-headed amidst the confusion caused by this ability, there is a possibility of resistance...

And coincidentally, Ron still has one last chance to use the temporary ability formula—

[Omniscient Domain - Fake]!
This is what allows Ron to maintain a certain degree of clarity amidst the confusion of a saint, and successfully defeat that saint's formidable power!

Without a Heroic Spirit possessing him, and without the destructive power exceeding that of a Level 4 esper expected of a true [Color Rank] magician...

Ultimately, he was just a [Prime] magician, equivalent to a Level 3 esper and of the same rank!

Even though [Rank] magicians win more often than they lose when facing superpowered individuals, they thrive even more in the [Historical Void] environment, possessing a pure regional advantage that allows them to absolutely crush superpowered individuals of the same rank with overwhelming power.

But if it comes to facing Ron... the outcome is still uncertain!

The phone call from Ms. Irina, which Wang Yi saw as a way to easily control Ron—

For Ron, it really wasn't much of a threat!
It should be noted that Ron had long been dissatisfied with the way Tian Ting Media operated.

Their protection of the magician was too obvious, and they were also hiding a lot from Ron...

Before these problems surfaced, and when everyone's goal was unified under the "Prometheus's Experiment of Knowledge," Ron's cooperation with "Heavenly Listening Media" was relatively pleasant. But now, things have changed—

After all, Ron could never accept that [Tian Ting Media] could interfere with his decisions, or even prevent him from getting first place in the monthly exam...

Ron would never easily relinquish either the access to [Prometheus] or the relic from the [Mysterious] sequence!
He could never accept the threat from Tianting Media.

Even if this act of resistance leads to Tian Ting Media tearing up the exclusive investment plan for him, and forces Ron to return from a comfortable life supported by the company to the days when he had to rely on his own hard work, Ron will not hesitate.

After all... if we tolerate the threats from [Tian Ting Media] this time, what about next time?

This time it's for a "holy relic," next time it might be to seize control of [Prometheus]'s authority... and the time after that it might even be to take away the right to use [Laboratory 0]!
Today we cede five cities, tomorrow ten, and then we can have a peaceful night's rest...

This is not the future Ron wants.

He's collaborating with [Tianting Media], but he doesn't actually want to be [Tianting Media]'s dog!
If it were before, it wouldn't have mattered, but now Ron has grown stronger and has enough power...

At this point, trying to put a dog leash on him is nothing but wishful thinking!

Even if Ron eventually breaks ties with Tian Ting Media because he stole the "relic," Ron doesn't think he'll be constantly thwarted by the giant corporation and have no chance of surviving in Ideal City anymore.

After all… with his current abilities and talent, he is already capable of navigating the cracks between the giant corporations of Ideal City—

Having already accepted Leonard's token from the Hall of Law, Ron now has the opportunity to join the Order of Purification, and with a Lv.5 as his backer, he has the confidence to act so recklessly!

Ron silently pondered to himself, no longer paying attention to the gloomy atmosphere in the classroom, and calmly returned to his dormitory.

'Everything depends on the monthly exam...'

As he pondered these thoughts, considering his battle plan within the [Hollow Battlefield], he waited until the morning of the following day—

"Unfortunately, the [Full Submersion Pod] won't be as useful this time..."

Ron sighed, sat on his bed, and picked up the AR simulation helmet that Moen University provided for every student.

This monthly exam wasn't as high-profile as the last college entrance exam, which affected the entire Ideal City. It was just an internal school exam, so naturally there were no large-scale exam equipment like the [Full Submersion Chamber].

In other words, this time, the vast majority of superpowered individuals were unable to unleash their full potential in the [Hollow Battlefield]. They could only rely on the AR simulation helmets to perform a simple simulation of their abilities, allowing them to exert about 70-80% of their combat power...

But magicians don't have this problem—

After all, their magic models are mostly not as detailed as the unique ability models of superpowered individuals, who also have "magic catalysts"—"ability amplifiers"—that constantly assist in calculations...

Considering the unique environment of magical flow within the Hollow Battlefield, Ron even suspected that magicians using AR simulation helmets to enter the Hollow Battlefield might be able to unleash combat power even stronger than in reality.

However... this isn't a big problem for Ron.

'You rely on magic, I rely on sorcery… When it comes to utilizing the magic in the environment, can these magicians' crudely made magic models really compare to my honed, extraordinary abilities?'

Those are all divinely bestowed magics, unlike the crude magic models concocted by these country bumpkins from later generations!
Ron silently planned that once the [Hollow Battlefield] opened, he would follow the monthly exam rules and immediately activate his AR simulation helmet to join the [Hollow Battlefield].

The next moment, he inexplicably smelled a very familiar, nostalgic, damp, fishy odor...

He opened his eyes and saw a twisted, bloody prison all around him, damp moss climbing the stone bricks, and a rotting corpse lying not far from him, surrounded by mosquitoes and flies.

Ron looked around and saw that other students were being held in other cells, facing the same rotting corpse, shrouded in necromancy, just like him.

Seeing everything that, despite its slight changes and misalignments, still felt familiar to him, Ron was somewhat bewildered, a slight pause in his mind:
'Is this... the tower prison of the Scorched Earth Sanctuary?'

'Ideal City has actually simulated the [Potion Era]?!'

(End of this chapter)