My setting is above yours!

Chapter 28 A profitable business

The sand and gravel in the ruins floated up as if gravity had reversed, and were then gently kicked away by Ron, flying out like bullets.

A storm of sand and gravel rained down on the crowd, like shattered stars falling, crushing them into dust...

The candidates were powerless to withstand the barrage of sand and gravel, which resembled rifle bullets, and were smashed into sieves, turning into data bubbles that completely dissipated!

The remaining candidates used all their strength to block the falling sand and gravel, and scrambled to the ruins on the side, using the relatively sturdy concrete slabs as cover, which gave them a moment to catch their breath.

"How did you do that...? What kind of ability is that?!"

Some people were panting heavily, looking at Ron who seemed to float in mid-air as if he were flying, and for a moment they felt it was somewhat unbelievable.

How come I've never heard of this person before?

It's important to understand that in this year's college entrance examination, those with real talent have already been battling it out in the "empty battlefield" for a long time, as evidenced by the millions of points ranked at the top of the leaderboard.

These people skipped the academic exams at top speed and then, relying on their authority or ability, directly passed the college entrance examination committee's ability test, entering the "empty battlefield" directly.

To achieve this, both money and ability are indispensable.

In other words... if you didn't arrive early enough, you won't be among the top-ranked individuals who are now largely established, and therefore you certainly won't be as powerful as these people.

After all, in Ideal City, money and power often represent "power" itself...

But this guy... this guy who's clearly only just finished his placement matches, why does he have such strong superpowers?!
Once this ability is demonstrated, even if someone starts out as a penniless nobody, there will be plenty of giant companies willing to invest in them!
For example, that big company that Noah Holdings invested in...

I heard he was just a poor guy from District D, but because of his powerful abilities, he was favored by Noah Pharmaceuticals and was among the first to enter the "Hollow Battlefield"!
They've already made it into the top ten and are still striving to move forward, seemingly with a chance to compete for the top three!
Thinking of this, the examinee who had just led the attack on Ron and his companion turned pale and no longer knew what to do.

He began to suspect that the person he was about to ambush was a rich young master who had overslept and only woke up late in the afternoon to take the college entrance examination.

This ability feels like it's guaranteed to put you in the top ten. In a match ranked in the top two thousand, it's like a shark jumping into a goldfish pond...

He originally thought he was the one who came to fry fish!
How could it end like this?

No, no, even if he's strong, he hasn't surpassed Lv.2. There's still a chance...

Watching Ron walk step by step, treading on the air and stepping on the stones, the lead examinee's heart pounded so hard it felt like it would leap out of his throat—

He forced a smile and chuckled awkwardly:

"Big brother, we were a bit ungrateful..."

As he spoke, he raised his hands and stepped out of the cover, trying to show that he was harmless:
"They're already dead, and you've accumulated enough points, so why not let us off the hook? Next time we're matched with you, we'll do our best to protect you and follow your lead!"

What is the gibberish saying?

Do you really think I don't know what kind of underhanded tricks you're planning?

Ron glanced at the man with a puzzled look, then stood there looking down at him without saying a word.

After waiting for a long time, with sweat beading on their foreheads, the leading examinee finally couldn't hold back any longer and received no response from Ron.

"What are you so arrogant about! No matter how strong you are, you're still just one person. With so many of us going all out, you might not be able to kill us all before you run out of power!"

He unleashed his long-prepared power in an instant, and a huge fireball appeared out of thin air, bringing with it a wave of intense heat.

The other candidates were also prepared, and without hesitation, they dug out of the ruins and used all their abilities.

In an instant, wind blades, water arrows, ice spikes...

The projectiles of these classic abilities came crashing down like a storm, causing Ron to sigh.

They survived just now because of these abilities; they were able to directly smash through the falling soil and rocks.

but……

This does not mean that their ability is superior to [vector manipulation].

Perhaps, a purely physical enhancement user could pose a certain threat to Ron if they got close when he wasn't paying attention.

But these projectiles that appeared out of nowhere were nothing more than toys that Ron could casually hold in the palm of his hand.

"If all you've prepared for is this, then we can only say goodbye..."

He snapped his fingers lightly, and the projectile that was flying towards him stopped just as it was about to hit him.

The next moment, it shot out at an even faster speed along the original trajectory!

"how come……"

The lead examinee's pupils dilated violently; before he could finish speaking, all he could see was a sea of ​​crimson—

The fireball he had painstakingly created exploded upon hitting him, blasting a gap in the nearby ruins.

He himself naturally vanished like pure data bubbles, leaving only a few exam admission tickets lying on the ground, covered in dust.

The other candidates also perished due to their own abilities, vanishing like bubbles, and could only go back to watch ads to accumulate revival coins...

Behind Ron, An Hui blinked, and the electric light dancing on her body gradually dimmed and faded.

Looking at everything before her, she couldn't help but feel a strange sense of absurdity.

what happened?
That's it... resolved?

So easy?

She looked at Ron, who had picked up his exam admission ticket, with a strange expression. He walked over calmly without saying a word, his hands behind his back like some reclusive master...

"Trying to appear knowledgeable without saying a word?"

She couldn't resist in the end and ruined the atmosphere.

Ron immediately lost his composure, stumbled, and said irritably:
"Can't I finish striking this pose? I took on a whole bunch of them single-handedly, isn't that cool?!"

"Yes, yes, yes, so handsome, so handsome, so handsome..."

An Hui tilted her head with a grin and gave Ron a thumbs up:

"Well prepared. Now I acknowledge that you are qualified to challenge me."

"Shouldn't you be the one challenging me?" Ron sneered. "Please, you're the challenger!"

Another round of noise ensued.

The two chatted about everything from "who is the challenger" to "whether ants of the same size could beat mice in boxing," and then from that topic to "which high school cafeteria has the best pre-cooked food"...

Finally, they noisily entered the evacuation point, watching their exam admission tickets turn into data bubbles and melt into the green light.

An Hui suddenly raised her fist. "Then, shall we both wish each other good luck in martial arts?"

Ron smiled and expertly bumped fists with An Hui:

"Prosperous military fortune!"

……

The data bubble solidified into a human form, and Ron opened his eyes to find himself back in the preparation hall at the heart of the ruins.

The proctor leaned back calmly, watching Ron emerge shortly after, and couldn't help but chuckle.
"Looks like you've had a bad start? No problem, everyone has a first time, losing once isn't a big deal."

He had seen countless people like Ron who went in and came out within twenty minutes of entering the game.

He expertly gave Ron a thumbs-up, encouraging him:

"Whether you have money to buy resurrection coins or not, don't panic, young man!"

"People like you who came in early have already beaten many others. Practice makes perfect, and you'll have a chance to get full points and then leave in a big mess."

Maintain a good mindset for the exam, take a good rest after you leave, and come back on time after watching the commercials. There's still a long time left in the exam..."

He kept reassuring Ron, "Let me see how many points you got. If they're not bad, I'll use my proctoring privileges to apply for a 50% discount on advertising for you..."

He casually clicked on the ranking points query, and before he could finish speaking, his eyes slowly widened.

What's this?
175000?

He got 175000 points in less than twenty minutes?!
The proctor looked at Ron in surprise, only to see Ron scratching his head and asking:

"Teacher... you shouldn't be forced to join the 'Hollow Battlefield' immediately after you come out, right?"

He pointed to the ruins beside him and said sincerely:

"I'm a bit tired from the test just now... I'd like to rest in the preparation hall for a while, but I don't know if that's allowed according to the exam rules?"

"Yes, of course you can..."

The proctor remained silent for a long time before saying with some emotion:

"You can rest for as long as you want... With your scoring efficiency, you could probably break into the top 50 in Ideal City even if you didn't play for the first two days and only participated in the test on the last day, right?" This kind of exam mechanism where the greater the ranking difference, the more points you get in compensation...

Even if he only plays on the last day, he can still challenge for first place.

Ron silently added a couple of sentences in his mind, found a flat stone on the nearby ruins to sit down, and removed his [Superpowered] status.

In the previous match, although Ron performed incredibly calmly, easily defeating the examinees who wanted to surround and kill them...

But he knew his own situation best, and he was well aware of how much he had suffered.

70%.

This is the wear and tear the [Superpowered] class suffers in the "Hollow Battlefield" after going all out.

Such attrition was enough to make Ron wary. If he were to fight nine Lv.2 candidates head-on, he would be worn down to 70%, which was clearly not enough for him to dominate every match.

In this light, An Hui's choice was indeed correct.

Maintaining your combat strength and striking the enemy when they are most relaxed is definitely the most efficient way to gain points.

If I want to accumulate points in the future, I should learn more about Huihui's gameplay strategies...

Ron seemed lost in thought, but suddenly a cell phone rang in his ear.

In front of him, a phone pop-up appeared on the AI. The profile picture ID was very familiar; it was the cheap senior brother that Ron had been forced to add before.

During this aptitude test, I was able to receive a phone call from the outside world?

Oh, thinking about it, that makes sense. Anyway, it's in the preparation hall. The previous candidate was able to livestream himself, so it's normal for him to answer a phone call...

But what did Kevin want from him?
Ron silently clicked the call button, and a cheerful blond head immediately popped up in the pop-up window.

"Wow, the fastest rank-up record holder, junior brother, I really didn't misjudge you!"

His eyes lit up when he saw Ron, as if he had seen a million dollars lying in front of him that no one would pick up:

"I saw your live stream of that match! Just as I expected, those people in the exam hall were no match for you..."

"Stop, stop, stop."

Ron made a silencing gesture, interrupting Kevin's boasting:
"Senior, let's celebrate after the exam. If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up now..."

"No, no, no!"

Kevin immediately stopped Ron: "I'm calling because I have good news for you... I have a lucrative business opportunity, do you want to get involved?"

A profitable business?
Upon hearing that it could make money, Ron perked up and his ears immediately perked up.

He withdrew his hand from the phone, his expression serious, and said:

"Elaborate."

"You test takers may not know this, but because this year's college entrance examination was broadcast live throughout, the college entrance examination committee, in order to turn the exam into a money-making project, devised many ways to monetize the live broadcast..."

"Let's leave aside the ads for now. The key point is that there's a 'betting' mechanism on live streaming platforms..."

Kevin spoke, his voice filled with excitement:
“Each candidate can be bet credits to see what ranking they will achieve at some point in the future, or to see which candidate they will defeat in a particular test.”

You scored nearly 200,000 points in your first game, and you'll soon be close to the top of the leaderboard...

Although your reputation has grown now, and many people see you as a dark horse and a hot pick, entering the market now will definitely still yield profits!

"What do you think you'll achieve, junior brother? Tell me, what ranking do you think you can get before tomorrow?"

With a wave of his hand, he said generously, "Senior brother has a small treasury of hundreds of thousands of credits. Let's invest it all, and we'll split the profits fifty-fifty!"

Does the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE) testing committee itself run gambling operations?
Well, after all, it's outsourced to a giant corporation, so it's something they're capable of doing.

However, such a profitable business...

Ron was secretly tempted. He was indeed short of money, and if he could really make a fortune here, it would definitely make his life much easier after he went to college!
but……

"Senior, if you bet on me now, I can win more tests and advance to a higher ranking. Will I earn less?"

Kevin was stunned, not understanding what Ron meant:
"It's not a lot, because you're a relatively popular bettor right now, and the odds are already quite low, but making a small profit shouldn't be a problem..."

"But I don't want to make a quick buck."

Ron's lips curled into a smile, his eyes filled with a lust for money:
"If you're going to make money, make a big one..."

"Senior, you should just go against them! I bet I won't make a single step forward or gain a single point tomorrow!"

"...Are you crazy?!" Kevin's expression immediately turned serious. "I just wanted to make a little money, I didn't mean to hurt you!"

"Exams are much more important than this little bit of money. If you don't accumulate enough points and don't get a high ranking, the teacher will beat me to death!"

You need to understand that the city government awards prizes to the top performers every year. The money you earn if you rank at the top is far more than the small amount you can make by betting on this…

"No problem, senior brother. Even if I'm earning this extra money, I can still be number one."

But Ron shook his head, recalling everything that had happened in the previous test, and said confidently:

"In this exam, if there is a certain gap between your score and your opponent's score, the lower your score, the more points you will receive."

"And through a placement match, although my points weren't high, I've already been placed in the top 2,000 matches in Ideal City, and maybe even higher."

Even if I don't participate in any tests today, I can wait until tomorrow or even the day after to enter the game and chase down those candidates who are ranked at the top...

My scores will accumulate rapidly, closing the gap with the top performers at lightning speed, so I can stand on the same starting line as them, and then we'll compete based on our abilities!

Of course, although that's what he said, there was actually something else Ron didn't tell Kevin.

...That was an assassination attempt by an unknown client.

After that test, the fact that Ron was still alive must have been completely exposed; it was impossible for him not to be discovered.

Although he's safe inside the exam hall now, if he keeps playing games, he might accidentally lose one...

Then he would have to leave the examination hall and face the blade of an assassin lurking in the shadows.

Moreover, the more his abilities are exposed during the live exam, the more dangerous his situation becomes.

[Vector manipulation] is his strongest ability. If someone secretly watching him develops a countermeasure, wouldn't he be at their mercy?
Therefore, why not take a short period of silence to conceal one's talents and earn some credits along the way...?

Seeing Ron's incredibly confident expression, Kevin remained silent for a moment, then gritted his teeth:

"I wouldn't believe it if it were anyone else, but it's you after all... With your abilities, you could get into the top ten even if you didn't take the test for two days!"

As he spoke, he opened the live streaming app without hesitation and poured all his credit points into it.

"This is all my assets... Ron, I'm waiting for your good news!"

And at the same time.

"Jingle Bell……"

The somewhat thin-looking boy answered the phone:

"What's wrong, Father?"

“We’ve been tricked… Deng Yin’s student didn’t die. He’s very capable and has already entered the ‘Hollow Battlefield’.”

A slightly aged voice sighed:

"The company has arranged for other candidates to search for Ron in the 'Hollow Battlefield.' Once found, they will be killed without mercy, and we will try to lower his score."

"But you still need to be careful... This kid is very capable, and he might have a chance to threaten your ranking."

You absolutely cannot lose to him in the entrance exam; that would seriously affect Prometheus's evaluation..."

But before he could finish speaking, the thin boy interrupted him.

“I will not lose, Father.”

As he spoke, he gently clenched his fist, and in the distance, ruins and tall buildings collapsed out of thin air, attracting each other like magnets and turning into a giant stone ball.

Then, it crashed down with a loud thud, creating a large crater.

"Before the exam, I had already reached Lv.3..."

His tone was calm, as if it were a matter of course:

I will only be number one...

Because I am the strongest.

(End of this chapter)