My setting is above yours!

Chapter 30 Do you dare?
No, man.

Do I know you?!
I don't remember ever offending you, so why are you so upset with me?
Looking at the burly man in front of him, who was clearly up to no good and was filled with murderous intent, Ron was filled with doubt.

...Why?
To avoid trouble, he stayed in the preparation hall for two whole days!

I did absolutely nothing for two days except study the top 100 competitors; I just lay low...

How did I end up encountering such a master, and being relentlessly pursued and killed?

Doubts lingered in Ron's mind, but only for a moment before he calmed down and began to analyze the current situation.

Since it has already happened, there's no need to complain or blame others; just figure out what happened.

Think carefully about his actions—

The killing intent emanating from this person was obvious; the only things capable of such intense killing intent were hatred and self-interest…

So, is the reason for being hostile to Ron that Ron cuts off people's livelihood, or that he killed their parents?
Obviously none of these things happened.

Considering that none of these were possible, Ron suspected that he himself was the source of the wealth.

Only if his life was of sufficient value to this big guy, enough to arouse his greed, would he show such hostility.

If I remember correctly, this guy received investment from Noah Pharmaceuticals...

Perhaps this guy is the assassin we considered before, the one from the unknown client.

But at the time, Ron only considered the possibility of assassins outside the examination hall, not realizing that they had even set up their own traps inside the "Hollow Battlefield".

Even during exams, they're hunting people down... That unknown client must have spent a fortune to persuade Noah Pharmaceuticals to assign a task to one of their top-scoring students.

but……

Ron calmly looked at the large examinee in front of him, his mind as still as water, his abilities already operating at full capacity.

[Baker, 13000000 points, third place.]

So what if we come in third place?
No matter what kind of enemy it is, as long as we defeat them, that's all that matters.

Third place—perfect stepping stone for Ron to reach the top!
Why did Noah Pharmaceuticals want to kill me?

In the tense moment, Ron suddenly asked a question. Baker paused for a moment, then revealed a sinister smile:
"So you did know... I don't know exactly how you bribed the assassin, but hiding won't do any good."

As he spoke, he strode forward, reaching out to grab Ron as he had done with the other examinees—

"I will keep an eye on you, and I will kill you in every 'battle for supremacy' until the exam is over!"

You absolutely did not have the chance to take first place…

But before he could finish speaking, he saw Ron in front of him give him a look that seemed to be looking at an idiot.

Because Beck took a step and just stepped into the range of his [Vector Manipulation] ability!

Wow, instead of staying away, you chose to come closer to me?

It seems that hiding my abilities during this period has indeed been somewhat useful.

He certainly didn't know the scope or mechanism of [Vector Manipulation]...

This is a great opportunity!

Ron showed no mercy, already fully utilizing his [Vector Manipulation] to instantly reverse gravity—

Baker was sent flying high into the air in that instant, only to crash back down due to gravity...

At the same time, the sand, stones, iron pieces, and various small debris scattered on the ground were all transformed into bullets by Ron's ability, flying towards the huge man who was crashing down!

In the blink of an eye, the once-dominant third-place finisher became a fish on a chopping board, completely at the mercy of [Vector Manipulation]...

?
The massive figure in the sky suddenly vanished. Ron only heard a sound like tearing gauze behind him, followed by a deep, hoarse voice:
"So that's the kind of ability... No wonder the higher-ups ordered me to stop you!"

A pair of powerful punches came out, striking Ron from behind like a storm of lightning!

...He teleported away using his spatial abilities!
Ron immediately turned his head and exerted all his strength to activate the reflection of [Vector Manipulation].

He stood there calmly, hands in his pockets, taking Beck's furious barrage of punches without flinching.

A tremendous force, comparable to that of a person with enhanced physical abilities, surged from Beck's muscular arms, yet he could only stop a few centimeters in front of Ron—

It was like hitting a dense mountain of steel; no matter how hard you tried, you couldn't move forward even an inch!
However, despite this.

Ron's actual situation was far less relaxed than it appeared.

As expected of a top-tier Lv.2 ability user...

Powerful spatial abilities, well-trained personal skills, and a body that surpasses that of ordinary physical enhancement users.

How did this guy manage to become so powerful?
To be honest, Ron felt that he had truly met his first opponent who could be called a "formidable rival".

Although he had no way to break through the [Vector Manipulation] defense, Ron also had no chance to hit him.

When studying his opponents, Ron had noticed Beck, who was currently ranked third, and seemed to possess a spatial teleportation ability with extremely low energy consumption...

Although he has never shown the ability to teleport all objects in a large area like Xia Zhi, simply teleporting himself to a coordinate location is enough to put him among the top ranks.

After all, this kind of instantaneous movement with almost no cost is practically the strongest evasion skill, and it can also kite opponents indefinitely, wearing them down...

In addition, his unusual strength ensured that he could appear and disappear like a ghost next to his opponent and seize victory with overwhelming power.

What should we do...

Baker stubbornly continued to swing his fists, while Ron, maintaining his Vector Manipulation, watched as the Superpowered One's durability gradually decreased, and couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

He absolutely cannot lose to Beck, but it also seems like it's not easy for him to win...

Lv.2's [Vector Manipulation] is still too incomplete. Spatial teleportation should also be within the range of [Vector Manipulation], but because Ron's ability level is too low, he is unable to reach space.

Therefore, he couldn't stop Beck and could only let Beck teleport again and again to dodge the projectiles released by [Vector Manipulation].

But if you want to get close, you can touch Baker directly and control his blood like you did when you killed that wanted criminal...

Ron was worried that such close-quarters combat was too risky. If he got distracted while manipulating the vector and lost control of the reflection, he might get punched by Baker.

After all, he was only Lv.2, and his incomplete [Vector Manipulation] was not invincible. Now, for Ron, reflecting off every punch from Beck required him to focus his mind and control his abilities.

Are we really going to keep at it with him until our abilities are completely worn down by the "mysticism" and we have to start from scratch in hand-to-hand combat?
Ron immediately rejected the idea as soon as he thought of it.

Although he could easily switch out of the [Potion Sequence] and temporarily become a [Corpse Man] in the simulated reality, gaining powerful physical abilities, this would carry enormous risks—

Unlike the [Embers of the Age of Gods], the Magic Vision is only visible to Ron himself, has no impact on the overall environment, is not simulated by the AI, and leaves no record.

But what if you become a "corpse mortician" and fight Beck hand-to-hand...?

Ron's extraordinary performance will likely get him to the negotiating table with a giant corporation the very next day.

Of course, it was placed on the "plate" and brought to the negotiating table.

On the third day, the giant corporations, having agreed on the distribution of profits, should take Ron away, dispose of him as they see fit, and study him as they see fit, even turning him into minced meat in the lab!

Without the power of the [Corpse Man], Ron would have no chance against Beck based on his physical abilities alone...

Does this mean... this battle is already lost?

Ron frowned, looking at Baker, whose muscles were bulging and who resembled a giant beast, when suddenly his eyes narrowed—

As Baker unleashed a furious barrage of punches, Ron could see large, gruesome stitched wounds beneath his billowing shirt...

The AI's simulation will perfectly mimic the candidate's state, and even the smallest details, like every hair on their body, will be clearly simulated.

Baker underwent major surgery in real life, and the stitches are very fresh, probably only a few months old...

Ron immediately thought of the mad supervisor's notes and the data on the out-of-control monsters recorded on the USB drive.

Clearly, Beck is the "high school student" who was modified and had his out-of-control monster's organs stitched up!
Tsk, he seemed very rational at first glance, and given that a giant like Noah Pharmaceuticals usually invests in many test takers, I thought the one who was biologically modified wasn't him...

I can't believe it really is this guy? So his physical abilities come from the influence of his superhuman organs?

...Then, the records say that monsters are afraid of meaningless sounds with high decibels and high frequencies, so it should have an effect on him!
In an instant, Ron, having figured everything out, immediately made a plan, silently controlling the magnetic field and gathering the iron sand from the ruins, just like An Hui had done. Meanwhile...

Beck, his fists red from punching and his forehead covered in sweat, stumbled back two steps, looking somewhat bewildered at Ron, who remained calm and motionless in place.

He looked at his fists in disbelief, a sense of bewilderment rising within him.

After being transformed by Noah Pharmaceuticals, he hadn't experienced such a predicament in a long time.

All enemies would perish at his teleportation and enhanced physical abilities, but this time…

They couldn't even touch the hem of Ron's clothes!
Looking at Ron, who remained motionless and seemingly utterly calm, he couldn't help but swallow hard and said dryly:

"You have the same type of ability as that person... although you're not as strong, you are indeed a threat."

He took a deep breath as he spoke:

"But... that doesn't mean you can keep going."

"You are indeed very strong, so strong that I am powerless to defeat you... but that doesn't mean you can win."

The only reason you'll lose is because you're not like me, with a higher margin for error and a willingness to risk your life—”

Desperately?

He's realized he can't win me over, so he's preparing to use his last resort...

Ron's expression turned serious, but he secretly worked even faster.

He saw Baker casually tear open his clothes and throw them aside.

His body was covered in gruesome scars, and now, those scars seemed to begin to writhe inexplicably...

It looks like something is trying to squeeze out of it!
“I will hold onto my position… There are only a few more ‘Peak Battles’ left. Even if you do manage to return to the ‘Hollow Battlefield’ again, you won’t have a chance to be matched with him!”

As Baker spoke, suddenly the light reflected from the flowing data bubbles in the sky dimmed.

Without Ron's knowledge, the live stream of this "battle of the titans" was suddenly taken down from the streaming platform and the stream was completely cut off!

The live stream room was left completely dark...

At that moment, Beck gritted his teeth, and rough, twisted, withered limbs suddenly emerged from his scars, like the claws of a corpse.

Behind him, withered wings also spread out, rough and black, making Ron hallucinate the "gargoyles" from classic Western fantasy works.

However, they all clearly exhibit a sense of illusion, just like the finger bone obtained from the "hole," which seems to exist between existence and non-existence.

Could it be... that these are the organs that were sewn into Beck's body?
Or were those extraordinary organs the cause of his mutated limbs?

But regardless, Noah Pharmaceuticals' experiments are truly terrifying...

Ron couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion. At this moment, Baker's eyes were bloodshot, and his muscles bulged with menacing veins.

The next moment, a gust of wind arose, and it rushed towards Ron with a force that was absolutely incomparable to before!

No wonder he was so rational before; he hadn't used his full strength.

When one relies entirely on those extraordinary organs, he will mutate and his reason will be completely eroded...

However, it must be said that the power Beck gained after transforming through biological modification is indeed far stronger than his previous performance.

Judging by the force, Ron's Lv.2 [Vector Manipulation] probably won't be able to withstand it for long.

But...

Ron chuckled, and the scattered iron filings he had prepared suddenly "flowed" from the ruins beneath his feet, slicing across the flat ground with a sharp motion under the influence of [Vector Manipulation]—

Instantly, a screeching sound, like fingernails scraping a blackboard, rang out beside Ron, who simultaneously manipulated the iron pellets at an extremely high frequency, slicing them back and forth across the ground...

"Om!!"

The ear-piercing scraping sound appeared at an extremely high frequency, filling the entire space.

Beck, who had been charging forward with a ferocious look as if he were half-flying with his withered wings, stopped as if struck by a heavy blow...

He let out a mournful cry, and his translucent wings and withered hands trembled violently, gradually shattering into useless data bubbles amidst the piercing sound.

It really worked... it even worked too well!

Perhaps it was because Beck's modifications were too extensive, and because of the rejection of his superhuman organs...

The limbs of these extraordinary beings, who should never have appeared in this era, disintegrated completely amidst the piercing sound.

Just like a soap bubble that's been blown up, it bursts as soon as you poke it...

Ron walked over and looked at Baker, who was lying on the ground with several large gashes on his body, trembling unconsciously and still going crazy.

Without hesitation, he kicked it, and with [Vector Manipulation] at full power, it instantly shattered into pieces!

The next moment, Ron's ranking skyrocketed, reaching third place and pushing all the candidates below him down by one.

It's really troublesome...

Recalling what Baker had just said, Ron picked up the exam admission tickets from his body and slowly walked towards the evacuation point.

He walked along, lost in thought.

First of all... this guy's words and the implication he was trying to make me get first place were all aimed at preventing me from getting first place.

They even said something about "abilities similar to his"...

The only beneficiary of preventing me from getting first place is, of course, the current first-place student...

Ron looked thoughtfully at the leaderboard on the horizon—

[Euan Hansen, 17000000, ranked first.]

He is destined to compete with Ron for the top spot in the physics department in the future, and is the [gravity control] ability user that Dawn mentioned...

Was it him who plotted to assassinate me before the college entrance exam?

It seems like he's really afraid I'll compete with him for first place in the physics department.

The physics department might get more than I expected...

He contemplated stepping onto the evacuation point, but soon vanished into data bubbles and reappeared in the preparation hall.

"Jingle Bell!"

As soon as Ron entered the lobby, an unknown phone request popped up, interrupting his train of thought.

An unfamiliar number... Who is this?

He answered the phone with some doubt. The pop-up window showed a young man who looked somewhat thin, but was clearly proud and noble.

The boy casually fiddled with his exam admission ticket, only glancing at it with a condescending look as Ron answered the phone.
"Ron...right?"

He chuckled:
"I heard you are Deng Yin's disciple?"

Hmm, it seems he still hasn't learned to restrain himself and doesn't know not to touch other people's things..."

The boy stretched and said softly:

"You want to rank Moen University's physics department number one, right?"

"The results of the college entrance examination will seriously affect the scoring weight of [Prometheus]. Since we are all going to compete for that position, let's not wait too long and waste time."

Only then did he look directly at Ron:

"I'll be looking for you at the next 'battle for supremacy' in thirty minutes..."

I will find a way to eliminate the influence of all other candidates and fight you one-on-one to determine the true winner of this college entrance examination.

The boy's gaze was intense, and his tone carried a hint of disdain:
"You... dare?!"

(End of this chapter)