My setting is above yours!

I'll speedrun Chapter 73, is that okay? (6k2)

This is a Level 5!

The president of Moen University, one of the eleven most important figures standing at the pinnacle of Ideal City...

How could she use such pure magic within the inner city, which was tightly sealed off by the [Anti-Mystic Equation]?

Ron couldn't help but think of the magician in the protective suit that he had killed back then.

If I remember correctly, he said before he died that a [Grand] mage capable of creating "limitation spells" would have the right to freely use "magic" within the inner city of the Ideal City...

In other words, [Pointer] 404 is not only a Level 5 esper, but also a [Grand] level magician?
Won't her superpowers and magic clash and wear her down...?

Ron was completely baffled. Even with the power of the Dimensional Update Manual, he couldn't make the two powers coexist; he could only switch between them.

Magic and personal reality are absolutely opposed concepts. If [Pointer] 404 can make magic and personal reality coexist in her body, then how come she is only a mere Lv.5?

He should have taken the [Anti-Mystic Formula] to the Spirit Realm long ago and slaughtered those gods who were eyeing reality, unifying the power of the "Potion Era" and the "Superpower Era" with his own strength, and directly ascending to the pinnacle of the era as the only supreme being!

She couldn't possibly do that... and why is the Anti-Mystic Equation not reacting to it at all?
Ron was extremely curious. He even wanted to switch to the [Potion Sequence] and [Spirit Vision] to see what the omnipresent data network looked like from a higher vantage point...

But he quickly came to his senses and almost couldn't help but slap himself.

Don't want to die? !
If the [Anti-Mystic Equation] still existed, at most, some god would just catch a glimpse of it from afar, and the chances of survival would still be quite high...

But if something the [Pointer] did causes the [Anti-Mystic Equation] to become ineffective around her, wouldn't Ron be facing the Lords of All Spirits above Mansus without any cover as soon as he opened [Spirit Vision]?

He didn't think he could survive under those circumstances...

Ron shook his head, calmed down, and continued to look at the assessment on the stage—

Looking at the student lying unconscious on the ground, 404 couldn't help but frown.

"How could he be so weak..."

She seemed somewhat helpless and shook her head. The clock hands on the stage wall seemed to pause for a moment, and the next moment Ron saw that there was a school doctor next to her, who was also wearing a white coat and had a work badge hanging on his chest.

404 waved his hand and told the school doctor, "Take him to get treatment, and add three... no, two credits to his grades."

The school doctor seemed to have expected this. He nodded to 404, looked at the little follower who had collapsed on the stage, picked him up, and carried him out of the auditorium.

"Alright, let me take another look..."

She lazily swept across the auditorium, but apart from a few people, most people in the first row, after witnessing the tragedy of that person, would instinctively shrink back the moment they met 404's gaze, like cats with their fur standing on end out of fear.

The group of Yu An's little followers who had scrambled for the first row seats in hopes of getting some credits from the 404 test were now trembling with fear, wishing they could shrink back into their chairs.

They knew they weren't up to the task and probably wouldn't pass the test... but they never imagined that the 404 test would be so deadly!
Although this Lv.5 had excellent control over the force, they still hadn't forgotten what that unfortunate guy looked like before he was carried away...

I always felt that he was closer to death than to life.

The thought that they would probably end up as half-dead dogs in 404's hands made these pampered young masters even less willing to go up and embarrass themselves.

Seeing the obvious resistance in these people, 404 frowned even more deeply.

"Don't you... have even one person willing to participate in the test?"
"How dare someone like that sit in the front row?"

"This class is truly the worst I've ever taught..."

She shook her head, glanced at the clock behind her that showed 5 p.m. in 23 minutes, then looked at the students further back in the row. She then held her hand like a megaphone in front of her and amplified her voice:

"Not many students in the front row are willing to go on stage, but are there any in the back row?"
"There are 23 minutes left in the assessment. I'm very busy, and I probably won't have another chance to assess you in the future..."

"Students who are capable should come up on stage and give it a try, so they don't have any regrets."

Upon hearing this, Ron remained as steady as a mountain, sitting there calmly, but An Hui, standing to the side, was itching to make a move.

She immediately stood up, the bright silver electric light stimulating her leg muscles, and with a light leap, she landed on the stage as nimbly as a swallow.

"Lv.3?" 404 immediately perked up. "When did you get promoted, before or after the college entrance exam?"

"After the college entrance examination."

An Huiyi was concise, but 404's enthusiasm clearly waned, "That's still quite a bit short..."

She muttered, "Your computing power is far inferior. Look at your abilities... Show us your true self!"

Before 404 could finish speaking, An Hui, who was well-prepared, had already launched her personal reality.

In an instant, silver snakes danced on the stage, accompanied by thunderous roars.

An Hui's beautiful brown short hair also floated up due to the magnetic force, as if the wind was blowing.

The bioelectricity intensified the stimulation of her muscles, and the [Magnetic Field Rotation] was operating at full power at this moment, which had already boosted her physical body to the peak of her abilities in her life!

404 raised an eyebrow and gently lifted his hand:
"Okay!"

It was as if a frame had been removed from the world, and a similar scene appeared on the stage.

Colorful light swept towards An Hui, and various runes appeared on her body, but they flickered on and off under the influence of her personal reality and the flashing bio-currents, and finally dimmed completely, disappearing in the electric light.

She was not affected by the magic and used all her strength to catch each magical lump. With each one she encountered, her personal reality was severely eroded...

But in the end, as An Hui kicked the last rock spike away, all the magical light around 404 disappeared, having been caught by An Hui.

"Huh...huh..."

At this moment, the electric current around An Hui had almost completely disappeared, leaving only a few sparks flickering on her forehead and the ends of her hair, like sparks of electricity bursting up with all her might before the power was about to go out.

I... got it?

She had pushed her calculations a bit too far; large beads of sweat rolled down her forehead. She looked hopefully at 404 and saw a slight, approving smile playing on her lips—

Then he said something indifferent that made An Hui despair:

"You've taken the first wave; now it's the second wave..."

Basic wave?!
What do you mean? Were those just appetizers for this test?!

Her face turned deathly pale as she stared at the 404 error page in front of her, which had just finished giving her warning and then raised its hand again...

"I surrender!"

She can only stand up by her own willpower now, how could she possibly take on any more challenges?
"That's not enough? What a pity..."

404 shook his head, the hands of the clock on the stage wall paused again, and the school doctor reappeared on stage.

"Take her to rest, and add 500 credits to help her pass the basic wave... Oh, and add another 100 for her courage and confidence to strive for the top."

As she spoke, she smiled at Anhui: "If you rank in the top three in your department in your first monthly exam, you'll get another 400 credits—"

"One thousand credits is just the minimum requirement for applying for AI computing access. If you work hard, these six hundred credits will be helpful to you."

1,000 credits!
Although An Hui was exhausted at the moment, her eyes lit up.

What she wanted was precisely these 1,000 credits!
Every superpowered user who advances to Lv.3 must consider constructing an [ability formula]. This 1,000 credits is enough for her to make one attempt. Although she only cleared the basic wave, it was enough for An Hui!
Supported by the school doctor, she walked towards the auditorium exit, glancing at Ron and winking at him repeatedly.

Although An Hui looked like she was about to faint from blinking so much, as if she were performing some kind of performance art, Ron could roughly understand the meaning behind her blinks...

It's something like, "Why aren't you up yet?" or "Hurry up and go!"

But Ron shook his head, remaining as calm as ever, sitting there watching coldly.

He wasn't sure what 404 was trying to test with these spells... He'd have to wait and see.

With twenty minutes left, even if he really wanted to pass this test, it would be enough time for him to wait and watch the whole thing—he could make his move at the very end.

Seeing that An Hui made a fortune with just the basic rounds, many people were stirred up and jumped onto the stage.

"I...I'll do it..."

"Me too."

"And I!"

Unfortunately, apart from a handful of geniuses like An Hui who had successfully advanced to Lv.3 before entering Moen University and possessed sufficiently powerful personal reality and ability models,
Almost everyone else was beaten half to death and taken away by the school doctor, who seemed to have never changed, to the school hospital for treatment.

After carefully examining the tests these people had undergone, Ron finally understood what 404 was really doing...

She is searching for someone more capable of resisting mysterious superpowers!
but why?
Ron looked at the [Pointer] principal on the stage, who was frantically using all sorts of magic, and his expression couldn't help but be a little strange.

Although she appeared to be a top-tier magician, everything she had just done suggested that she was testing the students' resistance to the mystical, searching for those amplified and blessed by the [Anti-Mystical Equation]...

One of the candidates just now, although he was only at the Lv.2 ability level, was affected by the [Anti-Mystic Equation] and withstood all the basic waves of magic by relying on his Lv.2 personal reality.

404 clearly likes him a lot...

These superpowered individuals, amplified by the [Anti-Mystic Formula], are no stronger than other ability users; their only advantage lies in their ability to combat mystery and "void" due to the influence of the [Anti-Mystic Formula].

This makes them more suitable for participating in the "knowledge-seeking experiment" and able to cope with the "hollow" threat that arises in the experiment.

When Ron thought of the "Experiment of Knowledge," he also thought of "Prometheus," which belonged to Moen University and did not yet have a sector director.

Ron's mind raced, and all the clues immediately connected.

Could it be that……

She is also working on the "Prometheus Experiment" to find a qualified participant.
It doesn't look dangerous...

Perhaps it's time for me to take the stage.

Ron seemed thoughtful, but at the same time, he sighed as he realized that no one wanted to play anymore and that there were less than five minutes left in the game.

She had intended to end the opening ceremony early, but suddenly heard an extremely confident voice:

"It seems you can only get past the basic level at most; no one can climb any higher?" Yu An walked slowly onto the stage with his hands behind his back, scanning the entire auditorium, a mocking smile playing on his lips.
"Then let me demonstrate for you... Watch carefully and learn well!"

After he finished speaking, he turned to look at 404, revealing an extremely respectful expression, and bowed deeply, saying:
"[Pointer] Teacher, I dare to give it a try."

"You are……"

404 looked at You An thoughtfully, and after thinking for more than ten seconds, he suddenly realized who the person in front of him was.

"Ah, you're the son of the 'messenger,' right? I remember you advanced to Lv.3 before the college entrance exam using a formula. Have you figured out that formula yet?"

Upon hearing this, Yu An's face froze, and he subconsciously clenched his teeth.

But he only remained silent for a moment before forcing a smile through his clenched teeth:
"Yes, teacher, I have now completely understood the formula and the Lv.3 ability..."

"Well, you're not bad." 404 nodded lazily, raising his hand: "Come on, open your personal reality... Get ready!"

The world seemed to have been cut off, and colorful light and runes rushed towards Yu'an with overwhelming force, but he remained standing with his hands behind his back, seemingly unconcerned.

He certainly had the right to be indifferent. These things fell not far in front of him, gradually losing their momentum and falling away. They were dissolved and melted by his personal reality, which he had cultivated to the extreme of mortals, and completely collapsed.

The runes only flashed briefly, like a flashlight about to run out of power, before going out completely after just two flashes...

"Basic wave passed... Not bad, that's your ability."

404 looked at You An, who seemed quite relaxed and unperturbed, with satisfaction, and raised his hand:
"Next, it's the second wave!"

In an instant, another frame of the world was ripped out, and in Ron's magical vision, a ghost clearly appeared, lunging at Euan...

Not only the specter of death, but also the flames of war and the moonlight of truth—

Although Ron could only recognize these, there were many other abilities he couldn't identify.

But he knew that in this second wave, the top archmage had abandoned the basic powers that could be manipulated by rituals and runes with a rudimentary understanding of mysticism, and instead used a more powerful power derived from extraordinary characteristics!

These spells clearly came from various potion sequences, and although they were all limited to the seventh sequence level, they still made Yu'an serious, no longer so nonchalant.

He pondered intently, his computing power running at full speed, manipulating [Gravity Control] to wear down these "magic" spells...

Although you could clearly see him frowning and his forehead was covered in sweat, the fact that he could do this already spoke volumes.

His personal strength, which wasn't favored by the [Anti-Mystic Formula], is probably slightly stronger than Ron's current strength...

Ron had already reached the limit of progress, and was almost pushing his personal reality to the limits of mortals.

Thinking about it this way, the slight difference between Yu'an and him should be attributed to the boost gained from constructing the formula.

After all, the [Ability Formula] can not only provide a fixed ability, but also help enhance one's personal reality.

According to Dunn's prediction, Ron would only reach the limits of mortals and the level that required authorization to advance after the formula was constructed.

However, Lab Zero won't be open until at least the end of the academic year, and it's unclear whether there's a way to bypass the restrictions and advance to Lv.4 normally...

Ron silently watched as Yuan on the stage slowly wore down the magic with her abilities, remaining unharmed and successfully eliminating the second wave of spells.

"very nice."

404 nodded slightly. "There's one last round... Shall we take it?"

"catch!"

Yu An was slightly out of breath, staring intently at 404 in front of him, ready to give it his all.

He's in pretty good shape right now, and he hasn't even been injured... We absolutely can't back down without a fight!

"Then stick to your personal reality..."

404 said lazily, a sky-blue prismatic pendant hanging between his fingers. Suddenly, the pendant started spinning counterclockwise without any wind.

At that moment, all the superpowered individuals near the stage immediately felt an extremely pure sense of stagnation. Their personal reality was being violently impacted, leaving them almost powerless to use any of their abilities.

It's a "restriction technique"!
Ron immediately realized what the pendant was, and 404 raised his hand again. It was as if a frame had been removed from the world, and a long, sharp lance made of what looked like a piece of bright silver was revealed.

The magical energy emanating from it... was far greater than any of the previous spells!
404 waved his hand, and his lance flew out:

"...Then, catch this shot properly!"

"laugh!"

As 404 finished speaking, his lance flew towards Yu'an.

Although when things were unfolding normally in his personal reality, this lance wasn't much stronger than the magic of those other superhumans, and could easily stop them...

However, Yu'an's personal reality has been worn down to a certain extent by the "restriction spell," making it unlikely that he can win against this lance by relying solely on it.

He charged out with his lance and arrived in front of Yu'an in an instant.

It seemed as if, at any moment, this madman, who had no personal protection, would be pierced through and nailed to the stage—

But a smile crept onto Yu'an's lips.

He lightly tapped his fingertips on his chest and quickly drew a cross.

The next moment, he strained with all his might to push open a sliver of his suppressed personal reality, allowing the lance to fall into the realm of his personal reality before it could touch his chest...

Then, gravity increases a hundredfold!
Instantly, the lance, which had become a physical object, was affected by gravity a hundredfold. The force that should have pierced through Yuan was too "heavy," and it only barely touched the skin of his chest before rapidly sliding down.

Soon, it cut a shallow gash in Yu'an's chest, then slammed to the ground with a cold "clang".

After a moment of silence, the entire auditorium erupted in cheers.

"He...he passed?"

"He made it! That was a close call... Is this the power of formulas?"

In the middle, Yu'an's henchmen took the opportunity to boast:
"Truly worthy of being a Lv.3 who constructed the [Ability Formula]—do you think his previous loss to Ron was just a matter of luck?"

"As expected, Yu'an is the real number one in strength. The difference between ability levels is no joke. That Ron is just lucky... otherwise, why isn't he going up yet?"

"That's right, Yu'an is the real number one!"

The auditorium became noisy as people watched Yu An pass the test on stage, and many were quite excited.

Although this was achieved by skipping class using formulas and extremely pushing the limits to deflect the lance, regardless of the circumstances, Yu'an had already withstood the three waves of magic and passed the 404 test.

404 wasn't entirely satisfied with Yu'an's performance, but still nodded and said gently:

"Very good...you've cleared the game."

"I'll add two thousand credits to your account first. I'll come find you again after you've recovered and bring you a fun little prize..."

As she spoke, the hands of the clock on the stage wall paused again, and the school doctor reappeared on stage, ready to take Yu'an away.

But he shook his head, ignoring the blood slowly trickling from his chest, and instead revealed a smug smile as he looked at Ron, who had remained silent, sitting in the corner observing everything—

"Ron!"

He called out to Ron, pointing to the clock on the stage wall:
"Only two minutes left...aren't you going to give it a try?"

"Or..." A mocking smile curled at the corner of his lips, "you think you can't pass?"

He paused, then spoke in a clearer voice, yin and yang:

"If that's the case, it seems that our 'number one' in the physics department will have to relinquish this position before the monthly exam even starts, right?"

It seems he genuinely believes Ron has no chance of passing.

After all, the 404 assessment only considers an individual's real-world strength, and Yuan had already discovered that Ron's real-world strength was inferior to his own when they clashed.

Even Yu'an himself is struggling so much, and in the end he has to rely on the formula to gamble on a chance. If Ron, who is weaker than Yu'an in reality and hasn't even constructed an [ability formula], wants to pass the 404 test, he will naturally face an even more dangerous crisis...

How did Ron manage to pass the 404 test?

Yu An thought this to himself, but little did he know that Ron was far more complex than he imagined...

Magic! Magic!

All the abilities 404 used to infiltrate the examinees were the purest form of "magic"... What difference would it make to Ron if he didn't have any of these?
He gave the smug-looking You An a strange look, ignored him, and then glanced at the clock on the stage wall.

4:59.

"Anything else you want to try?"

404 yawned, looking listless, seemingly bored and sleepy because it hadn't found a satisfactory student.

"There's still one last minute left for the assessment. Anyone want to give it a try?"

Is this the last time?

It seems it's time for me to make my appearance.

Ron silently pondered, activated [Illusion Dissolved] and [Superpowered], and nimbly leaped to the center of the stage.

"Let me try."

He looked at 404, who seemed rather lazy and didn't seem to take him seriously, and said:
"However, in order not to waste your time..."

"I think it's unnecessary to distinguish between the basic stage and the second and third stages."

Ron chuckled softly and said:

"Release all three waves at once—I'll speedrun through, is that alright?"

(End of this chapter)