Provocation.
A naked, blatant provocation.
Xu Kun's eyes burned with disdain as he looked at Smith.
He didn't just dislike Smith—he loathed him.
A so-called double S-level esper? What a joke. To Xu Kun, Smith was nothing more than a fraud, a disgrace to the proud Jiang family. He believed both of Smith's S-level powers were useless—a waste of potential.
What could be more satisfying than humiliating Smith in front of an audience of students, teachers, and, most importantly, Yan Yue?
In Xu Kun's mind, it was a flawless plan.
If Smith made a fool of himself during the battle, not only would Xu Kun boost his own reputation, but he might just look like a hero in Yan Yue's eyes.
Two birds with one stone.
Xu Kun couldn't help but mentally praise his own brilliance.
And just as he expected, the moment he tossed out the challenge—
[Ding! Mission Triggered: Accept Xu Kun's challenge and defeat the first-level monster.]
[Reward: 100 energy points, unlock the Lottery System.]
"...What?"
Smith blinked.
A lottery system? That was new.
A lottery meant chances—rare powers, secret techniques, rare skills, maybe even artifacts! It was the kind of opportunity that could truly change a person's fate.
"No hesitation."
Smith stepped forward and replied with a calm but firm, "I'll do it."
The rewards were too tempting. Delaying even a second would be disrespectful to the system's generosity.
The teacher from Special Class Three nodded approvingly. "Very good. Your courage is admirable. All three of you, step forward and prepare."
The three of them—Smith, Yan Yue, and Xu Kun—moved into the battle area.
It was a smaller barrier field, about forty meters long and twenty wide. Inside, the two-headed fire ant loomed at the opposite end, temporarily restrained by an invisible wall of energy.
The teacher stood outside the field and asked, "Are you ready?"
"Absolutely!" Xu Kun replied immediately, puffing out his chest.
Yan Yue gave a gentle nod.
Smith also nodded, calm and composed.
"Then begin!"
The energy barrier restraining the monster faded.
In an instant, the two-headed fire ant, sensing its opponents, let out an ear-piercing screech and charged forward. Its eight blazing legs pounded against the ground like war drums, kicking up clouds of dust.
First-level monsters didn't have much intelligence. They were driven by primal instincts—kill anything that smelled human.
"Beast Transformation: Bear!"
Xu Kun roared and activated his ability.
Brown fur spread rapidly across his body as his muscles expanded. His stature doubled in size, and his limbs thickened with raw power. Though not yet a full beast transformation, the enhancement was enough to boost his physical capabilities dramatically.
Without waiting, Xu Kun launched himself at the oncoming fire ant.
Yan Yue, ever graceful, raised her palm and whispered, "Chain of Holy Water."
With a splash, two shimmering chains made of glowing blue water burst from the ground and latched onto the fire ant's sides, halting its movement.
"Take this!"
Xu Kun's enlarged fist smashed into one of the creature's heads.
Bang!
The force of the punch sent the two-headed fire ant hurtling backward. Cheers erupted from the observing students.
"Perfect coordination!" someone shouted.
Even Smith had to admit—their teamwork was impressive.
Standing a few meters back, Smith remained still, observing.
He was just a support-class esper, and frankly, a pretty useless one in everyone's eyes. No one expected much from him in direct combat.
At least for now, it seemed he didn't need to do anything. Xu Kun and Yan Yue had everything under control.
Xu Kun laughed triumphantly. "That's it? That's all a monster can do?"
But his smug grin froze the moment the fire ant rolled back to its feet—completely unharmed.
"What...?"
The creature's two heads snarled. Its mouths opened wide—and from each shot a fireball the size of a basketball, trailing smoke and heat.
"W-what the hell?!"
Xu Kun froze, momentarily paralyzed by fear. The intense heat radiating from the fireballs made it clear: taking a direct hit could be fatal.
"Divine Water Shield!" Yan Yue shouted.
A glowing blue shield of water appeared in front of Xu Kun just in time.
Boom!
The two fireballs slammed into the barrier, shattering it in a spray of steam, but the explosion was fully absorbed.
Xu Kun collapsed backward, sweating. "I... I almost died..."
But the monster wasn't done.
Fwoosh! Two more fireballs surged from its jaws, once again aiming at the trio.
This time, Xu Kun barely dodged, rolling across the ground. One fireball missed his crotch by mere inches.
"Ahh! It's spamming the same move!"
His confidence vanished. Xu Kun had no way to get close—the creature was keeping him at bay with ranged attacks.
Now that Xu Kun was out of reach, the two-headed fire ant turned its attention to new targets—Smith and Yan Yue.
Twin fireballs blasted toward them.
Yan Yue was fast. "Divine Water Shield!" she cast again, defending herself.
But she had no time to shield Smith as well.
Everyone's eyes turned to him.
The teacher narrowed his eyes, prepared to intervene. He knew Smith's powers—two S-ranks, but neither combat-oriented. This situation could be dangerous.
Xu Kun smirked from the ground. "Let's see how the great Smith deals with this!"
But Smith didn't panic.
Instead, he began forming hand seals.
It was clearly his first time using them in a real fight, but his movements were shockingly smooth—as if guided by instinct.
"Mokuton: Wooden Barrier!"
With a deep shout, thick wooden pillars erupted from the earth, bending and intertwining to form a solid shield in front of Smith.
Boom!
The fireball crashed into the wooden wall, leaving only a scorch mark.
Silence fell.
Everyone, from the spectators to the teachers, stared in disbelief.
"Was that... Wood Element defense?"
Even the teacher, a seasoned combatant, was stunned. Wood-type espers were rare enough, but using defensive techniques like that? That wasn't supposed to be possible—not at Smith's level.
"Yan Yue," Smith said calmly, "can you bind it again?"
She nodded. "On it."
"Chain of Holy Water!"
Once again, two massive water chains burst from the ground and clamped tightly around the fire ant's limbs.
Smith stepped forward.
His eyes changed.
The pupils turned red—swirling into three magatama tomoe.
Sharingan.
Smith's hidden second ability. One that had shocked even the system when it first awakened.
The fire ant's eyes locked onto his, entranced by the power radiating from his gaze.
Now was the moment.
Smith charged, enhanced by his newly unlocked physical strength. With one clean leap, he soared nearly two meters into the air and brought his fist down.
"Illusion: Hypnotic Vision!"
The instant the Sharingan activated, the fire ant's gaze froze, caught in the illusion.
Bang!
His fist landed squarely on the creature's skull.
It didn't go flying—but it didn't need to.
Though Smith felt the recoil in his arm and winced slightly, the result was undeniable.
The two-headed fire ant dropped.
It collapsed flat on the ground—completely motionless.
To everyone watching, it looked like Smith had knocked it out with a single punch.
---
Outside the barrier, the crowd burst into commotion.
"No way...!"
"Was that really Smith?"
"He took out a first-level monster in one hit?!"
Even the teacher's mouth twitched. He had underestimated Smith badly.
Xu Kun sat frozen in disbelief. "No... that's impossible..."
Yan Yue glanced at Smith with new light in her eyes. He wasn't just talented—he was composed, decisive, and powerful in his own unique way.
Smith, meanwhile, stood silently over the monster.
[Ding! Mission Complete: Defeat the first-level monster.]
[Reward: 100 energy points. Lottery system unlocked.]
A golden wheel appeared briefly in his mind, filled with mysterious icons and shimmering prizes.
Smith smiled faintly.
The tide had shifted.