Mike, strolling in with Big Bertha on his shoulder, became the center of attention, a real showstopper in the arena.
Anderson furrowed his brow, puzzled, and turned to Kaelum, “How come Mike can carry what you can’t?”
“What do you mean?!” Kaelum snapped, getting defensive. “It’s just a few dozen tons of Big Bertha, watch me lift one for you right now!” He stormed off to prove his point.
Elena, who knew a bit more about the situation, explained, “Take a closer look. They’ve removed many of the mounts from Big Bertha, keeping only the main barrel.”
Even so, the weight of Big Bertha was no less than 20 tons, definitely not something Mike, a mage, should be able to handle!
Anderson looked at Elena, signaling her to continue.
“This morning, Kaelum asked me to modify Big Bertha. While disassembling it, I also designed some areas to be hollow and left space for engraving runes.”
Elena, a top student in the mechanical element, just glanced at the Big Bertha on Mike’s shoulder and spotted several clues, “After engraving a wind element rune, Mike only needs to channel wind element to activate the rune…”
Kaelum jumped in to finish, “The rune generates a stream of air that flows through the hollowed-out areas, lifting Big Bertha and taking some of the weight off Mike. Basically, the Big Bertha Mike is carrying now weighs just a few tons, not as heavy as it looks.”
Listening to their explanations, Anderson slowly nodded.
He didn’t quite grasp all the details.
But one thing was clear to Anderson: No matter how he did it, this wind element mage had lifted a 20-ton Big Bertha!
Anderson turned to Cain, “Next combat test, you’re carrying Big Bertha.”
“Huh?”
Cain looked bewildered, “How does this relate to me?”
Anderson’s thought process was straightforward.
“You’re a Warrior, he’s a mage. In terms of strength, a Warrior can’t lose to a mage.”
Cain tried to salvage some dignity, “But Mike didn’t lift Big Bertha with pure strength…”
Anderson said sternly, “Using your brain is also a form of strength.”
Everyone turned to look at Anderson, surprised by his insight.
This usually quiet and reserved guy had some wisdom after all!
Convinced by Anderson, Cain resigned himself to the fact that he too would have to carry a several-ton Big Bertha in the next combat test.
For Cain, the most pressing issue was to pass this combat test first.
Everything else could wait.
When Carson appeared in the training hall, a sharp whistle cut through the air.
“Line up!”
All the students, fully geared up, formed ranks in front of Carson.
At the back of the line, one figure stood out, with Big Bertha slung over his shoulder.
“Mike, step forward!”
Carson called out Mike directly, his gaze sweeping over the students lined up.
Area C housed a total of 500 Supreme Being seeds from various regions, who usually had little interaction.
Carson clearly had some thoughts about Mike showing up to fight with Big Bertha.
He spoke again, “Who’s currently leading in points in Area C?”
The assistant instructor immediately reported,
“Ethan, Grade S talent, Level 43 Lightning element Warrior, Tier 3 Battle Soldier, with 1900 points.
This week’s achievements:
Conquered levels 3, 4, 5, and 6 of the Tower of Truth, earning 400 points!
Submitted a Grade S ore weighing 2.6 pounds, earning 1200 points!”
Hearing this, many were astounded.
Too strong!
Everyone had been at the summer camp for a while and had a general understanding of the training.
Firstly, the Supreme Being seeds with SS-grade talents had already been selected for more advanced training.
It seemed to be called the Dawn Plan.
The Dawn Plan had massive resources, and these Supreme Being seeds at the training summer camp were just nibbling at the edges and were already overwhelmed.
Those with SS-grade talents, the freaks among geniuses, were the ones getting the most resources!
Without any SS-grade talents here, Ethan’s S-grade talent was already among the top in Area C!
Moreover, Ethan’s leveling speed was terrifying, having reached Level 43 in such a short time!
Most importantly, Ethan wasn’t just strong on paper; he was also rated as a Tier 3 Battle Soldier, with exceptional combat power!
Even Jessica, upon hearing this, was shocked.
“He’s only 8 levels behind me, and I’ve just been rated a Tier 5 Battle Soldier…”
Surprised, Jessica couldn’t help but feel a bit worried,
“Carson had Mike step forward and asked about Ethan’s stats, he wouldn’t be thinking of…”
“Oh no!”
Kaelum’s face scrunched up, looking like a used tissue that had dried after wiping a nose.
“Ethan, step forward!”
At Carson’s command, a burly, simple-faced young man stepped forward, his armor faintly echoing with the sound of thunder, his presence formidable.
“First up, Ethan versus Mike!”
Hearing Carson’s announcement, Kaelum trudged to the corner with a gloomy face.
Mike, you’re toast.
The odds were stacked too high; this match was a no-brainer.
“Go get ’em, Big Bertha boy!”
Elena, ever the instigator, even cheered for Mike from the sidelines.
“I spent all morning tweaking Big Bertha for you, don’t let my hard work go to waste!”
Under Carson’s direction, all the students stepped back, clearing the entire gym for the two combatants.
This was the first fight of the day, and it was Carson who had personally called it!
“Everyone clear on the rules?”
Carson, acting as the referee, stated coldly,
“As long as you don’t kill each other, go all out. We’ve got a Battle Lord watching, and if you manage to take your opponent down, more power to you!”
Mike: ?!
Sweet deal!
Jokes aside, Mike wasn’t really going to try to kill Ethan.
They were classmates, after all; it was just a fight, no need to take it too seriously.
While sizing up his opponent, Ethan was also sizing up Mike.
Mike absolutely couldn’t afford to lose this fight, or he’d likely be booted from the summer camp.
But here’s the rub!
Going all out in a fight, not just against Ethan.
Even if Ethan’s grandpa showed up, he’d be no match for Mike!
Mike’s dilemma was that he needed to win, but the victory had to be seen as credible!
But a D-grade talent beating an S-grade talent…
That just didn’t seem plausible by any measure!
Mike glanced at Big Bertha slung over his shoulder; if he was going to win, it would have to be thanks to Big Bertha.
Using the strategy he had already planned, he’d test it on Ethan.
The two weren’t far apart now, and Mike stepped forward, extending his hand.
“Hey there, from Florida Magic High School, I’m Mike.”
Ethan was polite, shaking hands while introducing himself,
“Nice to meet you, from Warrior High School, I’m Ethan.”
The two were now very close.
Mike asked, “Shall we start?”
“At this distance?”
Ethan hesitated,
“You’re a mage, I’m a warrior; according to the rules, you could ask for a thousand yards of separation.”
Looking at Big Bertha on Mike’s shoulder, he added,
“Or are you planning to blast me from close range with that thing?”
At their current distance, Mike didn’t even need to aim.
Increasing the distance would only give Ethan more room to dodge.
“You underestimate me; I’m not that kind of lowlife.”
Mike said earnestly, “There are no shells in this Big Bertha, believe it or not.”
Seeing Mike speak so earnestly, Ethan felt a flicker of doubt.
Could it be… he had misjudged him?
Regardless, a mage asking for close combat with a warrior shouldn’t put the warrior at a disadvantage, right?
And about this Big Bertha… honestly, Ethan wasn’t too worried.
Whatever trick Mike was planning, close combat would work in Ethan’s favor!
So, when Mike asked if they should start, Ethan nodded.
But the moment he nodded, a strong force surged from his palm.
Ethan had forgotten; their hands were still clasped together!
With a forceful pull from Mike, Ethan, caught off guard, leaned forward and nearly lost his balance!
But that was as far as it went!
A cold glint flashed in Ethan’s eyes, and he quickly analyzed the situation.
His armor could easily withstand close-range cannon fire!
Loading Big Bertha was a complex task, and it couldn’t use energy stones. After firing once, it was no better than scrap metal.
At that point, a warrior fighting a mage at such close range, with the opponent lugging around a 20-ton piece of junk…
Ethan couldn’t see how he could possibly lose!
But in the next second, Mike’s actions completely overturned Ethan’s expectations.
Mike didn’t fire. Instead, he hurled the Big Bertha he had been shouldering forward.
Big Bertha crashed right into Ethan’s arms!
Already off-balance, the impact with Big Bertha broke Ethan’s precarious equilibrium.
At the same time, Mike stopped channeling the wind element, and all the wind element runes went dark!
The weight of Big Bertha pressed down mercilessly!
Ethan was right about one thing.
A Big Bertha that couldn’t fire was indeed just a piece of junk.
But it was over 20 tons of junk!
When 20 tons of metal crashed into his arms,
a Level 43 Warrior had only one outcome: to be blown away!
The moment he lost his balance, Ethan felt a breeze brush past, binding his hands and feet.
Meanwhile, Big Bertha clung to Ethan like sticky malt candy!
Boom—
A loud crash kicked up clouds of dust.
When the dust settled, the scene left everyone speechless, unclear about what had just happened!
In the center of the training hall, a 20-ton Big Bertha stood quietly.
Beneath Big Bertha, Ethan lay crushed, spitting blood continuously, his limbs splayed out, pinned down by Big Bertha, embedded in the ground, unable to get up.
With 20 tons weighing down, even with various buffs, Ethan might have had a chance to barely lift it.
But now, splayed out and suppressed by Big Bertha, he couldn’t find a leverage point to exert any strength, hardly able to muster a tenth of his power.
A shadow appeared in Ethan’s blurry vision.
Mike looked down at Ethan and said seriously, “You lost.”