Florida, Magic High School, Dean's Office.
"Mr. Blaze, what brings you here!" The dean stood in front of the sofa, somewhat flustered, his hands waving aimlessly in the air, as unsettled as his mood.
Blaze Morrow sat on the sofa with a calm demeanor, his usual geniality replaced by a sudden, imposing aura of authority and unspoken power. "What, I can't come? After all, I am the Lifetime Honorary Dean of Florida Magic High School."
Blaze Morrow's words nearly made the dean's legs buckle in fear! "Of course, of course, Dean Blaze, about Jessica, I am very sorry..."
The dean's panic stemmed entirely from one person—Jessica! As the most cherished granddaughter of a Battle Chief, her unexpected awakening of an F-level talent cast a shadow over her future prospects. Even Blaze Morrow, the Battle Chief from the distant Abyssal Plane, had dropped everything to rush back to his family.
The dean was deeply worried that Blaze Morrow would take his anger out on the school. The wrath of a peak Battle Chief was no small matter! His heart was in turmoil, a tormenting ordeal. Just then, the dean heard Blaze Morrow's voice. "You've handled Jessica's situation well."
"We didn't handle it well... What?" The dean was stunned, surely he had misheard! An F-level talent awakening equals a job well done?! If anyone other than Blaze Morrow had said this, the dean would have suggested a mental health check.
Blaze Morrow ignored the stunned dean and continued, "I heard that the selection for the summer camp is being held earlier this year?" "Yes, yes, yes!" The dean quickly nodded, explaining, "Because the supreme power has already unfolded, the higher department informed us that this year's candidates will progress much faster than in previous years. Starting the summer camp earlier will allow us to filter out the talented students and provide them with more resources for development, and facilitate their competition with each other..."
The SAT Summer Camp, organized jointly by top high schools, gathers talented students from various regions for concentrated training and assessment. Those who perform well can earn extra SAT points and even secure early admission to prestigious superpower universities.
Selection for the summer camp is internally conducted by high schools and reported upwards. In previous years, the camp would convene a month before the SAT, by which time most talents had already emerged, some even possessing Battle Soldiers' strength.
This year was unlike any other, even vastly different from previous supreme powers. The previous three supreme beings, even if they broke through the Tower of Truth at SSS level, mostly received rewards focused on their personal development, without affecting the entire human race. They mostly used their post-rise abilities to fight for the human race, compete for resources, and extend their influence.
Thor, however, did not follow the same path. Or rather, Thor performed even better! An SSSS rating, before Thor, was an unprecedented score in the history of the Tower of Truth! More crucially, Thor, with his own strength, significantly boosted the entire human race with powerful buffs! This elevated everyone's strength and potential by a notch!
Even Florida Magic High School could feel the change, with the dean's data showing that already a dozen students had reached level 10. Among them, standout students like James had even completed their job change, obtaining an A-level Class template. And this was just within three days!
After listening to the dean's report, Blaze Morrow asked again, "Does the summer camp selection start today?" The dean's nervousness eased, and he spoke more fluently, simply answering whatever Blaze asked. "Yes, we're collecting the class lists this morning, and the official start is this afternoon, beginning with basic tests, and the final rankings will be based on combat test results."
"Good, I plan to observe this selection, is that okay?" "Having Blaze Battle Chief as an observer is an honor for us!" The dean's face lit up with joy. Today's Blaze was a bit strange, but he couldn't quite pinpoint what was odd. Could it be...
A thought suddenly struck the dean, perhaps related to James? James possessed an A-level talent and A-level Class template, and reportedly, he was a fire element, which matched very well with Blaze Morrow. If Blaze Morrow came for James, perhaps to assess him and possibly take him as an apprentice, it seemed plausible...
Realizing this, the dean's joy intensified, and he quickly said, "Master Blaze, this year's Rising Star of Florida is likely right here at Magic High School!" "I think so too." Blaze Morrow was confident, well aware of his granddaughter's level. An S-level talent with an SS-level Class template, nurtured tirelessly by a peak Battle Chief! If not her, then who else could be Florida's Rising Star?
Just then, a name flashed through Blaze Morrow's mind—Mike! Could it be this kid, Mike?
...
"Mike, are you signing up for the summer camp selection?" Cain came back with two application forms, handing one to Mike. "I heard the school's increasing resources for this selection. Anyone who makes the top 50% gets a reward worth $100,000!"
Cain was egging Mike on to join him; both were D-level talents, at least they could be embarrassed together. "Sure." Mike took the application form, and they filled it out together. As Cain wrote, he whispered, "Mike, did you eat the roast beef I gave you?"
At the mention of beef, Mike couldn't help but think of the minotaur that had been turned to char by a Lightning Arrow. He observed a moment of silence for the minotaur for 0.01 seconds, hoping there was no lightning in heaven.
Mike nodded, "I did, it tasted pretty good. Got any more?" "If I had more, I would've eaten it already. That stuff boosts your Strength attribute, it's quite valuable!" Cain swallowed, then added mysteriously, "You know, half of that was from Jessica!"
"Oh?" Under Mike's puzzled gaze, Cain briefly explained what had happened. "I'm telling you, that Warrior was so cool, just swoosh, and all the monsters on the road were wiped out!" Cain's vivid storytelling made it seem as if he had witnessed it himself.
Mike knew the Warrior Cain was talking about was himself. He casually asked, "Did you see that Warrior in action?" Cain shook his head, "No, but that doesn't stop him from being my idol!" True, Mike thought, if Cain had seen him in action, he would have recognized him by now. "Isn't your idol the supreme being Ares?"
"Supreme beings are too distant, I've decided to idolize this mysterious Warrior instead. Once I save up enough money, I'm going to buy the Windstride Slash skill books!" When he mentioned Windstride Slash, Cain even picked up a book and mimicked drawing a sword, charging forward, utterly joyful. "Face the wind! Hasaki!"
Indeed, joyful souls always attract each other. Windstride Slash was not some low-tier skill; it was highly sought after by Warriors and priced very high. Mike had bought it from Foreskin, spending 7,000 gold coins after a discount, equivalent to $7 million!
With Cain's talent and level, he might never save up enough money in his lifetime. Mike finished the form and tossed it to Cain, "Submit this for me, I'm going to the restroom." "Mike, why have you been running to the restroom so often lately? I know a urologist, should I make you an appointment?" "Get lost!"
Skillfully entering the restroom and locking the door, Mike took out his Trade Secret Realm pass and contacted Foreskin. "Windstride Slash skill books, another one." "Yasuo, the price has gone up recently, but we'll still go with the previous 7,000 gold coins. Don't forget to hit me up if you have more business!" Foreskin responded quickly, and after receiving the 7,000 gold coins from Yasuo by mail, he immediately shipped the skill books.
A Windstride Slash skill book, for Mike's current net worth, was nothing significant, giving it to Cain was just a small favor. Cain had risked his life in Thunder Valley to pick up that beef, yet he generously shared two-thirds of it with Mike. That beef genuinely boosted the Strength attribute, and Cain could have kept it all to himself, even if he shared with Jessica, there was no need to share with Mike. Cain, planning to choose the Warrior Class, needed the Strength attribute the most. Yet, he chose to share without any hesitation. In his view, good things should be shared with good friends, as it should be. Just this attitude alone said it all. Maybe letting others know about this would make them laugh at Cain's naivety. But seventeen or eighteen-year-old boys sometimes really do retain this kind of naivety, talking about friendship and loyalty.
With the skill book in hand, Mike faced a new problem: "This thing is worth millions of dollars, how can I give it to Cain with a reasonable excuse?" Mike was just a poor student, suddenly producing a highly valuable skill book was totally unreasonable. He needed a plausible explanation to avoid suspicion. Who should he ask...
Mike stepped out of the restroom, troubled by this issue, and ran into Jessica. "Got it!" Mike called out to Jessica, "Hey! Beautiful." "Huh? Mike... are you calling me?" The term "beautiful" took Jessica a moment to adjust to. Mike stopped Jessica and pointed to a quiet lounge nearby, "Got something to talk to you about." Saying this, he didn't wait for Jessica's consent, took the lead, pushed open the door, and walked in. Jessica, on impulse and not quite understanding her own thoughts, actually followed him in!
Half a minute later, explosive news spread throughout Florida's Magic High School: School beauty Jessica had just entered a lounge alone with Mike!