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Chapter 113: Man of Honor

Translator: Double_L Editor: Tehrn

That night, a chartered flight was scheduled to send everyone back to Ayrlarng; however, Samantha didn't follow because she had other businesses to attend to. On their way home, Hu Yangxuan kept bugging Wang Tong as he was curious about what had happened earlier; however, Wang Tong was very good at keeping secrets, so Hu Yangxuan failed to dig up any gossips from him. Turns out Hu Yangxuan also had some potentials in becoming a paparazzi, as he was the only one amongst fellow students to be able to sense something's fishy. Nevertheless, he respected Wang Tong's bravery on taking on such colossal difficulty from the bottom of his heart.

They were back to Ayrlarng at last, and Wang Tong was wide awake in his room thinking about his bittersweet "first love". He was able to sleep even on the Zerg-infested Norton, but what had happened earlier was strong enough to give him insomnia. Somehow, he had understood the meaning of "the first cut was the deepest", as he closed his eyes and recalled Samantha's graceful elegance of a goddess; he knew his relationship with Samantha had begun and ended on the same day.

It was the current Wang Tong that Samantha had rejected, a budding student of Ayrlarng. He knew he wouldn't be able to go out with her judging from his current situation, he used to think that everything else didn't matter as long as there was love, but today he had learned how naive he had been back then.

Wang Tong managed to find a reason to work harder and not to give up, he would be a damn fool if he were to submerge himself into despair and lost himself only because he was rejected, and even Samantha would despise him for being so childish. Men were supposed to stay strong.

In the end, Wang Tong decided not to waste time tossing and turning on his bed, so he got up and went out for a fight in TPA. Suddenly he remembered the tempting invitation from DREAM, a bloody ten grand per match; how he wished he could accept that amount of money now since he had spent most of his dimes to impress Samantha during today's lunch.

However, DREAM-Heaven was already packed with people when Wang Tong arrived; the shop owner apologized immediately, "Sorry kid but the house is full today, they have been hogging here for the past two days, and no one is willing to leave."

"Wow, looks like your business is good recently?"

"Nah, everyone is here just to wait for some dude named Einherjar Wannabe; apparently, that dude would log in every weekend, but the time he login is unknown. Many of them missed out the chance to fight him because he logged in late last time; hence everyone had sworn and camped to wait for his arrival, some even hogged the machine by taking turns waiting," the shop owner looked happy as he explained. Apparently, his business had skyrocketed ever since the appearance of Einherjar Wannabe, mostly contributed by those who spent their money on the food and beverages in his shop… yet the shop owner still couldn't figure out why that "Einherjar Wannabe" dude was so popular recently.

Wang Tong was also surprised to see his ID rose to fame. But too bad, since all the machines in the shop were fully occupied, he had no choice but to go back to sleep.

Just when he was about to leave, two guys who were in their twenties came out disappointedly and payed for their bill, both of them gave up waiting because they still had to wake up early the morning after and go to work.

"Aha, at last, there's a room for you, enjoy!" The shop owner was overjoyed to see a continuous incoming of business.

Wang Tong got his access card and walked toward room no.9. He had no intention to check out the trending discussions about "Einherjar Wannabe" in the forum because he knew it would be meaningless even if he saw what they commented. Complacence and vanity had no benefit for his own growth and would not earn him any penny. Without wasting any time, Wang Tong logged into TPA immediately. As he looked at his inbox filled with tons of challenge invitations, somehow he felt good for being famous, at least he didn't have to worry about finding challengers anymore.

System notification: Einherjar Wannabe logged in!

Finally, after two days of waiting, Einherjar Wannabe showed up, causing another uproar throughout PA.

Just like the old saying goes: "When there's a will, there's a way." Every player who had been waiting since the very beginning went crazy when they saw the notification, and everyone became energetic instantly.

"Einherjar Wannabe is here!"

Everyone started to wonder who would be fighting against him today.

The forum was bombarded with comments, some people… or rather a small group of people began saying bad things about Einherjar Wannabe after what had happened the previous week. Perhaps they were jealous or maybe they were just a bunch of haters. Those people were saying that the reason behind Einherjar Wannabe's victory previously wasn't because of him being invincible, but it was Solitary Snow's fault for being a noob. They also said that Solitary Snow was insane for not playing defensively with his Dream-ranked METAL Suit; Einherjar Wannabe was not hard to be defeated since he had no weapon and armor, and it would be impossible for him to break the unrivaled defense of the Golden Marksman. Moreover, aside from ranged attacks, the Golden Marksman also contained the ability of high-speed mobility which was specially designed for dodging close ranged attacks. Solitary Snow at least could've tied the match with such advantages, but the dumb*ss went for the Golden Arrows instead, which got himself KO'd in the end.

Many TPA players also supported those comments, they said luck was definitely involved in Einherjar Wannabe's victory, and IPA players' battle strategies sucked. Solitary Snow might have surprised everyone with his Butterfly Dash, but flashy tactics absolutely had nothing to do with one's victory.

Nevertheless, Einherjar Wannabe's supporters stood up and "counterattacked" the comments of those haters, telling them to shut up unless they really had the balls to defeat Einherjar Wannabe.

The dramas in the forum lasted for two days while they were waiting for Einherjar Wannabe to show up, now they shall see who would he chose to fight tonight.

"Boss, he's here!"

"Good, let's see how he responds!"

The PA staff had no choice but to work overtime due to Einherjar Wannabe's appearance. This was Cameron's last chance to please the board of directors, and now, he began to wonder if ten grand was enough to strike a deal with Einherjar Wannabe.

Was it too less to bargain? But it would be impossible for him to offer more than that because he couldn't confirm how long would Einherjar Wannabe be able to sustain his winning streak. A good number of aces still seemed to be laying low throughout PA; however, he might be able to fish out the hidden aces if he acted too "cocky", and things would be different if that really happened.

Cameron was anxious, he had tried his best to strike a deal with Einherjar Wannabe by offering ten grand per match, now it was all up to him to decide.

Once again, Wang Tong opened the letter from the administration which was placed on top of his inbox, this time it was attached with the amount of money per match.

Ten grand?

Wang Tong rubbed and blinked his eyes, he couldn't believe they were offering him ten grand per match!

The main purpose for him to play in the TPA was to train himself. He would never want to be restrained, and he didn't want money to be his reason to fight someone else. However, Old Fart once said, "Love and dignity are the most crucial factors of a man's life, but not if he ain't got no dime."

Wang Tong was shaken by the immense amount of money, he had never seen such a huge number of money in his life since he was born!

He wondered if the almighty Blade Warrior would bow and kneel down for the sake of money.

Immediately, Wang Tong shook his head for having such a weird thought. Of course, the Blade Warrior wouldn't do that since he was the godly existence in everyone's heart, it would be impossible for him to worry with such a silly issue.

However, Wang Tong didn't accept the offer immediately because he had always been a cautious person and he understood the fact that was no such thing as a "free lunch" in this world. Wang Tong needed more time to digest this. Apparently, Hell always awaits right behind the veil of temptation.

Wang Tong never liked the idea of earning money through fighting in TPA because he didn't want his original intentions to mutate by involving money. It was undeniable that money was important, but one had to learn to minimize its importance, or one would become the "slave" of money.

Old Fart always said, "Only those who know how to spend money would be able to become its master". However, the point was, Old Fart didn't know how to earn money!

Wang Tong was feeling that the temptation of ten grand was getting stronger; however, he would always tell himself to calm down whenever he was stuck in a situation like this, just like how he used to calm down and focus during battles. He closed his eyes and cleared his mind, it was funny how ten grand was able to disrupt his state of mind, if Einherjar Wannabe were to see him like this, he would definitely laugh his ass out.

Wang Tong was no god, of course, he would make terrible mistakes from time to time; however, he was very good at self-reflection. Somehow Einherjar Wannabe approved this "talent" of his because it was unusual for someone at this age to possess such motivation, and Einherjar Wannabe even praised Old Fart once for his excellent teachings to Wang Tong; nevertheless, Wang Tong was annoyed by those words.

Wang Tong had always been a man of honor and still remained unstained after all these years.

"Hahaha, see Luv Ma? Didn't I tell you that he will appear tonight? Chop chop buddy, he's not escaping from us this time!" Miao Xiu laughed, he might have missed out the previous matches, but definitely not this time, as he had been staying online for hours waiting for him to show up!

"Shuddup dude, I've just sent out the challenge invitation, so all we need is patience, everything is up for him to decide now!" Luv Ma shrugged helplessly, he had been spending his precious weekend staying at home with the annoying dude beside him right now, but it couldn't be helped.

"Chill bro, look at my brilliant records and my stunning image, I'm sure he will pick me as his opponent alright!" Miao Xiu shuffled his hair as he spoke proudly like he was the triton among the minnows! [1]

Luv Ma shooked his head as he looked at the narcissist, he was speechless against Miao Xiu's severe sense of pride. Even idiots knew Einherjar Wannabe's inbox would be flooded with thousands of invitations, and even if Einherjar Wannabe sorted his mails by descending orders of challengers' Soul Energy, no one would be able to guarantee Miao Xiu's name would be at the top of the list.

Nevertheless, Einherjar Wannabe was a weird person since no one else in TPA other than him would waste their time on those nobodies in IPA.

Chapter 114: S-Ranked

Translator: Double_L Editor: Tehrn

Meanwhile, in Bernabeu, Cao Yi seemed to be fully prepared to challenge Einherjar Wannabe. Apparently, he had also been waiting for Einherjar Wannabe to log in since long ago. He always believed that great strength came from great amount of learnings so he wouldn't miss out any chance of challenging Einherjar Wannabe. Moreover, he wasn't able to sleep as well because he couldn't help blaming himself for making a mistake at that critical moment that ultimately caused Bernabeu to be defeated in the end. Ever since his previous defeat against Einherjar Wannabe, Cao Yi had spent quite some time improving his final slashes by powering up the momentum of his rotational force; however, it seemed to be useless against Wang Ben's unrivaled Fist of the Racing Tiger. Nevertheless, the aura from his blade managed to break through Wang Ben's defense. Even though he did show improvements and also managed to surprise a lot of people for being able to stand a chance against Wang Ben, the rising star of the Earth Confederation, this was not what Cao Yi wanted, he was a stubborn person that disregarded fame and was only interested in martial arts and tactics.

Inspiration played a key factor in the study of martial arts, and it could be accumulated bits by bits from all sorts of activities in life, especially through battles.

Principal Martyrus didn't hold Cao Yi accountable for Bernabeu's defeat, but the principal blamed himself instead. Cao Yi was touched by the principal's kindness, he swore that he would repay his recognition and appreciation in the future, and he would push himself further in order to do that.

Surprisingly, Apache also planned to stay in Bernabeu instead of going back to the Spatial Anti-Smuggling Bureau. He had learned his lesson after the loss Apache used to slow down his practices and training of Soul Energy because he believed the status of his Soul Energy and basics were more than enough and all he needed were accumulations of experiences. However, Apache realized there were too many flaws in his previous fight with Wang Tong; hence he decided to stay and strengthen himself.

Most of Martyrus' students were tough and prepared for improvements, which was why Bernabeu became one of the most popular academies among students in recent years.

One would think that he is invincible when everything happened as planned, only failure and defeats would be able to make one learn and grow.

Cao Yi was preparing his analysis while waiting for Einherjar Wannabe to select his opponent. He really wanted to fight Einherjar Wannabe again, but obviously, Einherjar Wannabe had become an existence like an "idol" that would need a stronger opponent, hence Cao Yi was also hoping for a challenge from a stronger player.

It would be even better if those elusive and unreachable aces would appear in front of Einherjar Wannabe, but the possibility of them showing up was way too low.

On the other hand, Wang Tong finally opened his eyes and decided not to accept the deal from the official administration. He might have missed a large sum of prize money, but he felt much relaxed this way, at least he didn't have to worry about winning his fights. He was free from all the restraints!

Upon making that decision, Wang Tong's mood was uplifted, and he began to check out the list of opponents. He seemed pleased with himself for having such strong will against temptations. Money always comes and goes, Wang Tong would never become some money-minded freak like Old Fart!

Wang Tong sorted the horrifying lists of challengers according to their winning percentages, and he was surprised to see there were tens of them who had only wins. However, most of them were IPA players, and it was hard for him to select someone with a real high winning ratio since IPA players were able to "customize" their winning rates.

Then Wang Tong opened another system notification in his inbox. This time, it was a short mail which stated that the system would like to widen Einherjar Wannabe's challenge extent, meaning he was offered a VIP privilege which enabled him to challenge anyone regardless of player levels; however, he could also choose to reject this offer by clicking the button below.

Of course, Wang Tong would accept this privilege, he had wished to challenge every single strong player ever since he joined PA, so he couldn't wait to see which ace he would be fighting tonight!

Wang Tong was randomly playing around with the sorting methods as he accidentally clicked on "sort by the length of ID" and an eye-catchy ID popped up at the top of his list. It was a rather long ID, and somehow this person wanted everybody to know he was a student from Capth.

ID: Cisco -- NO.1 -- Capth S·LV·TWO

Wang Tong couldn't help laughing as he saw that weird ID and its empty battle result. Without a doubt this person was absolutely not a PA player, let alone being a TPA fighter; nevertheless, this person was arrogant as hell.

The ID was deciphered as: "I'm Cisco, the No.1 student from the second grade METAL Combat Class of the S-Ranked Academy of Capth!" Apparently aside from Capth, there were also students with such titles amongst the other S-ranked academies. There would always be a "top-notch" in every course of every grade, they were known as the benchmarkers which the other students wished to surpass; they were the real aces among elites, the future cards of the military. As long as one received the "No.1" title in an S-ranked academy, he or she would definitely become the "holy grail" amongst various corps and legions.

It was normal for such person to despise childish games like TPA, no one would be needing platforms like TPA if they were given plenty of training and battles.

Obviously, Cisco was here to challenge Einherjar Wannabe!

Ayrlarng would soon be facing against Capth, and it was indeed the most crucial tournament to Samantha. In order to increase their winning ratio, Samantha was even willing to persuade Bernabeu to form an alliance together to fight against Capth.

However, reality was always a b*tch even though there were confidence and ambitions, and Capth still remained as a tough target to be defeated by Ayrlarng and Bernabeu. In fact, Capth didn't even pay any attention to them since they didn't send out their best team of elites to face against Ayrlarng and Bernabeu.

Nevertheless, Samantha wasn't silly enough to believe that Ma Xiaoru and the trio would be able to vanquish the candidates of Capth by themselves.

In the end, Wang Tong picked the Cisco ID dude, he had been longing to witness the actual strength of one of the No.1 from Capth.

Meanwhile, a few students who stayed up late seemed to be feeling anxious at the Virtual Simulation Hall of Capth's METAL Combat Class.

"I think this is not gonna happen, Stoke. Big Brother Cisco might be famous amongst students, but the possibility of Einherjar Wannabe picking him throughout thousands of other challenge invitations is too small, why don't we just call it a day?"

"But we've already been waiting for two days! Since he had shown up, let's see who he chooses in the end."

"He's right, we should give it a shot even if the chances are low. Moreover, this Einherjar Wannabe dude is quite different from the others, perhaps he would accept our challenge invitation tonight?"

"Yea, since Big Brother also purposely spared out his time tonight, let's wait a little longer."

Stoke and his gang were not the students of METAL Combat Class, they majored in Astral Realm Intel Transfer and Interference; their strengths for their ages were too low to be the students of METAL Combat Class. However, there was one of them who possessed an amazing strength even though he majored in scientific researches.

Cisco was the No.1 amongst second graders, and he was known as the "all-rounder" of Capth. Cisco met Stoke right after he was defeated by Einherjar Wannabe; since then, Stoke had been paying close attention to Einherjar Wannabe and even sent videos regarding Einherjar Wannabe to Cisco. In the beginning, Cisco seemed to be uninterested in some childish and flashy game like the TPA, but after watching a few matches, especially the one in which Einherjar Wannabe utilized the Fist of the Racing Tiger, Cisco immediately asked Stoke and his gang to reach out to Einherjar Wannabe. Cisco was eager to teach that mystifying brat a lesson if Einherjar Wannabe accepted his challenge invitation.

Chapter 115: Aux Armes!

Translator: Double_L Editor: Tehrn

Cisco was pissed off when he realized Wang Ben turned down Capth's offer and chose the dying Ayrlarng instead. Being one of the upperclassmen of Capth, Cisco had always wanted to do something to prove Wang Ben wrong, and he realized that the best and simplest way was to defeat this Einherjar Wannabe dude.

The Fist of the Racing Tiger? So what?

Ding Dong…

"Oh my god… It's Einherjar Wannabe! He chose us, we did it!" one of them roared.

"I'ma contact Cisco right away!"

The crew got busy immediately, and soon, one of the dorms in Capth became bustling with noises; everyone was excited and couldn't wait to see the fight between Cisco and Einherjar Wannabe. Cisco was indeed the center of attentions as his No.1 title was earned after going through numerous battles, he was the real deal without a doubt.

The news about the clash of titans quickly spread amongst second graders like wildfire, no one would've missed this since every match involving Cisco was very "educational".

Coming up: Einherjar Wannabe versus Cisco -- NO.1 -- Capth S·LV·TWO

Luv Ma turned toward Miao Xiu with a smiling face, like those big eyes of his were saying, "What a shame, you got ignored again; this time you lost to an ID that packs a punch!"

However Miao Xiu remained calm, "No.1 amongst Capth's second graders huh, interesting. Goddammit, I should've used an ID like this to draw his attention."

"Bullsh*t, what makes you think that you're the No.1 student among us first graders?"

"Aw, shaddup will ya? If that sonuvab*tch weren't around, the No.1 title would've been mine!" Miao Xiu yelled. Apparently, the No.1 title was left vacant among first graders because Patroclus was not interested and didn't take part in the ranking, then a few other elites too decided to pass due to his absence.

As the saying goes: "A newborn calf makes little of a tiger", which also explained why faultfinders often existed amongst first graders regardless of academies. In fact, Miao Xiu was also one of those daredevils among this year's first graders of Estrella Academy; however, none of them had the guts to pick a fight with Patroclus ever since that incident. Moreover, the trauma from Miao Xiu's impulsive action still lingered around like a ghost.

After all, Patroclus was an existence from another world. In the eyes of the Ivantians, he was even crowned as their almighty prince.

"Anything interesting about that ID?" Miao Xiu squinted his mouth.

"Dude, that guy is strong, VERY strong. Every No.1 of all S-ranked academies has their own forte, and that Cisco fella is extremely skilled in sword fights!"

"Hmm, so he's a pain in the *ss?"

"Yea, and he's hard to be handled. This person remained in his No.1 position for almost a year, yet he was never defeated, not even once."

"Haha, interesting! Meaning Capth will be super humiliated if Cisco loses tonight."

"Yea man, this is what we've been waiting for. I think this is the perfect chance for Einherjar Wannabe to show us what he really got."

"Oh, something tells me that you're standing on Einherjar Wannabe's side, am I right?" Miao Xiu said as he slanted his eyes.

Luv Ma only smiled and said nothing.

On the other hand, Cameron was smart enough to expect that Einherjar Wannabe would turn down their offer when he saw the latest pairing. TPA could only use money as their chip to bargain; nevertheless, Cameron believed that Einherjar Wannabe didn't do all these just to seek for a sponsorship; it couldn't be helped since the strong ones were also the rich ones most of the time.

"Show me the complete data of his rival!" Cameron commanded. He was thinking that perhaps they could dig up and sort out the information of the opponent and sent them to Einherjar Wannabe for his reference. After all, he believed Einherjar Wannabe wouldn't reject this since he was obviously here to search for strong opponents, yet he was a stubborn kid. Judging from all of these, Cameron was confident that Einherjar Wannabe's true identity was a youngster, they were on the right track since the beginning.

"Boss, you're not gonna believe this, his opponent is really Cisco, the No.1 student amongst second graders of Capth!"

"Haha, even better! Spread the news at once! Send it to everyone out there!"

"Yes, Boss!" All of the staff began to get busy.

However, Cisco's personal data had been already uploaded on the forum by someone else before Cameron's men could announce it. In fact, no one would even care to check out his information the moment they heard "No.1 amongst Capth's second graders" because obviously, this guy had to be strong since he was crowned as "No.1". No one commented about his empty battle-log either, since, of course, he would have no interest in TPA judging from his status.

Within minutes, Cisco's unique identity had created an uproar, and it even caught the attentions of students from every academy who were still hanging out in the TPA. Interested or not, everyone seemed eager to watch what was going on.

The mysterious and invincible warrior versus the dominating existence of Capth.

Students from non S-ranked academies got even more excited, they couldn't wait to witness the strength of the No.1 student of an S-ranked academy.

The time for battle preparation was extended to half an hour, this had never happened before in any other matches as generally, it was not more than five minutes, yet an exception was given this time due to the unique identities of both fighters.

Wang Tong was speechless as he stared at the countdown timer on the monitor, deep down he couldn't stop cursing the administration for wasting his precious money by having him wait for half an hour, and he even suspected that this was their revenge on him for rejecting the ten grand.

Somehow, the big man up there always liked to pull tricks on the poor ones.

Nevertheless, there was one thing that was sure: if Cameron, who expected Einherjar Wannabe as a millionaire, were to see him now mumbling and grumbling over a couple of dimes, he would be speechless.

Anyhow, Wang Tong calmed down, closed his eyes, and initialized his Tactics of the Blade. He was a man with patience because he understood that only those who had patience were qualified to be called a hunter. The impatient ones would become the hunted...

"Luna, wake up! Wake up!"

"Geez, what's wrong with you man, can't you see I'm sleeping?"

"Get your *ss up, Einherjar Wannabe is about to fight Cisco!"

"Which Cisco? The dude from Capth you mean?"

"Yup!"

"Holy crap! I'll be there in a jiff!"

"Wassup, Cao Yi?"

"Einherjar Wannabe's match will begin soon, tell the guys to wake up and grab a chair."

"It's very late already, is it an important match?"

"Cisco is the opponent."

"Roger that!" the guy answered immediately.

Einherjar Wannabe might be famous, but his fame was somehow like a movie star; unlike Cisco, who was like a real superstar for being one of the strongest elites from Capth! If he were to wear a mask and made up a show, he would also become someone like Einherjar Wannabe, but he wasn't interested in doing so.

The match between Einherjar Wannabe and Cisco was the clash between mystic and reality!

Their match seemed to have become a global phenomenon. After all, Capth did have a huge influence throughout the globe.

Chapter 116: Real Power

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Tehrn

"When mystery clashes with reality, who will come out as the winner?" such was a self-contained question that PA had proposed to the audience.

The mysterious Einherjar Wannabe had undoubtedly become the star of the PA system. His popularity had reached a new height after winning over millions of IPA fans. On the other hand, Cisco was a superstar in real life who was destined to join the ruling class in the future.

"How's the support rating?" Cameron asked.

"Over 90% of the IPA players are siding with Einherjar Wannabe. This is amazing, ever since that guy showed up, our rating has skyrocketed."

"That's only natural. The IPA players must have felt that Einherjar Wannabe is more relatable as if he had given them a voice in the overall PA system."

Cameron pondered on. He realized that DREAM had been overlooking the IPA players' needs for too long. To them, the PA system was more than just a simple game; it was a vessel through which they could re-live their dreams. This is one aspect of the PA system that the DREAM had long forgotten, despite the fact it was in their name.

"How about the TPA league?"

"It's the same, more and more TPA players are logging in as we speak, and our TPA subscribers has since increased five folds. I wager that no one wants to miss the show when it's live."

Although DREAM would release the video recording, the atmosphere was very different while watching it on a screen comparing to watching it live. Unfortunately, due to the bandwidth restrictions, not every member could sign up and watch the live actions.

"Excellent, keep your eyes on things and report to me immediately if there is anything slightly out of place."

"Yes, boss."

Wang Tong heard the PA system's notification indicating that the preparation was done. Wang Tong was exhilarated at the thought of fighting the top student from the S-Class Academy.

Meanwhile, at Capth, the training room was packed with students, most of them were second-year students who majored in METAL combat. Some of the students were Cisco's fan, and they came with admiration, but some students were not. They came here to study the legendary fighter as the mysterious Einherjar Wannabe ought to provide them a golden opportunity to do so.

Cisco had already entered the arena. As a student who had been crowned the number one fighter at Capth, Cisco was already used to the attention, so he seemed indifferent at the excited crowds.

Cisco had never thought about failure. As a number one, he had to prepare himself for a challenge at all time. Thinking about the outcome would only slow him down, so he had decided to never think about defeat but to focus on the fight instead. It was unsurprising that Cisco had a feverish passion for combat; he welcomed tough opponents and feared to waste his time on a weak challenger.

The arena could fit ten thousand people from the audience online, and by then it was already full. The cheers came wave after wave. Almost all of the audience members were cheering for Einherjar Wannabe, especially the IPA players since they saw Einherjar Wannabe as one of them and therefore wanted him to win.

Although Einherjar Wannabe was from the TPA league, he respected the IPA fighters, and in the IPA player's eyes, he respected their dream.

The virtual avatar of the two fighters had appeared, as well as their profile that was loaded onto the big screen. The decorated records of Cisco was hard to miss, and it had somewhat dulled the IPA player's excitement. The gap between the two players was evident, one started from a no-account and only recently rise to popularity after a few miraculous victories; the other was a genius and born to be one of the strongest power in the world.

Cisco didn't pay much attention to the reactions of the IPA players. He never cared to understand those who were weaker than him, as he had deemed them unimportant. He needed to only focus on his biggest enemy: himself. Having absolute confidence in his ability, Cisco believed that he needed only to surpass himself in each fight, then no one in the world would be able to defeat him.

"Check."

"Check."

"Player please enter!"

The referee stepped inside of the arena. He, like all the audiences, had been waiting for this match for many days, and he considered an honor to referee this game.

Einherjar Wannabe's avatar looked rather pedestrian, but his body seemed to emanate a particular energy. On the other side, Cisco stood over 6 feet tall, and his tenacious body suggested the incredible lethal power hidden inside. Cisco looked indifferent and cold; he didn't think that winning this fight would be too much of a problem.

"I have seen you used the Fist of the Racing Tiger, care to show it to me again today?" Cisco asked frankly in a confident voice. He didn't hide the fact that his challenge was instigated by the Fist of the Racing Tiger, but to the lesser extent, by Einherjar Wannabe himself.

Einherjar Wannabe simply shrugged without giving a clear answer. The vague reply annoyed Cisco. He had expected Einherjar Wannabe to throw himself at his feet, like many of his fans, thanking him for the opportunity to fight him. But instead, he had gotten the cold shoulder.

"Game Start!"

Cisco didn't dwell on Einherjar Wannabe's attitude since Einherjar Wannabe didn't seem to intend to use the Fist of Racing Tiger willingly, Cisco conceded that he would have to beat it out of him.

Cisco struck at Einherjar Wannabe with a run-of-the-mill attack, it was a test to see if he could call Einherjar Wannabe a worthy opponent.

Einherjar Wannabe raised his arm to defend, and in a blink of an eye, the two combatants had exchanged a dozen blows, and then the two parted.

The two fighters were both very cautious. Cisco didn't use his METAL suit since he had figured that he wouldn't need it.

However, after exchanging a few blows, Cisco registered that Einherjar Wannabe's defense was solid and he did it with ease. Cisco conceded that the opponent in front of him was more challenging than he had thought he would be.

"Interesting… Try this!"

Cisco strode a couple of wide steps and was then right in front of Einherjar Wannabe. He clenched a fist and pounded it heavily at Einherjar Wannabe.

"The Inch Step!" A few audiences gasped out of surprise.

As the pride of Capth, Cisco had mastered various techniques within the Federation, and he was particularly good at the Inch Step. Most of the fighters would have nothing left in them by the time they had finished their Inch Step at this great length, but Cisco had executed every move fluidly with ease and could still deliver a heavy attack at his opponent.

The ability to follow up with an attack seemed trivial, but it had encapsulated the difference between the amateur and professional fighters. It was the finesse in the execution that had set the two groups apart.

There was no time for Einherjar Wannabe to dodge the attack, so he blocked the punch with his arm but was sent flying at the impact.

Cisco paused a second and lamented over his opponent's poor defense strategy. He then immediately followed with Inch Step and emerged in front of Einherjar Wannabe who was still trying to gather himself. Cisco didn't give him any time to react, he kicked high at Einherjar Wannabe and set him flying again.

Cisco suddenly sprung high up like a cannonball while his opponent's body was still in the air. When he was vaulting over Einherjar Wannabe's body, he delivered three kicks, and all landed squarely at Einherjar Wannabe.

Chapter 117: Enticing Battle

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Tehrn

Cisco's move was the famous Flying-Death Consecutive Combo.

It attacked the target at three different spots with full force at the least expected moment. Cisco landed on his feet, looking graceful as ever.

Cisco had the fight under his full control, leaving no room for Einherjar Wannabe to meddle with his plan. People started to see the gap between the two fighters.

Every single movement that Cisco had executed required years of training but Cisco had pulled them off perfectly.

The arena turned quiet as the IPA players started to take in what had just happened. However, in the training room at Capth, the audiences remained calm since they had all expected Cisco to win with ease.

To Cisco's classmates, Einherjar Wannabe was simply a fighter in the virtual world, and most of them believed that Einherjar Wannabe's rise to prominence was mainly due to his imitation of others tactics, such as the Tactics of the Racing Tiger.

As Einherjar Wannabe's body thudded heavily onto the ground, the IPA player's They didn't have to wait long for their answers; the crowd became excited when they saw that Einherjar Wannabe was back on his feet. Einherjar Wannabe stretched his neck and felt relaxed as if he had just had a massage session. "Time for some warm up," Wang Tong thought to himself.

Cisco knew that he wouldn't defeat Einherjar Wannabe in the first round of attacks because he didn't use full force, but he was surprised nonetheless to see that his opponent stood up as if nothing had happened to him.

Einherjar Wannabe's body suddenly blurred and disappeared right in front of Cisco who was still pondering how his opponent had come out of his attack unharmed.

Inch Step!

...Momentum Punch!

Cisco did not have time to react; he blocked the punch with his arm out of instinct. The blow sent him stumbling back a few feet, and before Cisco had gathered himself, Einherjar Wannabe was already within his attack range.

Cisco registered a sly smirk flashing across his opponent's face and realized right away Einherjar Wannabe's next move: he was going to copy his Flying-Death Consecutive Combo.

Wang Tong spun his body around and jabbed a fist at Cisco that sent him flying. While Cisco was still in the air, Wang Tong launched himself upward and delivered the three kicks.

Unfortunately, Cisco had already seen through his plan, and therefore he was able to block the first two kicks. All the while, Cisco gritted his teeth, trying to stomach the humiliation of his signature move being copied right in front of him.

Wang Tong had quickly registered that the third kick would not be any more effective; therefore he quickly changed the direction of the kick. Wang Tong's foot hooked onto Cisco's shoulder and bore him down with his body weight.

Cisco thudded heavily to the ground, while Einherjar Wannabe landed back on his feet, not any less graceful than his opponent had looked earlier.

Cisco stood up with a solemn face; he started to become serious about this fight. He was not enraged by the taunt because he felt that there was no need to be angry at such a laughable and childish imitation.

Cisco flexed the muscle, and he stretched his long and elegant fingers. He had cut the fingernails to a precise length as manicure was an important part of keeping a perfect appearance.

"Let me show you something that you won't be able to copy."

Wang Tong saw that the corner of Cisco's lips lifted a little before Cisco started the Inch Step again. Cisco closed in onto Wang Tong in lightning speed, and in a blink of an eye, Cisco was already within his attack range, and then he punched at Wang Tong.

Wang Tong's knee jerk reaction was to counter the attack, but right away he noticed Cisco's body seemed to have shifted sideways just slightly. It was the Butterfly Dash! Wang Tong knew that he had walked into a trap.

The Butterfly Dash segued into the Inch Step at the last moment almost seamlessly. However, Einherjar Wannabe was able to react accordingly, thanks to the fact that the Inch Step had not glamoured him in the first place.

Right when everyone thought that Wang Tong was safe, Cisco's movement changed again and traced the signature arc in the air and delivered the Campus Arc!

Three techniques had been combined seamlessly into one single move, and it was almost impossible for the opponent to react. Cisco's feet traced an arc at the back of Einherjar Wannabe as everyone thought they were going to witness the defeat of Einherjar Wannabe. However, they watched as Einherjar Wannabe bowed at them and comically dodged the attack. As Cisco's feet whizzed on top of his head, he wrenched his right feet up and kicked heavily at the attacker. Cisco pulled himself back in a hurry but was caught off guard.

Einherjar Wannabe raised himself slowly and didn't pay any attention to the searing stare of his opponent.

Cisco had never encountered such a difficult opponent. He felt there was something in his opponent's moments that had hindered his performance, but he could not put the finger on it.

In all the battles that he had partaken, his combo was always effective, even against much stronger opponents. However, the same technique seemed to have little to no effect on this Einherjar Wannabe.

"Is it possible that he had seen through my method from the beginning? That's preposterous!" Cisco thought.

Feeling hard-pressed to find an answer to his opponent's real strength, Cisco conceded that Einherjar Wannabe was not as simple as he had thought.

Cisco had reckoned that conventional moves would have little to no effect on Wang Tong even if he meshed them together, because as soon as the combination was broken down into individual pieces — a skill that Einherjar Wannabe possessed — the combination became predictable. This might be an effective move against other fighters, but not against Einherjar Wannabe.

Wang Tong was compelled to learn and experiment different kinds of battle techniques. However, he needed proper opponents to experiment new techniques with. So far, Cisco had proven to be a great opponent in that aspect. Unlike fighting against IPA fighters, which Wang Tong would focus on honing his adaptive skills, this fight would be an excellent opportunity to test his techniques in a more realistic scenario.

Without realizing so, Wang Tong had already formed his own combat style. That was to use the Tactics of the Blade as the foundation and build upon it with other fighter's techniques he had learned during fights.

Wang Tong had realized that although he had the most powerful tactics at his disposal, it would be very dangerous to rely too heavily on just one tactic. Therefore, he needed to expand his arsenal and be more diverse in the techniques he deployed.

Einherjar Wannabe initiated another round of attack. Cisco watched as his opponent's Inch Step changed into the Butterfly Dash, and then he saw a fist flying at his face, and he acted out of instant and threw himself at his opponent.

Chapter 118: Kunai

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Tehrn

Halfway through his attack, Cisco also changed his technique to the Butterfly Dash. The two warriors had demonstrated the technique with also textbook executions. The two combatants constantly switched their body weight, trying to avoid any direct impact. Patience and skills had taken the center stage while raw power seemed to have been rendered irrelevant by the skillful maneuvers.

Suddenly, Cisco was hit by an attack and stumbled back. Einherjar Wannabe took the opportunity and rushed in with a heavy punch. Cisco backhanded the attacker's fist, and his defense seemed of little use at first glance.

The impact sent sparks and a bright flash of light across the entire arena. Einherjar Wannabe stumbled back while Cisco also struggled for a few moments before he could regain his balance.

Wang Tong's sudden change from the Butterfly Dash to the Phantom Move had caught his opponent off guard and gave him a window for a direct aggression. However, up until then, Cisco had hidden his real weapon: the kunai concealed in his hand. A kunai was a powerful weapon that could pierce through flesh during close combat. It was lethal and was extremely difficult to defend against. Einherjar Wannabe stumbled back because he needed to get out of harm's way as soon as he saw the deadly glint of the kunai in Cisco's hand.

Silence fell in the crowded arena, and some in the audience widened their eyes in disbelief. Although this fight was not as flashy and over the top like the one against Solitary Snow, the audience could still register the deadly weight and intent of every single strike of the two combatants. This was as close to a real fight as one could get in the PA system. Although this kind of fights was exclusively reserved for the TPA players, IPA players were as invested in real life techniques as any TPA fighter, and they dreamed that one day they would be able to partake in a fight like this.

No one at Capth, including Stock, had thought that Einherjar Wannabe would be able to force their number 1 to use his secret weapon. Stock had hoped that Cisco would be able to get revenge for his defeat since his defeat was not only his personal loss, but it also brought shame to Capth.

Stock had thought that Cisco's victory would be easy, but after seeing that Cisco had been forced to deploy his secret weapon, he conceded that he had underestimated Einherjar Wannabe again.

Wang Tong saw the shimmering reflection from the thin but sharp edge half hidden in Cisco's palm. That was his secret weapon, the kunai. Many challengers at Capth had fallen before its lethal attack. However, Cisco had never dreamed that he would be forced to deploy his secret weapon against a no-account.

Wang Tong's dodge was a close call. If he had been half second late in his maneuvering, he would have been defeated. The kunai had also caught Wang Tong off guard as he had never expected Cisco to use such an unorthodox method that relied on elements of surprise rather than strength and skills.

Meanwhile, at Bernabeu, many students were also watching this fight, including Cao Yi and Apache. Apache didn't want to join the crowded video room, but thanks to Cao Yi's ceaseless request, he had to agree to join him. Such as many things in his life, Cao Yo hardly gave up before achieving his goal.

Although Apache initially didn't want to watch the fight, after only a few minutes, he was more engrossed in the fight than anyone else. He had heard of Cisco, but unfortunately, he had never had a chance to fight him, even during the tournament between Capth and Bernabeu since Apache had been deemed too weak to be pitted against the Number 1 at Capth.

Apache had figured that Cisco was more than just capable of mixing a few standard footwork techniques. He knew that those combinations were more flashy than they were useful when against a good fighter who was worth his salt.

When Cisco attacked again, he started with the Inch Step and followed with the elusive Butterfly Dash, and then, he unleashed his final blow without any unnecessary, gaudy moves. His power replied only on speed, strength, and skills. His strike was true as the audience watched Einherjar Wannabe retreating under the aggressive attacks. However, Cisco's real strength didn't stop at the perfect executions of conventional techniques, as it was revealed by the deadly kunai hidden in his hand.

The kunai combined with a solid foundation of martial arts had made Cisco's attack unbreakable. The slightest physical contact with the kunai would result in fatal injuries, likely at the wrist.

Therefore, evading the attack completely was the only option for Einherjar Wannabe, but he still sustained a few injuries. Some might argue that the situation would be less dire should Einherjar Wannabe had equipped himself with a weapon, but the truth was that any weapon would do little to no good when he was pitted against the unblockable lethal attacks.

Using weapons or not, the only option for Wang Tong was to retreat further and further.

At that moment, Cisco had gained the full control of the fight and revealed his full strength as the number 1 at Capth. He had sworn to win the fight under the banner of Capth, and therefore, he would stick to his words and defend his honor with all he got.

Cisco was fully engrossed in the fight, no other thoughts except for defeating his opponent could enter his mind.

The well-planned body coordination and solid executions, combined with the belligerence of the attacks screamed his "Made in Capth" quality.

Cisco fought with both strength and cunning, and he was able of blending the two elements seamlessly, which stunned the students at Bernabeu, especially Cao Yi and Apache, two of the strongest fighters. The two marveled at Cisco's ability to mix and match entirely different fighting techniques together to achieve astonishing effects.

Perhaps Apache might be able to counter Cisco's attacks with his speed for a while, but he figured that he would not last too long. Cao Yi also calculated his odds against Cisco, but he felt hard pressed to come up with a solution to counter Cisco's fighting strategy.

The powerful punch combined with the sly Butterfly Dash had formed a deadly concoction of death, and it seemed like it did not have an antidote.

Einherjar Wannabe had been forced into a corner. It was just a matter of time for this to happen. All things considered, Einherjar Wannabe had fared pretty well thanks to his precise footwork; otherwise, he would have been defeated not long after Cisco started using the kunai.

Einherjar Wannabe finally had nowhere to go. On the big screen, people saw that Cisco's soul readings jumped to 160. With this much sol reading, he could easily dominate the PA landscape in his age group.

Cisco punched again, everyone knew that inside of the tightly clenched fist could be the deadly kunai, yet no one knew for sure. Unfortunately for Wang Tong, any misjudgment would result in instant defeat.

And then the most amazing thing had happened in the arena, the killing strike intended at the trapped fish had missed its target.

Einherjar Wannabe, the trapped fish, simply vanished.

People heard a roar, and then they saw the Fist of the Racing Tiger.

Even after being caught off guard, Cisco reacted swiftly, and he thrust the kunai at his opponent. However, it was stopped midway.

Einherjar Wannabe grabbed and stopped the sharp blade while it was hurtling toward him. It was a risky move since he had only one tenth of a second to attack before the blade would shred his fingers to pieces, and he struck with the Fist of the Racing Tiger just in time.

Wang Tong's fist carried a terrifying roar with it. The louder the roar, the deadlier the power! It was as if an ultimatum to whoever was on its way to either move away or perish.

Chapter 119: For the Glory

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Tehrn

The great thing about the Fist of the Racing tiger was not only its immense power but also the terrifying roars that could interfere the opponent's train of thoughts, rendering them incapable of making a reasonable decision.

However, that roar might have worked against an ordinary fighter, but it didn't work on Cisco. Cisco had readied himself as he set his right arm in a defensive position and aimed his kunai at the other hand of Einherjar Wannabe.

The glint of the metal flashed in Cisco's hand, and he had attacked first with a clear intention. He was definitely unaffected by the roar.

Wang Tong slowed down and focused on the threat at hand. He realized that he had to deal with the deadly weapons first since being stricken by the kunai at point blank would definitely spell his defeat.

Wang Tong pulled the old trick out as he reached out his fingers and clamped the kunai tightly in between two fingers. This was the second time that Wang Tong had used the same technique. It was a humiliation to Cisco that was no less than being slapped directly in the face.

Cisco had the most nimble fingers at Capth if not the entire Confederation, yet, his Kunai was caught twice by his opponent with his bare hand.

A glint of the sharp edge flashed in front of the audience, and for a moment, that was all they could see as both Cisco and Wang Tong's hands turned into a blurry image.

People also heard the soft whirls resulting from the rapid movements of the arms yet not one could make out what their hands were up to.

Wang Tong's attack didn't stop as he pushed the Fist of the Racing Tiger slowly but surely toward Cisco. Cisco conceded that if the Kunai failed to strike him down, he might have to take the deadly punch with its full intent.

The Fist of the Racing Tiger pressed on, while the intensity of the fight had reached its peak. Both combatants sol reading soared, and Cisco's sol reading had reached 180, a terrifying number for an Academy student. It was such a high amount of soul power output that had fueled the lightning movements of his arms.

Wang Tong suddenly rounded his eyes as the audiences heard a deafening blare. The sudden force blew Cisco into the air.

No one at Capth could believe their eyes, and to their dismay, they found Cisco's kunai held firmly in Wang Tong's grip.

Einherjar Wannabe had done the impossible since taking the Kunai away from Cisco should have been even harder than defeating him.

Cisco stared at his empty hand blankly, the injury he had sustained from the Fist of the Racing Tiger didn't cut half as deep as the psychological trauma he had just suffered.

His most proud attack had been countered.

Cisco's mind raced, and he forgot that he was still in combat. He did not understand how he had failed.

"Kunai?" Cisco muttered to himself.

The echoed of his voice in the silent hall made it sound more depressing than ever.

No one could answer his question as to how he had lost his weapon since they both moved so fast that no one could follow their movement. Before this, everyone at Capth knew that it was impossible to take the kunai away from Cisco's hand, even if one might be powerful enough to defeat Cisco.

To Cisco, every movement of the kunai seemed to be bonded with his own heartbeat, and he would do anything to prevent anyone from breaking this bond.

That being said, this bond was also very difficult to forge but extremely powerful once established. It would make the wielder almost invincible on the battlefield. Almost.

Wang Tong's hand was bleeding, and he had taken Cisco's kunai away at the cost of six deep cuts. He wasn't too happy about his performance, not only because he had to sustain the injury, but also because the situation required him to use more than 16 GN nodes. His opponents had moved too fast, and there was no other way.

The kunai wasn't fully in his grasp until he had used the full version of the Tactics of the Blade.

As a matter of fact, he conceded that he was the loser of the fight.

Wang Tong quietly set the kunai on the ground and signed off the PA system.

Cisco gazed at the kunai on the ground motionlessly. It was so close, yet it felt so far away. His confidence and the glory of Capth had crumbled in front him, under the weight of the little sharp blade.

Even the ones that wanted to cheer for Einherjar Wannabe became silent, and they also moaned the brutal defeat of a genius.

Wang Tong sat still and pondered what he would do if he had lost the Tactics of the Blade? And what would happen if he had to fight someone who yielded the same tactics as he did?

A dead silence loomed inside of the meeting hall at Capth. The students had never feared a defeat since defeat was only a part of being a METAL fighter, but they could not bear the weight of the humiliation.

Some people wondered, "Did Einherjar Wannabe possessed god-like power?"

Everyone watching the match had felt a sense of imminent pressure. If they had been pleasantly surprised by Wang Tong's power, by then the surprise had turned into a feeling of threat. Wang Tong had proven to them his god-like power-copying ability that allowed him to crush his opponents with their own signature moves.

Only a god would be able to achieve the impossible, yet Wang Tong had done it.

Students at Capth knew better not to disturb Cisco after such a tragic defeat. Cisco wouldn't fall asleep on that night, as he struggled to come to terms with his defeat.

Miao Xiu and Luv Ma both watched the match, and they also felt the presence of Einherjar Wannabe's power weighing heavily on their mind. Miao Xiu had noticed that although Cisco's regular attack and the defense still had room for improvement, his usage of the kunai should have helped him significantly to compensate any minor imperfections of his techniques. He could not imagine a powerful fighter like Cisco meeting with such a tragic end.

"Do you think you could do the same?" Luv Ma asked nervously.

Miao Xiu shook his head and remained silent.

"Does he really intend to win every fight by copying his opponent's power?" Luv Ma asked, there was an uncertainty in his voice. The two had followed every fight of Einherjar Wannabe and considered themselves familiar with the mysterious fighters methods, but after this battle, Luv Ma started to doubt if he had really understood Einherjar Wannabe's power.

The clock struck 12 times heavily and ponderously as if every stroke had landed on the heavy hearts of the audiences.

Astonished by Einherjar Wannabe's power copying ability, they no longer saw Einherjar Wannabe as a regular fighter, but rather an Einherjar.

Chapter 120: Never Too Late to Train

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Tehrn

Einherjar Wannabe's victory had turned the ordinary night into a night to remember. People not only discussed the techniques but also about how astonished they were by Wang Tong's power.

After the audiences had taken in what had just happened, they let out a wave of loud cheers, laced with the joys of the IPA players. They had considered Einherjar Wannabe their representative in the arena and cheered for his decisive victory.

The night didn't wind down after the match was finished. Instead, more and more people joined in the discussion and celebration.

Most of the enthusiasts were waiting patiently online for the release of the video analysis. They wanted to know what had defeated the number one fighter from the S-Class Academy, Capth.

Unlike most IPA players, the TPA players had remained calm. This match had revealed a great deal to them, and they needed time to take in the god-like existence of Einherjar Wannabe.

"Who is he? How did he do that? Is he really only 16?"

"Einherjar… Wannabe? Is he really an Einherjar?"

"What is the meaning behind that stoic expression on Cisco's face after his defeat?"

No one could bring themselves to leave the arena without getting the answers to those questions.

No one at Capth disturbed Cisco who had remained in the virtual terminal after the fight, sitting quietly without saying a word. He held his head with both hands, and there was no sign of any expression on his face as if he had zoned out.

This defeat had been too much for him to bear, it had crushed his ambitions completely.

The video analysis had taken longer than usual to be released. Not only DREAM but also Luv Ma was busy working on his version of the video analysis. However, Luv Ma found it extremely difficult to break down the last moment of the fight as things had happened just way too fast.

Everyone waited patiently; they knew that the longer the wait was, the more interesting the video analysis would be.

Half an hour later, DREAM finally released their version of the analysis.

The audiences were shocked once again after they were able to view the last movement of the fight in slow motion. They couldn't help but marveled at the talent of Cisco, as they watched the impeccable control of his GN force. He was able to regulate the output of the GN force to the finest degree, mainly thanks to his inborn talent, but also thanks to those well-kept, elegant and long fingers.

The kunai danced in his hand like a deadly dark elf thirsted for blood. Despite Cisco's unmatched ability, Einherjar Wannabe had proven to be even a better fighter. People found it incredulous that Einherjar Wannabe was able to gain the same degree of control over the kunai as his opponent while holding not by its handle but by its deadly tip. Numbers seemed pale while being used to measure the precise amount of force and the speed required to achieve such control.

Cisco's finger looked like five phantoms that danced around, each with its own GN force at its disposal.

"How did he achieve this?"

Everyone was deeply in awe of Cisco's ability to use the kunai, for many in the audience, it was their first time seeing Cisco's deadly secret weapon.

Cisco's used the kunai to maximize the damage output of his coup de grace. It was a very different fighting style than the Fist of the Racing Tiger that had given up using any weapon, but they were equally deadly. In a way, Cisco was a real genius because he had invented his own unique style of combat.

Unfortunately, a genius had fallen this night. The injuries he had sustained were minor, but the humiliation of having his kunai taken away was a wound that would never heal.

Some IPA fighters who didn't know Cisco well had foretold Cisco's defeat, but after the fight, they realized that they were right in the wrong way since Cisco's downfall was not because of his own weakness, but rather the god-like power of his opponent.

As for Wang Tong's last decisive move of snatching the kunai away from Cisco, it had become an unsolved riddle to every one since no one could tell what Einherjar Wannabe had done even playing the recording at the slowest speed. DREAM did attempt to slow the recording down even further, but it had caused their video editing software to crash.

The crowd at Capth slowly dispersed after realizing that there was no more information to be gained from the video analysis.

However, the heated debate on the internet had just begun. The more perplexing a subject was, the more attention it would likely attract, and the more mysterious Einherjar Wannabe had become, the more popular he grew.

Cameron had reckoned that Einherjar Wannabe was the savior of the PA system that DREAM had been waiting for so long. Therefore he conceded that he had to collaborate with this mysterious fighter as much as possible instead of trying to control him. He still struggled with Einherjar Wannabe's intention of display his power under the public's view, although Cameron knew for sure that Einherjar Wannabe didn't do it for money nor fame.

"Boss, the number of IPA players had increased more than in the TPA."

Cameron had expected that much so he nodded to his co-worker. This could not have turned out to be better for DREAM. IPA players were where the money was at for DREAM since TPA players wouldn't care to purchase virtual METAL suits — something they could earn in real life — with real world money. However, DREAM had failed to realize the difference between the IPA and the TPA players and therefore many of their campaigns aiming at promoting the IPA league had failed.

Thanks to Einherjar Wannabe, he had built a bridge between the worlds of IPA and the TPA player by winning the hearts of the IPA players.

"But how did he do that?"

Cameron pondered for a moment, and then he suddenly realized the answer. It was respect!

As an old sage used to say: "Treat others the way you want to be treated." The IPA players poured their support to Einherjar Wannabe because they felt the respect in the way Einherjar Wannabe had addressed them. It was such a subtle effect that perhaps even the most die-hard fan of Einherjar Wannabe didn't realize the moment that they were deeply moved by the sense of respect and sincerity.

Einherjar Wannabe's ability to affect another player might seem ordinary, but it was an ability that not many humans in this world possessed.

"One should influence others with genuine sincerity, not with advertisements nor propaganda, and such is the way of being a human," Cameron thought to himself.

Cameron's moment of zen was quickly disturbed by the loud cheers of his coworkers.

"Einherjar Wannabe, who the hell are you!?" Cameron screamed in his mind.

Cameron knew that the fight with Cisco would not be the last one; as Einherjar Wannabe's fame grew, he would attract more powerful fighters, even those who had been lurking in the PA system.

Cameron knew that a storm was coming.

Wang Tong was back in his dorm, laying on his bed and was not sure what to make of this fight. He wondered if he had done the right thing and if there were other ways to improve his skills other than the PA system.

Wang Tong had then been experiencing his growing pains as he had to face choices and the consequences.

"Hey, kiddo! kiddo! Hey, you little brat! I'm talking to you!" Mr. Wannabe emerged from the crystal as Wang Tong heard his signature husky voice.

"I don't want to talk!" Wang Tong turned around, facing the other way. He hated it how Mr. Wannabe always showed up at the worst possible moment.

"Hey Kiddo, something is on your mind? Spit it out, you know you can count on me!" Mr. Wannabe said it curiously with a smile on his face, but it could not hide the patronizing tone in his voice.

Wang Tong rolled his eyes at him; however, on second thought, Wang Tong decided to tell him what had happened since he figured that there was no harm of venting.

"That's it?" Mr. Wannabe asked incredulously.

"Balls, don't be rude! This is a serious issue! If I didn't use the Tactics of the Blade accidentally, I might have lost the fight. "

"Tell me then, is the Tactics of the Blade still yours?"

"Of course it is!"

"Then that's it, what's the problem?"

"The problem is, I joined the fight to learn new tactics and techniques, but I end up always relying on my own tactics."

"Well, if you had realized that your hand speed is not as fast as your opponent, why don't you focusing your training on the speed of your hand movements? A fight can not only teach you new techniques but also tell you where you still need to improve."

Wang Tong paused for a second to let Mr. Wannabe's words sink in. Right or wrong aside, he felt that Mr. Wannabe's no-bullish attitude bore a striking resemblance to Old Fart.

"You might have used the Tactics of the Blade without knowing it, but it was not an accident, it only meant that you had trained hard these days. I am not too familiar with your tactics, but I can tell you for sure that there is still a long way for you to go to improve and perfect your tactics, you are still a beginner."

"Beginner? My recent opponents were all pretty strong!"

"Strong? You call these kids strong? Kiddo, you should know your place, everyone has their own destiny. Perhaps to some, the opponents that you had defeated were strong, but not for you. That being said, I do notice that you have improved quite a bit and even hit your limit in certain areas. You should be proud of it, instead of wasting your time on useless sentiments."

"Balls, I don't believe you, there is no way I can surpass Cisco in the movements of fingers. You can't expect me to be a master at everything."

Wang Tong figured that he was still young and he didn't want to die out of exhaustion due to unrealistic training scheduled.

Mr. Wannabe didn't press on; instead, he waved an arm in the air and initiated a virtual reality projection to show Wang Tong's his real ability. Stunned by what he saw, Wang Tong choked back his retort.

"Kiddo, what I had just showed you were only the basics, and you are still quite a way from there. You will reach that state whenever you discover your own fighting and training style. Until then, you are still a rookie!"

Wang Tong wanted to retort but found nothing, so he rolled his eyes at Mr. Wannabe. "Maybe you are right, on another note, how did you get out of the crystal? Miss me?"

"Buzz off! I had no choice! I always got kicked out of that damn place every time you are upset. F*ck, like I am your babysitter or what not!" Mr. Wannabe ranted.

"Well, Mr. babysitter, your job is done, see you later."

Mr. Wannabe raised his middle finger at Wang Tong and disappeared into the crystal. Wang Tong noticed that there was a sense of uncertainty on Mr. Wannabe's face as he disappeared as if some change had taken place inside the crystal. Whatever it was, Mr. Wannabe must have liked it for any change would be welcome after getting stuffed in the crystal for so many years.

After the talk with Mr. Wannabe, Wang Tong felt much better about himself. He stretched his fingers and felt confident that he could improve his finger movements very quickly. He had never trained his fingers other than using them for space simulation, the lack of practice had led to his subpar performance while fighting against Cisco. However, it was never too late to start intense training.

As Wang Tong trained his fingers techniques with new found enthusiasm, the former genius at Capth had never felt more depressed and lost in his life.

The most intriguing story presented by the real-world were usually tragedy of the losers.

Chapter 121: The Supreme Reigner

Translator: Double_L Editor: Tehrn

A new day has begun. Wang Tong woke up early in the morning and went for a jog to warm up and awaken the cells in his body and brain. Then he kick-started his day by initializing his Tactics of the Blade, but it wasn't just about practicing the initialization, he was actually aiming to master the detailed utilization of the GN Force in his attacks. He knew that he had to master these details in order to unleash more powerful attacks in the future.

It was obvious that Wang Tong loved challenges, he would become energetic and sometimes even turned impatient when he discovered a new task for him to overcome. He was the type of person that would enjoy the difficulties within a challenge.

As soon as Wang Tong stepped a foot into the F-Class, his fellow classmates began cheering and clapping. No one expected that Ayrlarng would be able to defeat Bernabeu, this was indeed the biggest event in Ayrlarng throughout the years, everyone in the academy had been longing for such a merry celebration.

All thanks to the big-mouthed Carl, now everyone in F-Class knew that Wang Tong was the real hero for winning two and a half rounds in the whole tournament.

"Fellas, from now onward, Wang Tong will be the leader of the F-Class, everyone agrees?" Carl yelled as he jumped on the table.

"Agree!" The whole class pounded their tables to show signs of agreeing.

Aside from Ma Xiaoru and Wang Tong, Wang Ben and Carl were the other two candidates from F-Class. Everyone expected Wang Tong would be selected because he was quite skilled in METAL Combats, yet no one expected him to be THAT strong. The strong ones were always the secretive ones; nevertheless, Wang Tong managed to make the F-Class proud with his outstanding performances.

"Why are you acting all humble?" Ma Xiaoru joked.

"I've always been humble." Wang Tong shrugged.

"Bullsh*t! You better tell me what's going on between you and Sam, did she assign you on some secret missions?" Ma Xiaoru asked.

"Huh, what?"

"Stop acting like a fool you jerk! I know you and Sam went somewhere else yesterday for the whole day, so don't tell me you were not with her yesterday!" Ma Xiaoru "interrogated" Wang Tong as she stared at him with her big, glittering eyes.

Wang Tong wished he could tell the truth; however, he had decided to put his feelings to a pause as the "thing" between him and Samantha has ended. Furthermore, there were still a lot of things in his life that required his effort and attention; hence he decided to waste no time on this topic anymore.

"Why don't you ask the principal? I'm sure she knows better than I do." Wang Tong fudged.

"Hmph, no need to ask her, without a doubt Sam was talking to you about Capth and also her plans about forming an alliance with Bernabeu."

"Oh?"

"I believe soon she'll ask for my assistance for the upcoming training venue, but I'm not gonna tell you anything further!" Ma Xiaoru said in an impish tone, she had absolutely no idea that Wang Tong was actually on a date with Samantha yesterday.

It might have been a pure and simple relationship if Wang Tong chose Ma Xiaoru; however, he had chosen Samantha instead, which destined him to take on the tough road ahead.

Ma Xiaoru was born in a pampered environment where she could have anything she desired, even her tactics were directly inherited from her family. She was living the life of a princess which she wasn't required to fight for her ambition since the FFC was already a top-notch financial corporation. However, Samantha was different, DREAM might be a big company, but it focused only on gaming businesses; moreover, Wang Tong was obsessed with her persistent staunch, he liked the way Samantha never gave up even though she was only a normal person who failed her mind opening attempt. He was able to see himself in her; however, this was also the reason why they weren't destined to be together.

The teacher announced the news of Ayrlarng vanquishing Bernabeu excitedly during the class, which boosted the confidence of Ayrlarng, and now, everyone began to trust Samantha and started to believe in her leadership to resurrect Ayrlarng from misery.

During lunch, Wang Tong, Ma Xiaoru, Hu Yangxuan, and Wang Ben were seen having lunch together as always. Wang Ben had no class early in the morning, so he was in charge of buying their meals.

"Did you all know? Apparently, Capth got owned!" Hu Yangxuan said, since Capth was the "common enemy" of every other military academy, most of them were excited to see them humiliated, one man's poison would always be every other man's meat.

"Yup, watched it!" Wang Ben nodded.

Ma Xiaoru looked puzzled, "What happened?"

"Cisco, the No.1 amongst Capth's second graders went to challenge Einherjar Wannabe in the TPA out of the blue, but he totally got owned, it was a dramatic tragedy indeed," Hu Yangxuan kept shaking his head as he spoke

"Is that a joke?".

"A joke? You tell her, Wang Ben!" Hu Yangxuan might have over exaggerated so Wang Ben's explanation would be more down to earth.

"It was indeed an exciting match, I remembered Cisco once written a thesis about countering rigid and forceful attacks. In his thesis, he did specifically mention about countering the Fist of the Racing Tiger," Wang Ben continued to explain slowly as he chewed and swallowed the slice of beef in his mouth.

"What an arrogant bad*ss..." Hu Yangxuan shrugged, no doubt the world was full of crazy people; however, Hu Yangxuan didn't say that Cisco was bullsh*tting because the guy did make a great discovery, and he was about to prove his theories in a real fight. But too bad, he was knocked out badly before he could prove his theories about countering the mighty Fist of the Racing Tiger.

"I have to admit that he was quite good with his kunai; however, my Fist of the Racing Tiger shouldn't be underestimated!"

On that moment, Wang Tong finally knew why Cisco was so interested in his version of the Fist of the Racing Tiger, too bad that dude was knocked out before he could go full force on him.

"That Einherjar Wannabe dude was awesome, I heard that Cisco was planning to take part in next year's Royal Rumble; however, I doubt he will be able to take part in the tournament or even recover after such a terrible defeat," Hu Yangxuan said.

"Royal what?" Wang Tong asked.

The trio turned toward Wang Tong, looking stunned. "Good God, please don't tell us you're actually an alien in the form of an Earthling. It's unusual for someone strong like you not to know about this event."

"... Is it something I should know?" Wang Tong looked confused.

"The Royal Rumble is a quadrennial mega event, every academy will nominate five students to participate in this tournament. The aces and elites from academies of Earth, Moon, Mars, and Andromeda will be facing off against each other, and the final winner will be crowned as the Supreme Reigner!"

Ma Xiaoru explained, "Normally it is seen as a tournament between S-Ranked academies because all they need to do is to send out the No.1's of each grade, while the other academies are only underdogs."

"The Supreme Reigner of the previous Royal Rumble is Li Shimin, the Little Emperor, but he wasn't representing any academy since the tournament is also opened for unique personnel; in the end, he defeated Lie Kent in the finals and got crowned as the Supreme Reigner."

"However, Patroclus, the strongest amongst the Four Princes didn't participate last time. Apparently, the wonder boy is not a fan of battles and brawls, the young Cardinal of the Church of the Deity also didn't show up."

"With Cisco defeated, I believe his No.1 title would soon be taken by someone else due to the intense rivalry amongst students of Capth."

"Perhaps, but I'm sure he will become stronger if he could make a breakthrough himself."

Nevertheless, the quartet was able to understand that it would be very difficult for someone like them to make a breakthrough and exceed himself.

"Aren't you feeling excited, Wang Tong?" Hu Yangxuan asked in curiosity. "I'm sure you'll be able to take part in next year's Royal Rumble with that strength of yours!"

Wang Tong paused and swallowed his food, then he asked, "Any prize money?"

The question left Hu Yangxuan speechless, luckily he had gotten used to Wang Tong's attitude, or else he'd definitely die of a stroke. He had no idea why the dude would mention about prize money when they were talking about such an honorable event.

"Yes, it comes with a scholarship worth a hundred grand, but it is more like an accessory to the title."

"Wow, a hundred grand? Then I'll give it a shot if there's a chance!" Somehow the hundred grand reminded Wang Tong of his tough decision of rejecting DREAM's deal, but since there was another chance for him to earn some money, of course, he was eager to give it a try.

"Guys, why don't we continue eating and ignore this fella here? I'm sure he will finish our food if we keep on talking!" Hu Yangxuan got frustrated and began to work on his food.

Wang Ben, on the other hand, stared thoughtfully at Wang Tong, no doubt he was impressed by Einherjar Wannabe's performances yesterday, nevertheless, he began to suspect something as he looked at Wang Tong. For some reason, he shared a few similarities with Einherjar Wannabe; however, his actual strength was not as dominating as Einherjar Wannabe's. For example, the level of Einherjar Wannabe's steps and pacing were definitely much higher than Wang Tong's.

However, Wang Ben didn't know that Wang Tong was the kind of person that could make improvements every day.

Wang Ben also had another reason to believe that Wang Tong wasn't Einherjar Wannabe because Wang Tong was broke and he was a well-known miser; if he really was Einherjar Wannabe, he would've accepted DREAM's offer to set up an official arena.

Wang Ben shook his head and cleared his mind, he had to concentrate on his own training instead due to his previous defeat, he told himself not to think too much as to busybody was not what he supposed to do.

Gansus' class was scheduled in the afternoon, with the recent enlightenments of Ayrlarng, somehow the students began to accept Gansus' teaching method and his attitude; apparently, the Mr. Gansus that everyone hated previously now became the most popular teacher in Ayrlarng. Since then, his classes were filled with students as everyone began thinking of making some achievements. Previously, it would have been hard for someone to get serious because most of the students were sloppy, but now with everyone being all motivated, no one would dare to be sloppy since they might be left alone by the rest. This was what learning atmosphere should look like.

S-Ranked academies were able to achieve amazing performances because they all had marvelous learning atmospheres which enable students to exert their own potentials.

Gansus too was able to feel Samantha's capabilities throughout the series of happenings. Without a doubt, Gansus was a good teacher, yet there were also things that he couldn't do. However, the same students who used to dislike him and his classes really began to change after Samantha applied some of her methods, and it didn't even require him to change his teaching methods. Nevertheless, everyone was born with their own capabilities, like they said: a ragged colt may make a good horse.

Gansus carried on with his gruff and straightforward lessons; however, he never wanted his students to become a bunch of docile little lambs! Gansus recommended Carl as one of Ayrlarng's candidate against Bernabeu not because he was talented, but because of his curiosity. He believed only those who were willing to question everything would be able to know the details of everything. If a person was too shy and docile, he or she would not be able to achieve anything.

Carl remained active in Gansus' class, which was somehow not a bad thing for the others because everyone would be able to learn the details thanks to his questions.

After so many years of teaching, Gansus finally felt like he had made an awesome achievement.

"Today we'll be focusing on learning about Flamethrower Zergs, these creatures are the largest species amongst lower ranked Zergs, they might be slow, but they are able to emit flame and shoot firebombs., They belong to the heavily-armed species of Zergs. In short, human's attacking methods are created to fight against Zergs, most of the time... Eliminating Flamethrower Zergs are the tasks of the Heavily-Armed Troops; however, the Heavily-Armed Machinery are designed to move on flat grounds, and their effectiveness will decrease during battles in higher terrains so there might be times that require METAL Fighters to deal with these creatures!" Gansus spoke as he pointed toward the hologram of a giant Flamethrower Zerg.

Currently, mankind's military strategies were mainly combining the agility of the METAL Fighters and the firepower of the Heavily-Armed Troops during ground advancements. Unlike Zergs, mankind would not only focus on using destructive weapons during battles because a planet would become worthless if it was totally destroyed. The main task of the METAL Fighters was to watch the backs of the Heavily-Armed Troops when they were required to fight against the heavily-armed Zergs because the troops would need to give up their mobility and nimbleness when they were required to open fire.

The Power Armor became obsolete because its firepower was not as strong as the Heavily-Armed Troops, and it wasn't as agile as METAL Suits; moreover, their effectiveness had decreased as the Zergs' exoskeletons had evolved. Hence the current best option of mankind was to combine METAL Fighters with Heavily-Armed Troops since the firepower of the Heavy Armors were modified to penetrate the exoskeletons of the Zergs.

Wang Tong was paying full attention to Gansus' lessons. Somehow, he felt that Norton was like the backyard of the Zergs with tons of their species of them roaming around, some species were not even mentioned in the guidebook. During his days on Norton, the Zergs didn't seem to send out loads of heavily-armed Zergs to deal with him, which also proved that Zergs were quite intelligent for not wasting resources on weaker opponents. Nevertheless, Wang Tong was still pleased to see that mankind was able to eradicate the Zergs on Norton within a year. When he was surviving on Norton, he always felt that the efficiency of the Confederation was poor. However, after he came back to Earth and started taking lessons in Ayrlarng, as he recalled the species of Zergs he met in Norton, Wang Tong was then impressed by the troops from the Earth Confederation for spending only one year to get to him. He might only have to deal with one or two Zergs at a time, but soldiers would have to face against tens of thousands of them at the same time, not to mention that the evolution speed of the Zergs had become faster in recent years.

"First, let's talk about the size of the Flamethrower Zergs, these ugly-a** creatures weigh around ten to fifteen tons, their whole body is covered in a tough exoskeleton, and their abdomens are weaker, but this part would be pressed on the ground most of the time in order for them to move. They are capable of emitting flames and shooting firebombs from their mouth-part. A Flamethrower Zerg's body itself is like a torch gun, but unlike normal fire, the flame is hard to put out if yer body makes contact with it. Furthermore, if you're unlucky to be covered in flame from top to toe, the best way for ya to end the pain is to kill yourself, even if you're equipped with a METAL Suit, ya will still be burned to death." Gansus wasn't trying to freak out his students, it wasn't ordinary flame which one could easily put out by rolling on the ground, and since it was impossible for one to carry a fire extinguisher to go to war, the only countermeasure was to stay alert and be careful.

"Generally speaking, most Flamethrower Zergs will not shoot out firebombs, the maximum length of their flame is about fifteen meters, but please note that this number is only for reference as there are always exceptions. Regardless of the species, there is always an Alpha Zerg in a troop of Zergs, the Alpha Zerg from the Flamethrower Zergs is the one that can shoot out firebombs; during battles, this is the one that we have to eliminate first at all cost!"

The uniqueness of the Flamethrower Zergs was their ability to deal damages in a wide range, they were born to counter the heavy firepower from mankind. Even the high-temperature-resistant Heavy Armors were not able to withstand a Flamethrower Zergs' flame for a long period of time. Of course, mankind had been trying their best to enhance the high-temperature-resistant limit of the steel, but the flames of the Flamethrower Zergs were also getting stronger at the same time. Mankind was still troubled by this sort of flame because its melting ability could not be explained by the conventional study of physics. Mankind's scientists had been trying their best to forge new materials; however, Zergs were also evolving as mankind's technology improved, it was indeed a race against time.

"Sir, how are we supposed to fight them since they're so heavy? We can't flip them over and kill them, can we?"

"I'm glad ya asked this stupid question! Yes, a Flamethrower Zerg can weigh over fifteen tons, so it's impossible for us to flip it over. Now, pay attention to how it moves, every time it moves, wrinkles will form around its exoskeleton, although these wrinkles also have high defenses, yet it is only one fifth of the toughness of its exoskeleton, this is the chance for METAL Fighters to attack! Do not attack its head because you won't be able to disable it. Look at this part around its neck instead, the thirteenth joint, this is where the Flamethrower Zergs emits its flame, a good stab with yer sword to this part will do the job."

"But Sir, Zergs will also be very alert since that's its weakness, and we have no time to count during battle!"

"Yea, we will get killed first before we could identify the thirteenth joint."

Gansus looked across the room, "I didn't ask y'all to count! You'll need to learn how to cut somebody quickly if ya wanna survive, from now onwards, y'all need to make sure ya can identify the sweet spot of the Flamethrower Zergs, if ya can't, then go to hell!"

"Sir, so its all depend on one's experience?"

"Use your brain and stop asking nonsense questions will ya?" Gansus scolded and continued, "The simplest method which even idiots know is to learn by watching videos of the Flamethrower Zergs ten times a day, and after one month, I bet'cha will be able to identify their weaknesses right away even if a whole family of Flamethrower Zergs comes and get'cha!"

Gansus' method was best for most ordinary people; however, talented ones like Wang Tong would be able to memorize after a few glance; nevertheless, most of the soldiers in the military were not gifted so they would need to look at it over and over again in order to remember.

"Pay attention to its data, including its traveling speed. Y'all need to memorize every bit of information I've said about Zergs like how ya remember yer name, even if ya forget yer name, never forget everything I've said, IS THAT CLEAR?"

"Yes, Sir!" everyone in the class yelled at once.

Gansus wanted everyone to stay focus, which was why he spoke aloud and even required his students to reply loudly. Obviously, there was a huge difference between staying focus throughout the lesson and skiving in the middle of a class, Gansus never expected his students to do revisions after class because nowadays students would rather spend more time to practice their tactics. Moreover, the few interested and outstanding ones would not need revisions after class. However, as a teacher, he knew it wasn't right to only focus on a few students, and he would remain strict in order to raise his students' chances of survival in the future.

Gansus never asked for honor or anything in return, he was only a humble teacher who would do whatever was right to do.

Wang Tong returned to his room after class. As he was lying down and about to rest, Zhou Sisi came knocking on his door with a weird expression on her face.

"Come in, it's strange for you to act so politely."

"I don't ACT polite, you jerk. This is for you!" She flung a letter onto Wang Tong's bed.

"Didn't I just send one earlier this morning? Why, is there another one?" Wang Tong laughed as he sat up, "Gosh, our dear Mr. Hu sure IS the favorite amongst ladies, I'm deeply impressed."

"Who says it's for Hu Yangxuan? This is for YOU!" Zhou Sisi looked frustrated.