“Have I passed?”
Yue Wu continued to poke Bruno.
“It seems I hit him too hard just now.”
“Dispel. Recover.”
Finally, Yue Wu dispelled Bruno’s pain and nosebleed, allowing him to lie on the ground without agony.
“You bastard!”
The recovered Bruno immediately lunged at Yue Wu. However, he received another punch from Yue Wu. This time, the blow accidentally landed on Bruno’s head, knocking him unconscious once more.
“My apologies,” Yue Wu said, a hint of regret in his voice as he apologized to the unconscious Bruno. “My subconscious simply acted on its own.”
‘He probably can’t hear your apology.’
‘This man is a complete monster. And I worried for nothing.’
The other two now kept a respectful distance from Yue Wu, fearing to provoke him or incur his displeasure.
“What should I do? If I wake him, he’ll probably attack me again. But if I don’t, the assessment can’t proceed.”
“Wake him up? Or not?”
“Xiao Qing, what do you think? Should I wake him?”
Xiao Qing gazed at Bruno, sprawled on the ground, with a seemingly indifferent look, yet it held a hint of pity.
“Hey! Bruno! Two more girls are here for the assessment, so don’t be too…”
Hootga’s words trailed off as he entered, accompanied by two girls in their late teens. His eyes landed on Bruno, still prone on the ground, and then on Yue Wu, casually squatting nearby. Hootga was utterly speechless.
‘Am I still dreaming?’
Hootga found himself doubting his own eyes. What exactly was he seeing? Bruno, sent from the Fiore Grand Academy, had been defeated? And from the looks of it, it was an instant knockout.
“Oh! You’ve arrived just in time. He’s unconscious. Can I pass my assessment now?”
Upon seeing Hootga enter, Yue Wu quickly stood up and inquired.
“Did the three of you defeat him?”
Hootga gestured towards the fallen Bruno. Though he had no idea what Bruno had just endured, the undeniable truth was that he had been defeated and was currently in a state of unconsciousness.
“Not us, it was this… it was just him!”
“That’s right, he defeated him alone.”
The two students quickly disavowed any involvement, almost calling Yue Wu a monster before catching themselves just in time.
“Wait here! I’ll wake him up!”
Hootga strode towards Bruno, knelt down, and nudged him several times. Yet, Bruno remained completely unresponsive.
“He seems to be in shock.”
One of the two girls who had entered with Hootga, a young woman with long pinkish-white hair, spoke up.
“What?! Shock?!”
Hootga’s eyes widened as he stared at Yue Wu. What kind of monster was this, capable of knocking out an A-rank Bruno with a single blow?
“Uh, I only gave him one punch. At most, it should just be a concussion.”
“Yue Wu was utterly bewildered. He had consciously held back his strength, and his power attribute wasn’t even particularly high. How could a single punch send someone into shock?
“What?! One punch?!”
Hootga’s voice boomed, especially when he was surprised. Standing beside him, Yue Wu felt as though his eardrums might burst.
“It was indeed one punch.”
The two eyewitnesses nodded in confirmation.
“Wait here, all of you. I’ll go get someone to wake him.”
Hootga stood up, preparing to leave the training grounds.
“I can wake him up.”
The pink-white haired girl spoke again, then walked over to Bruno and began her work.
However, the first thing Bruno did upon waking was to search for Yue Wu. Seeing that he hadn’t left but was still nearby, Bruno lunged at him for a second time without a word.
*Thud!*
The result was another punch from Yue Wu, though this time it landed directly on Bruno’s face—specifically, his left eye.
“Ow!”
Bruno collapsed to the ground once more, but this time he didn’t lose consciousness. Instead, he writhed wildly on the floor.
“This is an act of nature; you can’t blame me.”
Yue Wu shrugged, indicating it wasn’t his fault.
Hootga now understood that this young man truly possessed the power to instantly defeat Bruno. He knew Bruno wore a sacred artifact that could withstand physical attacks, an artifact with certain immunity limitations. Yet, Hootga had just witnessed Yue Wu casually break that sacred artifact’s limits with a single strike.
“He said I could attack him. So, I’ve passed now, right?”
Yue Wu knelt down, once again dispelling Bruno’s pain.
“You bastard!”
Seeing Bruno about to charge at Yue Wu again, ready to fight to the death, Hootga quickly intervened, holding him back.
“What’s going on here?”
Just then, a Golden-haired Girl entered the training grounds, accompanied by two individuals.
“Vice Dean.”
Hootga quickly greeted the girl.
****
Inside her office at the Fiore Academy, Lucy sat at her desk. Modley Hadas and Sophia Intist were also present. Today, Sophia’s demeanor had reverted to the introverted personality Yue Wu had previously encountered.
“I wonder if that prodigal son has arrived yet.”
Lucy couldn’t sit still, pacing back and forth across her office. Sophia’s gaze tracked her every movement.
“If you’re worried, then go check the training grounds.”
Modley Hadas sighed.
“That guy has what I gave him; he doesn’t need to be assessed at all. That prodigal son probably ran off somewhere again.”
Lucy slammed her hand onto the desk in frustration, causing everything on it to jump. It was clear just how foul her mood was.
“What if he forgot?”
Sophia timidly raised her hand to offer her thought.
Lucy fell silent.
After a moment of thought, Lucy decided it was best to go to the training grounds herself. “Come on, let’s go to the training grounds.”
After the incident at the ruins, Lucy had questioned Jeanne D’Arc about Yue Wu’s whereabouts. Jeanne D’Arc, upon realizing Lucy was Lucifer Kentest from that day, was utterly astonished, as she was by Sophia’s personality. She had informed Lucy about Yue Wu’s departure but couldn’t provide specific details.
“What’s going on? Is no one here to be assessed as a mentor today?”
As they approached, the training grounds remained eerily silent. Lucy’s brow furrowed, and she stormed inside, radiating an imposing aura.
“This woman looks a little familiar.”
Yue Wu turned his head. He felt as though he’d seen the golden-haired beauty somewhere before, but he couldn’t quite place her. However, he distinctly remembered Modley Hadas and Sophia Intist, who were standing beside her.
“Lucy, have you come to see me?”
Upon seeing Lucy enter the training grounds, Bruno instantly transformed into a refined gentleman. No one knew where the rose in his hand had suddenly appeared from.
Lucy completely ignored the rose in Bruno’s hand, instead directly asking about the day’s mentor assessments. “How are the assessments going? How many people are here to be assessed as mentors?”
“There are five people today!”
Hootga quickly interjected, answering before Bruno could.
“Lucy.”
Modley Hadas noticed Yue Wu, who was shamelessly flirting behind Hootga.
“Hey there, beautiful~ Wanna hang out tonight?”
With Xiao Qing cradled in one arm, Yue Wu casually draped his other arm over the shoulder of the pink-white haired girl. He seemed completely oblivious to his own impropriety. Had it been any other woman, he likely would have received a slap to the face. Fortunately, the girl merely offered a dry laugh.
Xiao Qing tugged at Yue Wu’s clothes, seemingly consumed by jealousy.
“There you are! You prodigal!”
Lucy, too, spotted Yue Wu, shamelessly flirting.