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2.35% too many skills; I'm really not a god." / Chapter 2: Chapter 2: The Social Death Scene of an Offline Meeting

Chapter 2: Chapter 2: The Social Death Scene of an Offline Meeting

With graceful steps, Sophia moved to the center of the stage. An invisible wave of energy radiated from her body, instantly cooling the entire area, dispelling some of the summer heat.

The once noisy and energetic venue suddenly quieted down so quickly that Liam couldn't help but wonder if there was something wrong with his hearing.

Everyone simultaneously stopped what they were doing and turned their attention to the center of the stage.

Sophia stood there expressionless, but inside, she was brimming with excitement.

In reality, there was a vast difference between her inner self and her outward appearance, a fact that no one could understand due to her power and status.

At that moment, she was talking to herself in her mind:

"Hehehe, I managed to make a grand entrance~"

"If that guy were here, he'd probably call this 'showing off,' right?"

"So... was my showing off just now good enough?"

"Did I pull it off well?"

These thoughts raced through her mind, but her face remained calm and cold. Her voice, serene and icy, echoed in the ears of everyone present.

"Hello, everyone. I'm Sophia from the Eastern Academy and a member of the War God Hall. I am the chief examiner for this exam site."

"I will be in charge of all the assessments going forward, and I will be selecting some outstanding talents to recommend to the Core Eight Academies."

"I also have five guaranteed admission slots in my hand. I hope everyone will perform well in the upcoming assessments and take the stage in the order of your assigned numbers."

After she finished speaking, Sophia stood in the center of the stage, quietly waiting for the candidates to come up for their assessments.

As soon as she finished, the entire examination area erupted. The noise was even louder than before as countless candidates rushed to surround Sophia's assessment stage, eager to showcase their abilities.

This examination site was one of the advanced assessment areas, and everyone who had made it here was no ordinary student. From a superpower perspective, they were all "top students."

They might not yet know Sophia's name, but they knew what her identity represented.

The Core Eight Superpower Academies!

The allure of this name was too great. If recognized by Sophia, they would have the chance to test for entry into the most prestigious superpower academies.

And if they displayed exceptional talent, Sophia had guaranteed admission slots in her hands!

Every candidate here was confident in their abilities, and each of them was eager to show what they could do.

Except for one person...

The only "poor student" in the entire venue...

Liam sat in a shaded corner, staring blankly at Sophia's cold and beautiful figure on the stage, with only one word in his mind.

—Screwed!

Originally, there were five testing platforms in the venue.

Liam's eyes had been wandering over the five main examiners, hoping to find one who seemed kind and easy to talk to, so he could just get by without making a fool of himself.

But then, out of nowhere, this woman showed up—apparently a big shot—taking over everything.

Special individuals like her were bound to be strict and demanding.

With just his Energy Chains? How could he possibly pass?!

It's impossible!

It's over!

...

One after another, the top talents, with burning determination in their eyes, walked onto the stage to showcase their superpowers in front of Sophia.

Each of them was excited, not only hoping to secure a guaranteed admission slot but also eager to impress such an extraordinary beauty.

But to Sophia, with her top-tier talent and discerning eye, the abilities of these so-called top talents were all rather ordinary.

Ignoring their fiery gazes, she carried out her work meticulously.

Finally, Liam walked up to the testing platform with the demeanor of someone who had nothing to lose, looking as indifferent as someone who couldn't care less.

After hearing Sophia's harsh evaluations of those top talents, Liam had pretty much resigned himself to the fact that he was just going through the motions.

Sophia frowned slightly as she watched Liam approach.

All the previous candidates had tried to make a good impression, walking up to the stage with their heads held high, like they were on the red carpet.

But this guy? He looked completely uninterested, occasionally glancing around as if he were just shopping at a market.

However, Sophia didn't comment on it. She just routinely asked,

"Introduce your ability and its development status."

Liam nodded and lazily responded, "Ah, hello, ma'am. My ability is Energy Chains, and it hasn't been developed yet."

Since he had already accepted that he was screwed, Liam didn't even bother to put in any effort. He was ready to just get it over with.

"What?" Sophia was momentarily taken aback, thinking she must have misheard.

Energy Chains? That was a pretty low-level ability.

And you're bragging about not having developed it? What was there to be proud of?

She was left speechless. This guy wasn't bad-looking, but where was his sense of shame?

Wait a minute... wasn't that the same ability as that person?

As Sophia's mind grew more complicated, Liam spoke up again.

"My Energy Chains are a variant. I can control multiple chains at once, and their attack range is relatively long."

As he spoke, he controlled five or six energy chains to hover around him.

Sophia's mind was still on her online friend, so she absentmindedly responded,

"Energy Chains... Even with some special variations, the potential isn't high. You should just..."

Wait!

Halfway through her sentence, Sophia suddenly realized that what she was saying sounded eerily familiar.

Didn't that online friend of hers say something like this during one of their chats?

And his ability was also Energy Chains, a variant, with the same kind of manifestation!

Suddenly, Sophia's mouth fell open, and her pupils contracted as she stared in shock at the eccentric man in front of her.

No way! Could this really be him in real life?

"Wait, what's your name?" Sophia asked.

"Huh?" Liam looked confused. He had been about to leave the stage, but now he honestly answered, "Liam."

Sophia: ...

"Damn it! This is useless. We never asked for real names online; it was all just usernames."

"Should I ask him for his username? Wouldn't that seem too weird?"

"What do I do, what do I do..."

Sophia was mentally freaking out, talking to herself.

Liam stood on the stage, equally puzzled.

What's wrong with this woman? Why is she looking me up and down, her face alternating between pale and flushed, without saying anything?

What is she trying to do? If I'm not passing, just say so... Standing here is embarrassing.

But what Liam didn't know was that everyone present was just as bewildered.

Candidates: Why is the goddess so focused on this low-level guy?!

Supervising officials: What's going on? Please don't let anything go wrong...

Sophia: Brain on standby...


Chapter 3: Chapter 3: Luck of the Draw: SSS-Level Talent Successfully Copied

"Ahem!"

Realizing that she might have lost her composure, Sophia lightly coughed twice to regain her usual calm and emotionless demeanor. After thinking it over, she finally spoke:

"A variant ability... is still quite rare. For now, stand over here, and I'll make a decision later."

As she spoke, she gestured with her delicate hand, indicating a spot for Liam to stand.

There were already two people standing there.

This arrangement seemed simple, but it made everyone tense up, especially the man and woman standing in that spot. Their brows furrowed even deeper.

They were the two candidates with the highest-rated abilities from the previous tests. Although Sophia hadn't said it outright, most people present assumed that this area was reserved for candidates likely to receive guaranteed admission.

And now, all eyes turned to Liam.

Him? Why?!

An E-level ability, even if it's a variant, shouldn't be eligible for guaranteed admission.

This must be blatant favoritism!

In an instant, everyone was looking at Liam with various expressions—contempt, resentment, and more.

"Huh?" Liam himself was also stunned. He hadn't expected there to be a chance of a turnaround; he hadn't been immediately eliminated.

A chance was still a chance, and it was a good thing.

Without hesitation, he thought for a moment and then cautiously extended his hand toward Sophia, saying,

"Thank you for the opportunity."

At the same time, his Replica Hand system activated.

He hadn't used his replication chance for the day, and by all accounts, Sophia should be quite powerful. So Liam decided to take a gamble on her.

Although the success rate was low, and based on Liam's guess, the higher the talent level, the lower the success rate.

But... what if he got lucky?

However, what he did next shocked everyone.

Sophia stood there, dumbfounded, staring at the outstretched hand, her mind in a whirl.

This guy... the nerve!

Since she could remember, no stranger, especially no man, had ever dared to approach her casually, let alone initiate physical contact like this.

In front of everyone, the academy leaders exchanged puzzled glances, wondering if they should step in and stop Liam's audacity.

After all, others might not know, but they were well aware of Sophia's status.

Who was this reckless guy?

Meanwhile, the male students in the audience widened their eyes, watching Liam on stage as if he were some kind of god.

After all, doing something that everyone wanted to do but didn't dare required immense courage.

Heaven knows, Liam had no ulterior motives like taking advantage of Sophia.

He just genuinely wanted to try and replicate her ability, so he didn't think there was anything wrong with his behavior. He acted completely naturally.

And then, something happened that made everyone's jaws drop again.

Sophia lowered her head, her expression unreadable, but her hand slowly lifted, and she lightly shook Liam's hand.

In that moment, Liam thought he could hear the sound of countless hearts breaking...

But at that point, Liam didn't have time to care about what others thought.

Because the familiar "Replication failed" message didn't pop into his mind as usual. Instead, a different, more pleasant sound played.

[Replication successful. Acquired SSS-level talent—Ice Age!]

[Automatically enhancing talent...]

[Talent at maximum level. Unable to enhance further. Attempting to break limiter... Limiter breakthrough failed.]

A series of messages echoed in his mind. After a brief moment of surprise, a wave of pure joy surged through Liam.

Did it... work?

And at such a high level, too? He could finally experience what it's like to have a game-breaking talent!

Moreover, this woman in front of him had an SSS-level talent. He had just randomly encountered a protagonist-tier character!

His luck was off the charts—could this be a sign that his lifespan was about to shorten?

Raising his head, Liam looked at her stunning face and, out of nowhere, blurted,

"Amazing!"

Sophia's hand was still clasped by Liam's, her mind completely blank. Hearing his words brought her back to reality.

She discreetly pulled her hand away, nodded, and stood a bit stiffly.

After all, she was in a state of total disarray and had no idea how her hand had just reached out like that. Her mind was a blank slate.

Her ice-based powers kicked in, helping her suppress her emotions, which kept her from blushing.

They parted, Liam moved to the candidate area, and Sophia returned to continue her work.

But from then on, it was clear that Sophia was distracted, her mind preoccupied.

If earlier she had only had some suspicions about Liam's identity, now she was almost certain.

After all, the word "amazing" was something she had only heard from that online friend she had never met in person.

So, was it really him?

Could it really be this coincidental, meeting him in person without any preparation?

When chatting online, she had always found him unique and interesting. Now, seeing him in person, he was even more of an oddball!

But...

Did he recognize me?

How should I talk to him?

Should I even talk to him?

How do I interact with him?!!!

Sophia was all too aware of the vast difference between her usual public image and the persona she had when chatting with Liam online.

At that moment, she deeply understood what it meant to experience a "social death."

Now, her mind was entirely occupied with thoughts of Liam, and her overall state was highly unsettled.

This behavior didn't go unnoticed by most of the people present.

Anyone with sharp eyes could see that there was something subtly ambiguous between Sophia and Liam.

Soon, whispers began to spread through the crowd.

"An E-level power? With that level, it's hard enough to get into a top superpower academy, let alone get a guaranteed admission..."

"Variant? Honestly, is there any point to a variant of an E-level power?"

"After testing so many people today, his ability is the weakest... How could someone this weak be guaranteed admission?"

The students around Liam murmured their dissatisfaction in low voices.

Though they didn't dare say it out loud, it was clear what they meant—everyone believed this was blatant favoritism, and it was totally unfair!

This dissatisfaction was even more pronounced among another group—the candidates with the highest talents standing near Liam, all competing for the guaranteed admission slots.

Sophia had made it clear earlier that there were only five slots available.

But as time passed, there were now six people in this area, including Liam.

At this point, aside from Liam, the other five began to frown, occasionally casting sideways glances at Liam, each lost in thought.


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