Chapter 6: Confirming the Guaranteed Slot, A Well-Deserved Victory

Sophia stood at the edge of the platform, one foot lifted as if she were about to step forward, but she remained frozen in place, unable to move.

She had intended to rush out and save Liam, but what had just happened left her in shock, unable to react for a long time.

For some reason, as she looked at the ice covering the arena, it felt oddly familiar, almost as if she were seeing her own ability in action.

Energy Chains with an ice-attribute variant?

She remembered when she first awakened her powers, she had accidentally frozen one of her family's elders, nearly causing permanent damage due to the extremely low temperatures.

Seeing that Liam was unharmed, Sophia lowered her foot and, for some reason, a smile appeared on her face.

He's fine. That's good.

Wait...

Didn't I forget something?

Immersed in her thoughts, Sophia suddenly snapped back to reality and looked up.

A large bird-shaped ice sculpture was still suspended in the air, held aloft by an ice pillar, like a kite.

Oh no! This isn't good! That girl is still frozen!

Liam didn't dare let her fall. What if she shattered upon impact?

Even though he wasn't sure about the laws in this world, killing someone was probably still illegal.

Sophia had been so focused on making sure Liam wasn't hurt that she had completely forgotten about Lila.

Now realizing her oversight, she knew she had to act quickly.

With a firm stomp, she shattered the thick ice covering the entire arena, turning it into pale blue sparks that quickly disappeared. The nearby spectators who had been trapped by the ice were also freed.

Sophia then leaped into the air, cutting the "kite string" that Liam had been holding and rescuing Lila.

Seeing Sophia finally take action, Liam let out a sigh of relief.

Even with his enhanced abilities, holding up a person had still been tiring.

Rubbing his slightly sore shoulder, Liam found himself quite satisfied with his new power.

...

It took the crowd below several seconds to fully comprehend what had just happened.

There was no immediate outcry; instead, an eerie silence fell over the entire area.

Everyone's expressions were remarkably similar—heads raised, mouths half-open, all staring at Liam on the platform.

Just now... did he win?

And in such a decisive manner, almost like a one-sided victory?

So... he wasn't just getting by on connections?

Not a single person who had placed a bet earlier won.

Because they had all guessed wrong. Among the thousands of people who had crowded around the large arena, not one had believed Liam would be the victor.

The strange, quiet atmosphere spread through the crowd until it reached a breaking point and then exploded.

"What the hell?!"

"How did he win like that? That was a total wipeout!"

"Is this guy even human? And what was with that 'variant Energy Chain'? Since when does that make it an ice attribute?"

"And you call this favoritism?"

Exclamations of disbelief echoed throughout the crowd. No one had expected that on the night the exam ended, they would witness such a bizarre spectacle.

The red-haired man slowly swallowed, his mind a chaotic mess, unable to find the words.

At this moment, the chubby guy beside him once again turned to him, cautiously asking,

"Boss, when you said earlier that it would be over soon, is this what you meant?"

Red-haired man: ...

He didn't want to answer that question.

His eyes were now locked onto Liam, assessing whether he could defeat him.

He had noticed clearly earlier that when Sophia thought Liam was about to get hurt, she had looked genuinely worried.

But after Lila was frozen, Sophia had immediately acted as if nothing had happened.

What blatant favoritism!

In his eyes, Liam now had both strength and connections—so powerful it was almost absurd.

Liam stood in place, feeling a bit bored.

Although the exclamations from the crowd greatly satisfied his vanity, he didn't want to just stand there being stared at.

Finally, the ice around Lila melted, and she sat dazed on the ground.

It was fortunate that Sophia had been there; otherwise, Lila might have been in real danger today.

Sitting there without any semblance of dignity for a long time, Lila slowly raised her head to look at Liam.

Her gaze was complicated—filled with fear, shock, confusion, and reluctance—but eventually, the light in her purple eyes dimmed.

For the first time in her life, she had felt the breath of death.

She knew she had underestimated her opponent. All her previous confidence and joy had turned to ashes, leaving only bitterness.

There was nothing to argue about. In times like these, she wouldn't give herself the excuse of being careless—defeat was defeat.

It was her lack of strength that had let her down, and she had failed to meet her family's efforts and expectations.

Not intending to say much, she shakily stood up and briefly said:

"I lost. The guaranteed admission slot is rightfully yours."

With that, she turned and began to walk down the platform, looking dejected.

Seeing her like this, Sophia calmly spoke:

"Alright, there was a misunderstanding earlier. I hadn't planned to give Liam the guaranteed slot; I just wanted to keep him here for a while."

"Your talent is impressive, a variant type that I've rarely seen in my life. Stay here for now, and I'll try to get the academy to provide an additional slot. I'm sure they won't refuse."

Although she didn't particularly like Lila's shrewdness and aggressiveness, Lila's talent was too valuable to pass up. Besides, this whole situation had partly been her fault.

After speaking, she looked over at Liam, who was now playing with an ice crystal in his hand, her expression puzzled.

"You have such a powerful ability... why didn't you mention it earlier?"

"Huh? Hahaha," Liam laughed awkwardly, shrugging helplessly. "No, no, it's really you who's amazing."

Sophia: ?

She gave him a puzzled look but decided not to press further. If Liam really was the online friend she suspected, then his habit of saying things she didn't quite understand would be another clue to his identity.

Turning to face the other candidates, she loudly announced: "Alright, the assessment is over. Except for those with guaranteed slots, everyone else, please leave the premises."

Sophia began overseeing the exit process, and the other guaranteed candidates returned to the platform, standing beside Liam.

However, their gazes toward Liam had changed. No longer filled with disdain, they now looked at him with admiration and curiosity.

Lila quietly stood at the edge of the platform, her head lowered, saying nothing, her spirits clearly crushed.

Liam gazed at the distant sunset, not really in the mood for small talk with the people around him.

He wasn't much of a conversationalist, and this world was still very foreign to him. He didn't know the people well, and unless he wanted to replicate someone's power, he had little to discuss with anyone.

With that in mind, he took out a phone from his pocket, looking at the sole contact stored on it.

After a moment of thought, he typed out a message and sent it.

"I passed the assessment and even got a guaranteed admission slot. Um... something happened, and my ability mutated again."

Sophia, who was busy speaking with the exam organizers, suddenly felt her phone vibrate.

She glanced at it and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

It looks like it's confirmed—it's him!