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...