The Weakest's Counterattack

Despair. Suffocation.

On the arena, Chen Kong's eyes uncontrollably avoided the Earth Dragon Lizard's vertical pupils, terrified of drawing its attention.

Because he knew exactly how lowly and insignificant he was in those golden eyes.

Many things could only truly be understood by experiencing them firsthand.

Although Chen Kong had known how terrifying the Earth Dragon Lizard was while standing outside the arena,

he had merely been an observer, with no threat to his life. At most, he had been wary of the Earth Dragon Lizard's strength, but he had not felt much fear.

But now that he had stepped onto the arena himself and truly faced this terrifying behemoth,

he finally understood what an astonishing feat Tiandao had accomplished just moments ago.

He could not imagine what kind of mindset Tiandao had possessed to strike that monster so heavily under its gaze—and actually wound it.

Did Tiandao... not know what fear was?

At that thought, Chen Kong's legs felt as though they had been filled with lead. He could not even take a step forward.

He was terrified. He was afraid.

Though he was unwilling to admit it, Chen Kong truly wanted to run away right now.

Even his sister Chen Xing, whom he considered incredibly powerful, had been easily injured by that monster in just one exchange.

Even someone as powerful as Tiandao had only barely managed to wound the monster with Caroline and the others' help.

Compared to them, could an ordinary person like him really pose any threat to such a monster?

Chen Kong already had an answer to that question.

Impossible. He could not do it.

As he thought, Chen Kong's eyes gradually dimmed.

Even the figures of Chen Xing and Rin desperately holding on in the distance slowly blurred in his vision.

In a daze, Chen Kong seemed to return to the days before the Final Assessment, memories flooding back like a tide.

The mockery of his companions on the training grounds, the disappointed sighs of the instructors, and Chen Xing's cold words, one after another: "Trash."

Those voices tangled in his mind, becoming heavy, invisible chains that firmly bound him in place, leaving him unable to move.

Just as Chen Kong was ready to give up completely and calmly accept his own incompetence,

a voice suddenly appeared in his mind.

"Remember, when you feel like there is no way out, ask yourself why you have managed to survive until now."

In a daze, Chen Kong instinctively turned to look outside the arena.

At that moment, Tiandao seemed to sense something as well.

He removed his sunglasses, smiled, and pointed at his heart.

He was giving Chen Kong a hint.

If he did not know what to do, then he should try following his body's instincts and trust the answer buried deepest in his heart.

After all, being too ordinary and unremarkable sometimes... was also a kind of extraordinariness.

Boom—

Seeing Tiandao's hint, Chen Kong felt as though something in his mind had shattered with a roar.

That's right. Why have I survived until now? Naturally... because I'm the weakest of them all.

Because I'm the weakest, no one pays attention to me.

Because I'm the weakest, no one goes out of their way to target me.

The strong have laws of survival that belong to the strong, while the weak... naturally have laws of survival that belong to the weak.

Since I'm destined not to become strong, why not try using the weak's way to find my own path to survival?

The instant that thought arose, Chen Kong immediately felt some sort of miraculous change occur within his body.

It was a power that had always been hidden inside him, yet one he had never noticed.

It was as though that power's greatest purpose was to be ordinary and inconspicuous.

So inconspicuous that even Chen Kong himself had failed to notice its existence.

But now that Chen Kong had noticed it, the power could no longer remain hidden and could only reveal its function to him.

Mark of the Void: Greatly reduced his sense of presence and, to a certain extent, nullified other Star Energy, causing it to become "ordinary."

Besides the Mark of the Void, Chen Kong could actually sense another power within his body at that moment.

Unlike the Mark of the Void, which was content with being ordinary,

that other power was weak, yet it carried an indescribable arrogance and dominance.

But it seemed not to acknowledge Chen Kong's existence either.

Even after realizing Chen Kong had discovered it, it still had no intention of coming out to help him.

It remained stubbornly locked in a struggle with the Mark of the Void, completely ignoring Chen Kong.

Although he could not gain the mysterious power's help,

after learning of the Mark of the Void's existence, Chen Kong still found, to a certain degree, a way to pass the Final Assessment.

He would let everyone know that the weak... also had the right to survive!

"Oh? Has he finally disappeared?"

"Disappeared? What disappeared?"

Caroline looked at Tiandao in confusion, unable to understand what he meant.

In response, Tiandao walked toward the exit and said meaningfully, "A certain weakest person's disappearance, of course."

"After all, if the weak want to survive in this cruel world, they must make good use of the strong's contempt, mustn't they?"

"???"

Caroline stared at Tiandao with a baffled expression, unable to understand why he was suddenly spouting such nonsense.

Though she did not understand what Tiandao meant, Caroline understood something else.

"Tiandao, the assessment isn't over yet. Where are you going?"

Tiandao answered as if it were only natural. "Where else? To the cafeteria to replenish my sugar."

Hearing that, Caroline frowned. "But isn't that... a little too against the rules?"

Without turning around, Tiandao waved a hand. "Rules? Those are things only the weak need to follow. I, Tiandao Siming, am the rules."

With that, Tiandao disappeared at the end of the passage under Caroline's stunned gaze.

A moment later, unable to stop Tiandao, Caroline could only shake her head helplessly and turn her attention back to the arena.

What none of them, including her and the Earth Dragon Lizard, noticed was that

their attention had already been completely drawn to Chen Xing and Rin without them realizing it.

To the point that a certain weakest person seemed to have completely "disappeared" from the arena.

Unnoticed, unregarded, undetected.

Perhaps it had grown tired of playing, or perhaps it had already vented all the anger Tiandao had provoked earlier.

After viciously "beating up" Chen Xing and Rin, the Earth Dragon Lizard decided to end this boring farce and let these two ignorant ants understand what a true strong person was.

Boom!

The Earth Dragon Lizard stomped the ground, and a terrifying Star Power Field swept over Chen Xing and Rin like a tsunami.

In an instant, the two of them, who had been constantly darting and evading in search of a chance to counterattack,

were easily suppressed by that power and slammed heavily onto the cold arena floor.

At that moment, they felt as though a massive mountain was pressing down on them, leaving them unable to move.

Despair. Boundless despair.

With nothing more than simple numerical suppression, the Earth Dragon Lizard bluntly showed Chen Xing and Rin a cruel reality.

Before absolute strength, all flashy tricks were meaningless.

Of course, that sunglasses-wearing brat was an exception.

Chen Xing lay on the ground, beads of sweat the size of beans sliding down her forehead as she stared unwillingly at Demonic Blade Blood Flame, which had been flung far away.

Tiandao had clearly managed to wound it.

She had clearly never believed herself to be that much weaker than Tiandao.

Yet from beginning to end, she had not even gotten a single chance to attack.

Once. Even just once...

Just as Chen Xing refused to accept her own weakness,

a figure ignored by everyone quietly picked up Demonic Blade Blood Flame, which lay on the arena floor.

Even the Earth Dragon Lizard on the arena failed to notice this scene.

Holding the Demonic Blade, his face had gone pale with tension, and his heart pounded as though it might burst from his chest.

Even the Demonic Blade trembled violently in his hand, as if rejecting the touch of someone as weak as him and mocking his frailty.

But even as he felt the Demonic Blade's humiliation, Chen Kong's hand gripping it remained as steady as a rock.

Once. I only have one chance.

Chen Kong took a deep breath. Then, warily watching the completely defenseless Earth Dragon Lizard with its back to him, he began to quietly approach like a shadow...

The strong had laws that belonged to the strong.

And the weak... also had ways of survival that belonged to the weak!

At the same time, Tiandao, who was leisurely eating strawberry cake with one leg crossed over the other in the cafeteria, seemed to sense something and suddenly set down his fork.

"The weakest's counterattack? Interesting."

Tiandao smiled as he finished the last bite of strawberry cake, then stood and headed toward the dormitory area.

But after entering the passage, Tiandao suddenly spoke in a meaningful tone.

"Kong, surviving under the strong's very noses is no easy thing, especially..."

Tiandao removed his sunglasses, revealing those distinctive azure-blue eyes.

"...when they have already seen through you completely."

As his words fell, Tiandao's figure completely disappeared into the passage.

And he became the first—and only—person to return to the dormitory area to rest before the Final Assessment had ended.