You Take First Place at Moen University

The old man leaned on a walnut cane polished to a shine and slowly made his way down the bustling commercial street, one step at a time.

He was thin and frail, dressed in a loose shirt and trousers in plain, muted colors.

His silver-white hair had been meticulously groomed and combed back, making him look clean and neat.

As he passed by, the noisy pedestrians around him would inexplicably feel a subtle sense of awe toward him and fall silent for a moment.

It was a strange kind of authority, like...

The homeroom teacher poking their head through the back door during evening self-study in high school.

He walked quietly down the street, his amber eyes sharp as they surveyed this world, this neon-stained jungle of steel—

Then he sighed softly.

Ideal City...

What a heartless place.

An academic dispute, a failed argument—either was enough to send a brilliant scholar plummeting from the clouds.

His important research findings had been taken away, and all his research projects had been shut down...

Even now, he still had not regained Authority to restart "that experiment."

Walking through the bustling commercial streets of District C, he often wondered whether he should have bowed his head back then.

Given that person the chance at promotion and obediently admitted defeat...

Would he then not have ended up opposing Noah Pharmaceuticals?

Would he still be walking the path of pursuing Truth now—

Perhaps even gaining another opportunity for promotion through investment from a corporate giant?

But all that was in the past.

He had no value now.

In Ideal City, failed scholars did not deserve to activate the computational core [Prometheus], much less possess a "laboratory."

That meant he was destined never to produce any important research results...

Nor could he ever return to the path of promotion.

Those glorious years...

He sighed again, but his emotions barely stirred.

A year had passed. He had long abandoned those unrealistic fantasies and found a new way of life—

Becoming a cram school teacher.

He had left District B of Ideal City, left Moen University, and come down to the grassroots of District C.

Instead, the old man felt he had gained a kind of peace that had once been difficult to attain.

Far from the upper echelons, there were no difficult problems that required him to rack his brains over, nor were there schemes and intrigues capable of threatening him.

All he had to do was teach those children of mediocre aptitude, and perhaps they would gain a better future...

It was not bad.

Leaning on his cane, he slowly reached the entrance of the training hall, only to hear an incredibly shrill voice from inside—

"Bro! What the hell even is your ability? Is it really Telekinesis?"

Kevin scratched his head, his eyes bloodshot as he stared at the terminal data, his face filled with nothing but confusion.

He had scratched his blond hair into a bird's nest, and loose strands kept falling out, making Ron feel a little sorry for him.

Look how badly the kid had been scared. He was practically about to pull out all that blond hair and turn bald.

"Probably... it is?"

Ron adjusted his wording, then said with certainty,

"Though it might be different from ordinary Telekinesis, it is definitely a mutated form of Telekinesis."

Mutated Telekinesis... mutated Telekinesis...

The words echoed in Kevin's mind, leaving him standing there blankly as a trace of despair gradually appeared in his eyes.

He connected his brain-computer interface to the AR headset again, attempting to use his computational power to understand the Ability Model of [Vector Manipulation].

But the Ability Model of [Vector Manipulation] was so complex that it surpassed Kevin's imagination. He had to admit that this was definitely the most complicated Ability Model he had ever seen.

More than merely complicated...

It possessed an innate, natural beauty.

It had to be said that Kevin was actually a genius.

Back in high school, he had slept through all three years yet still been recommended directly to Moen University, effortlessly ranking among the top ten in the Moen University Physics Department.

His computational power had already reached the upper limit that ordinary people could achieve through hard work alone.

Lv.3.

As a "Raw Stone," this was a talent he had possessed from birth.

He had seen countless Ability Models and had even observed his teacher's Ability Model before...

Yet even within that complex model, he had relied on his own inspiration and talent to find an incongruous part of his teacher's Ability Model.

Afterward, his teacher had reconstructed that portion of the model, and his Personal Reality had improved again, allowing him to touch upon an opportunity for promotion...

But Ron's Ability Model was different.

It was so seamless and natural, with every part coordinated despite its complexity...

He had to admit that he truly had no way to optimize this Ability Model.

Clearly, he had already carefully studied the recorded models of Telekinesis and completely understood the main components of the Telekinesis model.

He had indeed seen traces of Telekinesis in Ron's Ability Model. It seemed that the foundation of this ability truly was Telekinesis...

But why was it so complex?

Why... did it possess such unimaginably powerful output and performance?

"That's not right... That's impossible..."

Countless thoughts flooded his mind. Kevin's legs gave out, and with a smack, he dropped to his knees again, muttering incomprehensible words to himself.

Ron looked at him with some sympathy, wondering if [Vector Manipulation] had dealt him a little too severe a mental blow...

"Hmph."

But a cold snort broke the deadlock.

The plainly dressed old man strode in with heavy steps, his walnut cane knocking out crisp taps against the floor.

Seeing the newcomer, Ron instinctively hunched his shoulders slightly.

For some reason, he felt a little afraid...

And although the old man looked frail enough to be blown over by the wind, why did he give off the impression of a deep pool and towering mountain, immovable as stone?

He did not seem ordinary...

The old man stamped heavily across the floor and stopped before Kevin, who looked utterly lost, as though his entire body had turned gray—

Then he swung his cane straight into Kevin's ass!

"Ah!"

That strike was anything but light. It sent Kevin leaping into the air.

"Who the hell hit me?!"

Fury filled his face as he spun around, swearing he would beat the bastard who had interrupted his thoughts to his knees and force him to apologize!

Then he saw the old man's grim expression and the cane raised once again.

"I told you to watch the shop. Is this how you watch it?!"

"I was even thinking of having you train some of my students... What the hell was I thinking, expecting you brat to get anything done!"

Fuck.

The old man was back!

Kevin's heart tightened. He immediately bolted like a rabbit, but the spry old man chased after him and whipped him relentlessly.

"Lv.1! He's only Lv.1! He isn't a child, so he can't possibly be a Raw Stone. He's just an ordinary Lv.1!"

As he spoke, he gritted his teeth.

"And it's Telekinesis... Lv.1 Telekinesis! You can't even figure out how to optimize a Telekinesis Ability Model, yet you have the nerve to call yourself Deng Yin's student!"

"Stop hitting me, Teacher! This time it really isn't my fault!"

"His ability is just too terrifying! I have no way to optimize it at all!"

Kevin grimaced and howled miserably as he pointed aggrievedly at Ron, who was awkwardly smiling nearby.

"—Just take a look for yourself and you'll know!"

"You still have the nerve to tell me to look... Hmph. Get out of the way."

"Everything I taught you must have gone straight into a dog's stomach..."

Deng Yin snorted coldly, withdrew his cane, and turned to Ron—

A chill rose in Ron's heart for no reason. He suddenly felt as though he had been transported back to his previous life, to the times when he failed to rank in the top ten of his class and got pinned down and beaten by his teacher father.

"I'm innocent, sir."

He instinctively took a step back, but soon saw apology appear on the old man's face, followed by a somewhat unpracticed gentle smile.

"Of course, child. Of course you did nothing wrong...

It is because I have failed in my discipline and taught an ignorant piece of trash who wasted your time."

He yanked the AR headset off Kevin's head and held it out before Ron.

"This time, let me handle it... Like you, I am also a Telekinesis user. I happen to have a little research and achievement in Telekinesis."

Obvious confidence showed in his eyes.

"You want to improve your Personal Reality, correct?

Just use your ability once so I can see it. I'll try starting with deconstructing and optimizing your Ability Model to improve your Personal Reality."

"Uh, I do want to use it, but..."

Ron rubbed his temples, feeling the slowly easing stabbing pain in his head, and said honestly,

"I only have Lv.2 computational power, so I can't really support calculations involving my Ability Model. I can't control my ability properly.

If I use it again, I won't suffer computational overload since I'll only be using it through Simulated Reality, but I'll still get a headache..."

Could not support it? Computational overload? Headache?

Deng Yin stared at the boy before him in astonishment and could tell that he was not lying.

—But were those words that humans could even understand?

A Lv.1 Superpowered individual... saying he had Lv.2 computational power while claiming he could not support his Ability Model?

"That is fine. A data model alone will be enough."

He casually tossed his cane aside, put the AR headset on, and explained,

"Since we are both Superpowered individuals with Telekinesis, in pure Simulated Reality, I should be able to barely attempt to use your Ability Model and search for directions to optimize it."

As Deng Yin spoke, an augmented reality virtual scene appeared before his eyes...

He froze, finding it hard to believe.

Why had this place become a wasteland?

He was somewhat puzzled, but did not think too much about it. He simply reset the virtual scene and generated a massive log.

Then, he imported Ron's Ability Model...

In an instant, the complex model entered the Virtual Reality, and Deng Yin immediately went still.

Such a complex, such a beautiful Ability Model...

How could he possibly be only Lv.1?!

With that question in mind, Deng Yin did not hesitate to activate the model of [Vector Manipulation] and attempt to use it...

Within the Simulated Reality, the massive log rose into the air...

But it did not merely float.

The direction of force was completely reversed, pressing inward and gathering toward the center. The wood began to burn out of thin air, blacken, and turn into charcoal...

In the end, it shattered apart.

A glittering crystal fell out and bounced off the ground with a crisp sound.

It was a tiny...

Diamond.

Deng Yin stood there silently for a long time. Then he removed the headset and rubbed his temples, calming the sea of dizziness churning in his mind.

Seeing his teacher's reaction, Kevin immediately said aggrievedly,

"See, Teacher? I told you it really wasn't my fault!"

Deng Yin shot him a glance and said coldly,

"The moment you saw this ability, you should have called me."

Kevin shrank his neck and muttered softly,

"I just wanted to try first..."

But Deng Yin did not pay him any further attention. Instead, he walked up to Ron and seriously asked,

"Why do you think this is Telekinesis?"

You can't tell either, can you? Neither can I!

Who told it to be a distorted product of the [Telekinesis] Ability Model...

Ron shrugged and sighed.

"Because my Personal Reality only just became Lv.1 after fully awakening...

Before my Personal Reality reached Lv.1, when my ability had not fully awakened, every test told me that my ability was Telekinesis."

As he spoke, Ron could not help but smile self-deprecatingly.

"But back then... my Telekinesis could not even bend a spoon. It was extremely, extremely weak."

"As expected..."

Deng Yin murmured, then shook his head.

"Your ability is not weak. It is more accurate to say that it is extremely powerful—your luck is simply not very good."

He looked at Ron, and a trace of pity could not help but rise in his eyes:

"Because you are a Raw Stone—a Raw Stone with an extraordinarily complex and powerful Ability Model."

"When you were just a baby, you lacked the ability to understand this Ability Model, so your power was never able to fully awaken.

As a result, your Personal Reality also stagnated."

"To give an analogy, if ordinary Raw Stones are seeds that build up strength before bursting forth, then after their abilities awaken, they can thrive through scientific training with talent far beyond that of ordinary people...

You are the seedling that never broke through its shell. Only now, at this age, have you timidly put forth a new sprout. You are already completely underdeveloped."

"Your Personal Reality will eventually collapse under an Ability Model that far exceeds its carrying limit."

After calmly thinking it over, he reached a chilling conclusion:

"Your processing capacity will overload because of this... You will most likely die."

What an accurate judgment...

Ron knew Deng Yin was right.

If [Vector Manipulation] was not a setting that would collapse, but an Ability Model truly sustained by his Personal Reality at every moment...

Then sooner or later, he would be unable to support the Ability Model, and his Personal Reality would collapse.

Death... might be the best possible outcome.

If Deng Yin said that, it seemed he had no solution either...

Did he have to find a better ability training center?

Ron sighed. Just as he was about to ask how to get a refund, he heard Deng Yin say softly:

"However, I have a way to help you."

A way?

Ron's eyes immediately lit up. "What should I do? Do we start training now?"

"No." Deng Yin shook his head. "This part of the instruction costs extra."

Extra?

Come to think of it, that made sense. This was optimization for [Vector Manipulation]...

Ten thousand Credit Points really was too little.

"How much?"

Ron understood that you got what you paid for, and he had already prepared himself.

Although he no longer had any student loan quota left, there were still all kinds of small lending platforms!

Even if he maxed out every loan he could get, he had to learn exactly how to control [Vector Manipulation].

This was his last chance to turn his life around!

"Credit Points cannot measure the value of this lesson."

But to his surprise, Deng Yin shook his head:

"If I guessed correctly, you came here because the College Entrance Exam is coming up and you wanted to cram at the last minute, right?"

Ron nodded, then heard Deng Yin say:

"I can teach you—teach you how to control your ability, how to strengthen your Personal Reality...

Teach you how to earn a doctorate step by step, gain the right to use [Prometheus], and establish your own laboratory.

Become Lv.3, Lv.4, or even reach that unattainable Lv.5—

But you must help me with one thing."

Ron could not help feeling tempted and instinctively asked:

"What is it?"

Deng Yin's eyes turned fervent, as though flames burned within them.

"Get into Moen University's Physics Department and, as Deng Yin's student, take first place in the department rankings!"

Those words instantly dumped a bucket of cold water over Ron, snapping him awake from the wonderful future Deng Yin had described.

He looked at Deng Yin, who seemed somewhat fanatical, and weakly pointed at himself:

"M-Me?"

Me...

Take first place in Moen University's Physics Department?!