Chapter Eight: The Battle Before Development

"What? You want me to give up my free slot for ability development assessment?"
The member receiving the message turned pale; his two-meter-tall frame trembled with outrage.
What kind of joke was this? He had earned that free slot by fully meeting the requirements—if he gave it up, who knew how long he'd have to wait for another chance?
Absolutely not possible; no one had the right to make him yield.
His strength was unmatched among undeveloped ability members; none could surpass him.
"Macang, calm down. This is Lady Miyu's order, after all—it's not for you to complain about," the other voice said, annoyed.
"I respect Lady Miyu and wish to join her side. But surely I can't just blindly obey everything she says. The ability development assessment is the one thing I cannot concede," Macang protested.
"No one's asking you to give it up," the other replied impatiently. "This assessment calculates success rate based on individual strength and brain domain development. If you reach over 14 percent, your physical prowess becomes even more important than your brain domain. Lady Miyu wants you to spar with the other candidate—the winner gets the slot."
"A spar?" Macang brightened. "Why didn't you say so earlier? I'm a werewolf; my body can be fully enhanced—strength, agility, reaction speed, all increased. Who could possibly beat me?"
"I agree. Lady Miyu probably just wants you to put on a show," the voice said.
"It's nothing, just a trivial matter. Lady Miyu has so many duties; this is understandable," Macang laughed.

The next morning at nine, in one of the training rooms in the institution's underground training base.
A crowd had already gathered. News of this event had spread somehow, and thanks to Miyu's fame, many had come not for the contest itself but for a chance to see her.
When Xia Yan arrived, there were at least a hundred members present, including many with abilities.
"So many people," Xia Yan murmured in surprise.
"Over here..." Tao Lu waved to Xia Yan.
As Xia Yan approached, Tao Lu quickly said, "I looked into that guy's info for you. His name is Macang, eighteen, werewolf clan, body development at the human threshold, specializes in close combat..."
With each detail Tao Lu revealed, Xia Yan nodded, indicating his understanding.
"Be careful. Once he activates his bloodline, he'll transform into werewolf form—all aspects of his body will strengthen."
"Werewolf bloodline only lasts a short time, especially with such low brain domain development," Xia Yan replied indifferently. "I'll beat him quickly and unlock my ability."
If Xia Yan had sparred with Tao Lu before and acknowledged her strength, he saw no reason to fear this werewolf. Against him, with firearms, he could end the fight in five seconds.
"Alright, I'll leave it to you," Tao Lu said, handing Xia Yan the D203 Frenzy pistol.
"Hmm? Is a real gun necessary?" Xia Yan asked, helplessly.
"You never know—the other party may not agree to simulated weapons. Many sparring matches use real guns; better to be safe," Tao Lu smiled.
"Thank you, Tao Lu," Xia Yan said gratefully.
Tao Lu blinked and smiled, "If you unlock your ability, I'll benefit too, so no need for thanks—we're partners!"
"Tao Lu..." Xia Yan looked at her seriously. "Tell me, if someone reaches 14.9 in ability development, isn't it just a matter of time before they unlock their ability?"
"No. You can consider that 0.1 as a bottleneck. If luck isn't on your side, it could take years to break through," Tao Lu answered. "That's why the assessment is so important for those whose brain domain is close to 15."
"I see," Xia Yan nodded. No wonder members at 14.9 applied for the assessment.

"Lady Miyu has arrived."
"My God, it's Lady Miyu!"
"I came here with just a bit of hope, but I can't believe Lady Miyu actually showed up."

"Hurry, contact Yingying and tell her her idol Lady Miyu is here too."
Xia Yan turned toward the entrance of the training room, where a woman in white walked in, her hair simply tied in a ponytail, fresh and elegant. It was Miyu herself.
Her popularity was staggering; as soon as she entered, the crowd erupted in cheers, a scene of pure fervor.
"Lady Miyu." Macang, two meters tall, stood out among the crowd. He hurried over to show his respect.
"Sorry for the trouble, Macang," Miyu said warmly. "Because of me, your guaranteed slot has become a contest."
"It's alright, Lady Miyu," Macang replied with a forced smile. "But I will give it my all, win the match, and strive to join your side."
"I'm looking forward to it," Miyu nodded, smiling.
The crowd whispered among themselves.
"A werewolf sparring with a human?"
"What's the point? Once the werewolf activates his bloodline, fighting a human is child's play."
"Probably Lady Miyu couldn't refuse the human directly, so she's letting him lose gracefully."
"If I were that human, I'd just forfeit. A human against a bloodline-awakened werewolf? Ridiculous!"
"Agreed."
"Here comes the human!"
Xia Yan walked forward.
"Member Xia Yan," Miyu greeted him with a smile.
"Hello, Miss Miyu," Xia Yan replied, his tone cold, which drew the ire of several members nearby.
"Are you in good shape?" Miyu teased.
"Miss Miyu, why are there so many people here? Did you spread the word?" Xia Yan asked, displeased.
"Sorry, sorry." Miyu blinked playfully, as if amused. "Actually, a crowd is good—everyone can witness your strength, and there will be no doubts about the slot."
"Can we start?" Xia Yan merely nodded, his demeanor always aloof.
"You, what kind of tone is that to Lady Miyu?" Macang couldn't hold back, glaring at Xia Yan.
"Your attitude should be more respectful," someone else chimed in.
"Lady Miyu lowers herself to speak to you—how dare you act like that!" a female devotee snapped.
"With your strength, Lady Miyu giving you this chance is a favor."
"You should be embarrassed to even show up for this match."
"You think you can talk to Lady Miyu that way?"
"No need for the werewolf to teach you a lesson—I could do it myself..."
Many were furious—how could their idol Lady Miyu be treated so coldly by Xia Yan?
At this moment, Miyu winked at Xia Yan, as if to say the reason for such a crowd was exactly this.
"You may start anytime," Miyu said with a smile. "I'm just here to watch today, not to host the match."
"Requesting access to sparring field," Macang said, opening his menu and designating most of the training room as their arena.

"One more thing!" Macang looked at Xia Yan with disdain. "Are you going to fight me with real weapons, or use the system's simulated ones?"
"Your choice," Xia Yan replied casually.
Macang felt uneasy—the human was so aloof he couldn't read him. No matter. An undeveloped human couldn't possibly pose a threat; he could crush him easily.
Wait and see how calm you look in actual combat.
"Fine, we'll use real weapons," Macang nodded.
"You'll use real weapons?" Miyu was surprised.
"Of course, Lady Miyu. He said whatever, so I get to choose. But don't worry, I'll be careful—just enough to defeat him," Macang replied eagerly.
"And you? No problem?" Miyu asked Xia Yan.
"Doesn't matter," Xia Yan shook his head, then asked, "How is victory determined?"
"Knock out the opponent. If firearms are used... injuring the opponent counts as a win," Miyu said helplessly. "But sparring with real guns is dangerous and usually forbidden, unless both parties rely on firearms professionally. If they don't use guns, their strength is greatly reduced."
"I don't care. I'm not good with guns," Macang said. "Didn't bring one today."
"I'm skilled with firearms. Is it allowed?" Xia Yan would never handicap himself out of pride—it wasn't in his nature.
"Yes," Miyu nodded, giving Xia Yan a mischievous wink. "Member Xia Yan, I have a small request: unless necessary, please refrain from using firearms."
"Alright," Xia Yan answered quickly.
"Good," Miyu smiled. The purpose of this match was to show Xia Yan's strength to everyone—and perhaps something else. She wouldn't want the fight to end in a few seconds.
That D203 Frenzy pistol, combined with Xia Yan's marksmanship, would make it a slaughter.
The spectators withdrew from the arena, many curious about the two inside. Some ability users, however, showed little interest; two undeveloped individuals, one werewolf and one human—what could possibly be exciting? It would be a one-sided crush; strength and speed weren't on the same level.
At last, the match began!
Xia Yan's body flashed, like a streak of light, leaving only a blurred afterimage—the speed was astonishing.
"Heavens..."
"What kind of speed is that?"
"Did I see wrong?"
"So fast!"
Even many ability users cried out in shock—Xia Yan's movement was so swift that even they felt deeply threatened.
Such speed far exceeded human limits—by a huge margin, one impossible to calculate.
Many eyes in the crowd now brimmed with apprehension. With Xia Yan's speed alone, his strength rivaled most of them, if not surpassed it; few were confident they could defeat him.
And yet, he hadn't unlocked his ability!
The poor werewolf, who had awakened his bloodline before developing his ability, now faced an opponent beyond reason.
Miyu watched, smiling, surveying the arena. As for the outcome, it seemed she already knew it in her heart.