Chapter 835: Power-boosting Flag [GT Ranking Bonus Chapter]
Within the bus, the air was filled with light-hearted discussion as everyone talked amongst themselves about their own experiences. People spoke about what they had fought, where they had landed, how they had survived, and ultimately how they had been eliminated.
"You fucker!!!! How absurd is your luck that you found seventeen Positive Zones? I didn’t even find one!" William shouted as he immediately locked his arms around Finch’s neck from behind as though he intended to choke every ounce of luck out of the poor guy.
"I... ca... can’t... bre... breathe..." Finch struggled to speak as he repeatedly tapped William’s elbow, desperately trying to get him to let go.
Asher simply sat to the side and watched without saying a word. They had all taken out their phones by this point and had begun scrolling through the various social media platforms, just as Asher had suggested. The result had left every single one of them speechless.
"Ehhh... Asher, how exactly are you supposed to defeat Arianna Haellight if she’s just going to explode you into pieces simply by looking at you?" Ryaen couldn’t help but ask as she watched a video of Arianna effortlessly wiping out an entire group of Rank 5 Emovirae with nothing more than a single glance.
Asher merely shrugged as he replied, "We’ll cross that bridge when we get there," his tone completely unbothered.
"No wonder you said she was dangerous. Now I understand," Vaelric sighed as he shook his head. He couldn’t help but imagine himself standing opposite Arianna as her enemy. The mere thought alone made him shudder.
William finally released Finch before speaking again.
"I think Asher is the dangerous one here. He fought a Rank 7 Emovira without even going all out. He can somehow see perfectly inside a place that rejects light entirely. And on top of that, he snuck in a Luxury Tent with him. While the rest of us were suffering, struggling, and fighting for our lives, this guy was practically living like an Emperor... Tsk... Tsk... You and Finch are simply too abnormal," his tone rose as he repeatedly clicked his tongue in disbelief.
"Not only that," Finch added while massaging his sore neck, "he says Arianna Haellight is dangerous, yet he invited her into his tent and entertained her far more than he has ever entertained any of us back at the Academy."
Asher genuinely didn’t know what to say to these idiots anymore. He simply shook his head and decided not to speak or defend himself. Experience had taught him that trying to explain himself would only encourage them to say something even more outrageous.
"But Tenth Sun, what are you going to do about this Buddhist Monk guy?" Vaelric asked as he watched the video showing Thalric’s elimination.
Asher remained silent for a brief moment before replying, "I don’t know. I’ll allow things to play out first and simply let nature take its course," his tone calm, unconcerned, and entirely indifferent.
"I wonder if his Buddha can save him from you," Ryaen mused as she gently shook her head.
The group could only silently pray to the stars for the unfortunate monk. Although Asher had claimed that he didn’t know what he would do, they were all fairly certain that he would probably make the man suffer at least a little. David, Ryan, Hilton, and even Vaelric himself had all once served as living examples of what happened when someone provoked Asher.
"Hey, Finch, it says here that you found a Flag. Which one did you find, and what exactly does it do?" William asked as he continued scrolling through his phone.
"I can’t say," Finch replied with a shake of his head.
"What do you mean you can’t say?" Ryaen asked as she turned towards him.
Finch didn’t answer, he simply remained silent.
William stared at his best friend for a long moment before finally speaking. "I see... So because you don’t know what the next round will be, you don’t want to reveal your advantage. Asher, Teo Swig, and the other top students from our Academy could end up becoming your enemies depending on the rules of the next round," he deduced.
Finch didn’t deny it, instead, he simply gave a small smile followed by a helpless sigh.
"While I commend your secrecy, it’s honestly useless. Any Flag that isn’t the White Flag might as well be nothing more than an ordinary piece of paper against the Tenth Sun," Vaelric spoke as he shook his head.
"Indeed," Ryaen immediately followed up. "Even if you possessed the Flag that supposedly doubles all your parameters, it would still be useless. Even if your strength, speed, Astra energy, and every other attribute doubled, you still wouldn’t be able to match the third-years, let alone Asher, who can directly fight and defeat Rank 7 beings head-on without a single scratch," Ryaen explained.
Finch sighed once more before speaking, "I understand everything you guys are saying, and I know all of that already... but still... you’ll find out when I finally use it," his stance remaining completely unchanged.
Asher remained passive throughout the conversation. If he had been in Finch’s shoes, he probably would have done exactly the same thing.
’I wonder how powerful I’d become if I had a Flag capable of doubling my combat prowess,’ Asher mused inwardly as he imagined activating Star Form before stacking it together with a power-boosting Flag. The resulting increase would be absolutely insane.
However, the moment that thought crossed his mind, another immediately followed.
What if Arianna possessed that same power-boosting Flag?
Asher subconsciously imagined the terrifying possibility before ultimately deciding to stop thinking about it altogether. There was little point in making assumptions before the next round even began.
Several more minutes passed before the bus gradually came to a stop outside the Gentle Hotel. One after another, the students stepped off the bus before making their way towards the elevators.
"Hey, Asher."
FatelessPen called out to Asher, who had been just about to step into the elevator, causing him to stop and turn towards the instructor.
"Cindralis says you should simply focus on resting before the next round and avoid doing anything else," FatelessPen stated as he relayed the message.
Asher arched an eyebrow before replying, "I’ve been doing nothing except sleeping and eating throughout these past two days. I’m more rested than any other student participating in this competition."
"I’m just the messenger. Nothing more," FatelessPen replied before turning and waving towards the students. "I’ll be back to take all of you to the Coliseum within twenty-four to thirty hours from now," he added.
Asher simply nodded before stepping into the elevator and making his way towards his floor.
"I’ll be heading back to my room. I miss my bed so much... and I seriously need to order some food," William spoke as he stepped out of the elevator.
Ryaen and Vaelric both nodded in agreement, as they intended to do exactly the same thing. After all, the Qualifier Round had been incredibly exhausting for every single one of them. With that, the three of them walked away, leaving only Asher and Finch standing within the corridor.
Asher turned towards Finch before speaking, "see you in the next round."
Without waiting for Finch to reply, Asher simply turned around and walked away.
Although he had said that, Asher was almost certain he would still see all of these people again within a few hours. It wasn’t as though they could possibly spend the entire twenty-four hours sleeping. They would most likely be back on their feet within ten to fifteen hours, eager to gather together once again and discuss everything before the next round officially began.
’If there were training chambers inside each of our rooms, I’m sure every single one of them would immediately rush into one the moment they woke up,’ Asher mused to himself.
He was certain that William and the others had all gained valuable insights during these past four days. It would only be natural for them to want to immediately consolidate those gains before the competition resumed.
Asher opened the door to his own room, stepped inside, casually removed his clothes, and threw himself onto the bed before almost instantly drifting back to sleep as though the countless hours of rest he had experienced over the previous two days had never existed in the first place. For someone as monstrously talented as Asher, sleeping almost seemed to be another form of cultivation.
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AUTHOR’S NOTE: Don’t worry, the next round begins tomorrow, so don’t come for my life.
Also, it’s been three years since this Greedy and Shameless Author received a Super Gift. Please... help... this... Author.
Thanks for reading. Love y’all.
