Transcendent Gene
Chapter 181: Entrance Ceremony [1]

Chapter 181: Entrance Ceremony [1]

At the end of the day, bubbles were the only things exploding. One would believe that the impact they could cause, even in large numbers, wasn’t that dangerous.

Many, many people had fallen to Serene’s power due to such misjudgements, but Gio wouldn’t be one of them. He had seen abilities even stranger than the one she displayed to him.

Power was something a Sequencer could find anywhere if they really desired it. Even without talent, one could put one’s entire soul into working and there was still a path of success present for them to grasp.

If someone was able to enter FIS, they could not be doubted as untalented. If someone was able to stay at FIS or even be near the top of their class, they could not be doubted as weak.

Within the bursting bubbles and the storm of volatile energy, Gio rapidly pushed his body backward. The holographic shield around him took most of the force, but another portion of it was still transferred to his body, sending him flying back even further.

His feet skidded against the ground several meters away as he finally stabilized himself. He looked up, only to find more bubbles in front of his face.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

They exploded again, sending a cloud of greenish mist into the air around Gio. It sunk into his pores just barely before he blocked his body off, but he could already feel the toxin trying its best to put him to sleep.

’So that’s how she is.’

Whoosh!

A virtual tornado surrounded Gio and pushed away all the toxic gas.

’Her Original Gene has to do with bubble creation, and she used the rest of her slots so she can "imbue."’

By imbuing effects into her bubbles, she’d made an ineffective power effective again.

’The explosion was probably just an overload of energy, but that toxin is definitely the result of a Sequence.’

Gio pushed his hand out and summoned a massive cannon bigger than his own body. He grabbed the two handles that controlled it and swiveled it in Serene’s direction.

Bang!

A huge missile flew from the weapon, cruising through the air before exploding into a flurry of blue light.

Gio already assumed that Serene put up a barrier, but he still charged in.

’She’s a ranged dealer. If I stay away, she’ll take the momentum back.’

The cannon disappeared and turned into pistols in both of his hands. He raised them and fired as he ran, prefacing his arrival with a storm of bullets.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

One by one, the bullets struck the malleable surface of Serene’s bubble barrier and exploded. The barrier rippled and showed no signs of real damage, but Gio knew it was an illusion.

Some barriers actively showed their depletion by fading, but one like Serene’s wouldn’t change until it finally popped.

Gio just had to keep laying down the damage without giving her a chance to recover the barrier’s strength.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The bullet storm came to an abrupt end. Serene whipped her eyes in the direction she sensed Gio’s arrival from, but his next attack didn’t come from his hands.

The ground below her once again erupted into blue flames. Her eyes were covered, but she still raised her hand and summoned more bubbles.

Gio appeared through the haze. She closed her fist, allowing her power to explode into the world.

’There it is.’

He’d been expecting it. The ground under Gio’s feet subtly shifted as a white hue enveloped it. He was thrown to the side as a new blue energy went to his feet and propelled him. He skidded to a stop behind Serene and pushed himself forward with a newly formed sword in his hands.

Swish!

Serene stumbled forward as her barrier absorbed the impact.

"This is unexpected!" She exclaimed with a bright smile on her face.

"Should I take things a bit more seriously now?"

She wanted to have fun, but she still had rules to follow. She was using only the amount of strength she was permitted against a first-year student, but how was she supposed to continue doing that?

If she really only fought back minimally and allowed him to show his skills, she’d lose with just a few more exchanges!

’There are always first years like him who go above and beyond. Usually, nobody complains if the second years go a little harder on them.’

She was in that position last year, so she knew it well.

She grinned.

"Be careful."

Only a slight warning of kindness spread from her lips before the air was filled with bubbles/

’Shit.’

Gio frowned and hurriedly summoned his energy. There wasn’t even a little bit of space in the surrounding ten meters that he could escape to. He had no choice but to go up.

He shot himself into the sky just as explosions filled the air below him. He summoned a new gun, shaped more like a sniper, and fired from his vantage point.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The bullets flew one by one with armor-piercing strength behind them, cutting through the explosions and reaching Serene’s shield.

These weren’t ordinary virtual bullets or even exploding ones. Gio specifically envisioned armor-piercing rounds from the future meant to deal with much more serious threats. They didn’t have nearly the same power as the originals, but their properties were maintained.

They shattered against the bubble barrier and sent dense drills of energy further in with increased momentum. Gio couldn’t see it with his eyes, but he heard it.

Pop!

The subtle sound of a bubble popping within all the chaos. It was his cue.

Without worrying about the storm of energy, he put a barrier over himself and charged at the ground. He felt the pressure hitting him from all sides the moment he descended a little, but he ignored it.

His barrier wasn’t able to save him from the pain of impact this time, but his advantage over the kids at this institute was his tolerance and experience.

He slammed against the ground, immediately sending an arc of virtual blue energy out in all directions. The energy in his vicinity was swept away, revealing Serene’s wide-eyed form.

Not even two seconds passed before his sword was at her neck.

"Was that it?" He asked with a grin.

She frowned.

"I barely got to make one move. How could that be it?"

"Sure, but I won, didn’t I?"

Gio would’ve been stupid to actually let her use more power before he defeated her. He was on the cusp of winning, and she was on the cusp of losing.

She could turn the battle in her favor if she used her full power, but she also needed time.

The explosions she used were a distraction. Within those explosions, she was recharging her barrier so she could fight Gio at full force.

But he didn’t let that happen.

He destroyed the barrier before she could recharge it, and he ignored her distraction to attack before she could gather her bearings.

She may not have been able to show the strength she bragged about, but it was because Gio outmaneuvered her. There wasn’t another reason.

Serene gritted her teeth.

She knew he was right.

She also knew that if she wanted to get back at him for his cocky comment, she could easily show him here and now what her true power looked like. At this distance, he wouldn’t be able to dodge or block a thing.

"Haa..."

However, in the end, she just sighed.

’I’m technically an examiner right now. If I act out of line, I’ll fuck up my opportunities.’

In reality, it was better for things to end before she could go wild.

’I can always show him who’s boss at the arena when he’s actually enrolled, anyway.’

After seeing how he maneuvered his Sequence and body, Serene didn’t have any doubts that he’d be able to pass the final test. A second chance would present itself to her in just over a week.

With another sigh, she shook her head and put her hands up.

"Fine, you got me," she said with a defeated expression.

"Since you won, I guess it’s reward time. I’m just supposed to do this, I think...?"

Serene raised her hand and patted Gio’s shoulder twice. After frowning for a second, she tried his other shoulder before smiling when she heard a "Ding!" that marked her success.

"Beasts are worth three to five points if you defeat them. Activities can be worth between one and ten. As for us, the ’Adversaries,’ it depends on where we’re ranked on the ’Adversary List’ they created before all of this started."

Serene grinned proudly.

"I’m fourth on that list. What do you think that means?"

Gio knew what it meant well.

He looked up at the leaderboard in the sky.

[1. Joel Vazino - 30 Points]

[2. Neriah Moonwood - 27 Points]

...

[5. Giovani Atmos - 20 Points]

With one fight, he’d become rich.

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.