Transmigrated As An SSS Ranked MILF Overlord
Chapter 85: Guinea Pig(2)

Chapter 85: Guinea Pig(2)

’God. Fucking. Damn it.’

Steve could feel the weight of his fellow students stares—sharp, unrelenting, and far too many for his liking.

Eyes from all corners of the training mat bore into him, like silent arrows laced with expectations.

Even Dina, with her typically slight aloof expression, watched from the corner. And there Steve stood, wooden daggers gripped in his hands.

Across from him stood his opponent, Sara, the girl had picked by the instructor.

There was nothing particularly memorable about her. No haunting beauty, no radiance that would steal the breath from the lungs of men.

She was average—utterly so. Not eye-catching in the slightest, at least not to Steve.

But even then, Steve’s mind wasn’t fully on her. It was elsewhere, a tumbling mess of inward frustration and frantic thoughts.

’Damn it. She wasn’t supposed to pick me. I’m not supposed to be out here.’

He had tried—really tried—to stay under the radar, hugging the metaphorical walls and avoiding conflict as best he could. But that strategy hadn’t exactly panned out.

His jaw clenched.

’What now? No choice but to fight.’

His eyes drifted across the mat, falling again on the girl who stood facing him. She held a wooden sword in both hands, her stance steady and serious.

She looked directly at him, not blinking, not moving, just breathing—deep and slow.

Around them, murmurs settled into silence. But in that silence, another gaze pressed against him—one heavier than the rest.

Lady Jenny.

She sat among the others, quiet, composed, but her eyes? Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. She wasn’t watching the girl, nor was she really observing the match like the others.

No.

She was watching Steve.

In her mind, doubt swirled like smoke.

’Hmm... there he is again...that...that monster. What the hell is he even doing in this academy?’

She could still recall it—those brief, terrifying seconds when she was certain Steve was going to kill her.

The energy she felt back then, the pure and murderous intent—it had been unmistakable. But now? Nothing.

She stared harder.

’No, it doesn’t make sense.

He’s not radiating anything. Nothing at all. Was I wrong?’ she wondered.

’Did I imagine it?’

But even as the doubt gnawed at her, the curiosity burned brighter.

’This match... it’s a chance.

A chance to see how strong he really is.’

The instructor stepped forward, her voice slicing through the tension like a knife.

"Are you two ready?"

The girl at the instructor’s right nodded without hesitation, her gaze still locked on Steve.

Steve hesitated.

In the few seconds it took for him to give a reluctant nod, his thoughts raced.

’What am I supposed to do? She’s clearly trained. She’s not just swinging that sword for fun.’

He studied her posture again—focused, confident, alert.

’She’s going to be a problem. But... I could handle her. Without a doubt.’

The only question was—should he?

’Do I fight her? Or let her win?’

The instructor’s voice cut through again, quiet but final-

"Begin."

And just like that, the girl moved.

She exploded off the ground with the grace of someone who’d done this a hundred times, charging straight for him with blade drawn and a primal cry tearing from her lungs.

Her footsteps were light but rapid, and her wooden sword gleamed under the filtered rays of morning sun.

Steve didn’t move.

’If I fight now, I’ll expose myself. My skills, my abilities, everything.

But if I hold back, they’ll underestimate me. And that... That might be the smarter play.’

After all, he didn’t fully understand the scope of his powers either. This could be a perfect test. So he did the one thing no one expected—

He stood still.

He watched as the girl’s blade arced downward toward him in slow motion. The world around him seemed to fall silent.

The wooden blade gleamed, caught in a downward swing that promised pain—but Steve made no move to block it.

The girl noticed.

Her eyes widened, her stride faltered—just slightly.

’What’s he doing?’

Her grip tightened as she tried to adjust mid-swing, but just as the wooden blade came within inches of Steve’s body...

"Unravel." Steve muttered softly. And instantly- the string laced on her nap instantly straightened, and she froze.

Her eyes went wide in shock. Her entire body stiffened like she’d slammed into an invisible wall. Her blade, suspended mid-air, refused to descend another inch as her hands trembled.

’Huh? What’s going on? Why can’t I move?’

Her gaze darted to her sword, then back to Steve, whose expression remained passive, uninterested—like this was all too easy.

And inside Steve’s mind, a revelation flickered to life.

’Huh? Is that how it works?... I didn’t say anything. I didn’t even raise a finger. I just thought about her not landing the attack... and she stopped.’

A breath hitched in his throat.

’Is that how puppeteer abilities work? That easy? That instinctive?’

Around them, the atmosphere shifted.

Every warrior on the mat, every student, even Dean—all eyes locked on the two frozen figures.

From the outside, it might’ve looked like the girl halted her strike at the last moment. But to those more attuned... they felt it. An invisible wave. A pressure. An aura radiating from Steve.

Even the instructor felt it.

Her body shivered involuntarily, her eyes wide in disbelief.

’What... What the hell is this feeling? This immense surge of power...’

Steve noticed as his eyes flickered momentarily to the spectators. He saw the fear in them, the confusion on the faces around him. Everyone’s attention wasn’t on the girl anymore.

It was on him.

’Shit. I can’t let them realize how powerful I actually am.’

Quickly, he moved. Calmly, smoothly, he stepped forward, patting the frozen girl gently on the shoulder. A smile touched his lips—harmless, friendly, almost innocent.

"You beat me." he said, chuckling lightly.

"Before I even knew what was happening."

The crowd blinked.

The girl blinked.

As Steve turned away, he whispered softly under his breath.

"Unravel."

Behind him, she gasped—a sharp, startled breath—and stumbled forward, as though something invisible had just let go of her.

And in truth, it had. Her body gave out, and she sank to her knees, arms trembling as she caught herself against the floor.

Her breaths came in shallow waves, her chest rising and falling sharply.

Steve didn’t glance back. He just kept walking, calm and silent.

Still kneeling, the girl blinked in confusion. Her fingers dug into the mat. Her heart was racing, not from exertion—but from something stranger, something she didn’t quite understand.

Slowly, dazedly, she lifted her eyes and spotted Steve’s figure moving away from her, as if none of this had ever mattered to him.

She stared, stunned, and then turned her gaze to the instructor, still trying to piece together what had just happened.

"Wait... what happened?" she asked softly, her voice caught between breathlessness and disbelief.

"Did I... did I win?"

The instructor faltered. A beat of hesitation passed, then another.

"Umm..." She said gently, uncertain

"...I don’t..."

But before the truth could settle in, she cut through her stutter and muttered.

"...Umm...Yes! Yes, you win!" the instructor declared with a bright, crooked smile, as though saying it aloud might make it true.

"Alright." she added, nodding.

"Please return to your seat."

By then, Steve had already taken his. His arms were folded, his posture relaxed, his face calm—almost too calm.

Around him, the others stared in silent awe, whispering with wide eyes. So much power. So much ease. And yet, here he was—quiet, unreadable, almost serene.

He could feel their curiosity brushing against him like wind.

Because deep down, Steve didn’t care about what they thought.

Not at all.

Today was a special day.

Because for the first time, he had a true understanding—a glimpse—of how powerful he might really be.

But more than that...

Today marked the beginning of something deeper.

The start of a personal reckoning.

A comeback from the lies of a few weeks ago. From Mary’s betrayal.

Or rather...

Rapunzel.