"I want to run slowly at first to conserve energy. After all, this is just the first lap," Su Bei said, sounding righteous, as if his real intention wasn’t to slack off.
This explanation made so sense, but Feng Lan was still a bit puzzled. "But even if you want to conserve energy, you don’t have to run this slowly, right?"
The leading group of students was not going all out either, and this was the normal speed for the early stages of a ten-lap run.
Saying this, he slowed down and, once he was running alongside Su Bei, carefully observed Su Bei’s muscular, exposed forearms. After a mont, he asked uncertainly, "Did you build those muscles with protein powder?"
With his keen eye, Feng Lan could naturally see that Su Bei’s muscles were among the best in the class. If they weren't built with protein powder, why would he be running so slowly?
Su Bei was furious, "You can insult , but you can’t insult the muscles I’ve worked so hard to build!"
Realizing he might have broken character, he coughed and said, "You go on ahead, don’t worry about . I’ll finish the run."
Hearing this, Feng Lan hesitated for a mont, then continued running alongside Su Bei instead of catching up with the leading group.
This move surprised Su Bei, but he didn’t say much. Ten laps would be difficult for him too, so it was best to talk less.
Halfway through the first lap, their horoom teacher, ng Huai, ca down. That big guy standing there made the hesitant students quickly start running.
However, after watching them complete one lap, ng Huai left, and the running group imdiately returned to its previous loose state.
Several students switched from running to walking, and the fifty-four students in Class F naturally divided into five groups, sparsely filling the track.
By the ninth lap, they had consolidated into three groups. The first group, including the main characters, had four people, half a lap ahead of the others. The second group had eleven people, where Su Bei and Feng Lan blended in inconspicuously. The third group had twenty-one people, who were too exhausted to run but kept walking.
The remaining eighteen had left the track. So planned to skip the task and go eat, while others stood by, intending to join in for the last lap to fake it.
Su Bei panted heavily, sweat dripping from his face to the ground. Though the weather wasn’t hot, the exercise was intense.
However, anyone familiar with running would notice that despite his heavy breathing, it was even. His pace had remained steady, indicating he still had energy left.
Next to him, Feng Lan looked even more relaxed, not even panting. This made Su Bei glance at him, thinking that the pretty boy was indeed deceptive.
He looked at the first group ahead. The worst off was Jiang Tianming, who was last among them.
No joke, even from this distance, Su Bei could faintly hear his panting. Sweating profusely and staggering, he looked ready to collapse at any mont.
Yet, he sohow managed to stay at the end of the first group.
Was it the effect of his ability? Su Bei wondered. Pure willpower couldn’t sustain him this long.
But from the first part of the manga, he seed to be a summoner.
Then again, the manga clearly hinted at hidden potential in the protagonist’s ability, so perhaps it did have a physical enhancent function.
In the hallway, the horoom teacher of Class A, who had just settled his students, walked out leisurely. Passing by Class F, he saw ng Huai standing by the window and stepped in, "What are you looking at?"
He spoke with a hint of schadenfreude, patting ng Huai's shoulder, "You took the easy way out by teaching Class F this year, but the principal isn’t happy with you."
ng Huai replied indifferently, "I’ve taught several batches of Class S. Can’t I take a break? Besides, this year’s Class F has so interesting people."
"Oh?" The Class A horoom teacher raised an eyebrow and stood by the window, observing for a few seconds before figuring it out, "You an that Feng family kid? He’s so far behind?"
"Not just him," ng Huai shook his head, "The blue-haired girl in front of him, her ability is enough for Class A. If she weren’t too socially anxious to speak, she wouldn’t be in Class F."
The Class A horoom teacher knew about the girl and chuckled, "You got lucky with that one. Anyone else?"
ng Huai pointed behind her, "The black-haired boy behind her. Don’t be fooled by his appearance; he’s maintained that exhausted look for four laps and is still in the first group. Interesting, right?"
That was indeed interesting. If ng Huai hadn’t pointed it out, even the Class A horoom teacher, with his keen eye, would have thought Jiang Tianming had just started tiring and would soon fall behind.
But he had maintained this state for four laps, so it seed unlikely he would fall behind.
If he had been trailing the group in that state, it could be attributed to strong willpower. But staying in the first group suggested his ability was at play.
Thinking of this, the Class A horoom teacher couldn’t help but ask, "What’s his ability?"
If it were a physical enhancent ability, he wouldn’t be in Class F.
ng Huai wasn’t surprised by this question and answered aningfully, "I don't know."
"Don't know?"
"When the academy tested him, no ability was detected. But the scanner confird that he does have an ability." ng Huai had clearly looked into this special case.
This answer made the Class A horoom teacher twitch his lips. "This kid has so bad luck, huh? Did you find out the reason?"
"Not yet. We'll ask tomorrow. He won’t be able to hide it for long."
After saying this, ng Huai continued, "The Feng family kid, for so reason, insisted on joining Class F. You know their family’s situation; it’s hard not to think of..."
"Prophecy ability, right?" The Class A horoom teacher was also well-acquainted with the Feng family, or rather, the whole faculty of the Ability Academy knew about this family with their special talents.
He scanned each student and mumbled, "Sending the next head of the family here, I wonder for whom."
"I suspect it might be the one next to him," ng Huai said, watching the students on the track.
Hearing this, the Class A horoom teacher imdiately focused on Su Bei. "The blond kid?"
As the Class A horoom teacher, his vision was sharp. He hadn't noticed earlier, but upon closer inspection, he saw the inconsistency. "This kid isn’t giving it his all, is he? Slacking off right under your nose?"
Detecting the teasing tone, ng Huai scoffed, "Not just that. He’s also dragging the Feng family kid into slacking off."
Before the other man could burst into laughter, ng Huai continued, "Su Bei, parents deceased, no close relatives or friends, yet he beca friends with the Feng family’s young master on the first day of school."
The Feng family mbers were notoriously aloof, possibly due to their abilities. Even newly awakened ability users exuded an intimidating aura that kept most people at a distance.
To make friends with Feng Lan at first sight, either Su Bei had so exceptional skill, or Feng Lan had so specific intention.
"But that’s not enough to support your theory, is it? Maybe they just hit it off," the Class A horoom teacher, knowing ng Huai's thoroughness, queried.
Indeed, ng Huai took out his phone and played a surveillance clip, adjusting it as he spoke, "I just took a look at the surveillance from when I wasn’t around. Look at what I found."
The footage showed Su Bei’s earlier conversation with Jiang Tianming.
"...the unluckiest person this year? What is this? A prophecy? Is his ability also related to prophecies?" After watching the video, the Class A horoom teacher asked several questions in a row, musing, "That would explain the Feng family's interest."
The Feng family was known for producing prophecy ability users, and many newly awakened prophecy users would join the family to develop their talents further.
However, prophecy abilities were extrely rare. Even the Feng family, with those who had joined them, had fewer than twenty mbers with this ability.
If they foresaw the ergence of a new prophecy ability user, it would be normal for them to reach out.
"No, his ability is 'Gears.' The only thing it does is produce gears." ng Huai said this with a look of expectation for the other man’s reaction.
The Class A horoom teacher didn’t disappoint, his eyes widened in disbelief. "How is that possible? Then how could he say sothing like that?"
ng Huai’s eyes glead, "That’s why I said it’s interesting, isn’t it?"
Knowing ng Huai wouldn’t joke about such matters, the Class A horoom teacher adjusted his glasses. "Could he be bluffing? No, that wouldn’t make sense. Do you an his registered ability is fake?"
This matched ng Huai's theory. "Very likely."
"But if that’s the case, his choice of ability is too careless." The Class A horoom teacher couldn’t help but criticize.
'Gears' sounded like the sort of weak ability that would be assigned to a character destined to die early in a manga.
"He isn’t putting much effort into acting either," ng Huai pointed out to the student slacking off on the field. "Besides, making such a statent on the first day of school indicates he wasn’t planning to hide."
"You’re right," the Class A horoom teacher agreed. "So what’s your plan?"
ng Huai crossed his arms, looking relaxed, "Just let things play out naturally."
After the long ten laps, Jiang Tianming collapsed as soon as he crossed the finish line. Lan Su Bing wanted to help him but was too exhausted. Despite her strong ability, she hadn’t exercised much before, and completing ten laps at high speed was her limit.
Fortunately, a boy with orange hair ca over energetically, and after understanding the situation, he hoisted Jiang Tianming over his shoulder like a sack and carried him away.
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