"Agreed. Last time we were simply outnumbered. This time will be different," Wu Zuozhou concurred.

  "Then let us begin."

  Gu Pingchuan might have a peaceful and moderate personality, but when it came to combat arts, he had his own pride. Since they lost the last round, they had to win this one back.

  "Tell your sister to stand further back. She might survive a few seconds longer that way," Tiger Hunt whispered to Ying Feng.

  "What?" Ying Feng looked at Tiger Hunt with confusion.

  ...Five minutes later.

  Inside a private lobby of the Combat Simulation Arena, the atmosphere was suffocatingly heavy.

  Gu Pingchuan’s face was stern.

  Meng Xiangyu was completely silent.

  Wu Zuozhou looked grim.

  Ying Feng and Ying Xue stared at each other, speechless.

  Instructor Zhong didn't know what to say.

  Ling Xiao had consciously retreated to the corner of the room.

  Tiger Hunt had left the lobby.

  "That young friend... was indeed a veteran," Gu Pingchuan finally broke the silence after a long pause.

  Judging by Tiger Hunt’s pre-battle warning and his reactions to various situations during the fight, his combat awareness was exceptionally high. It was inconsistent with his apparent strength and age. The only plausible explanation was that he had experienced an astronomical number of battles.

  "I agree to make this the location for the off-campus courses," Meng Xiangyu said after a long silence.

  His previous prejudice against this shop had been thoroughly crushed. Inside the Arena, he had been beaten until he didn't know which way was up. Every time he thought he was about to overcome an opponent, his rhythm would be broken by a support attack from out of nowhere—and he could never find the one responsible.

  "In that case, we should negotiate with the Manager," Wu Zuozhou agreed.

  "Deans, if you're thinking of negotiating with the Boss, forget it. He won't agree," Ying Xue said with certainty.

  "Why? Would he not even give Brilliant Academy face?" Meng Xiangyu frowned.

  "Xiangyu, we must not use our status to bully others. Since we are in his shop, we follow his rules," Gu Pingchuan stopped Meng Xiangyu from going to argue with Kael.

  Ying Feng weighed his words carefully before speaking. "Deans, actually, there is no need for negotiation. The Arena has a strict limit: one can only stay for four hours a day."

  "Four hours? Then indeed, no negotiation is needed. we just need to control the number of students we send," Wu Zuozhou stroked his beard and nodded.

  "Then let us continue experiencing this."

  This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  With that settled, Gu Pingchuan decided to fight another round to prove himself. He couldn't say it outright, so he used the excuse of "testing the facility for the students."

  After all, a Hero Rank expert still needs to save face.

  However, for Gu Pingchuan and his colleagues, today was simply not their day. It seemed the god of luck had abandoned them.

  Three matches in a row. They didn't encounter a single weak lineup.

  Without Tiger Hunt—the veteran driver who often tagged along with Kael—to guide them, they lost three consecutive matches. They were so frustrated they almost smashed the crystal balls. Fortunately, their mental cultivation was profound enough to suppress the impulse.

  Meng Xiangyu, utterly defeated and spiritually crushed, slumped on the leather sofa. "Is it really okay to send the students here? This kind of unwinnable challenge might hone their combat skills, but it will shatter their minds."

  Wu Zuozhou’s expression wasn't much better.

  "Don't say that. There is still hope," Gu Pingchuan said calmly, though the slight twitch of his mouth betrayed his inner turmoil.

  They were famous powerhouses who had experienced countless battles, winning some and losing others. But losing this thoroughly, this pitifully... this was a first.

  No, actually, this was the fifth time today.

  "Hope? I just want to know, who can actually beat those monsters?" Meng Xiangyu rubbed his temples, which were throbbing painfully.

  Any normal person would have a headache by now. It was no coincidence that when the Combat Simulation Room first opened, the shop was filled with the sounds of cursing. It was just difficult for refined men like Gu Pingchuan to swear out loud.

  "Yo, you guys are still at it?"

  Tiger Hunt had rejoined the lobby without anyone noticing. Beside him stood Blood Wolf.

  "I just heard Tiger Hunt say there were newcomers getting wrecked in the Arena today," Blood Wolf said with a look of deep sympathy.

  Tiger Hunt nodded. "Look at their faces. Can't you tell?"

  "It's you. Do you have any way for us to win just once?" Meng Xiangyu looked at Tiger Hunt. He no longer had the energy to be sarcastic. His previous mockery had come back to slap him in the face within two minutes.

  "Blood Wolf, you challenge the Arena every day. You must have experience," Ying Feng added.

  everyone looked expectantly at the two uninvited guests. At this point, winning was the only thing that mattered.

  "Us? No way. We can't do it. If you want to win, you have to find the Boss. Otherwise, you just have to keep randomizing until you get lucky with a trash enemy comp," Blood Wolf waved his hands, sensing their eager gazes.

  Tiger Hunt chimed in, "Yeah. If you're a noob, just honestly hug the Boss's thigh. Our time is almost up for today, but we saw you guys were still here, so I brought Blood Wolf in to take a look."

  We are all victims of the grind; why must strangers stand on ceremony?

  Tiger Hunt had brought Blood Wolf in purely for the schadenfreude—to mock the noobs. After all, he had been abused by the system too.

  It didn't matter if he sucked, as long as he saw someone who sucked more than him, he was happy.

  Then...

  [Tiger Hunt has left the room.]

  [Blood Wolf has left the room.]

  After deflecting the request, the two promptly left, leaving Gu Pingchuan and the others staring at each other.

  "Should I... go ask the Boss?" Ying Feng asked hesitantly.

  Of the seven people present, he was the junior in both age and status. Running errands naturally fell to him.

  Over in the general store, Blood Wolf and Tiger Hunt were saying goodbye to Kael when Ying Feng rushed over in a panic.

  "What? You want a carry? No way. Absolutely not. I can't carry that much dead weight." Kael waved his hands in immediate refusal.

  If anyone understood the rules of the Combat Simulation Arena's Online Mode, it was Kael.

  Based on the True Skill Rating of Gu Pingchuan's group, the matchmaking system would scale the opponents accordingly. No matter how many times they randomized, the system would never give them a weak team.

  It wasn't like carrying Blood Wolf and Tiger Hunt. Those two were only Level 40, so the system still had a chance to roll a "low-tier" AI composition.

  But with three Hero Rank equivalents in the lobby? The AI would be permanently set to "Nightmare Mode."