Nathan Lockwood was far more cunning than Chase Shaw.

As Nathan Lockwood changed his mecha’s position, he said, "It’s more convenient for you to investigate."

Difficult jobs, of course, should be left to the professionals.

His family was in the pharmaceutical business. Investigating the mecha’s energy source would require eighty percent of his effort, while the same task would only take twenty percent of Chase’s.

Chase Shaw was perched high on a building. He narrowed his eyes and aimed his laser gun at Nathan Lockwood again, his tone tinged with arrogance. "Fine. But if you don’t start fighting me for real, you’re going to lose."

The laser beam shot out as fast as lightning. Nathan Lockwood seemed to sense the direction of the attack and lurched his mecha forward.

But he was a fraction too late. A part of his mecha was hit, and he lost another wave of points on the digital console.

Chase Shaw put away the Laser Laser Gun in his hand and drew a Longsword.

Before Nathan Lockwood could get back up, Chase selected his mecha’s high-speed mode and charged at him fiercely.

Nathan Lockwood executed an agile backflip, dodging the fatal blow. But Chase Shaw’s attacks didn’t stop; they came one after another.

"Fighting like this is no different from just bullying you."

The Longsword pressed against the neck of Nathan Lockwood’s mecha. Chase Shaw’s mecha stood over Nathan’s, one foot planted beside him as he looked down condescendingly.

The Longsword tapped a few more scoring points on Nathan Lockwood’s mecha, and Chase’s score shot up.

Nathan Lockwood was now lying flat on his back, his cockpit view completely filled by Chase Shaw’s gray mecha. Even in this sorry state, his gaze was calm. "Isn’t it?"

A mecha battle on the Intelligent Brain simulation lacked the element of spiritual power. Unfortunately for Nathan Lockwood, his spiritual power advantage lay in his heightened senses; the simulation essentially neutered his greatest strength.

It was also a one-on-one duel, so his usual strategic planning was useless.

Although Chase Shaw was in the solo combat division, his family was in the mecha business, so he had been immersed in it since childhood. In their entire squad, besides Miles Sherman, no one could best him in a mecha. Even Erin Xavier admitted her skills were inferior in this regard.

Nathan Lockwood was simply letting Chase Shaw blow off some steam.

Seeing that Nathan was on the verge of elimination, Chase Shaw’s mecha moved off him and extended a hand. "Thanks, man."

The mecha’s dorsal thrusters activated. In an instant, Nathan Lockwood flipped over and pinned Chase Shaw’s mecha to the ground. "You’re welcome."

He repeatedly struck several scoring points with his mecha’s elbow, instantly closing the gap and tying the score.

Once he saw their scores were about even, Nathan Lockwood stopped, opened the control panel, and chose to end the match.

Inside his mecha, Chase Shaw let out a muffled laugh. ’That’s Nathan Lockwood for you, always has to get even.’

A prompt to end the match and confirm his agreement popped up in front of him. He casually hit "Confirm," and the scene before him instantly reverted to that of a normal room. Nathan Lockwood and his mecha had vanished without a trace.

"If that’s all, I’m going to bed." Their back-and-forth had taken a full two hours.

The night grew deeper and more tranquil.

Chase Shaw naturally didn’t object. The two of them removed their headsets, and soon after, Nathan Lockwood ignored Chase and went straight to sleep.

The dormitory provided for the school’s Alpha teachers was not particularly luxurious. In fact, it was rather spartan, as it was only meant for temporary lodging for a month or so.

Besides, staff weren’t sent here every year, so there was no need to make the accommodations lavishly comfortable.

The basic cleaning had only been done after it was confirmed they’d be coming this year, with professionals hired specifically for the job.

Even with his eyes closed, that lingering sense of irritability crept over him.

Chase Shaw slept lightly all night. He finally stirred when he sensed the sky beginning to brighten and Nathan Lockwood getting up beside him.

He opened his eyes just in time to see Nathan Lockwood, bare-chested, bending slightly to grab the training uniform he’d left by the bed.

The dawn light illuminated the man’s lean, tall frame, revealing every defined muscle. Compared to Chase Shaw’s skin, Nathan Lockwood’s seemed excessively pale.

Chase Shaw glanced over, then closed his eyes and asked, "Where are you going?"

Nathan Lockwood straightened his training uniform. "The Psionic Training Room."

As expected, Chase Shaw didn’t ask any more questions. His spiritual power was ill-suited for training; every session inevitably caused it to grow more volatile.

Nathan Lockwood’s spiritual power was unique, and he was always finding peculiar ways to train his sensitivity and control.

When he arrived at the appointed time, Nathan Lockwood saw Zoe Pierce standing at the entrance to the Psionic Training Room.

Each Psionic Training Room required an ID card for entry, which Zoe Pierce didn’t have.

Hearing footsteps, Zoe Pierce looked up. She had gone to bed early last night, and her face was flushed and radiant this morning.

’In just a few days,’ Nathan Lockwood thought, ’Zoe Pierce’s features have somehow grown even more refined and beautiful.’

Perhaps it was her vitality. She seemed so much more energetic and full of life than when they first met, making her already delicate and lovely face all the more radiant.

Without a word, he swiped his card and opened the door to the Psionic Training Room. It was Zoe Pierce’s first time in a place like this.

The room, designed specifically for an Alpha’s spiritual power training, was vast and empty. Only one wall was made of a special metal; the rest of the space was completely bare.

As she watched Nathan Lockwood go to adjust the equipment, Zoe Pierce noticed the training room’s rating.

It turned out that each training room had a different level. Eighty percent were A-level, capable of withstanding the full force of an A-level spiritual power attack. Of the remaining twenty percent, ten percent were B-level, and ten percent were S-Class.

The Psionic Training Room Nathan Lockwood had opened was S-Class, capable of withstanding the spiritual power attacks of an S-level Alpha.

She scanned her surroundings, and with a sound of mechanical whirring, the special metal wall suddenly moved, and several targets slid out from within it. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Nathan Lockwood was already standing at the front, his gaze flicking toward her.

She took a deep breath and took her position.

"Attack it just like you attacked that tree last time." The training room’s systems could clearly measure the intensity of Zoe Pierce’s spiritual power.

Zoe Pierce’s spiritual power coalesced into a tight strand. In a flash, an invisible, distorted wave of spiritual power slammed fiercely into the target.

On the wall display, the spiritual power readings soared, finally settling on a value just shy of S-Class.

"Next, imitate me." Nathan Lockwood looked up at Zoe Pierce seriously. "Use your spiritual power to create a confined space, then draw out the air from within."

He pointed a finger at the target. "Make this your object of attack."

Every Alpha had their own unique method of spiritual power attack.

When Zoe Pierce clumsily managed to imitate the air-draining technique he had used to kill the Viridian Fiend-Ape, Nathan Lockwood knew instantly what to call her ability.

Replication.

She could perfectly replicate any Alpha’s spiritual power attack, provided she was given enough exposure and time to train.

Zoe Pierce could one day stand above all other Alphas, becoming the most unique existence in Interstellar Space.