My Ultimate OP System: Summoning All Dragons, Gods, Heroes & Villains-Chapter 103: What If? (Bonus)
It was still an untested theory. And the only way he would truly know for sure was when he got off this goddamn camp and continued his training at home.
He sighed and shook his head. "What a complete waste of my time," he muttered under his breath.
For a moment, he genuinely considered just leaving camp altogether. What was stopping him, really?
Then his eyes widened with another realization.
"Wait..."
He turned his gaze back toward Percival and Aliyah, watching the way they moved, dodged, and paced around each other. He could recall it all.
Maybe it wasn’t just about understanding the Cannon Fist technique.
What if these eyes could grant him the opportunity to learn the fighting styles of other people simply by watching them?
After all, the Eyes of the Sage granted extreme clarity and aided with comprehension.
It wasn’t just enhanced vision, It was also enhanced understanding.
A smile arched across Ethan’s lips.
That would absolutely be fun to try out, he thought to himself.
-
Right then, in the middle of their exchange, Percival feinted left.
Aliyah bit hard on the bait, moving her body accordingly to counter a punch that never came.
Instead, Percival’s real strike came from the right as fist shooting toward her face faster than she could react.
Her eyes widened.
Unable to defend in time, she froze as his fist stopped mere centimeters from her nose.
Percival grinned. "I win."
Aliyah was breathing hard at first, then grinned back.
They both turned toward Ethan who nodded and picked up the sheet of paper beside him on the log. "Well, yeah. Percival wins."
He scribbled Percival’s name in the appropriate box.
The paper itself was a makeshift scoreboard he had drawn up at their request. It was divided into neat columns with challenge names written across the top in his handwriting:
PERCIVAL vs ALIYAH - CHALLENGE LOG
|Challenge |Winner |
|----------------|--------|
|1000 Push-Ups |Aliyah |
|Arm Wrestle |Percival|
|300-Meter Sprint|Aliyah |
|Sparring Match |Percival|
The paper was crinkled from being stuffed into Ethan’s pocket multiple times, and there were a few smudges of dirt across the bottom from when Percival had grabbed it earlier to dispute the results of the arm wrestle.
Aliyah crossed her arms and scoffed. "I let him win."
"Yeah, right," Percival shot back with a laugh.
Ethan stood up from where he had been sitting and stretched his arms. "Let’s get back. We’ll continue this in the evening."
Both wolves nodded, still grinning at each other.
The three of them made their way back through the forest toward the camp clearing.
When they emerged from the tree line, the campsite was very much alive with activity. Students were moving between tents with items under their arms or held up for inspection. Voices called out prices and haggled over trades. The energy was rowdy and excited.
The trading event between students had officially begun.
——
Within the boardroom of Stark Industries...
Eduardo was on one of the seats at the side long table with several documents spread out before him.
His pen moved across one of the pages as he reviewed quarterly production reports. One of the many instructions Ethan had given before embarking on this camp thing.
Suddenly, the door burst open and Valerie rushed in with urgency written all over her expression.
Eduardo’s head lifted immediately at her sudden entry, almost with a frown.
"Mr. Eduardo," Valerie said quickly, already moving toward the far corner of the room. "Please stand up and take a look at that car."
She pointed toward a specific window as she crossed the boardroom floor.
Eduardo stood and followed her. When he reached her side, Valerie pointed again. "That one."
Eduardo’s eyes tracked where she indicated.
Down below, on the street leading away from the Stark Industries compound, a tinted vintage sedan rolled slowly past.
Its dark windows reflected nothing, and the vehicle itself had an inconspicuous design.
He turned to Valerie with a weird expression on his face. "What about it?"
Valerie quickly said, "This morning, when I came to retrieve the car from the garage, I noticed that same vehicle parked just outside the front gates. It was there for some time before it finally left."
She paused, then added, "Now, I just walked from outside the premises into this building, and I’m seeing the same vehicle again. Right here."
Eduardo’s expression looked thoughtful. "Hm."
Valerie turned toward him fully. "After the whole Keating situation, I didn’t want to take any chances with anything that might seem suspicious."
Eduardo nodded, with his eyes still fixed on the retreating car. "You’ve done well. That’s good observation on your part."
He paused, then added with a hint of self-reproach, "Even I hadn’t noticed."
Valerie nodded, then asked the question, "What do you think the whole thing with that vehicle could be?"
Eduardo’s gaze remained on the street below as the sedan turned a corner and disappeared from view.
"I have no idea," he said honestly. "But whatever it is will eventually have to reveal itself."
Valerie nodded again, though the unease in her chest didn’t go.
Eduardo turned back toward the table and gestured for her to follow. "Keep your eyes open. If you see it again, note the time and location. We’ll establish a pattern if there is one."
"Understood," Valerie said.
She lingered by the window for just a moment longer, staring at the empty street where the car had been, before finally turning to leave.
—
Back at camp, Percival suddenly stopped and slapped his forehead.
"Shit!" he exclaimed. "I wanted to sell my old knuckle rings!"
Without another word, he turned around and paced quickly toward the tent where they had been staying in.
"Hey, wait up!" Aliyah called out, chasing after him.
Ethan was left standing alone and watching as a bunch of students walked around with various items in hand.
Some were haggling loudly over enchanted trinkets, while others examined spell scrolls with exaggerated interest.
Unfortunately, he had nothing in his possession that he could join the trading event with.
By chance, Bettie came walking around the corner of a nearby tent. She noticed him standing there watching the crowd and naturally drifted toward him.
"Hey," Ethan said as she approached.
"Hey, Stark," Bettie replied with a small smile.
Then she shook her head and added, "This trade event is filled with fraudulent students."
