Leaving the principal's office, Terry Yan walked Vincent Fox back toward the dormitories. Of course, it wasn't really about escorting Vincent was more than capable of finding his own way. Everyone knew that Yan had something on his mind.
Sure enough, not long after they passed the faculty building, Yan broke the silence. "Vincent, can you tell me how many unassigned attribute points you received as your reward in Zone 2?"
"One hundred," Vincent replied.
"Ah," Yan nodded thoughtfully. "One hundred, huh? A purple rating grants sixty points, red gives eighty…"
He hesitated, then asked, "Where did you allocate them?"
"All into Willpower," Vincent answered honestly.
"Willpower?" Yan's brow furrowed in surprise. "Why Willpower? I'm not saying it's unimportant, but for freshmen just starting out, you really need Strength… or even Agility or Constitution."
"Teacher, I chose Willpower because…" Vincent paused, then held up his hand.
In the next instant, a burst of flame erupted from his palm with a sharp whoosh!
Yan nearly jumped out of his skin. "The Flame Talent?!!"
His eyes went wide and red with excitement. In this world of extraordinary powers, a supernatural talent was rare enough, but an offensive talent like Flame was especially prized.
"You… you completed the most difficult third task?" Yan blurted, heart pounding.
Only the third task in Zone 2 promised a talent reward. If Vincent had truly finished that, it would explain everything though it seemed almost impossible.
"Of course not!" Vincent hurried to shake his head. "I picked the first task. I got the Flame Talent only because I earned the highest task rating. The zone itself told me that top ratings carry a small chance of an extra reward."
"I just got lucky," he added with a modest smile.
Vincent knew better than to admit he'd tackled the hardest challenge—such a confession would draw unwanted scrutiny. In this world, someone with mind-reading abilities might force him to speak the truth… revealing not only his Saitama Physique but potentially that he was a time-traveler from another world.
"I see…" Yan believed him. Rationally, it made no sense for a freshman to conquer the ultimate challenge but earning the highest rating did explain the bonus talent.
"Still," Yan said with genuine admiration, "you're impressive! Flame is a power everyone dreams of."
"Just ordinary flame," Vincent downplayed, "but the zone told me that its strength ties to my Willpower. That's why I poured all one hundred points into Willpower."
He left out the fact that this flame was actually the far more potent "Blazing Flame" talent. Better to let everyone assume his firepower came from this talent, keeping his Saitama secret safe.
"You made the right call," Yan murmured, eyes distant as he watched Vincent. "A supernatural talent… obtained so easily."
He shook himself. "I still can't believe the top rating carries an extra reward," he murmured.
Vincent held up a hand to forestall any doubt. "The zone did warn: extra rewards are very rare. I just got lucky."
He was already preparing his explanation for future winners who might not get a talent so no one would accuse him of lying.
"Since you have Flame, from now on, any new points you get, you should invest in Willpower first. And…" Yan's voice trembled with excitement as he looked Vincent in the eye, "with Flame, your potential rivals those with S-rank hero talents. Vincent, I want you to stay safe your life is more important than anything. Give yourself time to grow. I believe you will become a true powerhouse. I look forward to that day."
Vincent nodded solemnly. He understood well: true strength lay not just in raw talent but in surviving, learning, and growing. To die halfway was to become a tragedy, not a hero.