Hand Of God

Chapter 62 Challenge round

Hence, the scene unfolding before them.

BOOM!

He crashed onto the main stage, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Fortunately, the area was spacious enough that no one else was injured.

All eyes were glued to him, eager to know what had happened.

When the dust settled, Thomas walked up, smiling, and addressed the crowd:

"Well, looks like everyone’s finally here. Next time, try to have a better sense of timing, alright?"

"Now that our top freshman has arrived, let’s officially begin this year’s Opening Ceremony!"

???!!!

Is this a student? Not a combat specialist?!

This is the top freshman? And he’s still just a freshman?!

A level-5 freshman? You’ve got to be kidding. Why is he even entering university? Shouldn’t he just join a superhuman organization directly?

Adam apologized to Thomas, turned around, found a seat, and sat down. The freshmen’s ceremony began.

However, the upperclassmen watching nearby looked visibly shaken.

This top freshman seemed… excessively strong.

"So, this is the top freshman? Are you still going to teach him a lesson?"

One of the earlier conversationalists asked the flip-flop guy.

"Eh, cough, never mind. I was joking."

The freshmen’s ceremony proceeded smoothly, mostly led by Thomas, who shared information about the university and expressed hopes for the students’ future.

Soon after, students who excelled in the assessment-free trial were called to the stage to receive their rewards.

It wasn’t long before it was Adam’s turn.

When the staggering reward amount was announced, everyone gasped. Was this top freshman related to the president of Orienta? Why so much?!

But considering his terrifying level-5 strength, no one complained—not even a hint of jealousy.

The gap was simply too large.

"Alright, it’s time for our top freshman to give a speech."

Just as Adam grabbed his rewards and was about to leave, Thomas pulled him back and handed him the microphone.

With no way to refuse, Adam awkwardly began:

"Hello, everyone. Honestly, I don’t have much to share. Everyone has their own training rhythm, and most of the time, I’ve just been lucky."

"The reason I’m here today is that President Freud said I could only receive my freshman reward if I attended. If I didn’t show up—"

"COUGH COUGH!!!" Thomas interrupted loudly, glaring at Adam.

Was this something to say publicly?!

Adam quickly changed the subject:

"Ah, well, the point is, everyone should focus on improving their abilities. Don’t waste your talents. Once you become stronger, you’ll naturally be more valuable, and making money will be easier. And also—"

"COUGH COUGH COUGH!!!" Thomas sounded like he was having a full-blown fit, coughing incessantly.

But Adam was on a roll now, completely losing control, and continued:

"And also, recently I took on a job. They promised me three million as payment, and President Freud even said thirty million wasn’t out of the question if I did well."

"But I haven’t received any money yet, so I thought I’d ask about it here—"

The entire audience, students and teachers alike, were utterly stunned!

This... was their top freshman’s speech?

Every year’s Opening Ceremony was the same — filled with top freshmen reading scripted speeches full of lofty ideals. Despite their young age, they always tried to sound overly formal and preachy.

The students had long grown tired of that act. So when someone actually came up and bluntly asked for money right on stage, it surprisingly earned him quite a bit of goodwill from the crowd.

But Thomas clearly didn’t feel the same way.

Adam: “Let’s not even talk about that thirty million thing for now. You can’t possibly think three million wouldn’t be enough—”

Before he could finish, an energetic old man suddenly rushed onto the stage and snatched the microphone from Adam’s hand.

“Huh, Adam, always the comedian,” the old man chuckled. “You do love your jokes.”

Seeing that Adam seemed ready to continue speaking, the old man quickly leaned in close and whispered into his ear:

“Diana told me she gave you a card — it’s yours now. I’ll transfer the money there!”

“This is the Opening Ceremony! Give me, the university president, a little respect, will you?”

For a moment, the two exchanged glances — one young and defiant, the other old yet shrewd. In the end, Adam relented.

Thomas also decided not to let Adam speak any further. He had figured out by now — this kid was unpredictable, and definitely not easy to handle.

So he quickly moved on to the final item on the agenda:

“Well then, today’s Opening Ceremony has concluded successfully. I hope each of you continues to hone your abilities, so that you may one day contribute to protecting the peace of our world.”

“And now, we come to the traditional challenge round — anyone interested in testing themselves against our top freshman? Of course, the top freshman may decline if the gap seems too great.”

Then he quickly whispered another plea into Adam’s ear:

“Do me a solid, bro. Just go through with this part. I’ll throw in a bonus — an extra hundred thousand.”

It was clear that Thomas was as irreverent and unconventional as ever — so laid-back, in fact, that despite the fifty-year age gap, he called Adam “bro” without hesitation.

Adam remained noncommittal at first, but ultimately stayed on stage instead of walking off entirely.

Yet this time, something was clearly different.

In previous years, as soon as this moment arrived, the senior students in the stands would erupt into cheers, jeers, and provocations. Many would eagerly rush forward to give the newcomer a proper “welcome.”

Not this time.

The stands were eerily silent. No chants, no shouts — just awkward silence.

Well, who in their right mind would dare step forward?

Adam had flown straight into the ceremony earlier, literally dropping jaws across the venue. A level-5 wasn’t something anyone wanted to mess with.

Orienta University wasn’t completely devoid of level-5 students either — among the graduating seniors, there were a few prodigies who had reached that level.

But those individuals rarely took part in such events anymore. Most had already signed contracts with elite superhuman organizations and carried heavy responsibilities.

So for a while, the atmosphere grew tense with embarrassment. Adam stood alone on the stage, with no challenger in sight.

Finally, after nearly four or five minutes of silence, a male student leapt down from the stands.

He wore a flowing cyan robe and possessed a strikingly handsome appearance. Calmly stepping forward, he bowed politely to Adam.

“Greetings,” he said. “To have already reached the fifth level at your age — truly admirable. It makes me feel as though I’ve wasted my years.”

“My name is Ford, currently at the peak of level-4, struggling to break through to level-5.”

“But judging from your flight path earlier, you yourself may have only recently entered the fifth level.”

“I’ve trained extensively here at Orienta and have mastered several superpower skills. As a freshman, you lack practical combat experience — perhaps, in that regard, we are somewhat evenly matched. Allow me, then, to be the one to challenge this year’s top freshman.”

Ford exuded grace and politeness, his tone courteous and respectful. Yet hearing this, Diana sitting in the audience couldn’t help but twitch a corner of her mouth.

Lack of combat experience?

That might hold true at any other freshmen— but for Adam?

How many had died under his hands?

Just two days ago, during those three hours, the corpses lying at his feet could hardly be counted — they were piled high.

Clearly, Ford was unaware of these details.

“Alright then, let’s begin. Let this old man serve as referee — don’t worry, I’ll stop things if danger arises.”

Relieved that someone had finally stepped forward to break the silence, Thomas gave Ford an approving glance.