MIGHT AS WELL BE OP Chapter 1017: Class [Bonus - ]

The elders gathered on the sidelines, observing these apparently ordinary youngsters laugh with true joy, yet none of them were deceived. They had recently seen the sheer might each one commanded, and not a single person there could match up against any of them.

It appeared that this bunch from the younger generation had embraced the proverb 'the young shall surpass the old' with an intensity beyond anyone's wildest expectations.

Grins spread across their expressions. Ultimately, this cohort would safeguard the Galaxy's security. In truth, they were already doing so in certain ways. While the older folks recognized their own vast reserves of life force and extended years ahead, plus riches so profound that even on the brink of senescence they could deploy an artifact to renew themselves... they grasped a brutal reality.

In a vast realm such as the Acarnis Galaxy, merely common folk perished from advanced age. Cultivators treaded both the road of growth and the edge of life and demise, where each instant might mark their end, their ultimate exhale. It was rare to encounter any practitioner, particularly at their stature, who succumbed to old age. They typically fell in combat or amid delving into some forgotten relic. Death always had a trigger.

Not one desired to fade away from mere age. Each yearned to depart explosively, in fierce conflict, perishing in splendor and dignity. Yet harboring such desires didn't imply an imminent end. Certainly not; they had offspring they continued to nurture and observe.

'I recall when he was just a runny-nosed kid, rising at dawn to practice, hoping to unlock a strong class. He displayed sharp wits even as a tiny tot,' Mitchelle said, her voice laced with fond reminiscence of the early Anthony, back when he was simply a boy. She even recalled teasing him to quit daily sword drills or risk manifesting as a mechanic.

To her, those days brought chuckles, times when she could still trick Anthony with such silly claims. But now her boy had matured into an adult, one who played with life and death like mere whims.

'I remember those too,' Michael's voice interrupted right after Mitchelle wrapped up.

As he uttered it, Collins and Mitchelle both shifted their eyes to Michael, curious about what memories he held. He hadn't entered Anthony's world until the lad hit ten, tied up by pressing military obligations that kept him absent for years.

Michael, catching the stares from his father and spouse, managed an uneasy cough before adding, 'I was just kidding.'

They looked at him once more, then shook their heads and averted their eyes, redirecting focus elsewhere.

'If I could inquire, what class did Anthony manifest? He comes off as incredibly strong, so his must be some wildly overpowered one, correct?' Zachary questioned the Null kin.

'The Magic-Swordsman class,' Mitchelle answered simply, since there was no secret there. Others across the Blue Planet and the Galaxy shared that class, but clearly none approached Anthony's prowess.

Zachary raised a brow, then nodded deliberately. He and the rest had anticipated something even more game-breaking, but Anthony's class wasn't exceptionally wild. It was the youth's own freakish aptitude that shone.

'Well, with this wrapped up, let's head back,' Zachary declared, standing from his chair. He skipped glancing at Aaaninja. The young man was fully adult, not a kid. Aaaninja could depart at his leisure.

The group also stood, ready to depart, all eager for isolation. Nothing more remained here. Yet just as they prepared to go, Michael piped up abruptly.

'Klaus, reckon it's time for our duel, huh?'

Klaus halted briefly. He'd completely overlooked it, being keen on seclusion himself. 'Looks like it,' he responded.

All eyes snapped to Klaus and Michael, intrigue lighting their features. But before a word could escape, Michael beat them to it.

'Nobody watches.'

At that, he disappeared alongside Klaus, Amara, Collins, and Mitchelle.

Michael wasn't naive. He realized defeat against Klaus was probable, and no point in letting strangers witness his thrashing. The others, watching them fade, could only exhale in resignation. They cast one last look at their young ones before streaking off in beams of radiance, leaving just the younger set behind.

'Looks like departure time is here,' Aura Nova noted as Rain blinked out.

'Yeah,' Aaaninja agreed, lifting from his seat and drifting straight to Altheria without pause.

'I ponder our next encounter,' Kingsley mused, lost in reflection.

'It'll happen. Don't dwell on it,' Anthony answered steadily, levitating toward Vega.

Yet prior to arriving at Vega, Lucian materialized in front, erecting a sound shield that trapped them within, muffling sounds and concealing their impending talk.

Anthony lifted a brow, puzzled by Lucian's move, but held his tongue.

'If you'll permit the question, got any pill that boosts innate talent?' Lucian inquired. His query came blunt and forthright, no skirting. He knew of Anthony's OP system for instant buys, but also Anthony's character. Anthony shared only if inclined, not for groveling or flattery.

Anthony paused briefly before replying.

'For Veronica?' he queried, phrasing it more as fact than query.

Lucian merely nodded, silent.

Anthony showed little response. He lifted his hand, materializing a rosy pill exuding strawberry aroma on his palm. Effortlessly, he flung it to Lucian like trivial junk.

Anthony saw no cause to refuse or probe unnecessarily. It meant zilch to him. Plus, Veronica was Vega's closest ally, and Lucian a pal too.

'Thank—'

But Lucian couldn't finish before Anthony vanished. He'd warped away, reappearing by Vega as if never absent.

'Farewell. Pleasure meeting you all. We'll cross paths again shortly for the Angels' clash,' Anthony said smilingly. Yet before responses came, he and Vega vanished, leaving the rest in quiet.