Chapter 368: Testing the S Rank Simulation

Solomon’s fingers stopped hovering over the console. He stared intently at the selection menu. All of his buried memories regarding the Undead Paladin suddenly resurfaced, and his fingers twitched involuntarily.

To the rest of the world, and to the academy’s databanks, the Undead Paladin was just a standard S-rank boss monster. But it was entirely different for him. The Paladin was his mentor, his torturer, and the man who had passed down the Imperial Sword Arts during fifteen agonizing years of mental combat.

He couldn’t help but wonder what would actually happen if he selected the knight. Would the simulation perfectly replicate the Paladin’s flawless technique? He knew it was just a hard-light magical simulation and not the real person, but the prospect still felt incredibly heavy.

[sgtcwby: Stop wasting time!]

His chat was rapidly scrolling, demanding that Solomon hurry up since he was actively wasting the 30-minute rental timer standing in front of the menu.

Solomon was in absolutely no mood to get emotional or nostalgic right now. He shook his head, scrolled back up, and selected the Winter Snow Serpent.

Immediately, the sterile metal walls of the chamber vanished. The environment shifted , and Solomon found himself standing knee-deep in a howling winter storm.

[Ferald: the biome shift is seamless!]

[M00Ns: back to the snow map!]

[Joshua_Swofford: the graphics in these S-rank rooms are insane.]

[Mezz_3863: Solo Man fighting the snake again!]

A floating digital prompt appeared in front of him, giving him the option to select the storm’s intensity or turn the environmental hazard off entirely.

However, instead of turning it off for better visibility and easier movement, Solomon smirked and jacked the blizzard intensity all the way up to the absolute maximum level.

He was then asked if he would like to add any specific rules or restrictive laws to the simulation. He manually typed in the exact same rule from the rift: No use of aura.

The system then asked if he wanted to choose a weapon from the simulation armory. He selected ’No’ and chose to equip his own physical weapon, Eden’s Penance, instead. After finalizing a few more environmental settings, he pressed ’Launch’.

The storm instantly raged with ferocity. Massive ice mountains manifested out of the digital light, and the Winter Snow Serpent’s glowing red eyes pierced through the blinding blizzard.

When Solomon had fought the actual Winter Snow Serpent in the rift, he had only managed to defeat it in the second phase after the rift law dropped and he was finally allowed to use his silver aura.

But this time, there was no second round. There was no countdown. He had to defeat the A+ grade boss using absolutely zero aura.

Solomon glanced around, feeling the biting cold wind hitting his face. He reached down and packed a handful of snow from the ground, perfectly feeling the freezing, wet texture against his skin.

’How does this technology even work?’ Solomon wondered, genuinely impressed by the sensory feedback. ’Whatever... Let’s not to think too much about the magic and focus on the fight.’

This time, Solomon was in his peak physical form. He wasn’t exhausted, bleeding, or starving. He had just woken up from a long, restful sleep.

Most importantly, he had already fought the Winter Snow Serpent; he knew its attack patterns, its blind spots, and its regenerative capabilities.

He pulled out Eden’s Penance and rushed directly at the colossal monster.

He immediately utilized the physical mechanics of the second form of the Eden Imperial Sword Arts, chaining it seamlessly into the first form. The immense force of the heavy blade sheared through the digital ice mountains and sliced deep into the Winter Snow Serpent through the blinding storm.

However, true to its programming, the beast immediately began to regenerate the massive wound.

[GoonLord: THE REGEN IS CRAZY!]

[Naturic: bro is just warming up.]

[DaoistAlexkg: hit it harder Solo Man!]

[Andy_Thornton: you have to out-damage the healing!]

Solomon dropped his guard and deliberately decided to let it regenerate fully, wanting to test the simulation’s limits. He waited for the beast to launch its counterattack.

The serpent shrieked, diving through the blizzard. It opened its massive jaws, attempting to crush him against the ice. Solomon effortlessly dodged the lunging bite, pivoting on his heel to block the sweeping, spiked tail with the flat of his greatsword.

He bounded off the ice, plunging the executioner’s sword deep into the beast’s thick, crystalline scales.

The serpent roared and soared straight up into the sky, attempting to breach the cloud layer just like it had in the real rift. But unlike the real world, the serpent abruptly hit an invisible, digital ceiling. There was nothing above the clouds; the simulation chamber had a strict vertical limit.

Solomon used the beast’s stalled momentum to his advantage. He scrambled up its scales and delivered a brutal, bare-knuckle punch directly to the top of its head, forcing the monster to dive back down.

As they plummeted toward the ground, Solomon jumped high into the air and forcefully landed both of his directly onto the exposed pommel of the plunged sword. The sheer physical weight drove Eden’s Penance all the way through the beast’s thick body until the bloody tip erupted from the other side.

[Brerell: BRO RODE THE SWORD THROUGH IT!]

[Sedrikk: absolute cinematic masterpiece!]

[Dakota_Smith: the disrespect is unreal.]

[1Fizzy: this is so brutal!]

Solomon ripped the sword free and landed in the snow. He let the beast regenerate once more, deciding to try a completely different, reckless tactic.

’Let’s not use any weapon this time!’

He stood perfectly still, letting the serpent attack him directly. The massive beast slammed into him, its jagged, teeth-like scales grinding against his body, attempting to crush him into the ice.

Solomon felt the physical pressure, but he didn’t feel any actual, agonizing pain. It felt incredibly weird, dull, and entirely disgusting to his battle-hardened senses.

He scowled in profound annoyance. "This lack of pain feedback ruins the entire experience. There are so many useless settings, so why not add a pain meter also? Shouldn’t this be like mandatory so the students can experience realm combat and enjoy the thrill?"

He didn’t bother using his sword. He reached out with his bare hands and grabbed the jagged scales of the snow serpent. Relying entirely on his monstrous physical strength, he ripped the thick crystalline armor off the beast’s body with his bare hands until the soft, digital flesh was completely exposed.

He tore the flesh apart faster than the simulation’s code could possibly regenerate it. Then, he grabbed one of the sharp scales he had just ripped off, using the beast’s own armor as a makeshift blade to carve a deep trench through its body, literally tearing the monster apart from the inside out.

And just like that, the simulation abruptly ended. He had successfully defeated the regenerating Winter Snow Serpent using absolutely zero aura.

[System: GoonLord has fulfilled their challenge! Gifted 1 Diamond Crown (5,000 Points) & 1 ’Aura-Condensation Ring’!]

Message: "YOU RIPPED IT APART WITH YOUR BARE HANDS! THAT WAS INSANE!"

[LazyCat: bro did not even need the sword!]

[User12: Solo Man is a menace.]

[NewbHunter: the sheer physical strength is broken.]

[Mezz_3863: flawless victory.]

The holographic blizzard vanished instantly. The chamber reverted back to its sterile, white metal walls.

Solomon looked down at his hands. They were completely clean as the digital blood and gore had vanished the moment the simulation ended, and his academy uniform was perfectly intact.

He slowly clenched and unclenched his fists, pondering his actions with a serious expression.

"My baseline physical strength has definitely increased significantly," Solomon muttered to himself, staring at his knuckles. "My bare hands and standard punches are dealing vastly more damage than they should be."

He furrowed his brow. ’I originally suspected this when I raided The BlueYorker’s Shield headquarters. But at the time, I just assumed the enforcers were incredibly weak, or that my anger was simply pushing my adrenaline higher.’

He tapped his chin, trying to solve the biological puzzle. ’How did my physical baseline get so strong? Did my Convergence talent somehow permanently absorb a fraction of the giant’s physical power from the ritual elixir?’

He knew he wasn’t nearly as impossibly strong or durable as he was when he was in the giant form, but there was a distinct, undeniable residue of that colossal strength permanently laced into his muscle fibers.

Solomon watched the glowing notification of GoonLord’s challenge fulfillment pop up on his interface, satisfied with the physical confirmation of his growing power.

He then looked at he remaining timer and told the chat that he will run this simulation a few more times until the timer ends.

A while later, Solomon stepped out of the chamber, and in front of him was standing the tower master of the Golden Radiance Magic Tower, Cedric.