Tokiwadai’s training grounds. To prepare for the competition against the magic side during the Great Thanksgiving Festival, Aleister had truly spared no expense this time, pouring vast sums into the training facility. It wasn't just equipment like virtual projection arenas; there was even a supercomputer rumored to rival the Tree Diagram in capability.

The trainees could not only use the projection arenas to recreate various battlefields and enemies, honing their abilities and accumulating combat experience, but they could also rapidly pinpoint their weaknesses using the supercomputer, allowing for targeted improvement.

Around noon, Saten Ruiko stepped off the platform after finishing three virtual matches. Her opponent had been a projected British knight, a formidable foe whom she had never managed to defeat in previous encounters. Yet, this time, across three consecutive matches, she hadn't just won—she had done so with surprising ease.

This left her feeling quite strange. She couldn't help but approach the supercomputer, eager to test the actual strength of her abilities. A moment later, when she saw the string of data displayed on the screen, she was left utterly dumbfounded.

Ability Evaluation: Lv5. Esper.

“……” Saten Ruiko stared at that line of data for a long time, completely frozen, as if refusing to believe it. As if doubting the reality, she pinched her thigh hard. Only when the sharp pain registered did she finally confirm it: this was no hallucination, nor was it a dream!

“Lv5! I actually became Lv5! Uiharu, come look! I’m Lv5!” Saten snapped out of her trance and immediately shouted toward Uiharu Shiori, who was not far away, her excitement beyond words.

Her shout not only drew Uiharu Shiori but also summoned Shirai Kuroko and the other five. When they looked at the data on the computer screen, they too were stunned, just like Saten Ruiko.

“No… that can’t be right?!” Shirai Kuroko rubbed her eyes, her expression filled with disbelief. However, the fact was laid bare before them, leaving no room for denial; this supercomputer would not make an error.

While Shirai Kuroko was genuinely happy for her friend, she also felt a twinge of imbalance. She had achieved Lv5 status during the Third World War, earned through multiple life-or-death battles—it was hard-won. But Saten… she had reached Lv5 overnight. It simply felt unfair.

“Then I’ll try too.” Uiharu Shiori, cheerfully congratulating her friend, couldn't resist the sudden impulse to test her own power. She walked up to the supercomputer, and after a brief scan…

Ability Evaluation: Lv5. Esper.

“Ah!” At this moment, the girls’ expressions were as spectacular as if they had eaten a sweet potato only to discover it was magical. After a moment of stunned silence, Frenda suddenly remarked, “Could this broken machine be malfunctioning?”

The others nodded at her words. One esper achieving this level was understandable, but two in a row was abnormal; the supercomputer was most likely faulty.

“Then Shirai-san should test it,” Uiharu suggested. “If this computer really can display a level higher than the esper’s current one, maybe Shirai-san will show up as Lv6.”

“That seems fair enough,” Shirai Kuroko agreed, walking over to test it. The result was Lv5, but with an extra letter 'b' appended afterward—the meaning of which was unclear.

“Does ‘b’ perhaps refer to breast size?” Takitsubo Rikou wondered aloud.

“I think that’s completely correct,” Kinuhata Saiai glanced at Shirai Kuroko’s chest and nodded in agreement.

Shirai Kuroko’s mouth twitched, but she couldn't help retorting, “I’m a B+, not a B!”

“Whether it’s B+ or B aside, for now, it seems this computer won't display anything above Lv5. Will it show everyone as Lv5 regardless of who tests?” Awaki Musujime frowned, then proactively stepped forward. “Never mind, let me test mine again.”

Ability Evaluation: Lv5. Esper.

The result was the same for Awaki Musujime. Afterward, the remaining three—Kinuhata Saiai, Takitsubo Rikou, and the others—all tested. Except for Takitsubo Rikou, who fluctuated unstablely between Lv4 and Lv5, the other two also displayed Lv5.

“This is strange. Is the machine truly broken?” After testing, everyone felt a surge of doubt. While they could all sense an increase in their power, reaching Lv5 in just one day seemed too bizarre. Moreover, Uiharu was Lv4 yesterday; no one had ever heard of someone skipping two entire levels overnight—it wasn't the Mental Out drug!

Besides, even Mental Out couldn't forcibly boost someone to Lv5.

“Yo, what’s with the look like you’ve just been dumped? Are you discussing whose turn it is for the master’s bed? Honestly, there’s no need to be so complicated; I wouldn’t mind if you all came at once.”

They were used to Lin Luo’s glib tongue and ignored his teasing for the moment. Saten Ruiko quickly said, “Senpai, that…”

“Call me Instructor.” Lin Luo corrected.

“Yes, Instructor,” Saten immediately changed her address and asked, “We just used this machine to test, and everyone registered as Lv5. What exactly is going on?”

“You’ve all upgraded to Lv5 already. That’s quite impressive,” Lin Luo replied vaguely.

“You don't seem surprised at all,” Shirai Kuroko noted, her brow furrowed. She instinctively felt that this sudden event might have been orchestrated by Lin Luo.

“My surprise is hidden deep within my soul; your superficial gaze cannot perceive my depth,” Lin Luo stated. This made Shirai Kuroko roll her eyes hard, but before she could utter a rebuttal, Lin Luo sat down in front of the supercomputer, operating it while saying, “You discovered overnight that you became Lv5. Although you can feel yourselves becoming stronger, such a miracle-like event is hard to believe, so you suspect the machine malfunctioned, right?”

Lin Luo had hit the nail on the head, and the girls nodded repeatedly.

“Then I’ll tell you: the fact that you became Lv5 is true.” As he spoke, Lin Luo turned around, directing their gaze toward the screen. “Look, this is your current status.”

The group glanced over and was instantly astonished, because the large screen displayed the files of every one of them—including age, birthplace, ability level, upgrade history, and the application scope of their powers. Everything was displayed precisely.

And most importantly, two characters had been added after their Aptitude Judgment: Broken ()!

Aptitude Judgment was a crucial metric in Academy City. Originally, this information was not easily disclosed to ordinary people; even a Lv5 esper had no right to know it. However, Misaka Miiro, being a peak-level Spirit Stage expert, was far beyond a mere esper. Coupled with her immense contributions during the Third World War, Misaka Miiro’s pressure forced Aleister to concede and publish the Aptitude Judgments.

This disclosure had mixed results. Those lacking fighting spirit, upon learning they could only reach a certain limit, ceased striving to practice. But those who yearned to defy fate redoubled their efforts, hoping to break the Aptitude Judgment.

This was not impossible; take Shirai Kuroko, for instance. Her initial Aptitude Judgment indicated a ceiling at Lv4, yet she was now Lv5. This proved that the Aptitude Judgment was not absolute.

Of course, some individuals did not aspire to become stronger; they remained as they were.

Lin Luo observed their shocked expressions and said, “Congratulations. You have broken the shackles of the Aptitude Judgment and can advance toward higher realms.”

“Th-this… what exactly is going on?” Although his explanation made them realize this was real, they still felt a sense of unreality.

Lin Luo smiled slightly. “You must understand, the closer a person is to their limit, the easier it is to break through. Yesterday’s battle wasn't just a test of your strength; I deliberately pushed you to your limits for this very purpose. Those arenas were generated by this computer; nothing about you could hide from it. Pushed to your limits, you unconsciously broke the Aptitude Judgment. That is why you are all Lv5 now.”

His theory wasn't wrong, but in reality, he had concealed something: the Aptitude Judgment hadn't been broken by them, but by his Destruction Killing Sword during the battle yesterday. It was akin to a supreme master forcibly opening someone's Ren and Du meridians, ensuring smooth progress in all future cultivation.

The reason he kept silent was simply to make them believe this achievement stemmed solely from their own efforts. Only what is earned through personal struggle is cherished more deeply and inspires greater confidence.

Hearing this, the group instantly brightened.

But amidst the encouragement, Lin Luo didn't forget to pour a bucket of cold water. “Don’t celebrate too soon. Although the Aptitude Judgment is broken, and according to Academy City’s calculations, you are all Lv5, by my calculation method, except for Kuroko, the rest of you are 'Quasi-Lv5'.”

“Quasi-Lv5?” The group paused. What was that now?

Lin Luo pointed to a column on their data profiles and chuckled, “Do you see this?”

The group looked closely. Behind the Lv5 data, there was a parenthesis. Only Shirai Kuroko had a 'b' inside; everyone else had nothing.

Lin Luo explained, “This is the grading system for Lv5 according to my standards. Setting aside differences in abilities or combat power, just based on computational strength, among the seven of you, only Kuroko possesses B-level computational power. The others don't qualify for a true Lv5 rating. That’s why Takitsubo Rikou was unstable, wavering between Lv4 and Lv5.”

“Does… does that make a difference?” Uiharu Shiori asked blankly.

“Nonsense, of course, there’s a difference!” Lin Luo sharply admonished, then changed the screen display. The seven figures were removed, replaced by the data of the original six Lv5 espers.

Lin Luo pointed at the screen and said, “I divide psychic energy intensity into eight tiers, from G to S, low to high. Among all espers, only Accelerator’s psychic energy reaches S-level; Kakine Teitoku is A+; Misaka Mikoto is A; the other four are A-. Also, this is their data from two years ago; things might be different now.”

Looking at that data, the group couldn't help but be shaken. Previously, they only knew how powerful espers were, but not the specific source of that power. Now, they finally grasped that the strength of computational ability dictated the strength of the esper themselves.

Shirai Kuroko, as a Spatial Manipulation esper, had unquestionable combat prowess, but compared to the original Lv5s, she was inferior to every single one of them. No matter how strong her power was, insufficient computational strength meant she would likely lose in a true fight.

And the others were even less comparable; they didn’t even rank in the lowest tier shown.

The girls couldn’t help but feel a sense of disappointment, yet mingled with excitement. Accelerator and the others were established Lv5s; it was natural for newcomers to fall short. But now that the Aptitude Judgment was broken, perhaps they could catch up with enough effort.

“Wait a minute!” Shirai Kuroko suddenly spotted an anomaly and spoke to Lin Luo. “I remember this computer didn’t have that kind of tiered classification before. How did this suddenly appear?”

“Of course, I added it! Are you asking stupid questions?” Lin Luo shot her a look.

His words, however, made everyone else present go wide-eyed.

Shirai Kuroko exclaimed in shock, “No way! This computer rivals the Tree Diagram! It has security firewalls that even Uiharu herself cannot penetrate. Absolutely no one can update its data. How could you possibly add information? Furthermore, you didn't come here after going back yesterday evening; when did you do it?”

Lin Luo spread his hands. “Are your eyes just for decoration? When you were fighting yesterday, didn't I sit over here for five minutes?”

“Those five minutes…”

“Mhm. Analysis, cracking, modification, and addition—all completed within five minutes,” Lin Luo confirmed.

“Impossible!” Shirai Kuroko’s face changed again. “Forget modifying the data; just cracking the firewall alone—even ten hackers of Uiharu’s caliber wouldn’t manage it in less than three days and nights. You did it in five minutes?”

It wasn't just her who was shocked; everyone else let out a sharp intake of breath.

Faced with their look of utter disbelief, Lin Luo remained remarkably calm. He brushed some dust off his shoulder and said only one thing: “Geniuses do not need explanations.”

“……” The group was left speechless.

“Alright, this isn't worth discussing,” Lin Luo waved his hand, signaling them to calm down, then grew serious. “Before I arrived, you were all Lv4s. The moment I showed up, you became Lv5s. Clearly, I, your Instructor, deserve immense credit, so…”

“So we should probably thank you profusely, right?” Kinuhata Saiai couldn’t resist interjecting.

Lin Luo wasn't displeased by the interruption but maintained an expression of a great benefactor unconcerned with reward. “Gratitude isn’t strictly necessary, but if you wish to pledge yourselves to me in return, I wouldn't object.”

“Instructor, could you possibly be a little more serious!” Shirai Kuroko ground her teeth.

“Serious? No problem.” Lin Luo nodded, then returned to the computer, typing with one hand while pointing to the arena with the other. “I have now modified the environmental functions of the arena. It will present a brand-new battlefield. Your opponents will still be my combat puppets, but their power levels will differ from yesterday… a Lv5 esper with electrical abilities, matching Misaka Mikoto’s strength from two years ago.”

The girls followed his pointing finger. One of the arenas had transformed into a world of scrap metal mixed with sand—piles of rusted copper and iron, dunes of dirt. Above, dark clouds swirled, occasionally pierced by bolts of lightning. A small figure stood within that terrifying world: Misaka Mikoto.

Of course, this Misaka Mikoto was not the real one, but Lin Luo’s Mist Clone; at his current level, altering appearance and form was an effortless task.

Lin Luo sat there, not looking at them, and stated, “I don't need to elaborate on how strong Mikoto was, do I? However, it seems none of you have seen her go all out. So, for now, the seven of you will challenge her—the Railgun of yesteryear.”

As soon as Lin Luo finished speaking, the ‘Misaka Mikoto’ within the scrap world raised a hand towards the sky. Instantly, with thunderous roars, countless massive lightning bolts began to strike down, bathing the entire world in crackling electricity.

The seven, led by Shirai Kuroko, immediately felt a cold sweat break out.

Seven Lv5s against one Lv5. Unless the opponent had insurmountable defenses like Accelerator, theoretically, the numbers should prevail. Yet, Shirai Kuroko and the others felt an immense pressure. Even without fighting yet, just watching, they lacked confidence in winning.

The terrain and the climate alike made that world the absolute domain of an electricity-based esper, allowing their Lv5 power to manifest fully and unleash its greatest force. Those massive bolts of thunder—they had every reason to believe that even a single direct hit would spell doom for them.

“This is too reckless. We’ll die the moment we step in, won’t we?” Saten Ruiko couldn't help but complain.

Indeed, the scrap world was dotted with hundreds of lightning strikes, constantly shifting position, offering almost zero safe zones. If they entered, they might be struck before even launching an attack; even a spatial manipulator might not be able to dodge them all.

“Not going in? Then I’ll carry you in personally,” Lin Luo said when he saw their hesitation. “But I’ll warn you beforehand: I have a passive skill, 'Whoever I carry gets pregnant.' Who wants to try?”

“……”

No one wanted to test such a peculiar skill, so they reluctantly stepped forward into the scrap world.

“We are Lv5 espers too! Nothing to be afraid of!” the girls cheered themselves on as they entered. The instant they stepped into the scrap world, hundreds of lightning bolts rained down from the sky.

BOOM!!!

Everyone’s color drained instantly. Gazing at the figure enveloped in electricity, they felt as if the Thunder God had descended.

A sudden realization struck their minds: what did spatial movement matter, what about temperature constancy, wind power, nitrogen armor, or bombs, or ability interference? Against the might of this heavenly thunder, all of it was meaningless!

Unbeatable!

This was an undeniable thought etched into their hearts.