8:30 AM, half an hour until the final assessment.
The morning sun pierced through the reinforced glass, illuminating the heavily guarded base training ground. In the corridor, Tendo Simei and Caroline walked side-by-side into the training area. Tendo licked the last bit of cream from the corner of his mouth, still savoring the irresistible taste. Beside him, Caroline watched his childish antics with a mix of disdain and resentment.
"Tendo, are you a hamster? You ate so much, you even finished my share of strawberry cake!"
"What hamster? This is called strategic reserve~"
Tendo pushed up his sunglasses, the lenses reflecting a sly glint. "Besides, Caroline, today's the final assessment. Those guys usually have terrible tempers, and right now they're like powder kegs, ready to explode at the slightest spark. What if they start fighting later..."
Before he could finish, a timid figure suddenly scurried from a corner of the training ground.
"Ti-Tendo-ge, Caroline-jie..."
Chen Kong was like a startled rabbit, his voice trembling even as he greeted the two, appearing very cautious. He was small in stature, with thin cheeks, and his training uniform was not only a size too big but also had whitened cuffs from wear. It was clear he wasn't faring well in the base.
However, Tendo didn't slight him for it.
"Yo, student Kong~"
He slung an arm around Chen Kong's shoulder, smiling as he ruffled his messy hair. "How are you doing? Did you have breakfast?"
"I-I ate..."
"What did you eat?"
"J-Just... regular nutrient meal..."
Chen Kong's voice lacked confidence. In reality, he hadn't even gotten a regular nutrient meal; it had been (domineeringly) snatched by other trainees. Tendo, unaware of this, dramatically gasped when he heard the reply.
"What?! You ate that kind of pig slop on such a crucial day as the final assessment?" Tendo shook his head, looking heartbroken. "No wonder you haven't been able to activate your Star Core, student Kong."
Chen Kong blinked in confusion. "Huh? What I eat for breakfast, does that have something to do with the Star Core?"
"Of course it does!"
Tendo pointed to himself with a serious expression. "As the number one genius of Embers, my brain consumes sugar equivalent to three adults every day. Don't believe me, just look..."
Tendo suddenly leaned closer, his azure eyes behind the sunglasses flashing with a dangerous arc, as if stars were swirling within them. Although they merely exchanged glances, Chen Kong instantly felt an immense pressure emanating from Tendo. It was as if he wasn't looking at a peer just half a month older than him, but a fierce, powerful Star Beast that could easily tear him apart at any moment.
Seeing that Chen Kong, the 'protagonist,' was scared by a mere glance, Tendo immediately chuckled. "See, student Kong, that's the result of eating nutrient meals."
"Why am I so strong? That's because I eat double portions of sweets every day!"
"If you also ate double portions of sweets like me every day, then maybe you could awaken your Star Core immediately!"
"Re-really?" Chen Kong's eyes instantly lit up.
"Idiot, he's lying to you."
Before Chen Kong could ponder the truth of those words, a clear, cold female voice came from in front of the trio. Chen Xing, Chen Kong's older sister, had appeared in front of them at some point, with the blood-red long blade 'Bloodflame' on her back, gleaming with an eerie luster in the morning light.
Seeing her, Tendo and Caroline didn't react overtly. However, Chen Kong, whose shoulder was still clutched by Tendo, visibly cowered, like a mouse seeing a cat.
"Sis-sister..."
Chen Kong huddled, not even daring to make eye contact with her. Chen Xing paid no attention to this. She had long grown accustomed to her useless, good-for-nothing brother. She didn't even glance at Chen Kong, her crimson Star Eyes fixed directly on Tendo.
"Tendo, trying to trick people again with your flawed sweet-food theory?"
"How can you call it tricking~"
Tendo grinned, spreading his hands. "Science proves that sugar not only promotes brain thinking, but also..."
"Shut up!" Chen Xing coldly interrupted. "Do you think everyone's a heavy sweet-food lover like you?"
At her words, the entire training ground suddenly fell silent. The surrounding trainees unconsciously stepped back a few paces, clearly aware of what was about to happen. After all, the last person who dared to speak to Tendo like that ended up in the infirmary for a whole month. Since then, apart from Caroline, Tendo's closest confidante, no one else dared to speak to Tendo in such a way.
However, Tendo didn't really mind Chen Xing's sharp tongue. He shrugged indifferently, then put on a wronged expression.
"Student Xing, you wound me by saying that."
Then, as if struck by a thought, his expression suddenly changed. He gazed intently at Chen Xing, with her exquisite features and queen-like demeanor, until she was full of questions.
Just as Chen Xing was feeling a bit bewildered, Tendo suddenly lowered his voice and said, "Student Xing, why such a strong reaction? Could it be that you're not looking down on student Kong, but rather jealous that he gets my special guidance?"
"If you'd said so earlier, if you'd said so earlier..."
"Hah?!"
Chen Xing's expression instantly twisted. "I'm jealous of this trash?" She violently drew the long blade from her back, pointing its tip directly at Chen Kong beside Tendo. "Two years, and he can't even perform the most basic Star Energy sensing. This kind of garbage doesn't even qualify..."
"Whoa, whoa, I can pretend I didn't hear the rest, but saying that about your own brother, isn't that a bit harsh?"
Tendo suddenly dropped his playful smile, and his eyes behind the sunglasses turned dangerous. In an instant, an invisible pressure spread from him, enveloping the entire area. The nearest trainees began to tremble, and Chen Xing's grip on her blade slightly quivered. However, she wasn't scared; she was stubbornly, forcefully resisting this immense, tsunami-like pressure.
"Did I say something wrong?"
Chen Xing gritted her teeth, persisting, and retorted, "Among the 36 trainees in the Stars Project, he's the only one who can't even activate his Star Core..."
"That's because his Star Core is quite special." Tendo suddenly interrupted her.
This sentence, like a bomb, instantly exploded among the crowd. Everyone looked at Chen Kong with astonished eyes. Even Caroline, who believed she had grasped all the trainees' information, couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at this point, seemingly trying to gauge the truth of Tendo's words.
After all, if anyone else had said this, even if it were Chen Xing, Chen Kong's sister, people still wouldn't find it very credible. But when those words came from Tendo, the top-ranked among the Stars trainees, the result was completely different.
Because Tendo disdained, and was too lazy, to lie to them.
"M-My Star Core is sp-special...?"
Hearing Tendo's words, not only others but even Chen Kong himself was stunned. Seeing his lack of confidence, Tendo smiled mysteriously.
"That's right, very special. So special that no one, except me, has guessed what your Star Core truly is."
"How about it? Want to know what I've discovered?"
Chen Kong nodded excitedly, his usually self-deprecating and dim eyes now radiating the light of hope. Tendo, who was familiar with the original plot of the first season, didn't mind telling Chen Kong, the protagonist of this anime, some information in advance. So he leaned close to Chen Kong's ear and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear: "Student Kong, your Star Core actually isn't unactivated; it's just too powerful, so powerful that even you can't control it."
Chen Kong's eyes widened. "Then why do I..."
"Shhh—" Tendo put his index finger to his lips, smiling. "Student Kong, it's more fun to discover the answer yourself, isn't it?"
Just then, the training ground door suddenly opened. A squad of fully armed guards marched in with precise steps. The emblem of the Embers organization on their black tactical helmets glinted coldly under the lights, conveying an aura of "no trespassing."
"Looks like the assessment is about to begin~"
Seeing the arrival of these "black dogs," Tendo released Chen Kong and patted his shoulder lightly. "Good luck, student Kong. I have high hopes for you."
Receiving encouragement from Tendo, the number one among the Stars trainees, Chen Kong, who was genuinely the bottom of the 36 individuals in the Stars Project, seemed greatly bolstered, his expression visibly excited.
However, his excitement didn't last long, as Chen Xing on the side coldly poured cold water on him. "Idiot, you believe that nonsense? Tendo is clearly just messing with you."
"Because if your Star Core were really that special, even if we didn't discover it, why wouldn't even the organization's people discover it?"
"You can't possibly think that the people in the organization are as clueless about Star Cores as we are, right?"
Chen Xing's analysis was well-reasoned and aligned with reality. This caused the looks in everyone's eyes towards Chen Kong to slowly return to calm from their initial surprise. Even Chen Kong had to admit that what Chen Xing said made a lot of sense. As a result, his eyes slowly dimmed again.
Seeing Chen Kong once again suppressed by his sister Chen Xing, Tendo simply spoke up. "Student Xing, how about we make a bet? We'll bet on whether student Kong can awaken his Star Core during the final assessment."
"Bet what?"
"How about sweets? If I win, your desserts for the next three months are mine. If I lose, then..."
Before Tendo could finish, Chen Xing interrupted him. "Okay, but you can't interfere to help him."
"No problem."
Tendo agreed readily, a sly glint flashing in his azure eyes behind the lenses. After all, he had already read the original script through the Popularity System. He knew that in the original story, Chen Kong would be pushed to the brink during the assessment and would eventually awaken the 'Star Energy Nullification' ability, which was practically a bug. Therefore, this bet was a guaranteed win for him.
However, to Tendo's surprise, Chen Xing's conditions for agreeing to the bet weren't over.
"Aside from that, I also want you to modify the bet's content."
"Modify what?"
Looking at Tendo, who had a bewildered expression, Chen Xing took a deep breath. A dangerous fire ignited in her beautiful eyes, and her brown hair visibly began to turn crimson.
"If I win, I don't want your sweets. I want you to seriously, with all your might, fight me."
Upon hearing this, Tendo dropped his playful demeanor and silently removed his sunglasses. Instantly, that terrifying, tsunami-like pressure once again swept across the entire training ground.
Although she had felt Tendo's oppressive aura once before, when it appeared again, Chen Xing still found it difficult to withstand. And this time, Tendo was clearly serious. His oppressive aura this time was even more intense than before, and even more... suffocating.
Gazing at Chen Xing, who was struggling to hold on, Tendo calmly said, "Student Xing, some things, once or twice, I can let slide."
"But three or four times, that's completely different..."
Tendo deliberately walked over to Chen Xing, who had been pushed to a kneeling position by his pressure, and looked down at her. "After all, a lion won't tolerate a hyena's repeated provocations."
"So, wait until you've fully mastered your Star Core, student Xing, and understand its true purpose, before you come and discuss this issue with me."
"Because right now, you're far from qualified to make me fight seriously. After all, you can't even withstand my oppressive aura, can you?"
With that, Tendo lightly patted Chen Xing's taut shoulder, then withdrew his oppressive aura. Instantly, the tense atmosphere in the training ground was relieved.
However, the proud Chen Xing was unwilling to simply concede defeat. Twice already, she had been suppressed by Tendo using only his Star Energy pressure. Chen Xing gritted her teeth, gripping the demonic blade Bloodflame tightly in her hand. Or rather, she couldn't accept that she didn't even have the ability to strike at Tendo.
Gazing at Chen Xing, who seemed intent on challenging a superior, Tendo's eyes narrowed slightly. And Caroline, beside Tendo, silently put her hand in her pocket, as if gripping something. For a moment, the air in the entire training ground seemed to halt. No one dared to speak loudly at this time.
Just then, the metallic training ground door suddenly opened. Accompanied by the crisp sound of high heels, a graceful figure walked into the training ground.
"Oh, picking on your classmates again, little Tendo?"
Instructor Yun Meng approached with elegant cat-like steps, her full figure encased in a black uniform, causing many pubescent Stars trainees to secretly swallow. But they only went that far. Because they clearly knew that Yun Meng, who had an angelic figure, had a heart more devilish than a devil. Only when it came to Tendo would she display a 'special care' akin to an older sister next door. That was a privilege reserved for geniuses.
Facing Yun Meng's sudden teasing, Tendo immediately retorted, "You've got it all wrong, Sister Yun! I was merely having a friendly, productive exchange with student Xing. How is this bullying?"
"Don't give me that." Yun Meng lightly tapped Tendo's head with her hand, then turned to Chen Xing and said, "The assessment is about to begin, yet you intend to privately attack your classmate. Chen Xing, have you forgotten the organization's rules?"
Hearing this, Chen Xing silently put away her demonic blade and returned to her position with her head lowered. Looking at her retreating figure, Yun Meng said resignedly, "Little Tendo, why do you always pick on student Xing? You two are clearly the organization's most promising geniuses; can't you just get along?"
Tendo spread his hands. "Sister Yun, you can't blame me. Chen Xing deliberately provoked me. This is self-defense."
"You..."
Yun Meng shook her head helplessly, then said, "...Forget it. I'll deal with you after the assessment."
"Now, you go back to your position too. The assessment is about to begin, after all."
"Many important figures from the organization have come today. Don't mess up."
Hearing this, Tendo immediately smiled and said, "Don't worry, Sister Yun, I am the strongest."
Regarding Tendo's almost arrogant remark, while Yun Meng wanted him to be more modest, she didn't voice any rebuttal. Because, just as Tendo said, among the 36 trainees in the Stars.
Tendo Simei was indeed the strongest.