To Smith, the other students' supernatural abilities looked... crude.
He watched someone cast an "illusion" to distract a monster—except it wasn't a real illusion, just a glorified clone technique. Hardly impressive.
Then there were the puppet users. The school-issued puppets were clunky, poorly designed, and weak. Their movements were sluggish, and their attacks lacked any serious impact—barely on par with a low-level monster. Smith understood immediately: if puppet users wanted to reach higher levels of combat, they needed stronger puppets. Their potential wasn't in themselves, but in what they controlled. The strength of a puppet user depended entirely on the quality of the puppet.
Next were the object controllers—students who controlled swords, daggers, and other sharp weapons to fly around them like satellites. At first glance, it looked cool. But once Smith observed them in combat, the flaws were glaringly obvious. If one managed to bypass their defenses and close the distance, they were practically helpless.
And the elemental abilities? Smith shook his head in disappointment.
The fire users could throw fireballs the size of basketballs—flashy but not particularly threatening.
The water users summoned watery chains to bind enemies—slow and flimsy.
The wind users generated weak wind blades that could barely slice through bark.
The earth users summoned walls the size of doorframes.
The lightning users fired off blinding bolts with more dazzle than power.
All of it felt shallow. Showy. Weak.
Not worth copying.
Smith didn't even bother using his Sharingan to analyze or replicate them. It would be a waste of spiritual energy.
Summing it all up in one sentence: these so-called abilities didn't hold a candle to his Wood Release and Sharingan.
---
Special Class 3 was still in the middle of their combat training. The final group had stepped up.
It included two assistant students—Wei Lin, and Zhao Mei, along with a third boy who possessed fire-element powers.
Zhao Mei and the fire boy worked well together. She controlled the battlefield with her water chains, holding the monster in place, while he rained fire down with aggressive attacks.
But Wei Lin… just stood there awkwardly, holding a plain wooden stick.
He looked completely lost on the field.
Unlike Smith, who had refined Wood Release techniques, Wei Lin's wood-type power was limited to growing plants. It had no offensive use at all.
The spectators began to jeer and laugh.
"Ugh, I knew it—wood element is trash. What else is it good for?"
"Seriously. D-rank wood type? Might as well stay home and grow bonsai."
The mocking voices came from all around the training field. Wei Lin's shoulders trembled. His grip tightened on his wooden stick, but he didn't move or look up.
From the sidelines, Smith's expression darkened.
He turned to the laughing students, voice cold and sharp.
"Why? Got a problem with the Wood Element?"
The group quieted instantly, faces stiff with discomfort. No one dared speak.
They remembered what Smith had done earlier—how he had summoned a wooden wall that withstood fireball blasts, how he had knocked out a monster with a single, terrifying punch. Even the instructors had raised their eyebrows at his performance.
Clearly, Smith's Wood Release had shaken up everyone's assumptions. The title of "most useless power" no longer suited him.
"The same people laughing at Wei Lin now were the ones who were shaking like leaves ten minutes ago," Smith continued, scanning them with disdain.
"Some of you collapsed the second you saw the monster. Your knees buckled before the thing even roared."
He narrowed his eyes at one of the boys in particular—Lei, a lightning esper who had bragged endlessly about how brave he was before the training.
Smith remembered watching him enter the arena. The moment the two-headed lion monster appeared and growled, Lei collapsed on the spot. Now here he was, laughing at Wei Lin?
It made Smith sick.
"At least Wei Lin stood his ground. His power might not be useful right now—but he didn't run. He didn't cry. He didn't faint."
Lei's face turned the color of bruised fruit. His mouth opened, but no words came out. Quietly, he slinked away, hiding his face in shame.
---
Back on the field, the battle ended swiftly.
Zhao Mei and the fire boy had coordinated well and defeated the monster. Wei Lin, unfortunately, hadn't been able to help. His power simply wasn't suited for combat.
But the supervising teacher said nothing. No criticism. No scolding.
In truth, standing on the battlefield in front of a monster, even doing nothing, was already a form of training. Wei Lin hadn't run. He had faced his fear, and that counted.
After the session, Wei Lin returned to Smith's side. His head was bowed, his voice barely a whisper.
"Smith... am I useless?"
Smith glanced at him, then smiled softly.
"Of course not. You were braver than most people here today. You didn't run."
Wei Lin lifted his eyes slightly.
"You couldn't help much today, sure," Smith continued, "but that's not your fault. Your power just needs time—and direction."
He saw something familiar in Wei Lin's timid eyes. A reflection of who he had once been: self-doubting, uncertain, trapped in a cycle of worthlessness.
But now Smith had changed—and he wanted to help Wei Lin change too.
"Smith," Wei Lin said suddenly, "why is your wood power so different from mine?"
Smith looked at him silently.
"I mean… I saw what you did earlier. You created shields, walls, trees that actually fought back… That's not like anything I can do."
He looked hopeful.
"Can you teach me? Please?"
The question caught Smith off guard.
His own powers came from the Wood Release, a legacy of another world. He didn't know if it could be passed on—or even if it could be replicated by someone with a basic wood-type ability like Wei Lin's.
Still… seeing the hope in Wei Lin's eyes, Smith couldn't say no.
"I don't know if it'll work," he said honestly. "But we can try."
Wei Lin's entire expression lit up. His eyes sparkled.
"That's more than enough!"
Even a sliver of hope was everything to someone stuck in darkness.
---
[Ding! New mission triggered: Teach Wei Lin to master new wood-related abilities.]
[Reward: 100 energy points.]
A system notification appeared in Smith's mind.
Smith's eyebrows lifted.
"A mission...?"
Teach Wei Lin?
So it might actually be possible for him to pass on some version of his Wood Release?
"Or... maybe my Wood Release is fundamentally connected to this world's wood-type system," Smith speculated. "And I'm just using it in a way they've never considered."
He crossed his arms, deep in thought.
Until now, the world seemed to treat wood powers as weak and useless—mostly for agriculture or basic healing. A support role, nothing more.
But what if that perception was simply the result of limited research? Limited imagination?
"Maybe the problem isn't the power itself," Smith muttered, "but how people have chosen to develop it."
What if wood-based powers could evolve into something greater—both offensive and defensive? Something like the Wood Release he used?
Even if he couldn't become a master like the legends—Senju Hashirama, for example—there was always room to grow. Even becoming someone on Yamato's level would be worth it.
The thought lit a spark inside him.
He would teach Wei Lin.
He would prove that Wood Release wasn't just viable—it was powerful.
---
Combat training lasted the entire day.
The students were exhausted—mentally, physically, and emotionally.
As the sun began to set, instructor Sun Shuyu finally addressed the class.
"Very good," she said with a rare smile. "Today's practical training is complete. You all did well. Let's return."
Cheers erupted across the field. Tension dissolved. Even those who had struggled felt a sense of accomplishment for simply surviving the experience.
Under the guidance of their instructors, the four classes began their march back toward the city gates.
[Ding! Mission complete: Survive the first monster combat training.]
[Reward: 100 energy points. Mysterious Shop is now open!]
Another system notification echoed in Smith's head.
He grinned.
Another 100 points in the bank.
And now… the Mysterious Shop was open.
He couldn't wait to see what was inside.