Diga stood in place, his left hand across his chest, right hand raised, gathering energy for another Light Ring. As he charged, he moved his legs, sprinting towards the test pillar. "Hmm?" Everyone on the field, including Instructor Ace, was perplexed. No one had ever seen someone charge into melee range during a ranged skill test. Weren't they afraid the skill's explosion might injure themselves?
While they were stunned, Diga had already reached the pillar, his right hand's Light Ring fully charged. He then slashed down hard, the cutting edge of the Light Ring making close contact with the pillar, creating a neat cut from top to bottom. The Light Ring sliced all the way down before hitting the ground beneath the pillar, which was designed to absorb high impacts, causing the energy to disperse.
With a boom, the Light Ring exploded in Diga's right hand. Diga turned to face Instructor Ace, the entire audience silent, some gasping in shock. This guy was ruthless, ready to split his enemies in half and just as harsh on himself, showing no fear of the explosion.
But they misunderstood; Diga's hand was in pain, hot and throbbing. Yet, driven by pride, he couldn't let it show for more than three seconds, so he bore the pain, calmly waiting for the evaluation.
[Ace's Favorability +5] [Taiga's Favorability +3] [Zero's Favorability +5]
Oh, what a surprise gain! This made Diga feel his hand pain less, having boosted the favorability of three Ultramen at once, a truly explosive outcome.
Ace glanced nonchalantly at Diga's trembling right palm, clearly seeing the young Ultraman's restraint, before asking, "Why choose this approach?" Accompanying his question was a system notification:
[Ace's Favorability +10]
Hmm? There's more, a fifteen-point increase this time, much better than the slow gains with Taro. Diga replied, "I'm not skilled in Ultra Will, so I had to choose this method for a stable cut!"
Hearing this, the crowd's surprise turned into disdain, mocking Diga's lack of Ultra Will. Only a few, like Little Dream and Liberte, didn't react, not minding at all, while Zero's opinion shifted seeing Diga endure the explosion up close.
As for Taiga, he was just happy Diga wouldn't have to stay behind for extra practice... Upon hearing the crowd's scorn, Diga hadn't reacted when Ace turned and sternly rebuked them: "What's so funny? Every Ultraman has their weaknesses. Is showing a weakness grounds for mockery? He did the right thing. In battle, will an enemy hold back because you can't perform a certain move? Should you give up attacking because you can't perform a certain move? You all should learn that not every move works in battle; the key is how you adapt to make your strategies effective."
The Ultramen fell silent, some lowering their heads in reflection. Diga couldn't help but admire the high level of enlightenment among the Ultramen of the Land of Light.
"Those who haven't completed the test, stay and practice the Light Ring skill 500 times, compressing energy to your limit each time. The recording crystal is watching; no slacking. The rest of you are dismissed. Diga... come with me!" Ace commanded.
Some Ultramen left happily, having passed the test, while the rest groaned and stayed behind to practice against the fixed test pillars. Diga followed Ace to the teachers' office.
It felt like being called to the principal's office after class for misbehaving... The teachers in the office also gave him odd looks, strengthening this déjà vu. "You're not from the Land of Light, are you?" Ace inquired, noting the purple patterns on Diga.
Diga, resembling Tiga closely as they were brothers, had slightly different tattoos, but both featured a mix of red and purple. "Yes, I'm from the light of Orion, but I've lived on Earth!"
The mention of "Earth" drew the attention of the other teachers in the office, but Ace's reaction was subdued. His thoughts and bonds remained on Earth's satellite, the Moon.
"It seems you haven't had systematic training, so you lack Ultra Will. These foundational courses are meant for enlightenment and aren't covered in regular classes. So, after class, come to the office for extra lessons with these teachers. Let me introduce you to Sem Ultraman, a master of Ultra Will..."
Do all those with the surname 'Sem' excel in telekinesis? Diga looked in the direction of the voice to see someone with a distinctive crest, confirming his innate skill.
Extra lessons after class were not what Diga wanted, but what could he do for favorability's sake? He could only nod and bow slightly to Sem: "Then I'll be in your care!"
"Of course, of course. As Eddy teacher said, 'What was it again?'" Sem looked towards Ace.
Ace turned away, refusing to engage, unable to remember. But Diga knew: "Are you referring to, 'A teacher, by conveying knowledge, instructing, and resolving doubts'?"
"Exactly, exactly. You truly understand Earth's deep culture!" Sem gave him a thumbs-up.
[Sem's Favorability +6]
Ah, so even lesser-known Ultramen have favorability ratings?
Ace stood up: "I'm busy; this student is now your responsibility..."
Sem nodded: "Don't worry, I'll ensure my understanding of telekinesis is fully imparted to him, making his progress leap forward!"
"Cough, cough," Diga was speechless at Sem's misuse of idioms: "Did you mean 'to teach everything one knows, making rapid progress'?"
"Right, right, right, that's it. See, you're culturally more refined..."
[Sem's Favorability +5] "Cultivation..."
[Sem's Favorability +2]
Wow, this teacher's favorability was surprisingly easy to boost, just by correcting his errors.
Even Ace was speechless at Sem's blundering in front of the student, lacking any semblance of a teacher's dignity: "You two might as well learn from each other. I'm off!"
Once Ace had left, Sem dragged Diga to the telekinesis training field, engaging him in conversation along the way: "By the way, do you know of a story from Earth called 'Three Countries at War'?"
"Do you mean 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms'?"
"That's the one! I've heard other Ultramen from Earth say it's good, but I've never heard it myself. Can you tell it?"
Well, storytelling wasn't Diga's forte, but faced with Sem's eager anticipation, he began to narrate a simplified version involving a conflict between Zhang Fei and Guan Yu, resolved by Liu Bei's intervention.
"Wow, so Liu Bei was the best fighter, right? Otherwise, how would he dare to break them up?"
Diga was at a loss for words, wondering how to explain. After some thought, he said: "No, it's because the two fighters were so focused on each other they didn't notice him intervening. He suggested that since both were heroes, there was no need for conflict. They went for a drink, hit it off immediately, and became sworn brothers on the spot!"
"Sworn brothers? Which one of them was a woman?" Sem continued to inquire.
"Ah, the 'surname' here doesn't refer to gender but to family names. It's like Ultraman brothers, not born from the same mother but still calling each other brothers."
Sem nodded in realization: "You explain so clearly!"
[Sem's Favorability +20, reaching a friendly level of acquaintance with Sem, acquiring Sem's skill, Telekinesis Mastery (Beginner)]
Oh, what a pleasant surprise, to learn just like that?