The Scumbag's Guide To Heroism novel Chapter 205

Chapter 205: 205 | A Scumbag’s Guide to Power Point Presentations

Ren Ashida stood in the center of Field Epsilon like he’d been waiting his whole life for exactly this moment. The kid had the kind of focused intensity that made you think he probably color-coded his training schedules and genuinely enjoyed the process.

His Aspect activated without dramatic buildup or theatrical delay. One second the grass beneath his feet was normal academy-maintained turf. The next second it wasn’t.

The ground shifted. Not violently, not with the explosive force you’d expect from a combat demonstration. Instead the terrain simply decided to become something else entirely. Grass flattened into smooth stone. Dirt compacted into solid bedrock. A ring of elevated earth rose around him in a circle maybe fifteen feet in diameter, forming natural barriers that would provide cover in any reasonable combat scenario.

"Terrain manipulation," Ren said, his voice carrying the clipped confidence of someone reciting information he’d rehearsed. "I can reshape the ground within approximately a forty-foot radius. Stone, earth, sand. Anything mineral-based responds to direct command. Maximum sustained duration is roughly twelve minutes before fatigue becomes a significant factor."

Steele watched without expression. Her tablet remained at her side, untouched. Whatever evaluation she was conducting happened entirely behind those assessing eyes.

"Combat application?" she asked.

Ren’s jaw tightened slightly. The elevated barriers around him shifted, reshaping into something more aggressive. Spikes of stone erupted from the central platform. The smooth surface developed treacherous angles designed to throw off balance and footing. Within seconds his demonstration area had transformed from a defensive position into a kill zone.

"Area denial. Environmental control. I can destabilize enemy footing while maintaining my own stability. Create obstacles. Eliminate cover. Force opponents into predetermined engagement zones."

"Offensive capability?"

A pillar of compressed earth shot from the ground fast enough that I actually tracked its movement with genuine interest. It punched upward maybe eight feet before stopping, the tip sharpened into something that could definitely ruin someone’s afternoon if they were standing in the wrong spot.

"Limited but present. The constructs require time to form at combat-relevant density. Speed is my primary weakness."

Steele nodded once, a single decisive motion. "Reset the field and step back."

Ren complied with the same silent efficiency he brought to everything else. The stone platforms smoothed back into grass like water settling after a disturbance.

The barriers sank into the earth as though they’d never existed, swallowed by the ground that had produced them. The spikes dissolved. The treacherous angles flattened. The entire weaponized architecture he’d constructed simply unmade itself at his command, responding to his will with the same precision it had followed when he’d built it.

Within thirty seconds Field Epsilon looked exactly the same as it had before his demonstration started, pristine grass and afternoon sun with absolutely no evidence that the ground had briefly transformed into something that could kill you if you stepped wrong.

The only proof that anything had happened at all was the faint sheen of exertion on Ren’s forehead and the way his breathing had gone slightly deeper than baseline, both subtle enough that you’d miss them if you weren’t paying attention.

"Belmont, Lukas."

My turn.

I walked toward the center of the field while my brain ran rapid calculations about exactly how much capability to demonstrate. Too little and Steele would flag me for remedial attention I didn’t want. Too much and questions would start about how an Unmarked applicant with a mid-tier telekinetic Aspect could produce results that contradicted his registration paperwork.

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