MIGHT AS WELL BE OP - Chapter 349

Chapter 349: Experience
As Anthony vanished, their faintly flickering consciousness dissolved into nothingness.

Donna, Vivian, and Evelyn stood in silent horror, their gazes fixed upon the harrowing scene before them.

The boys lay sprawled across the ground, utterly helpless, their breaths shallow and labored.

Their vital organs, the lungs, heart, and brain, clung to the last threads of life, sustained just enough to keep them breathing.

Evelyn snapped out of her stunned daze, her body moving instinctively as she soared through the air.

The moment her feet touched the battlefield, the acrid stench of burning flesh assaulted her senses, a grim reminder of the devastation around her.

She rushed to the center, where the wounded lay, her movements fluid and purposeful.

With practiced grace, her hands began to weave through the air, her mana flowing in perfect harmony.

Light element particles shimmered, drawn to her call, swirling like radiant embers.

[Light Magic: Grace Of The World]

In an instant, her entire body blazed with an intense golden radiance.

The light pulsed outward in waves, enveloping the unconscious boys in its soothing embrace.

A soothing warmth bathed their broken bodies.

Torn muscles seamlessly stitched themselves back together.

Fractured bones snapped into place with an almost inaudible crack.

Vitality surged through their veins, rekindling the life that had nearly faded.

Damaged organs throbbed back to function, their rhythm steady and strong.

Even lost hair and receded hairlines were restored, as if time itself had reversed.

Weathered skin regained its youthful luster, and every scar, every trace of suffering, vanished.

Yet, despite the miraculous healing, they remained unconscious.

“Why haven’t they woken up?”

Vivian asked as she landed beside Evelyn, concern lacing her voice.

“The pain they endured was too great”

Evelyn replied calmly.

“Their minds need time to recover”

“We should leave”

Donna’s voice echoed from above, carrying an air of urgency.

Vivian and Evelyn exchanged a glance before nodding in agreement.

With a mere flick of her will, Vivian’s mana enveloped the seven, lifting them effortlessly into the air.

Then, in a single flash of light, they vanished.

Inside a dimly lit room, Spectre, Mike, Ross, Marcus, Clement, Litt, and Arnold lay unconscious on separate beds.

Their breathing steady but their minds adrift in the void of unconsciousness.

Donna, Vivian, and Evelyn sat in silence at the far end of the room, their gazes fixed on the unmoving figures before them.

Each was lost in thought, their expressions unreadable.

Minutes stretched into hours, the stillness thick with anticipation.

Finally, Donna exhaled sharply, breaking the silence.

“How much longer do we have to wait? Don’t you have a spell to wake them up immediately?”

She asked, impatience seeping into her voice.

Evelyn sighed, leaning back against her chair.

“They should wake in a few hours. Even though their bodies have been restored to perfection, healing can only go so far. At the end of the day, the human body still follows its own process”

Hours slipped by in heavy silence.

Then, after three long hours, the stillness broke.

A muscle twitched.

Eyelids fluttered open.

With a collective grunt, they all awoke at the same time.

But before a single word could leave their lips, agony crashed into them like an unrelenting tide.

It was as if their brains had stored and accumulated every ounce of pain they had endured, waiting for the moment they regained consciousness to unleash it all at once.

They clutched their heads as the pain surged through them, a relentless message from their own bodies, reminding them of the suffering they had endured.

Yet, not a single scream escaped their lips.

Then, as suddenly as it came, the pain vanished.

Their bodies felt weightless, free of strain.

Not a single muscle ached, not a single joint protested.

They were in perfect condition, as if they had never been on the brink of death.

“I really need to get a pain-nullification skill or ability… ugh”

Litt muttered the moment the pain subsided, rubbing his temples.

Arnold let out a weary sigh as he shifted into a sitting position.

“How many times are you going to say that? You know you can’t do that, for obvious reasons”

Then, as if commanded by some unseen force, silence descended upon them.

No words were spoken.

No glances were exchanged.

Because in that moment, they all shared the same thought.

They had lost.

Utterly. Completely.

They never stood a chance.

They had the abilities.

They had the skills.

And yet…

Yet…

They had lost.

Anthony had decimated them using only one thing.

Experience.

He hadn’t overwhelmed them with a barrage of phantasmal abilities or unleashed an array of devastating techniques.

He had done the bare minimum.

And it had been enough.

They had sought to fight him.

They had thirsted for the clash.

They had longed to prove themselves.

More than anything, they had craved his acknowledgment, his approval for their efforts.

Yet…

Nothing had gone as they had envisioned.

The opportunity had come, but they had squandered it.

They simply stood no chance.

Just as he had said, there was still much to learn.

And it couldn’t be denied.

Some of them had begun to grow arrogant.

It was subtle, almost negligible.

A creeping sense of superiority that had nestled into their thoughts, making them look down on certain things they once respected.

But Anthony had sensed it.

And he had chosen to curb it before it took root.

He needed to show them a higher world.

A realm beyond their reach.

Because what he didn’t need, what he wouldn’t allow, was their growing arrogance.

Although Anthony might have seemed arrogant to others, he was not.

He was simply indifferent, calm and detached.

He never looked down on anything or anyone.

Whenever even the faintest trace of arrogance threatened to surface, memories of his first life would flash through his mind, grounding him.

Yes, he had talent.

Yes, he had resources.

But talent and resources alone were never enough.

He still needed time.

He couldn’t afford arrogance, not yet.

He could only be arrogant when he surpassed ???

But from another angle, isn’t surpassing ??? an arrogant thought in itself.

“Sigh… Even if we lost badly, at least we know now, we need to rebuild our battle experience”

Marcus muttered, exhaling as he forced himself to stop overthinking.

But even as he spoke, they all knew the truth.

Their minds were already dissecting Anthony’s every move.

His movement.

His timing.

His reaction.

His steps.

His breath.

His control.

Every detail replayed in their thoughts, burned into memory.

And like sponges, they absorbed it all, determined to understand, to grow, to close the gap.

Every action Anthony had taken was a treasure trove of knowledge.

They learned.

They consumed.

They crafted variations.

In their minds, they implemented his method into countless scenarios, refining them, testing them.

Vivian still remembered the way Anthony had manipulated ice, his effortless mastery over elemental transformation, his seamless control over mana.

It was precise. Calculated.

A flawless puzzle where every piece fit perfectly.

“Where is Anthony?”

Clement suddenly asked, breaking the silence.

“He disappeared right after”

Evelyn replied.

“But I’d guess he’s in his own building”

Without another word, Clement swung his legs off the bed and walked straight toward the door.

“Where are you going?”

Mike asked.

“I’m heading over”

Clement said simply before stepping outside.

The others hesitated.

As if the weight of their defeat shackled them in place.

But after a brief moment of silence, they could only follow.