For an entire month, aside from training at the Combat Institute, Thora either checked the institute rankings or stayed holed up in Nine Tower. The Combat Institute offered over a dozen subjects, and she had basically gotten the hang of all of them. In fact, once she fully grasped the essence of any combat techniques, the rest of the techniques naturally linked together. What she needed to do now was to fully unleash her potential through intensive study and combat training. Because of her formidable strength, more and more students had started following her. Today, Thora had just beaten the second floor of Nine Tower and stepped onto the third. Before her first fight on the third floor even began, people were already crowding around to watch.Ryan and Tristan were both present. They knew Thora hadn't come to the third floor to mess around. She was here to crush opponents. In Nine Tower, the real battles between top fighters started on the third floor. The higher the floor, the fewer people could keep going. Since entering the tower and starting the challenges, Thora still hadn't run into any ability users. Lance had mentioned that he stayed on the ninth floor, but she didn't know whether ability users were up there or not. The seating area wasn't large, and Nine Tower usually wasn't crowded. This time, though, it was packed and buzzing with excitement. Someone had already organized bets, with stakes mostly involving chores like washing clothes for the winner. Life at the military academy wasn't exactly fun, so everyone was especially fired up."In this match, the strongest newcomer, Thora, will face a powerful fighter about to reach the fourth floor—Dove!" As soon as the referee announced it, the crowd exploded with noise. In the stands, Tristan crossed his arms and said flatly, "That's the guy Shirley stabbed last time." "Did Boss actually come up here to get revenge for Shirley?" Ryan finally realized. Tristan shot him a chilly look. "You're only figuring that out now?" Ryan scratched his nose, feeling awkward. "That girl really is spoiled." He couldn't help feeling a bit jealous. Tristan snorted. "She gets away with it because she's young and a girl. If I were a girl, Boss would spoil me too." Ryan shivered. Hearing something like that from a big, rough guy was creepier than seeing a ghost. He gave Tristan a thumbs-up. "Man, I didn't see that coming. You're something else."Tristan wanted to curse, but he held it back because of where they were. Then he added abruptly, "Relax. You'll never get that kind of treatment." Ryan's expression instantly darkened. At that moment, Thora and Dove stepped onto the platform. Thora's figure was tall and lean. The second she stood there, all eyes fixed on her. Tristan and Ryan dropped the jokes and focused, ready to watch seriously. "Do you know what real textbook-level combat looks like?" Tristan suddenly asked with a smile. Ryan raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue. "You're about to see it," Tristan said, eyes locked on Thora. Ryan frowned. He'd seen Thora fight on the island, against those two from the thief syndicate, and even in Apocalypse. But he'd never seen her truly go all out.His respect for her had started back on that island. And "textbook-level?"? He'd like to see that. "So you're the newbie everyone is talking about?" Dove stared at Thora, clearly on guard. She glanced at his hand. The wound was almost healed. For torn meridians to recover that fast showed just how advanced the academy's medical tech was. She didn't respond and only rotated her wrists to warm up. Dove was known for being arrogant and loved playing mind games. Even though he was cautious of Thora, he still put on a tough front and tried to crush her confidence. "Do you think the third floor is like the first two? Brat, today I'll knock out your teeth and make you crawl and beg!" His sharp face looked vicious enough to make people uneasy.Thora had already settled into her stance, like a leopard ready to pounce. She replied coolly, "I don't know about begging, but I do know villains usually die from talking too much." Dove was furious. He sneered as his cyan wolf power burst out, charging straight at Thora with his dagger.