Lord of the Truth

Chapter 1787 Another experience

Beside the Educational Zone-

The Dawn Light Stellar Academy Planet was divided into several administrative, educational, and residential regions ~ yet most of it remained empty: vast expanses of short, multicolored grass stretching endlessly like a soft woven carpet, all connected by a long white-marble road that linked those zones together with elegant, spiral-like turns and gentle slopes.

Whenever Robin wanted to reach the administrative sector, he had to take that road, which circled the planet in a wide, almost perfect ring, and travel along it at high speed for quite a long time-long enough for the surrounding breeze to cool his face and for the scenery to blur into lines of drifting color.

But today, if he passed through the same road, he would find something entirely different waiting there-an unexpected landmark that had appeared almost overnight: an enormous site resembling a massive barn, surrounded by tall wooden walls... walls so high and reinforced that no passerby could possibly see inside, and within those wooden barriers sat a huge transparent dome meant to block any form of spying, scanning, or even divine perception. No one knew what was happening inside... but everyone, absolutely everyone, knew that Instructor Shaddad had been rarely seen leaving it during the recent period, as if the place had swallowed him whole.

Baa Baa

Jabba clapped loudly, his hands echoing through the enclosed space. ”Alright everyone, move to your positions. We want to finish todayʼs experiment quickly and go back to our quarters before the day ends.”

On one side of the barn stood no fewer than thirty individuals of varying races and sizes: humans, half-humans, and mutants-some tall and lanky, others short and sturdy, each carrying slightly different features that reflected their origins.

Their auras revealed that all of them were young, barely in their twenties, and all were weak-just barely above the level of mortals, with no real combat ability or meaningful breakthrough to boast of.

They all stood up after Jabbaʼs shout and began moving toward the center of the barn, though none of them looked particularly excited... most wore lazy expressions, some yawned, others dragged their feet as if they were heading toward another long, predictable disappointment.

”Yessir!”

”Heeh I hope thereʼs at least some progress today...”

”Can I leave already? Iʼm starving.”

”Move!” Jabba barked again, this time with a sharper, more commanding tone that echoed between the wooden walls.

But he didnʼt get angry or strike any of them. He understood them too well- truthfully, he also wanted to finish quickly and leave. The cycle had become too familiar.

Years ago, Jabba and Shaddad began attempting to merge several body-enhancement methods into a single technique: weaponisation, tattooing, and the array. Back then, full of ambition, they selected a piece of land, cleared it entirely, set everything up from scratch, then brought these youths from the Young Belt and from the Grave Empire to experiment on them.

Three long years had passed since the trials had begun, with almost a new experiment every month or every two weeks... yet all the participants were still at the exact same level. Not a single improvement, not a flicker of advancement. They hadnʼt budged at all.

After every failed test, they would be sent to small wooden cabins beside the barn, where they spent their days playing, studying, sleeping, or doing anything at all-except training. They had long lost hope of gaining anything meaningful from these experiments.

Meanwhile, Jabba and Shaddad kept returning day after day to modify the system, adjust its components, rewrite the formulas, and tirelessly prepare for a new experiment.

And today... was one of those experiments.

”.....”

Shaddad stood at the barnʼs edge, arms crossed, brows knitted tightly. His gaze toward the group moving to the center was filled with a blend of frustration, heavy pressure, and unshaken determination struggling inside him.

Even though he had dreamed his whole life of placing his first step on the path of creating something great like this-something that would carry his name into the future-now, at the decisive moment, after a series of consecutive failures that gnawed at his confidence, fear began to seep into his heart like cold water. What if this was his limit?

Thinking about it... did all those before him fail, yet he would be the one to succeed?

What was special about him other than being the teacherʼs disciple?

What made him worthy of achieving this accomplishment?

What was it that-

Bam

At that moment, the light playing over Shaddadʼs massive head was completely blocked, as if he were suddenly standing beside a towering structure. But where would a building come from in the middle of nowhere, inside an empty barn with nothing but wood and grass?

There was only one thing that could cause such a sudden shadow...:

”.....”

Shaddad slowly turned to his side, his movements heavy and deliberate, then lifted his gaze upward even more slowly, as if bracing himself for what he was about to see. Gulp. ”This isnʼt going to work, How many time do I have to say it? Didnʼt I ask you to stop standing next to me?”

At this moment, a towering giant stood beside him-a man nearly three full meters tall.

Even Shaddad, who stood close to two and a half meters and considered himself one of the tallest figures in the entire academy, had to tilt his head sharply upward, feeling for a brief moment like a small child addressing his

father.

And it wasnʼt just the height that made him imposing... his entire physique radiated an almost artistic perfection: powerful muscles tightly packed beneath smooth skin, yet arranged with such balance and elegance it felt as though some dreamy maiden sculptor had spent years crafting him.

His thick, flowing black hair draped across his shoulders like a dark waterfall, and his bold, unashamed stare cut through the air. His wild, untamed aura pulsed around him, giving the impression that he was ready-eager even-to challenge anything under the heavens.

Everything about this person inspired an instinctive sense of awe, a pressure that made those around him feel smaller, lesser in stature, value, and presence...

Even though, in reality, he was far weaker than Shaddad!

Sniff sniff

Holak lifted one arm without hesitation and began sniffing under his armpit as if this were the most natural thing in the universe. ”My scent is magnificent as always. Why donʼt you want me standing beside you, teddy bear?”

”I donʼt have time for your jokes today, Holak. Not even a little.” Shaddad tightened his thick, bushy brows, clenched his fist hard enough for his knuckles to whiten, then redirected his gaze toward the center of the barn. ”I need to focus entirely on this operation. If we fail today, it means weʼve hit a true dead end-one that could stall us for another half-century at the very least before we can attempt anything again.”

”Hey!”

Holak stepped forward with determination, planting himself directly in front of Shaddad like a wall of muscle, then reached out and grabbed Shaddadʼs chubby cheeks with both hands, squishing them mercilessly. ”Youʼre a good, lovable person with a warm heart, and you deserve all good things in this world.”

”...Thank you?!”

Shaddad mumbled with visible confusion, his eyes almost completely hidden behind the flesh of his raised cheeks. ”Can you let go of me now?”

”Mm!”

Holak nodded vigorously-so vigorously his long hair bounced-his eyes burning with an almost heroic resolve. He then stepped aside with exaggerated ceremony and pointed dramatically toward the barnʼs center. ”Now go and unleash the lion inside you! Roar and let the whooole wooorld hear your mighty spirit!”

”...Are you serious...?!”

Shaddad marched forward quickly-not out of eagerness, but simply to escape Holak before the giantʼs brain produced yet another bizarre idea.

When he finally reached Jabbaʼs side, he gestured toward the test subjects.

”Hey, Are you ready?”

”Ready!!”

From the center of the array, all participants raised their hands, their voices echoing slightly within the dome.

”Alright...” Shaddad released a long, heavy exhale-as if letting go of three years of accumulated pressure-then nodded toward Jabba. ”Now!”

”Hm!” Jabba slammed his foot onto a precise position within the enormous array etched into the ground. The structure reacted instantly, activating with a deep hum as it began channeling power from the massive Pearl pillars erected around its circumference.

At last... after endless failures... something was finally beginning to happen!