Ben thought his actions were insignificant.
He didn't expect that Leo would be paying so much attention to him.
It was a little funny. Leo was beautiful, regarded as a goddess by many, but her cold and distant temperament kept most boys away. Growing up, very few boys dared to pursue her or even show any affection.
Ben had immediately gifted Leo the Flare-Flare Fruit — a rare treasure — making her heart flutter!
Falling in love with Ben because of this was unrealistic. However, Ben's position in Leo's heart had definitely changed. Moreover, Leo was not someone who forgot favors easily. After receiving such a precious gift, even out of gratitude alone, she couldn't ignore Ben anymore.
Therefore, when she discovered that Ben was secretly fusing the Kryptonian bloodline card, she was completely shocked.
"Ben! What are you doing?"
Leo exclaimed, the flames in her palm dissipating.
Everyone turned to look at Ben and saw he had already completed the fusion of the Kryptonian card. Behind him, a phantom figure appeared — a person with a red cloak.
This phenomenon was normal; no matter which hero talent was fused, a phantom image would appear. Everyone was used to it.
But this time, Ben's fusion caused even more shock than when Leo had displayed her fire abilities.
In their eyes, Ben had been simping: giving away a Flare-Flare Fruit to the goddess.
Especially now — since the Kryptonian bloodline card was widely regarded as useless — no one with sense would have chosen to fuse it!
Unexpectedly, Ben fused it secretly?
Although the phantom behind him looked impressive, in their eyes, it was still useless!
"Damn! Does this guy have something wrong with his brain?"
"Definitely! Otherwise, why would a normal person do something so stupid?"
"He fused the useless Kryptonian bloodline. What's he planning? Actively going to the Land of Transcendence to die?"
"I get it. He must have done it to keep Leo from feeling guilty. He's willing to sacrifice himself. Simps are terrifying creatures."
"Unbelievable! He's probably the king of simps at this point."
"Today has truly been an eye-opener."
The audience erupted in chatter.
Listening to all the discussions, Leo widened her beautiful eyes and stared at Ben.
Did this boy truly love her that much?
Willing to fuse a useless talent, risk death, just to ease her psychological burden?
It seemed unbelievable!
But the evidence was right there.
She couldn't find any other explanation for Ben's actions.
"Ben, you… I-I'm not worth you doing this..."
Leo stammered, overwhelmed by the intensity of these emotions.
As for Ben?
He didn't even look back.
He just ran away.
Ben had no interest in standing there, becoming a laughingstock. His goal had already been achieved; nothing at Chicago University mattered anymore.
So, he dashed out of the campus, eager to test the "Super Bloodline" he had just obtained.
To everyone else, though, it looked like he was fleeing out of embarrassment after his feelings were exposed!
"See! I told you!"
"I knew what he was thinking!"
"Bro, you understand him so well! Are you a simp too?"
"I'm impressed. I had planned to pursue Leo later if I could get a good Devil Fruit in the Holy Land, but now, I'm completely convinced by this guy named Ben!"
"Yeah! I definitely wouldn't have the courage to give away such a rare Natural-type Devil Fruit for a girl."
"Hey! Look at Leo! She seems moved too."
On the stage, Leo gazed at Ben's retreating back, her emotions in turmoil...
After leaving campus, Ben immediately hailed a self-driving taxi heading toward the city.
Through the car window, towering skyscrapers passed by, and occasionally, aircraft zoomed across the high sky.
Clearly, the technology in this world far surpassed that of Earth.
But at that moment, Ben wasn't interested in sightseeing.
Once inside the taxi, he summoned a holographic panel into his left vision with a thought.
It displayed:Race: HumanPhysique: 10Spirit: 11Strength: 10Agility: 10Talent: Kryptonian BloodlineSpiritual Points: 0Simple, yet satisfactory.
Considering that a normal adult male usually had stats between 10-12, Ben's values — right after coming of age — showed that he was exceptionally healthy.
The attribute panel wasn't Ben's personal golden finger; every human obtained one after experiencing the Transcendental Opportunity.
The panel served mainly to track development paths — strength-focused talents, spirit-focused abilities, or speed and physique enhancements.
Importantly, the panel could only be seen by the person themselves.
Seeing the "Kryptonian Bloodline" listed under talents, Ben's eyes burned with excitement.
"I've already bet everything on you. Don't let me down!"
He thought fiercely.
More than ten minutes later, the taxi arrived at its destination.
Ben paid the fare, stepped out of the car, and looked up.
Before him stood an upscale shop with a futuristic design.
Its name: Dream of Sunshine.
This was a "sunbath" experience store.
Humans had long adapted to life without natural sunlight.
Still, elites and scientists feared that one day the stars would vanish completely.
Thus, they continued researching light energy.
Thanks to breakthroughs from places like the Holy Land and Spiritual Realm, humanity could now simulate solar radiation with 99.99% accuracy.
Though the technology remained too immature for large-scale use, facilities like Dream of Sunshine generated research funding through public "sunbathing" experiences.
Ben was well aware of this.
It was why he had dared to trade the Flare-Flare Fruit for the Kryptonian Bloodline.
Inside this shop, he could rapidly unlock his Kryptonian potential under intense artificial sunlight.
(End of Chapter 7)