This level of power meant nothing to Liam. He didn't even bother dodging as the icy mist swallowed him whole, his figure quickly disappearing into the dense white fog.
"Haha! I'm going to freeze you into an ice sculpture!"
Bobby laughed, his confidence surging as he saw Liam completely engulfed. He pushed harder, pouring more power into his ability as another wave of freezing mist rolled forward, layering over the first until the entire area turned into a blur of white.
From the outside, Liam was completely obscured, his silhouette gone as if he had already been frozen solid.
Rogue and Clarice stood nearby, their expressions tightening with worry as they stared into the fog, unable to see what was happening inside.
Then, without warning, the ice mist around Liam suddenly dispersed.
It vanished as if a strong gust of wind had blown straight through it, clearing the air in an instant and revealing him standing there completely unharmed.
"How is that possible?" Bobby's eyes widened, disbelief written all over his face as he stared at the empty space where his attack should have been.
"There's nothing impossible about it," Liam said calmly, a faint smile tugging at his lips as he stepped forward. "Your ice? At best, it's a little cooling."
With vector manipulation, deflecting something like frozen mist was effortless. He could redirect the force entirely or simply control the surrounding air currents and disperse it. Either way, Bobby's attack never even came close to being a threat.
"Don't come any closer!"
Bobby's voice rose, a hint of panic creeping in as his most reliable ability proved completely ineffective. He thrust his hands forward again, releasing an even larger surge of icy mist in desperation.
The cold spread rapidly, thick layers of frost forming across the ground as the air turned sharp and biting.
But it didn't matter.
Liam slipped his hands casually into his pockets and walked straight through the mist without slowing down, his steps steady and unhurried as if he were strolling through a light breeze instead of a freezing assault.
In the blink of an eye, he was already standing in front of Bobby.
Then he lifted a single finger and pressed it lightly against Bobby's chest.
Boom!
"Ah—!"
A violent force erupted instantly.
Bobby felt it hit him like a hammer, a crushing surge of power bursting from the point of contact. His body lifted off the ground as he screamed, thrown backward through the air before slamming hard onto the ground several meters away.
The entire scene fell silent for a split second.
The surrounding students stared, stunned, their earlier skepticism completely shattered. What they had dismissed as exaggerated rumors was now undeniable.
He really had defeated Bobby with just one finger.
"The teacher's here!"
Someone in the crowd shouted, breaking the tension.
Sure enough, Storm was already approaching, her expression serious as she took in the scene—Liam standing calmly, Bobby sprawled on the ground, still groaning in pain.
Her brows furrowed slightly.
"Why are you fighting?"
Liam simply shrugged, offering no explanation.
Rogue and Kitty immediately stepped forward, quickly explaining what had happened. Their voices overlapped slightly as they laid out the sequence of events, making it clear who had started it.
After listening, Storm's expression softened just a little as she understood the situation.
"So he provoked it first," she said, glancing briefly at Bobby before turning back to the others. "You boys, take him to the infirmary."
A few students moved quickly, helping Bobby up and supporting him as they prepared to leave.
At that moment, Liam's gaze flickered slightly.
What would he get if he signed in with Bobby?
The thought came naturally.
Without hesitation, he made his decision.
[Host, do you wish to sign in with Mutant Iceman, Bobby Drake?]
"Yes."
[Ding! Sign-in successful. Congratulations to the host for obtaining the super ability 'Freezing Control' with 100 experience points.]
Freezing Control.
Liam's eyes lit up slightly as he processed the result. This wasn't just Bobby's basic ice generation—it was something far more advanced.
Bobby could create ice from nothing, but Liam's version went beyond that. He could freeze anything instantly, pushing temperatures toward absolute zero.
At its peak, it could lock down not just matter, but even space and motion itself.
The upper limit of this ability was easily on par with vector manipulation.
He glanced at his system panel.
[Host: Liam Hayes]
[Super Abilities: Vector Manipulation, Spatial Teleportation, Freezing Control]
[Super Ability Level: Lv.3 (Level 3 Mutant)]
[Experience: 1000/2000]
Another 100 experience points gained.
At this rate, he only needed eight more successful sign-ins to reach Level 4.
The thought alone was enough to lift his mood even further.
"Liam."
Storm's voice pulled him back to reality.
She looked at him with a faint headache creeping into her expression.
"Even if Bobby started it, you went too far. Your punishment is cleaning up the fallen leaves on the training field."
The academy rules were clear—private fights weren't allowed. Regardless of who started it, both sides were still at fault.
"Sounds good."
Liam accepted without hesitation. He was in too good a mood to care about something like that.
"Wes, we'll help you!"
Rogue spoke up immediately, with Kitty and Clarice stepping forward right behind her.
After all, they had been involved in this situation from the start.
Liam didn't refuse. With the four of them working together, the task was finished quickly, the scattered leaves cleared away in no time.
When they returned to the classroom, the atmosphere had changed.
The way the other students looked at Liam was completely different now.
Before, when he defeated John, people still believed it might have been luck or exaggeration.
But now, after watching him take down Bobby so effortlessly, no one doubted it anymore.
If anything, there was a trace of fear in their eyes.
…
In Professor X's office, Storm was giving her report.
"I didn't expect Liam to injure two students in a row right after gaining his abilities," Scott said, frowning slightly as he crossed his arms.
Before he could continue, Jean cut in.
"That's not his fault. John and Bobby were the ones who started it."
Scott paused, then sighed quietly. With Jean stepping in like that, there wasn't much he could argue.
"Professor, what do you think?" Storm asked, turning toward Xavier.
"It's fine," Professor X said with a gentle smile. "I can tell he's a very composed child. He won't act recklessly."
"That's true," Storm agreed with a nod. "He's been very low-key since arriving."
"Then let's leave it at that," Professor X concluded calmly.
To him, this was nothing more than a minor conflict between students—something that happened often at the academy. With everyone possessing abilities, occasional injuries were inevitable.
…
At the same time, in the infirmary, John lay on his bed when he saw Bobby being brought in and placed beside him.
His expression froze for a moment.
After asking what happened, his face darkened instantly.
"That guy again?" he muttered, clenching his teeth. "No way he beat me fair and square. He must've caught me off guard."
He refused to accept the loss, convincing himself it had been a cheap shot.
"When I recover, I'll make him pay."
Bobby, still groaning from the impact, didn't respond at all. He was in no condition to argue, his focus entirely on the pain still pulsing through his body.