There can't be a Harvest Moon in the RimWorld.

But Gray's eyes were free of all distractions, revealing only a pure and unadulterated will.

Whether Batman is real or fake is irrelevant, but I will inherit his will. Wasn't it you who told me about his will?

"........."

This young man's rebellious syndrome has turned into a form of chuunibyou (middle school syndrome), so it should be considered cured, right?

Chapter 37 Competition

“Gray, you should really think about this. The path of Batman is difficult. Do you want me to tell you the stories of Iron Man, Spider-Man, and Mad Fuck Man to give you some options?”

"No need, Marcus, I've already made up my mind."

"Have you ever thought about how to become Batman?" I tried to remind him of the difficulty, that it's a path that can end in an instant.

I don't want Gray to actually go out and do good deeds, only to get beaten to death one day.

But Gray said confidently, "I have his fighting skills and willpower. All I need is equipment as amazing as his."

"Martial arts?" I asked.

"I have been learning various martial arts since I was a child."

Gray ran to a large rock by the roadside, stretched out his hand to form a chop, and then quickly chopped it down, splitting the rock in two.

Then he walked to a maple tree and easily climbed to the top of the four- or five-meter-high canopy.

"How about that? Is it okay now?"

…………

This is a big problem. I thought he was just acting on a whim, but I didn't expect him to actually have a real talent for it.

No wonder Sebala beat him so badly he could fly through the air and disappear into the ground, yet he was still full of energy.

But if we can't break his confidence now, things will get complicated when Sebala comes back in a couple of days.

"Hmph, you're far from being good enough!"

I pretended to be dismissive and said to him.

“Let’s make a bet. If you can beat me in three projects, I’ll fully support you as Batman’s successor. If you lose, you’ll be my butler, just like Alfred, in charge of logistics.”

They won against Bruce Wayne but lost to Alfred; that makes perfect sense.

"What kind of competition? If you're talking about farming or mowing, I'm not going to compete with you."

Gray looked disgusted, as if I was deliberately trying to trick him.

Do they really think I'm just an ordinary farmer?

"We'll compete in strength, marksmanship, and equipment manufacturing. What do you think?"

I spoke to him very seriously.

"Batman possesses the greatest human strength and can take down criminals with a single blow."

"He is also able to use ranged weapons, including bat darts and rope guns."

"He is also a top-notch equipment manufacturer, capable of precisely upgrading his armor to suit different enemies."

"So how about we have a competition in these three areas? If you can't even beat me in these three areas, then you might as well give up now."

The boy's competitive spirit was immediately ignited, and Gray looked at me with great confidence.

"Then let's have a competition. I won't lose!"

"The first item is strength."

When we arrived at the ranch, we found stones of all sizes, making it a perfect testing ground.

"You choose one?" I glanced at Gray. Given his size, he could probably only lift a rock weighing eighty or ninety kilograms overhead. Compared to my near-human strength...

"This one."

Gray nimbly walked to a rock that could completely block his way, grabbed the two corners, and suddenly exerted force on the rock.

I hadn't even reacted yet. After all, this rock looked to weigh at least half a ton. Gray was so eager to win; this was simply impossible...

"it's your turn."

Gray gritted his teeth and stomped two deep footprints in the ground, but he actually managed to lift the half-ton rock by gritting his teeth.

"Bang!" After holding it up for five seconds, he threw the stone down forcefully, patted the powder off his hands, and said to me.

"........."

What's going on?! Is this even human?!

I don't think Batman suits you!

Let me tell you a story about the Hulk!

"Hmph, you win this round."

I quickly concealed the surprise on my face and adopted a calm and composed demeanor, befitting a master.

"..." This time, it was Gray's turn to question me silently with a look of disdain.

Young man, you're too naive. I don't feel embarrassed at all!

"For the next test shot, I have a bow here, the most primitive kind. We'll shoot at this target five meters away."

I took out the short bow I used for training yesterday from the house and stuffed five featherless arrows into his hand.

"It's very difficult to control the accuracy of an archer like that. Hand tremors, wind strength, and the direction of the arrow's trajectory can all seriously interfere with the shot. You have to aim carefully before you shoot..."

I stood at a distance and drew a mark on the tree trunk to indicate where he should shoot.

Before he finished speaking, Gray had already accurately raised the bow. With his half-ton arm strength, drawing the bow would not be a problem, but archery is not as simple as just having strength; it requires ample experience...

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

"boom!"

I only saw Gray nock and release the arrow with fluid grace, and then the next featherless arrow was placed on it again. Five arrows flew out in succession like a string of pearls, striking the tree trunk one after another like shooting stars chasing the moon.

The first four arrows firmly occupied the center of the target, while the last arrow was disrupted by the dense barrage of arrows, deviating from its course and flying away from me with great force from the pasture.

"........."

"Sorry, Marcus, I didn't mean to aim at you," Gray said apologetically.

I know you didn't mean it, otherwise I would have been a sitting duck.

"I am coming."

Gray stood aside, handed me the bow and arrows, and prepared to watch my performance.

I stood five meters away, my gaze fixed on the tree trunk, and then naturally gave the order to attack.

"Select attack target: tree trunk".

"Select attack target: tree trunk".

"Select attack target: tree trunk".

"Select attack target: tree trunk".

"Select attack target: tree trunk".

"Successful judgment *5"

The order was carried out swiftly.

Gray only saw that I seemed to relax completely, with no unnecessary tremors in my joints, and I easily released five arrows.

If there's anything different, it's that my shooting sequence was a bit stiff, like I was just awkwardly combining several separate actions and then applying a fast-forward effect.

The result surprised him even more.

He initially thought this person was just a stubborn guy, but he never expected him to be so skilled in archery.

The five arrows were neatly embedded in the tree trunk, the distance between them as if measured with a ruler, with not a single extra gap.

"All in! Marcus!"

Gray announced the results with great enthusiasm.

Only then did I walk over, completely satisfied.

"Now you know, although you have a slight edge in strength, I'm very experienced in shooting."

I immediately began to crack down on him; if I didn't teach him a lesson, he really would go and start acting as a vigilante.

But Gray seemed not to hear me and spoke to me earnestly.

“Marcus, the last competition, equipment manufacturing, might not be fair to you. Although my grandfather didn’t teach me how to forge weapons, I still have some experience growing up in a blacksmith’s shop.”

"Would you like to switch to another project?"

(#-_-)┯━┯.

This young man still has some conscience; he actually offered to switch projects, but...

"No need. I also have some experience in forging. This way, we can compete fairly."

"However, I don't have enough equipment and materials for this project, so let's do it at the blacksmith's shop."

Chapter 38 Forging

"Give up, you can't beat me at forging!"

Gray stood in front of the forging table and said coldly.

Before him lay the complete set of equipment for Sebala's beloved forging platform. The charcoal in the furnace was now burning red-hot and bluish-green, and the blast furnace pipes were involuntarily radiating heat outwards.

Inside the furnace, an iron ingot that had just been thrown in had melted into molten iron, bubbling continuously and exuding an inexplicable sense of power.