After some contemplation, Lanas set his sights on Nick.
After all, Nick was a warrior.
While an archer might not counter a warrior directly, neither would they be at a disadvantage.
As long as Lanas maneuvered well, not allowing Nick to close the distance, he could easily triumph.
The battle unfolded much as Lanas had anticipated.
Though Nick had mastered an A-level talent, his strength still fell short compared to Lanas and Mike.
Other than a fleeting moment where he neared Lanas using his Charge skill, Nick found himself mostly on the defensive.
Even when Nick switched to his shield, aiming to resist Lanas’s arrows as he closed the gap, Lanas’s Mighty Bow skill shattered the shield and even inflicted a control effect on Nick.
A warrior without his shield’s protection has far less resilience compared to shield bearers or knights.
After a barrage of arrows, Nick was left dazed and was declared defeated.
Witnessing Lanas’s victory, two other S-level Talent Awakened individuals grew excited, setting their eyes on Mike and Abby.
However, both Abby and Mike, having also awakened S-level talents and being mentored by Howard, held advantages in level and equipment over the other students.
How could they be easily defeated?
After fierce battles, both Abby and Mike emerged victorious.
And as for Judy?
She is none other than the renowned Holy Maiden of the Church. The majority were well-aware of her identity and strength. Who would dare challenge her?
The challenge didn’t last long before concluding.
After witnessing several battles, the students realized that those securing top positions were indeed the elites.
They didn’t possess the confidence to measure up. .𝒎
Upon conclusion, Jack announced the rankings of the students.
Howard secured the first position, followed by Abby in the second and Mike in the third.
Lanas, having succeeded in his challenge, was fourth, with Judy securing the fifth position.
Poor Nick only managed to secure a seventh-place finish.
As for the rewards, they would be distributed once they returned to the academy.
Subsequently, mentors Jack, Wales, and Tana summoned the Dragonhawk, leading the students back.
As before, Jack led Howard’s team, riding the Dragonhawk back to the academy.
Howard, watching the receding figure of Wales, couldn’t help but frown slightly.
During this assessment, he had hoped to spend some private time with Wales, seeking clarity about the gifted skill.
Unexpectedly, throughout the entire evaluation, he never found the opportunity.
“Ha! I never expected you to be this formidable, lad. You truly plundered those students’ points,” Jack laughed heartily, unconcerned about his prior losses.
Losing a treasure but discovering a talented student was, in his eyes, a fortuitous twist!
“It was pure luck. They were caught off guard at first, and I seized the chance to ambush them. As for freezing them later, everyone bought me the time to execute my skill,” Howard replied with modesty.
After all, with the rewards already in his pocket and more to come upon their return, a touch of humility might endear him further to his teammates.
Sure enough, upon hearing Howard’s words, both Nick and Mike broke into smiles.
Jack chuckled, “Modesty is a virtue, but overdoing it is not!”
He paused for a moment before continuing, “By the way, with the talent displayed by your team, you might have a shot at the Alliance Academy Tournament. Just a heads-up — spend the next six months exploring the wilderness, train hard, and make sure you attend every activity organized by the academy.”
“In half a year, if you guys measure up, you must participate in the Academy Tournament. Not only are the rewards substantial, but it can also put you directly under the purview of the Alliance’s upper echelons.”
“Alliance Academy Tournament?”
Upon hearing this, Howard, Abby, Nick, and Mike exchanged surprised glances.
This was the first they had heard of such a competition.
“Exactly,” Jack chuckled. “This is a decision made just this year. There was no such tournament before, so you all need to give it your all! If you manage to clinch the title in the inaugural competition, the entire Alliance will remember you.”
“Thank you for the heads up, mentor,” Howard quickly acknowledged.
As for the veracity of the competition’s existence, Howard hardly cared.
Given his rapid rate of progress, in half a year, he might be on par with some of the mentors within the Holy Abyss Academy.
Competing against other students, even older ones, would seem like he was bullying them!
Having shared details of the Alliance Academy competition, Jack had little else to add.
Time, under the swift wings of the Dragonhawks, gradually slipped away.
Soon enough, under the guidance of the three mentors, the fleet of Dragonhawks landed in the training grounds of Holy Abyss Academy.
Daniel had been waiting for some time and promptly approached them.
At this point, the mentors relayed the students’ performances and rankings to Daniel.
Learning that Howard had truly cleaned out all the students, a smile graced Daniel’s face.
Next up was Daniel’s address.
He specifically brought up the matter, causing a wave of shame to wash over the students, their guilt palpable.
Despite being fellow students and expected disparities among them, the gap shouldn’t be that pronounced.
They, in their vast numbers, had been overpowered by a single team. The sheer thought of spreading such a tale was mortifying!
Once Daniel laid out the facts, a surge of resolve welled up within the students, each vowing to seek retribution.
Afterwards, the distribution of rewards commenced.
Howard and those ranked in the top ten were even ushered onto a raised platform.
The rewards brought immense joy to them, as they were bestowed with low-level, high-tier equipment, plus a skill book that matched their individual class.
Howard, being the top ranker, received a pair of LV20 Diamond-grade equipment — Galewalker Boots!
The skill book was an A-level Cryo skill book — Icy Deluge!
Furthermore, Daniel initiated the class allocation.
Given Howard’s exceptional performance, he was placed in the premier class, consisting of only fifteen students.
The remaining hundred-odd students were distributed among other classes.
“The class allocation is complete. Tomorrow morning marks the beginning of your academy journey. I hope you all have a delightful experience.”
“Dismissed!”
With the conclusion of Daniel’s speech, the students dispersed.
Just as Howard was about to leave, he noticed Wales eyeing him.
Regrettably, Wales was incredibly sharp.
The moment Howard turned his gaze towards him, Wales abruptly walked away.
After a brief hesitation, Howard let Abby return to the dormitory on her own while he quickly made his way towards the administrative office.
However, by the time Howard reached the office, Wales had vanished again.
With a sigh, Howard decided to head back to his own dormitory.
The consecutive days of assessments had worn him out, and he felt that a night’s rest was well-deserved.
As for Nick and Mike?
They had already succumbed to deep slumber, so deep that they didn’t even notice Howard’s return.
Instead of immediately resting, Howard decided to inspect the rewards granted by the Holy Abyss Academy.
[Galewalker Boots]
[Level: 20]
[Grade: Diamond]
[Equipment Attribute Bonuses:]
1. Defense value +300
2. Movement Speed +30%
3. Agility +100
4. Gale Rush: When moving, there’s a 10% chance to enter a Wind Chaser state, increasing one’s movement speed by 100% and dodge chance by 15%. This effect lasts for 30 seconds with a cooldown of 600 seconds.
Compared to other equipment, the attribute bonuses might not seem significant, but Howard knew the importance of movement speed and agility.
Especially that staggering 100% boost to movement speed — it was almost game-changing.
The only drawback was its chance-based activation and a long cooldown.
Nevertheless, once this effect is triggered, it offers substantial aid to Howard.
Without any hesitation, Howard replaced his current boots.
Then Howard shifted his attention to the Icy Deluge skill book.
[Icy Deluge (A-level active skill)]
[Level: 1]
[Effect: Harnesses the cold within a 30-yard radius, transforming it into a chilling deluge that surges in a chosen direction. Any target touched by this tidal wave of cold suffers damage equivalent to 130% of the caster’s magic attack power and is thrust into a frostbitten state. This reduces their movement speed by 70% and skill casting speed by 50% for a duration of 10 seconds.]
[Cooldown: 60 seconds]
[Mana Cost: 300]
[Proficiency: 0/100]
“!!!”
“A control effect lasting 10 seconds? This skill is remarkable.”
Reading the description, Howard’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
A 70% reduction in movement speed almost immobilizes the target, making it akin to a hard control effect.
With the addition of another powerful controlling skill, Howard was undeniably elated.
Having reviewed his rewards, the weight of exhaustion pressed heavily on Howard, and he drifted into a deep sleep.
…
The next morning, when Howard awoke and stretched lazily, he felt something beside him.
Jolted fully awake, he focused his gaze and couldn’t suppress a twitch of his lips.
Lying at the head of his bed was unmistakably a silver-white cloak!
“What the… What’s with this cloak?” .
His pupils sharply contracted as he picked up the cloak, thoroughly inspecting it, but he found nothing else.
“Could it be… Is this from Wales too? Damn… What is that guy playing at?”
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