“!!!”
“Is this what a Legendary-grade equipment is like?”
“Why does it feel a bit underwhelming?!”
Howard frowned slightly.
After witnessing the effects of numerous Supreme Artifacts and top-tier items, lower-level legendary equipment didn’t seem as impressive to him anymore!
Of course, this wasn’t Howard being arrogant.
Rather, the enemies and monsters he had encountered were all above level 50, and he urgently needed higher-grade equipment.
“To get higher-grade equipment, I need to level up!”
“I can’t relax. Once I’m back at the academy, I need to venture more into the Mystic Realm. And if possible, I should explore the Ruins as well!”
Howard made up his mind and immediately began to fuse skill books.
[Ding! Congratulations Awakened Howard on a successful synthesis. You have obtained a B-level skill book — Precision Powerful Shot!]
[Ding! Congratulations Awakened Howard on a successful synthesis…]
[…]
[Ding! Congratulations Awakened Howard on a successful synthesis. You have obtained an SS-level skill book — Mighty Strike of Destructive God!]
[Mighty Strike of Destructive God (SS-level active skill)]
[Level: 1]
[Effect: Condenses the force of destruction onto an arrow, dealing 700% of your attack power as damage to a single target within 50 yards. The target enters an armor-piercing state, reducing its defense by 60% for 30 seconds.]
[Cooldown: 600 minutes]
[Mana Cost: 20000]
[Proficiency: 0/100]
In his mind, Howard visualized the Mighty Strike of Destructive God.
The arrow, shimmering with a sinister purple light, seemed capable of tearing through space as it was shot.
Upon impacting the target, it would put the enemy in an armor-piercing state.
The power of this skill heightened Howard’s anticipation for the other skill book.
However, with his current attributes, Howard could at most execute SS-level, or perhaps SSS-level skills.
Higher-level skills were beyond his reach; otherwise, purchasing larger quantities of skill books would definitely have allowed him to acquire skills surpassing the SSS-level at an incredibly rapid pace.
[Ding! Congratulations Awakened Howard on a successful synthesis. You have obtained a C-level skill book — Triple Shot!]
[Ding! Congratulations Awakened Howard on a successful synthesis. You have obtained a B-level skill book — Multiple Shot!]
[Ding! Congratulations Awakened Howard on a successful synthesis…]
[…]
[Ding! Congratulations Awakened Howard on a successful synthesis. You have obtained an SS-level skill book — Tempest of Arrows!]
[Tempest of Arrows (SS-level active skill)]
[Level: 1]
[Effect: Rapidly fires arrows like a tempestuous storm, blasting an area within 30 yards, with up to thirty consecutive attacks. Each attack deals 300% of your attack power in damage and has a 10% chance to knock back the target.]
[Cooldown: 300 minutes]
[Mana Cost: 15000]
[Proficiency: 0/100]
Compared to Mighty Strike of Destructive God, Tempest of Arrows seemed quite ordinary.
While the damage was undoubtedly significant, it lacked the armor-piercing effect.
In confrontations with stronger monsters or enemies, the ability to penetrate armor is crucially powerful.
“Sigh, when will my MP reach thirty thousand, or even fifty thousand? Then, I could buy more skill books and raise my skills to the SSS-level.”
“If I could get my hands on a bunch of city-destroying magic, whether in grinding monsters or anything else, I would be nearly invincible, wouldn’t I?”
A slight smile curled on Howard’s lips, thoroughly satisfied with his rapid growth.
Other awakened beings, even those with S-level talents, couldn’t match even a fifth of his growth rate, could they?
Gathering his thoughts, Howard held Margaret close, savoring the bliss of their tender moment before drifting into a deep sleep.
The night passed without incident.
Upon waking, Howard exchanged a few words with Margaret before swiftly heading back to Holy Abyss Academy.
Since it was class time, he went straight to the classroom where, coincidentally, Mentor Daniel was teaching Howard’s class that day.
Seeing Howard’s return, Abby and Ying Chan let out a sigh of relief, while Judy and others’ eyes brightened, their gazes filled with curiosity as they scrutinized Howard.
They were all eager to know what Howard had been up to.
Even more so, they wondered how much Howard’s strength had improved after these few days of experiences.
Daniel, with a smile, said, “Ah, good to see you back, Howard. It’s quite timely. Tomorrow, we have planned an excursion, a training expedition for a while.”
“With you around, we won’t have to worry much about the students’ safety.”
Even though Daniel wasn’t as powerful as Rick, he was a top-tier warrior and had instantly noticed the change in Howard.
His words immediately sparked whispers among the students.
In Daniel’s eyes, Howard was no longer just a student, and this perception was something the other students struggled to accept.
However, upon reflection of Howard’s demonstrated combat abilities since they had known him, they sighed and accepted this fact.
Howard asked in surprise, “Where are we going for this training?” .𝒎
“A base’s surrounding area, where the monsters are relatively dense. It’s an ideal place for practicing team combat and learning how to avoid battles.”
“The monsters there are of a lower level. With you there, even without a retreat, we should be able to ensure safety.”
Daniel didn’t inquire about Howard’s recent experiences. After discussing the upcoming training exercise, he announced the end of the class.
In an instant, numerous awakened students gathered around Howard, their eyes brimming with curiosity: “Howard, what have you been up to?”
“Whoa… do you have a top-tier family backing you? Every time you go out for training, is it just an excuse, and in reality, you have a bunch of strong people power-leveling you?” 𝘳𝑎.𝒸ℴ
“My goodness, how long has it been, and you’re almost level 35 already!”
“How come the power emanating from you feels even stronger now?”
“No wonder you’re so freakishly good. You’ve just started your first year, and you’ve already surpassed those veteran students in the Mystic Realm rankings!”
“How do I feel like, as a warrior, I can’t match your strength or agility, and you’re a magus!”
“Wait a second… Howard, why are you using a longbow? When did you class select as an archer?”
Strength in numbers indeed revealed itself in this manner.
A crowd of awakened scrutinized Howard and noticed his changes.
Upon realizing that one cannot freely change their class, they quickly understood that Howard must have obtained a hidden class!
At this moment, all the awakened students were stunned, gasping in shock, and even Howard’s roommates couldn’t hide their amazement.
Being his classmates, Howard shared some details with them, then promptly inquired about the specifics of the upcoming training exercise.
No matter how reassuring Daniel’s words were, Howard wasn’t going to let his guard down.
In this world where the strong prey on the weak, every awakened has only one chance, and Howard naturally wanted to make the most of every opportunity.
It was only after finishing conversations with his classmates that Howard found the time to talk to Ying Chan and Abby.
The difference in their interaction, having not been in close contact for a while, was quite apparent.
The attitudes of Abby and Ying Chan towards Howard, after his prolonged absence, were almost polar opposites.
It was only because Howard had already vented his emotions with Margaret that he managed to appear relatively normal.
This training exercise wasn’t considered too critical.
Even at the time of departure, Daniel wasn’t much involved, leaving the responsibility to mentors Wales and Tana.
These two mentors, one with a special relationship with Howard and the other an old friend, allowed Howard to breathe a sigh of relief.
At the very least, he anticipated this training trip to be comfortable and pleasant.
Still, with the Dragonhawk leading the way, Howard and his group journeyed swiftly through the gusting winds.
In just over three hours, they arrived at their destination.
The destination was starkly simple: just a small hill, devoid of trees to obstruct the view.
Faced with such a straightforward landscape, even Wales found it dull.
As all the students landed, he spoke listlessly, “This is near a human base. The monsters nearby are of lower levels and relatively weak. If under these conditions, you still need Ms. Tana and me to intervene, each of you will lose half of your points!”
Upon hearing this, the many awakened students held their breath, internally resolving not to call for the mentors’ help even if they encountered stronger monsters.
Having understood the importance of the Mystic Realm and points, the students considered these points as vital as life itself.
The threat of losing half their points had genuinely frightened them.
“Your task,”Wales continued indifferently, “is to protect the human base while eliminating and clearing all nearby monsters. The more monsters you kill, the more points you’ll earn as a reward.”
He added, “The people here are those who awakened their talents at an older age. Talent-wise, they certainly can’t match you, but they may join the army in the future. Try to avoid conflicts with them as much as possible. Remember, they are the ones you are here to protect!”
Hearing Wales’ words, Howard’s brow furrowed slightly. What situation was this? Had he become a nanny?
𝘦𝑎.𝒸ℴ