True to her reputation as the Pope’s disciple, Judy Venus healed Mike’s injuries in just a few short breaths.
When the golden light dissipated, the flesh on Mike’s shoulder had fully healed, with not even a scar remaining.
Were it not for his torn clothing and residual bloodstains, Howard would have doubted whether Mike had been injured at all.
“Thank you, Miss Judy,” Mike said, moving his shoulder to ensure the pain was truly gone, then promptly expressed his gratitude.
Judy greeted this with a smile. “We’re teammates now, no need for thanks.”
Hearing this, both Mike and Nick broke into cheerful grins. Having a priest as a teammate was undoubtedly a cause for joy.
Only Howard continued to regard Judy with a hint of suspicion.
It was all too odd.
Normally, forming such alliances wasn’t so straightforward, even if they were classmates to begin with.
With a flicker in his eyes, Howard, not wanting to dwell on the matter, said, “Just to be clear, now that you’re part of my team, you follow my orders.”
“I understand,” Judy replied with a smile. “Even if I believe your decisions are wrong, I’ll obey your commands during battle. Only when the fight is over will I seek explanations.”
“Good to know,” Howard said, then turned his gaze to Jimmy, chuckling. “Jimmy, the first person you led us to was quite the tough nut to crack. It seems you’re quite familiar with this year’s batch of students. So, who are you planning on leading us to next?”
Hearing this, a shiver ran down Jimmy’s spine. He had a sinking feeling that Howard was on to his ruse.
Jimmy wasn’t wrong in his guess.
During the fight, Howard hadn’t given it much thought, but the moment it ended, he realized something was amiss.
Normally, even a student with an S-level talent wouldn’t be a match for Howard and his team.
Moreover, there weren’t that many students with an awakened S-level talent in this batch. Could it all be a mere coincidence?
Had Howard not needed Jimmy as a guide, he wouldn’t have merely called him out. Instead, he might have taken more drastic measures.
Jimmy, feeling the weight of Howard’s icy stare, blurted out, “It’s a misunderstanding! I truly had no idea that Maithus was that powerful! Boss Howard, I’ll lead you to the others now.”
Threatened as he was, Jimmy behaved himself this time.
The next group he led Howard and the team to was a small trio. They were all combat-focused with A-level talents.
Sadly, they were no match for Howard’s LV20 team. Their skills barely scratched the surface of Nick’s shield, and any control effects were completely missed.
This time, Howard didn’t even need to step in. Boosted by Judy’s power, Nick and Mike alone were enough to end the skirmish.
After collecting their points, Howard and the six-member party continued their hunt for new students.
At this juncture, Judy also shared information about all the students with an S-level Talent Awakening with Howard.
Among the students of this year, a total of seven had an S-level Talent Awakening.
Aside from Abby, Judy, and Mike, there were four others.
One of them was the archer they had previously encountered, named Lanas Bayley, who hailed from a significant lineage.
The last three were Maithus Cabin, whom they had already defeated, and two they hadn’t met yet: Toby Ulysses and Dietz McLaren.
The families of these three weren’t particularly renowned, which meant they weren’t equipped with abundant gear.
Maithus Cabin had only his massive sword as a weapon, which was why he couldn’t withstand Howard’s close-quarters assault.
“My God, out of the seven students with an S-level Talent Awakening this year, three are now in our team! Plus, there’s Howard with his hidden prowess. Doesn’t that make our team invincible?” Mike remarked with a grin. “Perhaps after the assessment is over, we might still team up.”
“We’ll address the future when it comes,” Judy replied with a serene expression, making Mike pout slightly.
Considering that Nick’s abilities still lagged behind the others, he chose not to interject.
On the other hand, Jimmy was on tenterhooks.
After realizing the strength of Howard and his companions, he didn’t dare act recklessly and focused on locating the other students.
Ironically, with the help of Jimmy’s talent — Psychic Probe, Howard and his team managed to locate more and more students.
This ability gave them the advantage of foresight, making battles even easier for them.
Of course, the initial group of students still trailed behind Howard’s team.
Whenever some students had their points taken, this group would immediately step forward.
First, they would vehemently condemn Howard’s unethical actions and then swiftly move to recruit the defeated.
Although these students recognized the vast disparity in strength between themselves and Howard, the sight of so many peers banding together bolstered their confidence.
Hoping to seize an opportunity amidst the chaos, they envisioned a mass attack to defeat Howard, and many readily agreed to join the growing ranks.
For a while, their group swelled in numbers.
As Howard frenziedly amassed points, this crowd voraciously recruited more students, quickly alerting the remaining students that something was amiss.
It didn’t take long for them to learn of Howard’s point-pilfering endeavors.
Although they had faith in their own abilities, witnessing so many fall prey made them wary. As a result, they prudently came together.
Excluding Lanas Bayley’s team, the other surviving students, including the two with an S-level Talent Awakening, formed a temporary alliance.
Their primary mission shifted to hunting down Howard.
At first, when Jimmy sensed Toby and his group’s presence, he thought of leading Howard their way.
However, he soon detected something amiss: nearly twenty individuals were converging. Without hesitation, he chose to be transparent.
Hearing of such a sizable gathering, Howard too promptly made a decision to retreat for the time being.
Just dealing with two S-level Talent Awakenings was already a daunting challenge.
Add to that over ten with A-level Talent Awakening, and the odds of emerging victorious seemed slim, unless Howard resorted to his SS-level skill.
With the assessment still ongoing, Howard was reluctant to seriously harm that group of students.
He decided to first pursue Lanas Bayley’s team.
Once the other students had been ambushed and their points seized, he would then confront this formidable assembly. .
Moreover, at this juncture, they were at their most vigilant and their morale was high.
If a battle ensued, it could very well lead to casualties.
After all, they were classmates.
Howard grasped the mentor’s intent and was not inclined to inflict harm.
He reasoned that after wearing them down mentally and physically, their resistance would not be as fierce.
Even with a priest on their side, combat always carried the peril of death.
Howard’s decision deeply satisfied Tana, Jack, and Wales.
Even though Howard possessed the capability to take on multiple adversaries alone, Abby and the others didn’t share that prowess.
Engaging in battle would undoubtedly come with risks.
They saw in Howard a responsibility towards his teammates; how could they not be content with that?
After all, powerful individuals were hard to find, and those with a broader perspective were even rarer.
Their aim at Holy Abyss Academy wasn’t merely to mold fighters but to cultivate leaders capable of leading their race and launching counterattacks against alien species.
Though Jimmy’s talent didn’t particularly lend itself to combat, it proved exceedingly useful.
After Howard and his team opted to avoid Toby’s group, they managed to remain undetected despite the narrowing distance between the two factions. .𝒎
In less than an hour, they once again encountered Lanas Bayley and his crew.
Upon this second meeting, the six members of Lanas Bayley’s group became visibly tense.
They had crossed paths with other students and had been courted to join forces, which is how they learned of Howard’s penchant for seizing points.
Lanas Bayley, with his haughty demeanor, had simply declined others’ invitations.
“Once again, our paths cross. It seems destiny has a sense of humor,” Howard said, stepping forward with a radiant smile.
Lanas Bayley responded coldly, “Destiny? It appears you’re after our points!”
“Oh, no, no,” Howard chuckled, “How could you call it theft? The Valley of Fierce Winds is perilous. I just fear others might not safeguard their points well, so I decided to help them hold onto it for a while.”
“A fine way to phrase ‘helping’,” Lanas Bayley remarked as he suddenly drew his bow, his eyes firmly locked onto Howard. “Perhaps, then, I should ‘help’ safeguard your points.”
Without giving Howard a chance to reply, Lanas Bayley released his arrow.
The projectile zipped through the air, aiming straight for Howard.
It was, undeniably, the right move.
With the multitude of skills Howard possessed, should he get close, Lanas Bayley’s team might be swiftly decimated.
If they could just set up their formation correctly, they had a chance at victory, especially given their superior class combinations.
At the same moment, the magus behind Lanas Bayley swiftly waved his wand, conjuring a fireball. Instead of aiming it at Howard’s group, the flaming sphere soared skyward.
Boom—
As the fireball erupted, the heavens were painted with a blazing crimson light.
Witnessing the spectacle, Howard’s eyebrows furrowed, and he exclaimed, “Are you bait?!”
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