Ryan’s satisfaction after getting his first kill lasted only a few seconds.The moment he tried to raise his dagger again, the muscles in his arm felt heavy and sore, as though all the strength he had gathered earlier had been squeezed out in a single attack.Power Slash was strong, but Ryan only had three points in Vitality.If he forced himself to use the skill twice in quick succession, there was no guarantee his arm would still be able to hold a weapon afterward.So Ryan didn’t rush to look for another target.He continued moving with the formation while watching how the others fought.Some needed three strikes to bring down a Blight Goblin.Others needed four or five.Ryan began memorizing how strong each person was and estimating when a goblin had been weakened enough for him to finish it with a single attack.About a minute later, the heaviness in his arm started to fade.A candidate beside him was fighting a Blight Goblin that had already taken three sword strikes.The moment

“Don’t fight it head-on! Fall back!”Ryan was already moving away before he even finished shouting.Marcus had just been sent flying with a single blow, and that was more than enough to kill any desire Ryan had to test his strength against the Goblin Warlord.With his attributes, one hit might be enough to end his exam.Not everyone thought the same way.The ten candidates who had been heading toward the Sanctuary Zone immediately turned back when the boss appeared.They had already completed the five-goblin mission, which meant the only major reward left was standing right in front of them.“Attack together!”“Don’t give it a chance to move!”Several swords and axes struck the Goblin Warlord almost at the same time.Two arrows followed from behind.The result was disappointing.Its thick, muscular body suffered only shallow wounds, while the arrows barely managed to penetrate its skin.Ryan chose to observe from a safe distance.All the ordinary Blight Goblins had collapsed the momen

[Universal Prodigy activated.][Target: Goblin Warlord.][Copyable ability detected.][Shockwave - Rank F.][Copy successful.][Ability duration: 3 minutes.]Ryan read the notifications once before immediately turning to Evelyn. “Three minutes. That’s all the time we have. No matter what happens, aim for its head.”Evelyn frowned slightly, clearly not understanding where Ryan’s confidence was coming from, but she didn’t waste time asking questions. Her wand was already raised as Ryan tightened his grip on the dagger and ran toward the Goblin Warlord.One of the remaining candidates had just failed to escape.The Warlord grabbed him from behind and slammed him into the ground before his body shattered into light. The sight still made Ryan’s stomach turn, even though he knew everything happening here was only part of the exam.The moment Ryan entered its attack range, the Warlord’s red eyes shifted toward him.The creature swung its arm.Ryan had already estimated its reach and stepped

“Fifteen?”One instructor nearly rose from his seat when the final number was announced.The meeting room, which had previously been filled with the quiet rustle of parchment being turned, immediately erupted into noise as the twelve instructors responsible for this year’s freshman groups exchanged disbelieving looks.The Head of Admissions sat comfortably at the far end of the long table.From the beginning of the meeting, his expression had made it clear that he was enjoying their reactions.“Correct. Out of one thousand three hundred and sixty candidates this year, fifteen received an S-rank evaluation in the entrance examination.”“Fifteen is too many.” A female instructor frowned. “My year only had four.”“My group had two,” another instructor added. “To receive an S, doesn’t a student have to complete every mission and still reach the Sanctuary Zone?”“Correct.”The Head of Admissions folded his arms across his chest. “Blackthorn’s evaluation doesn’t simply check whether someone

“So what did Gareth keep you behind for?”Ryan had barely sat down when he asked the question.Blackthorn’s Grand Auditorium was so enormous that even with nearly eight hundred freshmen from twelve different groups, plenty of seats remained empty. At the front, a white stone stage stretched beneath the massive Blackthorn emblem, while rows of students in black uniforms stood nearby waiting for the ceremony to begin.Evelyn sat beside Ryan and answered without looking at him. “Nothing important.”Ryan waited a few seconds, but she clearly had no intention of saying anything else.He leaned slightly closer. “You do realize answers like that only make people more curious, right?”<