2026-09-02 12:29:59A young woman hesitantly raised her hand.
“I’m not going. There’s no penalty for failing the entrance exam, right? I’d rather wait here until time runs out.”
Several others immediately agreed.
Their fear was understandable.
They had already watched dozens of candidates get torn apart alive.
Knowing that death during this exam wouldn’t reduce their lifespan didn’t make the pain any less real.
Ryan counted quickly.
Out of twenty-six people, fourteen chose to stay inside the building.
That left twelve.
Marcus tapped the hilt of his sword confidently.
“Twelve is enough. With my thirty-two attribute points and Evelyn being the strongest candidate here, ordinary Blight Goblins won’t be a problem.”
Evelyn turned toward him.
“The mandatory mission and killing five Blight Goblins shouldn’t be too difficult. The unknown factor is the Goblin Warlord.”
Marcus frowned.
“I haven’t even seen the Warlord. Maybe it’s somewhere else.”
“No.”
Ryan looked toward the courtyard.
“If the mission target hasn’t appeared yet, then something probably has to trigger it.”
Several candidates turned their attention toward him.
Ryan continued.
“There aren’t many possibilities. Time, the number of candidates who die, or the number of Blight Goblins killed.”
Evelyn considered that for a moment.
“Not time. Almost half the examination period has already passed. If the Warlord only appeared after a time threshold, Blackthorn would be giving us too little opportunity to complete the second optional mission.”
“The number of candidate deaths doesn’t make much sense either,” Ryan added. “It’s too unpredictable. That leaves the number of Blight Goblins killed as the most likely trigger.”
A candidate holding a bow glanced toward the courtyard.
“The first groups barely killed anything. They just tried to break through.”
“That’s the problem.”
Ryan nodded.
“We still have enough time. Instead of rushing straight toward the Sanctuary Zone, we should finish the five-goblin mission first.”
He looked around at the group.
“If the Warlord appears, we can decide whether it’s something we can handle. If it’s too strong, we still have time to retreat to the Sanctuary Zone before the exam ends.”
The plan was quickly accepted.
There was no penalty for failing, while the Academy Credits and Merit Marks offered by the optional missions were too valuable to ignore.
Marcus finally spoke.
“Then we need a formation. Eight people have close-range weapons and four have ranged weapons. Two archers, two wand users.”
He pointed toward the group.
“We form a circle. The ranged fighters stay in the middle, while the other eight protect the outer line.”
This time, Ryan had no reason to disagree.
Marcus might enjoy showing off, but the formation itself made sense.
The others began deciding their positions.
Evelyn took a place in the middle alongside the other wand user and the two archers.
Marcus, unsurprisingly, claimed the front position.
Ryan, meanwhile, crouched a short distance away and drew his dagger again.
[Basic Dagger Mastery Lv.1: 90/100.]
Ten points.
That was all he needed.
Marcus noticed what he was doing and snorted.
“We’re about to leave, and you’re still practicing?”
Ryan raised the dagger and performed one measured slash.
“You’re going to need a few minutes to organize the formation anyway. I’m just making sure the time doesn’t go to waste.”
[Basic Dagger Mastery Lv.1: 92/100.]
Marcus shook his head as though Ryan were wasting his time.
The others didn’t pay much attention either and went back to discussing their positions.
Only Evelyn watched Ryan for a little longer than the rest.
Ryan said nothing.
He adjusted his footing, tightened his grip on the dagger, and performed another slash.
[Basic Dagger Mastery Lv.1: 94/100.]
Six more points.
If Universal Prodigy worked the way Ryan expected, he might enter that courtyard with something none of the other candidates possessed.
A skill that had already reached the next level.
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Chapter 183 - Controlling Draconic Power
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Chapter 182 - A Weapon from the Undead Workshop
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Chapter 181 - Draconic Power, Changed
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Chapter 180 - The One Who Entered Before
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Chapter 179 - Primordial Verge
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Chapter 178 - The City Beneath the Red Sun
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