Chapter 68 - 69: Tristan Mercer of Calder Academy!

Chapter 68: Chapter 69: Tristan Mercer of Calder Academy!

In the next few tests, Gareth’s performance wasn’t quite as exaggerated.

[Agility Test: 8.4 points]

[Constitution Test: 9.1 points]

[Spirit Test: 7.8 points]

As soon as the scores appeared, someone among the Five Top Academies finally found an opportunity to sneer.

"What’s the use of high Strength?"

"His weaknesses are too obvious."

Hearing this, Gareth didn’t care at all. He simply dug a finger into his ear.

"Keep being sour."

"I love hearing it."

After saying that, he looked toward the final two tests. He thought for a moment, then walked toward the Potential Test crystal first.

The instant his palm pressed against it, the light inside the crystal rapidly brightened.

A moment later, the result appeared.

[Potential Test: 13.2 points]

Thirteen point two.

That was a strong score as well.

The final test.

The Combat Test.

Before entering the simulation pod, Gareth suddenly turned around and glanced at the students from the Five Top Academies.

"Keep your eyes wide open."

"This is where I shine."

The pod door closed.

Above the light screen, a virtual battlefield appeared.

Gareth stood in the middle of a wasteland.

Ten enemies of the same rank quickly materialized around him.7

The moment Gareth saw them, he made no attempt to test their strength.

He drew his saber.

Boom!

The ground of the virtual battlefield exploded.

Gareth’s figure shot forward like a black-and-red thunderbolt.

His first strike went straight for the Shield Warrior at the front.

The Shield Warrior raised his shield to block.

But the instant the blade struck, the shield cracked.

The virtual Shield Warrior was sent flying with a single blow.

In the next second, Gareth shifted his footing and swept his saber sideways.

The distant Archer had barely managed to create some distance when a wave of saber energy tore across the ground toward him.

Boom!

The Archer’s phantom exploded.

Nathaniel’s eyes flickered slightly.

"Ranged saber energy?"

On the light screen, Gareth barely defended himself.

He attacked without pause.

An Assassin flanked him from behind.

Gareth struck backward with his saber, cutting the opponent and his shadow to pieces.

A Mage began chanting.

Gareth stomped on the ground and charged forward, his blade tearing through the wall of flames.

A Healer retreated.

Gareth raised his hand and sent out a streak of saber energy, interrupting the healing skill with perfect accuracy.

Dominating, fierce, and relentless.

In less than three minutes, all ten virtual enemies had been eliminated.

The light screen flashed.

[Combat Test: 18.0 points]

The entire venue fell silent.

Eighteen points.

It was the highest Combat Test score recorded so far.

And the gap was enormous.

The previous highest score had barely reached fifteen points.

The system began calculating the total.

[Gareth Quinn]

[Total Score: 73 points]

The highest score in the entire venue!

Seeing the result, the expressions of the students from the Five Top Academies turned ugly.

It wasn’t just embarrassment.

They had been publicly humiliated.

Garrick Dain looked at the score on the light screen. A trace of interest appeared in his eyes.

"He’s got some skill."

Malcolm Rook spoke calmly.

"His mouth can be a bit much, but he does have the strength to back it up."

Garrick turned toward Malcolm.

"Before his first class advancement, was he really an ordinary class holder?"

Malcolm nodded.

"That’s right. He was a Berserk Swordsman, an ordinary melee class."

"But his first class advancement evaluation was extremely high. His class underwent a qualitative change and transformed into a rare class."

"Star-Shattering Heavenly Saber."

Garrick’s eyes flickered.

"No wonder."

Malcolm continued.

"Star-Shattering Heavenly Saber is powerful at both close and long range."

"Its Strength growth is also unmatched among class holders of the same level."

Garrick looked at Gareth as he walked out of the simulation pod and nodded.

"It’s not easy for an ordinary high school to produce a student like him."

Malcolm replied, "That’s why the High Command wanted him."

Gareth stepped out of the simulation pod.

He glanced at the total score on the light screen, then looked toward the students from the Five Top Academies.

The smile on his face was almost impossible to suppress.

"Geniuses of the Five Top Academies."

"Thank you for letting me take first place."

The students from the Five Top Academies fell silent.

Quite a few wore grim expressions.

They had lost on score.

They had also lost face.

Gareth was in an excellent mood as he leisurely walked back to Nathaniel.

Then he deliberately flicked his hair.

"Brother."

"How was that?"

"Was I handsome just now?"

Nathaniel nodded.

"Handsome."

Gareth froze for a moment.

Then he burst into loud laughter.

The tests continued.

Several more students from the Five Top Academies stepped forward.

But the atmosphere had changed.

After Gareth’s score of seventy-three took the top spot on the light screen, the later results seemed much less impressive.

The highest score among the next few students was only 68.3.

That left them almost five points behind Gareth.

The expressions of the Five Top Academies students grew worse with every result.

And whenever someone finished a test, Gareth would stroke his chin and offer a comment.

"Not bad."

"Too bad you’re still a little behind me."

At that moment, Garrick Dain looked at the roster again.

His gaze paused on one name.

Then he announced,

"Calder Academy."

"Tristan Mercer."

The instant those words fell, the oppressive atmosphere in the testing room shifted.

The students from the Five Top Academies raised their heads almost at the same time.

The faces of the Calder Academy students lit up.

A young man wearing black battle armor slowly stepped out of the crowd.

His build wasn’t imposing.

In fact, he looked somewhat thin.

But every step he took carried a sense of steadiness.

As Tristan walked forward, he glanced at Gareth.

His gaze was calm.

There was no provocation or anger in it.

Yet that calmness made the atmosphere even tenser.

The students from the Five Top Academies were filled with anticipation.

"Tristan Mercer is finally going up."

"Now this will be worth watching."

"Wasn’t Gareth acting so arrogant a moment ago?"

"Let’s see if he can still smile after Tristan’s results come out."

"He’s the top senior at Calder Academy."

The smile on Gareth’s face slowly faded.

He watched Tristan’s back and, for once, didn’t make a joke.

Nathaniel noticed the change.

"Is he that strong?"

Gareth nodded.

"Very strong."

His tone was unusually serious.

"He’s ranked first among all the senior students at Calder Academy."

"A genuine monster."

"He’s already completed his Third Advancement, and I’ve heard that all his Third Advancement evaluations were SSS-Rank."

Nathaniel’s eyes flickered.

That was impressive.

Gareth continued.

"I heard that when he underwent his Second Advancement, he’d already joined the frontline battlefield."

"During one battle, the enemy launched a surprise attack."

"His team was scattered, and he ended up facing two Third Advancement enemies."

"As for what happened next, he killed both of them by himself."

Nathaniel nodded.

Killing two Third Advancement enemies after only his Second Advancement.

That was an absurdly impressive battle record.

Tristan stood before the massive Strength Test drum and began adjusting his state.

Everyone understood.

In a sense, Tristan’s test was no longer just about his own performance.

It had become a battle for the reputation of the Five Top Academies.

Gareth had just scored seventy-three points.

If a student from an ordinary high school managed to suppress everyone from the Five Top Academies, then their students would struggle to hold their heads high throughout the Training Camp.

And with Gareth’s mouth, he would bring it up at every opportunity.

Therefore, Tristan had to win.

Tristan slowly raised his hand.

The next second, he stepped forward.

His fist struck the drum.

Boom!

The instant his fist landed, a deep explosion rang out.

The surface of the drum caved inward.

Then ripples spread outward in circles.