Chapter 69 - 70: It Is Finally Nathaniel’s Turn!

Chapter 69: Chapter 70: It Is Finally Nathaniel’s Turn!

Unlike Gareth’s violent and forceful strikes, Tristan’s punch had created a slightly shallower indentation.

However, the ripples spread much farther.

Scores appeared on the light screen.

[Tristan Mercer]

[Strength Test: 13.0 points]

Thirteen points!

As soon as the score appeared, the eyes of everyone from the Five Top Academies lit up.

Although it was slightly lower than Gareth’s 13.5, the difference was small.

More importantly, everyone knew that Strength wasn’t Tristan’s only strong point.

Seeing the score, Gareth raised an eyebrow.

"Thirteen points."

"Not bad."

"You almost caught up to me."

Several students from Calder Academy shot him cold looks.

Gareth acted as if he hadn’t seen them.

"Don’t look at me like that."

"A difference of 0.5 is still a difference."

Tristan ignored him.

He walked straight toward the next testing station.

The Agility Test.

The black running track activated.

As soon as Tristan stepped onto it, his entire demeanor changed.

His speed wasn’t the most impressive, but his footwork was extremely steady.

Every change of direction, sudden stop, and evasion of virtual obstacles was clean and precise.

It was as if he weren’t taking a test on a high-speed running track but dodging attacks on an actual battlefield.

The test ended.

[Agility Test: 11.6 points]

Everyone from the Five Top Academies perked up.

This score was clearly higher than Gareth’s 8.4.

The smile on Gareth’s face faded slightly.

"Tch."

"Calder Academy really does teach solid fundamentals."

Next came the Constitution Test.

[Constitution Test: 12.2 points]

Another high score!

The anticipation on the faces of the Five Top Academies students grew.

A moment later, the next result appeared.

[Spirit Test: 10.9 points]

Although it wasn’t as high as the scores of Mage-class professionals, it was an excellent result for someone whose main focus was combat.

Then came the Potential Test.

[Potential Test: 14.1 points]

Seeing this score, even Garrick Dain nodded slightly.

Fourteen point one.

It was the highest Potential Test score in the entire venue so far.

The eyes of the Five Top Academies students finally showed clear excitement.

Gareth rubbed his chin but said nothing.

Finally, the Combat Test.

[Combat Test: 16.2 points]

It wasn’t as high as Gareth’s eighteen points.

But it was still an impressive result.

More importantly, when combined with his previous scores, Tristan’s total clearly surpassed Gareth’s.

The light screen began compiling the results.

[Tristan Mercer]

[Total Score: 77 points]

Seventy-seven points!

The moment the result appeared, the students from the Five Top Academies could no longer hold back.

"Good!"

"Seventy-seven points!"

"Tristan truly lives up to his reputation as Calder Academy’s top senior!"

"This is the true standard of the Five Top Academies!"

"Gareth, did you see that?"

"You scored seventy-three points, yet you were acting so arrogant!"

Smiles appeared on the faces of the Calder Academy students.

They had finally recovered some of their pride.

However, the next second, Gareth spoke in a calm voice.

"Out of dozens of people, only one has scored higher than me."

"And he’s had two more years of training than I have."

"Does that make you all so proud?"

"..."

The cheers that had just filled the room stopped.

The expressions of the Five Top Academies students stiffened.

Several people opened their mouths but couldn’t find a proper reply.

Gareth continued, shaking his head.

"Sigh."

"The Five Top Academies, huh?"

"Are your standards really this low?"

At that, everyone fell silent.

The Calder Academy students looked unhappy, but they couldn’t find anything to say.

Tristan walked out of the simulation pod.

He glanced at Gareth and spoke calmly.

"I’ll wait for you to catch up in the Training Camp."

Gareth grinned.

"Don’t worry."

"It won’t take long."

Tristan said nothing more and returned to the Calder Academy students.

Garrick Dain looked at the scores on the light screen. The appreciation in his eyes grew.

"Tristan Mercer really is impressive."

"He lives up to his reputation as Calder Academy’s top senior."

Malcolm Rook nodded.

"He’s certainly formidable."

"His score is even a little higher than mine when I first entered the camp."

A trace of surprise crossed Garrick’s face.

"Higher than yours?"

Malcolm replied calmly.

"When I first entered the Newcomer Training Camp, my total score was seventy-five."

Garrick laughed.

"It seems this batch has produced quite a few promising talents."

The tests continued.

After Tristan, several more students stepped forward.

The Five Top Academies certainly lived up to their reputation.

Their strongest students did not disappoint.

Before long, a senior student from Westbridge Academy scored seventy-four points.

A Spirit-type professional from Meridian Academy eventually scored seventy-five points, thanks to a Spirit Test score of fifteen and a Combat Test score of 15.6.

Both had surpassed Gareth.

The rankings on the light screen changed accordingly.

First Place: Tristan Mercer, 77 points.

Second Place: Meridian Academy, 75 points.

Third Place: Westbridge Academy, 74 points.

Fourth Place: Gareth Quinn, 73 points.

Looking at the rankings, the smile on Gareth’s face faded a little.

But only a little.

Nathaniel glanced at him.

"If a few more people rank ahead of you,"

"according to your wager, you’ll have to give away points, right?"

Gareth immediately shook his head.

"Impossible."

Nathaniel asked,

"You’re that certain?"

Gareth lowered his voice, and his proud smile returned.

"Brother, you don’t really think I was being reckless when I provoked the Five Top Academies earlier, do you?"

Nathaniel remained silent for a moment.

"Weren’t you?"

Gareth’s expression stiffened. He coughed lightly.

"Of course not."

"I may look reckless, but I pay attention to details."

"I already investigated the newcomers from the Five Top Academies. I know who’s strong and who’s weak."

"Only those three can rank ahead of me."

"So I’m definitely going to profit from this bet."

Nathaniel glanced at him.

Then he gave him a thumbs-up.

"Impressive."

Gareth nodded with satisfaction.

"Learn from it."

"In the High Command Training Camp, knowing how to fight isn’t enough."

"You also need to know how to calculate."

Nathaniel: "..."

Soon, the last few newcomers from the Five Top Academies finished their tests.

The results were exactly as Gareth had predicted.

No one else surpassed him.

Although a support-class professional from St. Orlan Academy scored 72.5 points, falling only 0.5 points short of Gareth, the difference was still a difference.

Seeing the final rankings, Gareth visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

After the list was complete, Garrick Dain’s gaze finally fell on the last name.

"Nathaniel Beaumont."

As his voice rang out, everyone’s attention in the testing room shifted once again.

However, most people looked rather indifferent.

Some even seemed bored.

Of course, they remembered the wager.

But how could someone who hadn’t even graduated from high school, let alone received formal university training, possibly rank ahead of them?

If someone like that could surpass them, the students of the Five Top Academies might as well give up.

Gareth patted Nathaniel on the shoulder.

"Brother."

"Give it your best."

"But don’t put too much pressure on yourself."

"As long as you surpass even one student from the Five Top Academies, that’ll be enough to make them lose face."

"Don’t worry. I’ll make sure everyone remembers it."

Nathaniel smiled.

"My goal is first place."