Chapter 106: There’s or mine (II)

His gaze shifted toward the five cobalt-colored knives hovering around him. They circled his body in a loose formation, their movements precise and fluid. Whenever one drifted away to attack, the others adjusted their positions, maintaining a protective perimeter around him.

A faint smile appeared on Jackson’s face....

"Choosing Meteor Climbing Stance was the best decision I could have made."

Over the past few hours, as his spiritual force continued to grow through repeated battles, his mastery of Meteor Climbing Stance had improved alongside it.

Without even realizing when the breakthrough had occurred, he had finally mastered the first part of the technique. His spiritual force could now be divided into five distinct strands, each capable of controlling a combat knife independently.

Five knives. Five invisible extensions of his will.

With them, he could attack from multiple directions, intercept incoming projectiles, and defend himself without relying solely on his physical movements. Even enemies hiding beyond his immediate field of vision were no longer as troublesome as before.

But that wasn’t all.

Jackson’s eyes narrowed slightly as another thought crossed his mind.

"At my current level of mastery, I should finally be able to use the ultimate offensive technique of Meteor Climbing Stance."

Although he had only achieved partial mastery of the first part, he had already begun to grasp the foundations of that powerful attack. However, the technique’s true potential would only become apparent once he completely mastered the entire first part.

For now, he would have to settle for what he could accomplish.

His gaze shifted toward the distance, settling on a massive goblin tower rising above the forest canopy.

It stood several hundred meters away, its crude wooden walls reinforced with thick logs and scraps of metal. From this distance, Jackson could make out numerous openings along its exterior, though he couldn’t tell how many goblins were concealed within.

Based on what he had observed, he estimated that at least a hundred goblins were hiding inside.

Yet despite the tempting number of monster cores waiting to be collected, Jackson had no intention of approaching it recklessly.

His expression grew solemn as he studied the surrounding terrain.

He could sense danger lurking around the tower. The goblins had prepared traps throughout the area, and the structure itself was likely filled with more. Some might be crude physical traps, while others could involve methods he hadn’t encountered before.

Whatever their nature, he had no intention of discovering their effects with his own body.

After losing their stronger fighters and realizing they couldn’t defeat him through direct confrontation, the goblins had changed their tactics. Rather than continuing to throw their lives away in futile attacks, they had begun luring Jackson and the other participants toward the tower.

It was an obvious trap.

And Jackson had survived this long precisely because he knew better than to walk blindly into one.

...

Inside the observation room, the professors sat in stunned silence as they watched Jackson’s performance.

Their perception of the young man had undergone a complete transformation.

There was no doubt about it anymore. Jackson Von Maximus was the biggest dark horse of this assessment.

Whatever doubts they had harbored earlier had vanished after witnessing his battle with Veronica Green Soul.

Veronica was no ordinary student. She was a recognized genius whose talent had placed her among the academy’s most promising first-years. Her ability to manipulate the flow of battle made her especially dangerous, even against opponents who possessed superior physical attributes.

Yet Jackson had defeated her with such ease that the entire encounter seemed almost absurd.

He hadn’t overwhelmed her through brute strength. Instead, he had observed the limitations of her ability, exploited the opening she left behind, and ended the fight before she could react.

It was a display of judgment and combat awareness that even some experienced Awakened would struggle to replicate.

The professors who had previously questioned Professor Niom’s judgment were now leaning forward in their seats, their eyes fixed on the screens. Some even replayed Jackson’s battles repeatedly, hoping to identify the details they had missed during the initial viewing.

Not a trace of embarrassment could be found on their faces.

Apparently, professional pride was remarkably flexible when someone else’s success offered a new opportunity to discover a promising student.

Professor Niom, meanwhile, looked as though he had personally discovered Jackson’s talent and dragged it into the world by force.

His chest was puffed out, and his chin was raised so high that his nose seemed determined to reach the ceiling.

Still, beneath his smug expression, he couldn’t help wondering what decision the academy would make regarding Jackson.

The boy’s performance had far exceeded his expectations. Whatever potential Niom had seen during the entrance examination, it was becoming increasingly clear that Jackson possessed far more than he had initially suspected.

Before he could dwell on the matter further, a discussion broke out among the professors.

"Considering the situation, the assessment should be nearly over," one professor remarked, gesturing toward the screen displaying the goblin tower. "Even Jackson will have to give up on that target. The goblins have prepared too many traps, and there are still at least a hundred of them inside."

"Agreed. Charging into that place would be foolish. He has already collected more monster cores than anyone else. There’s no reason to risk his life for a few more."

"Then we should start discussing his reward. Regardless of what happens next, he’s already established himself as the strongest participant in this assessment."

Several professors nodded in agreement.

By this point, Jackson had accumulated an overwhelming number of monster cores. Even students who had spent the entire assessment hunting goblins couldn’t match his total.

Unless something unexpected happened, he was the undisputed victor.

Only Dean Maxwell remained silent.

His eyes stayed fixed on Jackson’s figure, and a faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

For some reason, he had a feeling the young man wasn’t finished yet.

And if his instincts were correct, the next few minutes might prove considerably more interesting than the professors expected.

While they waited for Jackson to make his next move, the other contenders gradually began returning to the area.

Alexander Drag arrived first among them, followed by Angela Northwind. Jonathan Spark appeared soon afterward, accompanied by members of the Black Rose Hunting Organization, while Grace also made her way toward the gathering.

The moment they reached the vicinity, their attention was drawn to the massive goblin tower looming in the distance.

They studied its imposing structure, noticing the crude fortifications and the suspiciously quiet surroundings.

Then, almost simultaneously, their gazes shifted toward Jackson.

He stood alone amid dozens of goblin corpses, his clothes stained with blood and his weapon still in hand. The bodies stretched across the devastated ground around him, bearing silent testimony to the slaughter that had taken place.

For a moment, nobody spoke.

They had all entered the portal with the same objective: kill goblins, collect monster cores, and secure a high ranking.

Yet as they looked at the scene before them, a question surfaced in each of their minds.

Just how many goblins had Jackson killed to create a battlefield like this?