Chapter 83: Conversation

"So, it’s finally time..."

Jackson stared at Veronica’s message, a complicated expression crossing his face.

He had known this day would eventually come. After all, he had deliberately postponed the duel for as long as possible, hoping to buy himself enough time to figure out how to deal with Veronica’s troublesome talent.

Despite the enormous progress he had made over the past ten days, Jackson wasn’t confident he could defeat her.

Her ability to stop things was simply too difficult to deal with. Without understanding its limitations, charging into another battle against her would be no different from walking into a trap with his eyes closed.

Jackson had no intention of doing something so foolish.

However, if Veronica thought she had finally cornered him, she was gravely mistaken.

A faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

There was no way he would agree to fight her until he had figured out a reliable method of countering her talent. The Rank Three alloy armor was certainly tempting, especially considering how much his cultivation had slowed after reaching the Third Sequence, but it wasn’t worth risking a battle he wasn’t prepared to win.

Equipment could always be obtained through other means.

A defeat, on the other hand, might reveal far more about his abilities than he was willing to let Veronica discover.

With that thought, Jackson closed the message and shifted his attention elsewhere, leaving her waiting for a response.

He had more pressing matters to deal with.

Ten days had passed since the first-year students began their journey at Golden Radiance Academy. According to the academy’s schedule, the month-end assessment was approaching, and the students were undoubtedly preparing for it with everything they had.

Jackson’s eyes flickered as he recalled the rules Professor Niom had explained during their admission.

The month-end assessment was one of the most important events for first-year students. It provided them with an opportunity to demonstrate how much they had improved over the previous month and, more importantly, climb the academy rankings.

A higher ranking meant access to better resources.

Better cultivation techniques, rarer treasures, more valuable training opportunities, and countless other benefits awaited those who managed to distinguish themselves from their peers.

For students determined to reach the pinnacle, the ranking wasn’t merely a number displayed on their academy badges. It directly influenced how quickly they could progress.

The competition was therefore far more intense than it might initially appear.

Every student wanted to climb higher.

Every student wanted a larger share of the academy’s resources.

And with the month-end assessment drawing closer, nobody could afford to waste time.

Jackson didn’t even need to leave his villa to understand how seriously the students were taking it.

His own roommates provided more than enough evidence.

During the past several days, he hadn’t seen Jackal, Jonathan, or Angela relaxing in the common areas. Whenever he happened to notice signs of activity from their rooms, it was usually accompanied by the faint fluctuations of magical power.

All three were training incessantly, trying to master the Rank Three skills they had obtained from the Grand Library.

After all, acquiring a skill and mastering it were two entirely different things.

A newly acquired technique might look impressive on paper, but without sufficient practice, it was little more than a collection of instructions that its owner could barely put to use. Only through repeated training could an Awakened gradually understand its intricacies, eliminate unnecessary movements, and bring out its true potential.

Once a powerful skill was mastered, the resulting improvement in combat strength could be enormous.

For students competing against one another for limited resources, even a small advantage could make a decisive difference.

That was why nobody was willing to waste these precious days.

Jackson’s gaze gradually became serious.

He had already made considerable progress in his cultivation, but that alone wouldn’t guarantee a good result in the upcoming assessment. If he wanted to climb the rankings and gain access to better resources, he needed to improve his combat strength as well.

The Shadow Titan Nurturing Method would help him build an exceptional foundation, but its benefits wouldn’t appear overnight.

He needed resources.

And to obtain resources, he needed contribution points.

Jackson leaned back slightly, his fingers tapping against his knee as he considered his next move.

Perhaps it was finally time to leave his room and see what Golden Radiance Academy had to offer beyond its cultivation techniques.

After all, sitting around and cultivating wasn’t going to solve every problem.

Especially when the academy was about to put its first-year students to the test.

Jackson, however, had entirely different priorities.

While the other first-year students were busy mastering their newly acquired skills in preparation for the month-end assessment, he was already thinking about how to obtain more resources.

His gaze fell on the student identity card resting beside him.

After picking it up, he injected a wisp of spiritual force into it and opened the academy’s private network.

He needed contribution points.

More specifically, he needed enough contribution points to purchase a telekinetic skill he had been eyeing since his visit to the Grand Library.

He had already decided which skill he wanted. The only thing standing between him and that technique was the price.

Fortunately, Golden Radiance Academy provided its students with several ways to earn contribution points.

The simplest method was to complete missions issued by the academy.

Some missions involved collecting rare resources, others required students to investigate unusual phenomena or assist researchers, while many involved hunting dangerous monsters.

Jackson intended to choose the last category.

After all, hunting monsters was something he was already familiar with. Unlike some of his classmates, he didn’t need to spend hours studying basic combat techniques before venturing outside the academy.

He simply needed to find a suitable mission, complete it, and collect his reward.

With that thought in mind, Jackson began browsing through the available assignments.

There were hundreds of missions listed on the network, each accompanied by a brief description, its difficulty level, and the number of contribution points offered upon completion.

Jackson scrolled through them casually until one particular mission caught his attention.