Chapter 93: Into the Portal (II)

Jonathan followed the direction of his finger before raising an eyebrow.

"What’s this?"

He had already noticed the division between the students possessing Six Resonance Talent and those who had recently advanced to Early Second Sequence. There was nothing particularly unusual about it. People with superior talent had always looked down on those they considered inferior, and Jonathan was hardly impressed by their arrogance.

He had never considered himself inferior to them.

So what if they possessed Six Resonance Talent?

He had his own strengths, and he intended to prove them through his performance rather than waste time worrying about what others thought of him.

Jackal seemed to understand what was going through his mind.

"You might not know this, but there’s a newly emerging faction among humanity’s upper echelons that doesn’t want this trend to continue."

His voice grew more serious as he continued.

"They believe that the current system places far too much emphasis on innate talent while overlooking actual strength, combat ability, and the effort people put into improving themselves. According to them, having exceptional talent shouldn’t automatically make someone superior to everyone else."

Jonathan’s expression gradually changed.

Jackal paused briefly before delivering the most important part of his explanation.

"So they’ve devised a new method of ranking. One that could force these people to realize that talent alone is worth nothing if they can’t turn it into actual strength."

"This...!"

Jonathan fell silent.

For all his confidence, he could not simply dismiss Jackal’s words.

He understood better than most that talent played a crucial role in an Awakened’s development. It influenced cultivation speed, determined how easily someone could master certain abilities, and often shaped the limits of their future growth.

No matter how hard an ordinary Awakened worked, catching up to someone with exceptional talent could be extraordinarily difficult.

That was the uncomfortable reality.

Yet, if the academy truly intended to introduce a ranking system that emphasized actual strength rather than relying so heavily on innate talent, the results could be very different from what everyone expected.

Those who had advanced rapidly through cultivation might finally have an opportunity to prove themselves.

And those who had relied on their superior gifts might discover that talent alone was not enough.

Jonathan glanced toward the students with Six Resonance Talent. For the first time, he seemed to be reconsidering the significance of the divide that had appeared so obvious only moments earlier.

Jackal did not elaborate further.

He simply stood there with a faint smile, allowing the others to digest what he had said.

Whether the rumor was entirely accurate or not, one thing was certain: if Golden Radiance Academy really intended to change the rules, this month’s assessment could be far more interesting than anyone had anticipated.

Just as they were thinking about it, Dean Maxwell’s striking figure appeared in the air.

Immediately, his presence caused the eyes of every student to turn toward him.

Dean Maxwell had a smile on his face as he scanned the students present below.

"Hello, students. I’m sure you have enjoyed your month at the academy."

Dean Maxwell could feel the surging auras of the students and frowned internally.

Compared to previous years, the aura of the students felt slightly weaker.

"Hmm... maybe the new method approved by the council is really worth considering."

Dean Maxwell would never admit it, but compared to the dangers humanity was facing, the strength of each new generation of awakened individuals was becoming weaker and weaker.

Thinking of all this, he could not help but mutter under his breath.

Still... to put the lives of students on the line...

With these thoughts in mind, he began explaining the current arrangement and rules of the month-end assessment.

Immediately after he finished speaking, the crowd erupted into a hubbub of discussion.

"Going into a portal to another dimension?"

"Ranking will be based on the number of kills?"

"There’s even a chance of death?!"

Dean Maxwell watched the students reacting from above.

Feeling the unease among the young awakened students, he truly felt that this generation was worse than the last.

Although humanity looked completely safe on the surface, only he knew just what great dangers were waiting for them.

Yet these young people had grown increasingly relaxed, only chasing fame and enjoying glory.

With that, the look on his face hardened.

"If any of you do not have the guts to take on this mission, you are allowed to leave. The academy is not forcing anyone to fight with their life on the line."

Compared to everyone else, Jackson was slightly calm.

Putting his life on the line was not anything new to him.

He had already heard of awakened explorers entering other-dimensional portals. He had never imagined he would be entering one so soon.

Other than the fact that the academy’s attitude caught him off guard, the training at Golden Radiance Academy had been intense, but there had never been any true life-and-death struggles.

He wondered what had forced the academy to adopt such a stance.

While he was lost in thought, Dean Maxwell continued explaining the rules.

"All of you will be entering a portal infested with goblins. Your primary goal is to survive and kill as many goblins as possible. Based on the number of kills, the first-year awakened students will be ranked. The top fifty students will be allowed to choose any reward from the academy’s list of treasures."

Immediately, the students who had been considering leaving had a complete change in expression.

To choose any treasure from the academy’s treasury?

That was too good of a reward to pass up.

The next moment, not a single awakened student wanted to leave.

Jonathan turned to look at Jackal and Jackson, a slightly amused smile on his face.

"What are you two afraid of? Now is the time for you to level up and leave."

Jackson just shook his head, not commenting.

Jackal, on the other hand, looked at Jonathan competitively.

"Let’s see who among us gets the most kills."

Angela, as usual, did not take part in the conversation.

With the mention of the reward, the atmosphere in the training ground had completely reversed.

Under the guidance of the teachers, the students were slowly led toward the portal, deeper into the small forest behind the academy.

A few months ago, the portal had appeared there.

Golden Radiance Academy had assessed its threat level and prepared it for the upcoming assessment.

Soon, Jackson saw a large portal floating in the air, its presence distorting the space around it.

Every few hundred meters stood academy elites dressed in full-body armor, ready to deal with any kind of situation.

One by one, students had already started making their way in.

Jackson continued walking forward without looking back.

The moment he took a single step toward the portal, he felt his perception change.

Before he could realize what was happening, Jackson found himself standing in a vast green forest field, with trees in every direction.

He was highly alert, expecting an attack at any moment.

Just as he was looking around, he spotted a few drone-like objects flying in the air, keeping watch over him.

It seemed the academy would be closely monitoring the students inside.