Chapter 95: Strange Space

The actual assessment had only just begun, and nobody could say with certainty how the students would perform once they encountered more dangerous situations.

Nevertheless, the professors were experienced enough to make reasonably informed judgments.

Interestingly, Jackson’s name was nowhere to be found among their predictions.

His previous performance had simply been too low-key.

Although his physical fitness test had produced an impressive result, he had not attracted the same sustained attention as the academy’s more famous geniuses. His background was relatively ordinary compared with the heirs of powerful corporations and influential families, and he had made little effort to distinguish himself publicly since entering the academy.

As far as most of the professors were concerned, there was no particular reason to consider him a serious contender.

At least, that was what they believed.

Just as the wagers were about to be finalized, Professor Niom suddenly spoke.

"I’m willing to bet a Rank Five Breakthrough Pill on this kid... Jackson Von Maximus. I think he has potential."

His voice was not particularly loud.

Yet the moment his words echoed through the room, the lively discussion came to an abrupt halt.

For several seconds, nobody spoke.

Then, almost simultaneously, the professors turned toward him.

Their expressions ranged from confusion to outright disbelief.

A Rank Five Breakthrough Pill?

For a first-year student whose name most of them barely recognized?

Some professors even wondered whether they had misheard him.

"I told you before, this fellow has completely lost it," someone muttered.

Another professor stared at Niom incredulously.

"Betting a Rank Five pill on some unknown rookie? Does Professor Niom intend to give away his entire fortune and retire to the mountains?"

A few professors chuckled at the remark, but their astonishment was genuine.

They were all powerful Awakened who had accumulated considerable wealth over the years. Some had spent enormous sums purchasing rare cultivation materials, while others owned equipment worth more than an ordinary hunter could earn in a lifetime.

But a Rank Five Breakthrough Pill was in an entirely different league.

Such pills were exceptionally precious, and their value could not be compared with the Rank Four healing pills offered by the other professors.

Even among the academy’s senior faculty, few would casually wager something so valuable.

Yet Professor Niom had offered one without the slightest hesitation.

And the student he had chosen was Jackson Von Maximus.

For a moment, the entire room seemed to be waiting for him to explain himself.

Niom, however, remained perfectly calm.

He continued watching Jackson’s screen, seemingly unconcerned by the disbelief surrounding him.

Dean Maxwell also turned his attention toward the professor.

A faint glint appeared in his eyes.

Unlike some of the others, he did not immediately dismiss Niom’s decision as foolishness.

He had known the professor for quite some time and understood his temperament. Niom was not a reckless person, nor was he someone who enjoyed throwing away valuable resources simply to attract attention.

If he was willing to wager a Rank Five Breakthrough Pill on an unknown first-year student, there had to be a reason.

Jackson Von Maximus...

Dean Maxwell silently repeated the name.

He vaguely remembered seeing it among the academy’s admission records, but nothing particularly remarkable came to mind.

Still, Niom’s confidence had piqued his curiosity.

Without drawing attention to himself, Dean Maxwell accessed the academy’s internal database and searched for Jackson’s records.

A moment later, the relevant information appeared before him.

He began examining the results of Jackson’s entrance examination.

Then his gaze stopped.

For a brief instant, Dean Maxwell’s expression froze.

His eyes lingered on the physical fitness test results, carefully confirming that he had read the figures correctly.

The numbers were far beyond what he had expected from a student with Jackson’s apparent background.

More importantly, they suggested that the young man possessed physical capabilities that could not be easily explained by his publicly known talent.

Dean Maxwell slowly leaned back in his chair.

This fellow Niom is going to make a killing this time...

The thought crossed his mind almost immediately.

He finally understood why the professor had been so confident.

However, Dean Maxwell had no intention of sharing his discovery.

His expression quickly returned to normal, and he quietly closed Jackson’s records without attracting anyone’s attention.

There was no reason to spoil the fun.

Besides, the other professors had already made their choices.

If they were foolish enough to underestimate an unknown student simply because he lacked an impressive reputation, that was their problem.

Dean Maxwell glanced toward Niom once more, a faintly amused glint appearing in his eyes.

The professor continued sitting there calmly, watching Jackson’s screen as though nothing unusual had happened.

Neither man said another word.

Meanwhile, the wagers continued.

And the other professors remained completely unaware that they might have just made a very expensive mistake.

Inside the Other-Dimensional Portal.

Jackson moved cautiously through the dense forest, a Rank Two alloyed combat knife held firmly in his right hand.

The weapon had been provided by Golden Radiance Academy specifically for the assessment.

Unlike the equipment he normally carried, this knife was relatively ordinary. Its blade was sharp enough to deal with weaker monsters, but it lacked the superior materials and craftsmanship of higher-ranked weapons.

Still, Jackson had no complaints.

The academy had established strict rules regarding the equipment students were allowed to use inside the portal. Any weapon that had not been approved beforehand was prohibited, and students caught violating this restriction would be considered to have cheated.

The purpose was simple.

To create a reasonably level playing field.

Without such restrictions, the assessment could easily become a competition of wealth rather than ability.

After all, many of the students came from influential families and powerful corporations. If they were allowed to bring whatever equipment they wished, some could enter the portal carrying weapons and armor far beyond what ordinary first-year students could afford.

Under those circumstances, the rankings would reveal little about their actual combat capabilities.

A wealthy student equipped with an exceptionally powerful weapon might eliminate monsters effortlessly, while someone with superior fighting ability but inferior equipment would struggle to compete.

The academy had no intention of allowing that to happen.

Naturally, Jackson understood the reasoning.

He had no desire to be disqualified over something as trivial as an equipment violation, especially when the rewards for placing among the top fifty were so valuable.

Besides, he had other advantages that did not depend on carrying an expensive weapon.

For the moment, the Rank Two alloyed knife was more than sufficient.

Jackson continued moving between the trees, occasionally stopping to inspect the surrounding terrain.

The forest was far larger than he had initially imagined.

Towering trees stretched in every direction, their thick branches forming an almost continuous canopy overhead. Sunlight filtered through the leaves in scattered patches, illuminating the dense undergrowth and the uneven ground beneath his feet.

The air was humid, carrying the earthy scent of damp soil and decaying vegetation.

Occasionally, distant cries echoed through the forest, followed by the rustling of leaves or the snapping of branches somewhere beyond his field of vision.

Jackson remained alert.

He had already encountered several goblins during his journey, and their behavior had been exactly what he expected from the creatures described in the academy’s information.

They were vicious, aggressive monsters that attacked whenever they spotted a suitable target.

Fortunately, the ones he had encountered so far were not particularly powerful.

With his current strength, eliminating them had required little effort.

By now, he had already killed ten goblins.

That was not the problem.

What troubled him was something entirely different.

"What is this place...?"

Jackson muttered under his breath as he stopped beside a large tree.

He glanced around, his eyes narrowing slightly.

He had been moving through the forest for several hours, covering a considerable distance while searching for monsters. During that time, he had encountered goblins, unfamiliar vegetation, and even a few traces of other creatures.

Yet there was one thing he had not seen.

Another student.

Not a single one.

Jackson found that increasingly strange.

Hundreds of first-year students had entered the portal to participate in the assessment. Even if they had been scattered across different locations, he should have encountered someone by now.

At the very least, he had expected to hear the sounds of combat in the distance or discover signs that other students had passed through the area.

Instead, the forest remained almost completely undisturbed.

It was as though he had entered an enormous wilderness entirely on his own.

Jackson tightened his grip on the knife and looked toward the endless rows of trees stretching into the distance.

Just how vast is this place?

The question lingered in his mind.

He had known that other-dimensional portals could contain environments far larger than their entrances suggested, but experiencing such a place firsthand was something else entirely.

If he could travel for hours without encountering another student, then the territory beyond this portal had to be enormous.

And if the forest was truly that vast, finding enough goblins to secure a high ranking might prove more troublesome than he had initially expected.

Jackson stood silently for a moment, considering his next move.

Then he resumed walking, his footsteps disappearing beneath the rustling leaves as he ventured deeper into the unfamiliar forest.