Chapter 450 - 141: Just Which Female Junior Is Lynch’s Favorite!?

Chapter 450: Chapter 141: Just Which Female Junior Is Lynch’s Favorite!?

The smiles on the faces of the Hurst Academy instructors, however, froze for a moment.

Master Lianna frowned. "That half-elf girl... she actually went to the black zone to hunt Tier Four prey too?"

"This could be a problem," Master Gwen said, stroking her chin. "Twenty-eight thousand points... If that Lynch kid doesn’t make a move soon, he won’t be able to hold on to first place."

But Master Harvey remained unperturbed. He took another gulp of wine and chuckled. "What’s the rush? The real show... has only just begun."

While they had the leisure to discuss this, the instructors from the Imperial Capital Academy sitting nearby had a different reaction. Their faces grew increasingly grim as they watched Airendra’s name return to the top of the screen, then looked at the steadily dropping ranks of their academy’s only remaining students, Eleanor and Adora.

When this joint examination was first proposed and organized, all the instructors from the Imperial Capital Academy had been brimming with confidence. They believed that with their academy’s formidable faculty, superior student quality, and what could only be described as luxurious equipment, the competition was theirs for the taking. They expected to steamroll Hurst and Silver Moon Academy, hogging the spotlight and basking in all the glory.

They never imagined that in the end, they would be reduced to sitting on the sidelines, watching Hurst and Silver Moon Academy take turns in the spotlight. They had become mere spectators and background props.

This immense psychological blow made the expressions of Grand Mage Buddy and the other Imperial Capital instructors incredibly sour.

The feeling was like having a mouthful of flies forced down their throats—they could neither swallow nor spit them out. All they could do was sit silently in the corner, their faces ashen, and watch the rankings on the screen constantly shift.

Just as the smiles returned to the faces of the Silver Moon Academy instructors, and as Airendra and her group were at the scoring point, their spirits high while they animatedly shared their thrilling experiences in the black zone.

A clamor of footsteps suddenly sounded from outside the scoring point.

Everyone subconsciously looked over and saw a large group of Hurst Academy students marching toward the scoring point in a massive group.

They looked a bit disheveled, but every single one of them wore a joyful expression, their spirits high.

In an instant, the smiles on the Silver Moon Academy students’ faces vanished. All their boisterous conversations died down. Their bodies tensed unconsciously, and their hearts leaped into their throats.

"These guys... they aren’t here to turn in mission items too, are they?" Grims Iron Fist swallowed, his voice a little hoarse.

"And judging by the direction they’re coming from... it looks like the black zone, too?" Natalie’s expression changed slightly, a trace of unease flashing in her aqua-blue eyes.

For a moment, everyone tensed up. The scoring point, which had been filled with a joyous atmosphere just moments before, fell deathly silent.

Maurice walked at the very front of the group. Although he looked a bit battered—his mage robes were torn in several places and his face was smeared with blood—his spirits were soaring.

When he saw the students from Silver Moon Academy, he even gave them an enthusiastic wave and a wide grin. "Yo! What a coincidence. You guys here to turn in mission items, too?"

Hearing this, the hearts of the Silver Moon Academy students all skipped a beat.

Looking at Maurice’s relaxed and carefree demeanor, and then at the equally energetic Hurst students behind him who were even joking and laughing amongst themselves, a bad premonition began to surface.

Airendra Moon Language’s eyes narrowed slightly as she instinctively scanned the crowd of Hurst students.

She was searching for that one crucial figure.

Sure enough, at the very back of the group, Lynch was chatting and laughing with Avril, Ophelia, Lilith, and the other pretty girls. He looked completely at ease, as if he were on a picnic rather than participating in an examination.

’This isn’t good...’ Airendra Moon Language thought, clenching her fists involuntarily.

Under the nervous gazes of the Silver Moon Academy students, Maurice was the first to walk up to the tallying counter. With a THUD, he dropped a large bundle onto the table, making it wobble.

"Please tally this up." Maurice looked utterly pleased with himself, like a tycoon throwing money around.

The assistant instructors hurriedly opened the bundle, and they all gasped in astonishment.

Inside, it was stuffed to the brim with the right ears of Gnolls. Among them were plenty from Tier Two specimens, and there was even one from a Tier Three.

The Tier Three Gnoll’s ear was still stained with fresh blood, emitting a thick, metallic stench.

"Th-this is..." The assistant, still in awe, quickly began to count.

"One right ear from a Tier Three Gnoll, eight right ears from Tier Two Gnolls, and Tier One..."

As the assistant called out the numbers, Maurice’s score began to skyrocket.

A Tier Three creature was worth three thousand points, a Tier Two was five hundred, and a Tier One was one hundred. From this haul alone, his score shot past ten thousand points!

In the central tent, Maurice’s name on the Magic Screen shot upward like a rocket. In an instant, he leaped from outside the top ten to third place, right behind Airendra Moon Language and Lynch!

"What?!" The smile on the Elf instructor from Silver Moon Academy stiffened.

And that was only the beginning.

"My turn, my turn!" Eliot pushed his way forward and also threw down a large bundle. "I’m turning mine in too!"

One after another, more students from Hurst Academy came forward to turn in their mission items.

Some had even more than Maurice, while others had slightly less, but all of them had a substantial amount. Every single one turned in the right ears of Gnolls, with no shortage of high-tier trophies among them.

With this string of turn-ins, the ranking board in the central tent began to shake as if hit by an earthquake.