The result of 4200 kg in the strength test caused quite a stir in the great hall, with many young spectators casting envious glances at Thomas.
“Tsk tsk, 4200 kg—that could probably smash a large rock. That’s terrifying…”
“No wonder he’s considered the top talent of Lsengard Secondary. It probably won’t be long before he breaks through to level three Beast Master.”
Amidst the admiring murmurs from the crowd, the recruitment instructors scored Thomas’s personal test, awarding him a high score of 29 points.
Seeing his score, Thomas’s expression was smug as he scanned the crowd, his gaze eventually landing on Aurora. However, he noticed that Aurora was intently watching Charles on the other side of the arena, not having glanced his way even once, which fueled his irritation.
“Charles! That bastard!”
“Damn it!”
The pain of being ignored by Aurora overshadowed the joy of his high score. Grinding his teeth, Thomas watched Charles slowly approach the testing area.
“A punch of 4200 kg, just average…” Charles remarked nonchalantly after seeing Thomas’s score on the big screen.
While others might find the number impressive, it didn’t seem like much to him.
After receiving [a drop of dew] under the statue of Ares, he had felt a significant increase in his strength, which wouldn’t just make tossing a supreme spear a unique skill.
After his recent intensive training, Charles’s muscular strength had improved yet again, and he was curious to see how powerful a punch he could deliver without any external aid.
Under the watchful eyes of tens of thousands at the recruitment ceremony, Charles slowly approached the testing arena. Clenching his fist, his muscles and bones cracked audibly as the ambient elemental energies converged around his fist.
He had trained tirelessly, day and night, for this very moment!
Charles’s right arm coiled like a tight spring, then suddenly released, delivering a thunderous punch so fast it created an afterimage!
Boom!!!
A dull thud echoed, and a number appeared on the display above the testing arena—
[4000kg!]
Seeing this number, Thomas finally allowed a satisfied smile to spread across his face. Though he felt inferior to Charles in many ways, at least he had outdone him in this aspect.
However, his smile froze the next second, as Charles’s punch was so fast it had caused a delay in the testing arena’s measurement.
[5000kg!]
[6000kg!]
[7000kg!]
In the stands, David had just taken a sip of water and sprayed it out in disbelief, rubbing his eyes as if they deceived him.
As a level four Beast Master who had climbed the ranks step by step, he knew what strength a newly minted level three Beast Master should have. However, Charles’s punch completely shattered his understanding!
He had already been shocked by Charles’s level 21 mystical beast, but now, he felt a twinge of fear—where did this freak come from?
Yet, the numbers on the testing arena kept climbing!
[8000kg!!]
[9000kg!!]
[9999kg!!!]
The testing arena began to emit black smoke, then buzzed distressingly before it fizzled out in a shower of sparks. Perhaps even the designers of the testing equipment had never anticipated that a high school student’s punch could exceed the machine’s limits.
The display on the large screen halted at 9999, not because that was Charles’s real score, but because his punch had literally smashed the testing equipment…
The hall fell deathly silent.
Then, some people in the back of the stands stood up, peering through the rising smoke to see exactly what had happened.
And many, especially those in the front who had witnessed Charles’s punch firsthand, were utterly stunned, a single word echoing in everyone’s minds—
Monster!
An absolute monster!
Among ordinary humans, the strongest punch is famously attributed to the boxer Mike Tyson, who at his peak could deliver a punch with a force of about 800 kg. In stark contrast, Charles’s punch just clocked in at over 9999 kg, conservatively estimated to be more than 12 times stronger than Tyson’s!
At the Beast Master Guild, Charles’s former team leader and the vice president, Fletcher, couldn’t help but stand up, his eyes bulging in astonishment. He was even more shocked than others.
With a single punch from Charles, it seemed probable that some low-level, first-tier mystical beasts could be instantly killed.
Back when he led Charles into the ferocious beast mountains for training, he had sensed that this young man was extraordinarily talented. But more astonishing than the exaggerated figure on the testing equipment was the speed of Charles’s growth!
In just two months, Charles had advanced from level 5 to level 21, and now a punch breaking 9999 kg+ had shattered the testing arena. Even novels wouldn’t dare to write it like this!
For anyone else, not just two months, but 20 years might not suffice to achieve such progress!
Not far from Fletcher, Kevin, the director of the Draven family corporation, looked visibly upset.
He had been secretly pleased when his son Thomas had hit 4200 kg, hoping it would shine a light on his son’s talents in front of the representatives from the imperial capital’s three major academies. However, within less than a minute, Charles had stolen the spotlight!
Kevin’s face twitched uncontrollably, unable to believe the result, and he said to someone from the Beast Master Guild nearby, “Impossible, absolutely impossible! How can an 18-year-old high school senior have such muscular strength? The equipment must be faulty!”
It was a joke to him; as a level four Beast Master, his maximum punch only barely generated a 9000 kg shockwave. Could he really be inferior to that kid? It seemed utterly implausible!
As soon as Kevin voiced his skepticism, many others at the scene quickly echoed his sentiments.
Many attendees of the recruitment ceremony were Beast Masters themselves and understood that the increase in strength should be a gradual process. Charles’s punch seemed too good to be true.
At the front row scoring table, many recruitment instructors questioned the validity of Charles’s score. Aside from instructors from the imperial capital’s three major academies who insisted on giving him a perfect score of 30 points, most others awarded zero.
Seeing the situation becoming chaotic, Lord Matthew quickly stood up: “Since everyone thinks there might be an issue with the testing arena, let’s have the Beast Master Guild come and check it.”
Following the mayor’s suggestion, several staff members arrived at the testing platform to inspect the testing arena that Charles had just used.
—
In the grand hall, Charles, now at the center of attention, appeared calm and composed on the surface, but internally he was equally thrilled.
Although he had anticipated significant strength gains under the influence of [a drop of dew], the fact that he actually blew up the testing equipment was somewhat beyond his expectations.
Unsurprised by the surrounding voices of skepticism, he felt no need to explain himself. He would wait for the results from the Beast Master Guild’s inspection.
Shortly, the staff from the Beast Master Guild concluded:
Charles had not cheated; the testing arena was functioning normally, but it had simply been overwhelmed by the power of his punch. The result was valid!
[Assessment 2: Beast Master Combat Power]
[Name: Charles]
[Event: Strength Test]
[Result: >9999kg!]
When this figure appeared on the large screen, Charles effortlessly scored 30 points in the second assessment event, bringing his total to 160 points and placing him first overall!
With the endorsement from the Beast Master Guild, no one doubted Charles’s scores any longer. Only then did many truly believe in the extraordinary nature of Charles’s talents. freewebnvel.com
Inside the grand hall, those who had once dismissed him now looked at Charles with complex expressions, mixing envy with a fair amount of fear.
Everyone understood that the Charles of today was no longer the boy who could be bullied in high school by someone like Robert.
At this moment, many recalled the scene from the celebration banquet where the once isolated young man had boldly entered into a human contract with the duke’s daughter, proclaiming, “Do those gentry have blue blood certainly?”
“Charles, I challenge you!”
In the quiet hall, a voice suddenly broke the silence. A dark-skinned young man slowly approached Charles, instantly drawing the attention of everyone in the hall.
Seeing Thomas challenge Charles, Kevin almost fell off his chair. As a level four Beast Master, he could recognize the true extent of Charles’s abilities, and he knew Thomas was not in the same league.
“Dammit! You could easily make it into the imperial capital’s three academies, why would you choose to challenge Charles?” Kevin cursed under his breath, his anger uncontainable. However, the rules of the recruitment ceremony stipulated that only students participating in the ceremony could enter the arena.
Having an idea of what the outcome of the fight would be, Kevin couldn’t help but worry for his son.
In the central dueling platform of the grand hall, as Thomas approached, Charles’s expression gradually turned icy.
Time and again, Thomas had caused trouble for him, and he had even sent his friend Daniel to the hospital. Charles was ready to teach him a lesson.
Oblivious to the shift in Charles’s demeanor, Thomas looked up, his eyes bloodshot, and stared at Charles: “Charles! The third practical assessment—is a real fight. Do you dare to face me?”
In just two months, such progress seemed impossible to Thomas. Since the Beast Master Guild couldn’t find anything wrong with Charles, he decided it was time to beat him in real combat.
If Charles lost to him, all the lies would collapse, and he could regain Aurora’s admiration.
Before entering the ferocious beast mountains, Charles might not have been a match for Thomas, but now…
With a cold smile, Charles slowly approached Thomas: “Alright, I accept your challenge.”
After signaling to the examiners, the two moved to an adjacent circular platform. As they entered, transparent protective barriers rose around the edges.
After Grace had been fast-tracked to Aredale Academy and left for the imperial capital, Charles and Thomas had become the two strongest contenders among Lsengard’s new students.
The tension between the two on the platform instantly captured the attention of everyone at the recruitment ceremony. Even many students who were sparring stopped to watch as all eyes turned to the showdown on the platform…