Time slipped away unnoticed, and Howard Hughes suddenly felt a surge of coolness rush up to the crown of his head, instantly refreshing him.
To the outside world, however, a thin column of white light was seen rising from his body, absorbed by the rhombus crystal above, shooting skywards.
“Uh-oh, a white column? Isn’t that the sign of a low-tier talent?”
“Judging by the thinness of the light column, it must be either an E-level or an F-level talent.”
“Haha! Look who’s the cocky one now. It’s his turn to look foolish.”
“F-level talent? Even I’m better than him!”
“Maybe I have a shot with Abby Adler now…”
“Howard Hughes, what a waste of space!”
“Come on, give him some slack. With his good looks, there are plenty of people who would still be willing to support him.”
Upon witnessing this, the elderly headmaster on the stage briefly paused, then disdainfully snorted.
“An F-level talent? He thinks he’s worthy of this school’s gem?”
Pausing for a moment, Headmaster Jay turned to the teacher in black stockings. “Margaret, what are you waiting for? Go do what you have to do.”
After saying this, Headmaster Jay calmly picked up his insulated mug and took a sip of tea.
Closing his eyes, he couldn’t be bothered to spare another glance at Howard Hughes.
To him, Howard was just another bad student hampering others’ progress.
Too much attention to such a student might even ruin his appetite for dinner.
At this moment, the voice of the ceremony’s host resounded, “Howard Hughes, awakening of F-level talent—Mana Recovery!”
“Suggested Class: Life Class!”
The cacophony of noises finally roused Howard Hughes who stood at the altar.
“Heh, Life Class?”
His eyes narrowing, he leisurely opened his attribute panel.
[Name: Howard Hughes]
[Level: 1]
[Class: Unselected]
[HP: 100]
[MP: 80]
[Strength: 9]
[Constitution: 7]
[Agility: 8]
[Spirit: 10]
[Talent: Supreme Synthesis (Supreme Talent, you have the ability to synthesize anything, merging at least two items into one to create a higher-tier item)]
[Mana Recovery (F-level Talent, recovers 10% of mana every second)]
[Skills: None]
[Equipment: None]
Looking at the information on his talent panel, Howard Hughes couldn’t help but crack a smile, his demeanor relaxing considerably.
For he had awakened two talents.
One was indeed as everyone had seen, the bottom-tier F-level Mana Recovery.
However, the other was an unprecedented supreme talent—Supreme Synthesis.
You must understand, the pinnacle of talents in this world is nothing beyond SS or S-level! Howard Hughes, with such a supreme talent, was an unparalleled first in history.
With a talent like this, why should he care about the judgmental eyes of others?
“Alright, those who have completed their awakening, stop dawdling at the altar. Let the others have their turn,” said the teacher overseeing the Awakening Ritual, disdain etched across her face.
Howard Hughes smiled and, unconcerned, stepped down from the altar to rejoin his classmates. 𝘪𝘦.𝘤𝑜
He had no intention of revealing the secret of Supreme Synthesis, an unprecedented supreme talent, for who knows what kind of consequences that could bring.
As Howard rejoined the line, he was greeted by an array of mocking and scornful eyes.
Only Abby Adler, her face filled with concern, held onto his arm and whispered consoling words.
“Howard, don’t worry. Although your talent is only F-level, it’s still a magical talent. With me helping you level up in the future, we won’t fall behind anyone else.”
Looking at her exquisite, picture-like face, warmth filled Howard Hughes’ heart.
He even felt a compulsion to reveal his secret to her.
But just at that moment, a discordant voice interrupted their conversation.
“Howard Hughes, Abby Adler, come over here,” said the voice.
Everyone turned to see a stunning woman—bewitchingly beautiful, with curves in all the right places, dressed in a white blouse and black stockings—staring solemnly at the entwined Abby Adler and Howard Hughes.
“Haha! It’s Mrs. Bevan; this is going to be good,” one student whispered.
“Look at Mrs. Bevan’s expression. She’s definitely out to break them apart,” another added.
“Good! What business does a F-level nobody like him have, being with a celestial beauty like Abby Adler?” another chimed in.
Howard and Abby exchanged a glance, their faces heavy with gravity, as they followed Margaret Bevan. .
Abby, in particular, looked visibly distressed. She held Howard’s arm tightly, even pressing it against her chest.
She leaned in and said firmly, “Howard, I’ll never leave you. Nobody can tear us apart.”
Hearing this, a wave of warmth surged within Howard. If not for Margaret Bevan’s glaring presence, he might’ve disclosed the truth about his talent right there and then.
The trio made their way to a secluded spot, finally coming to a halt.
Margaret Bevan turned her gaze upon the pair, still locked in their embrace.
A frown creased her brow, and her voice rang out in mild reprimand.
“Still can’t bear to part, can you? In public, no less! With the headmaster and directors from the Education and Cultural Bureaus watching, do you have any idea how badly you’re embarrassing yourselves?”
Her words, logically sound, left Abby’s cheeks tinged with a rosy blush, her face a portrait of shame.
Yet the young girl seemed obstinate, refusing to release Howard’s arm. Instead, she held on even tighter.
Infuriated, Margaret Bevan was about to speak, but Abby cut her off.
“Mrs. Bevan, are you trying to separate us? Let me make it clear: Howard and I cannot be separated. Not even by death.”
With that, as if to validate her words, Abby stood on her tiptoes and kissed Howard right on his lips.
The audacious act left Margaret Bevan flabbergasted, at a loss for words.
Finally, she glared at Howard, hoping he’d have the decency to let go of Abby himself.
However, Howard only raised an eyebrow at her, spreading his hands in a ‘what-can-I-do’ gesture, irking Margaret even further.
After a lingering French kiss that seemed to stretch on for an eternity, Abby finally released Howard.
Panting slightly, she looked triumphantly at Margaret Bevan and declared, “See, Mrs. Bevan, there’s no way you can separate Howard and me.”
“If you insist, we would rather drop out of school.”
Hearing her resolute words, Howard spontaneously reached out his hand and intertwined his fingers with Abby’s.
This was the first time he had ever initiated holding hands with her.
Usually, Abby would cling to him, and he’d simply let her, neither encouraging nor discouraging her touch.
Sensing this shift, Abby’s eyes curved into crescents of joy.
Margaret sighed, her tone softening. “Who said I’m trying to separate you? I’m here to inform you that the school has decided to organize a leveling-up expedition. Veteran awakened will lead you on a journey to gain experience in the wild.”
“Is this true?” Abby asked, her face full of disbelief.
Though Howard remained silent, the skepticism in his eyes was as vivid as Abby’s.
He knew too well that the headmaster was not a man to do anything without a profitable motive.
Furthermore, with his lowly talent, it was unlikely anyone would be assigned to guide him in leveling-up.
“Yes,” Margaret continued. “We brought you here separately because you were assigned to different teams. I feared you wouldn’t agree and create a scene, like what just happened.”
Abby’s face flushed with a hint of shame upon hearing this.
But she quickly recovered, pressing on: “Then why can’t we be in the same team?”
Margaret carefully chose her words, especially seeing Howard’s still-skeptical expression. “You see, Abby, you have awakened an S-level talent. The higher-ups have taken note and have designated a powerful awakened to lead an elite team, which includes you. But there’s limited space in the elite team. Given Howard’s talent, he can’t make the cut. He has to join a regular team like other students.”
Abby nodded, apparently accepting Margaret’s explanation.
But then she shook her head decisively, her eyes locked onto Howard as she firmly stated, “No, I want to be with Howard. I’ll go to the regular team. Give my spot on the elite team to someone else.”
Hearing her words, both Margaret and Howard were surprised, looking at Abby as if seeing her anew.
“Who would’ve thought she’d go to such lengths for Howard—for me?” The same thought rippled through both their minds, as if orchestrated by an unseen hand.
This content is taken from 𝘳.𝑐𝘰