Time slid away, and with Nick and Mike serving as bait, Howard and Abbyâs pace in slaying the Butterfly Fae became incredibly swift.
Even the BOSS-level monsters could hardly withstand their assault for long.
As a result, Nick and Mike frequently fell victim to the Hypnotic Pollen.
Although they were quickly treated with Clearheart Flower and Moonlight Herb antidotes, they palpably felt unwell, a weightiness creeping into their limbs.
Fortunately, Howardâs party had ventured deep enough.
The Butterfly Fae they encountered, though not significantly stronger, had fully transformed into humanoid forms.
With complete bodies and an extra pair of wings, they bore no other distinctions from humans.
The discovery exhilarated Howard, Nick, and Mike.
They promptly recorded the coordinates, ensuring they wouldnât disturb the Butterfly Fae any further, and discreetly made their exit.
After all, if they were to startle the Butterfly Fae here, causing them to relocate, wouldnât those coordinates become worthless?
In the future, even if they could locate another habitat of the Butterfly Fae, how much time would be wasted? How much potential profit lost?
âŠâŠ
Upon leaving the territory of the Butterfly Fae, Nick and Mike were no longer affected by the Hypnotic Pollen.
Their vitality gradually returned, and their coordination with Howard and Abby grew increasingly seamless, allowing them to dispatch monsters with even greater efficiency.
Thanks to Howardâs exceptional attributes, no monster could resist his control skills. Once ensnared, they faced a relentless barrage of frenzied attacks.
Furthermore, Mike had the ability to inflict a Toxicity effect on the monsters, significantly reducing their attributes.
Aside from the BOSS-level monsters that could withstand the combined onslaught of Howardâs team and retaliate, the rest were practically controlled to their demise.
For a while, the points on the quartetâs bamboo tablet surged wildly: 3500, 4000âŠ
In just a span of two to three days, the points on the bamboo tablet had surged to a five-digit figure, leaving Nick and Mike in sheer disbelief.
âIâve heard the elders in my family say that over the years, the record for the Holy Abyss Academyâs assessment stands at over 12,000 points. How is it that in such a short time, weâre nearly catching up?â Nick exclaimed in awe, âBoss, youâre truly incredible!â
At that, Mike nodded in agreement, âIndeed. How is it that Iâve never noticed your MP deplete? I donât even think youâve taken an MP potion! If it werenât for the uninterrupted flow of your skills, thereâs no way we could defeat monsters at this pace.â
Nick and Mike were no fools.
They had been closely observing Howard and it was clear to them that Howardâs remarkable strength was the reason he could lead and earn their genuine respect.
They recognized that the rapid speed at which their team dispatched monsters was largely due to Howardâs prowess.
Whether it was the Frost Arrow Spell or the Gravity Spell, the immediate control these castings had over monsters was evident.
Abby, Nick, and even Mike, didnât even need to deploy their own skills.
They simply had to continuously wield their weapons, striking without expending their MP, causing damage to the monsters.
Moreover, they didnât need to aim, position, or dodge attacks.
After all, the monsters were firmly under control. They could merely stand and launch their offenses.
In this team, anyone could be substituted, except Howard.
Without him, their forward assault on the monsters would undoubtedly be met with fierce retaliation, even placing them at the brink of death.
âMy talent allows me to recover MP proportionally. Now that our points have exceeded ten thousand, any further accumulation wonât make much difference.â
After tossing a bear into his Storage Bag, Howard cast a piercing gaze upon Nick and Mike, stating gravely, âI have a plan in mind. The question is, do you dare to join me?â
âHmm? What plan?â
âBoss, whatever you want us to do, just say the word!â
Nick and Mike, having resolved long ago to ride Howardâs coattails, showed no hesitation.
Howard chuckled, âDonât agree so readily!â
Pausing briefly, he whispered, âNext, I plan to rob other students of their points.â
âWait, rob?â
âWhat the fuck? You can steal points?â
Upon hearing Howardâs revelation, not only were Nick and Mike taken aback, but even Abbyâs eyes widened in astonishment.
After a momentâs silence, Nick cautiously inquired, âBoss, we are all classmates after all. If we rob their points, wonât we be punished when we return?â
âWhy would we be punished?â Howard shrugged nonchalantly, âDuring this assessment, weâre inherently competitors. If they lack the strength to safeguard their points, why blame us?â
With the backing of Jack and Daniel, Howard was brimming with confidence.
Should he be penalized, Howard would pester Daniel until every rightful reward was reinstated.
However, the intricacies of this were unbeknownst to Nick and Mike.
Seeing Howardâs unwavering confidence and recalling his status, they exchanged glances, nodding in agreement.
As for Abby, it went without saying. Her heart wholly devoted to Howard, she wouldnât hesitate to rob not just students, but even mentors if he willed it!
Of course, this wasnât true robbery. Without much discussion, Howardâs group of four started gradually moving toward the perimeter.
Considering it was the assessment for new students, apart from Howardâs squad and a few others with S-level Talent Awakening, the rest of the students had considerably limited capabilities, confining their activities to the outskirts of the Valley of Fierce Winds.
In fact, even those who had awakened S-level talents retreated to the fringes after venturing inwards for a time.
While Howardâs team might have been breezing through monsters, it wasnât the same story for the others.
Though they had control skills, the efficacy of these skills diminished significantly due to their attributesâ disparities.
They might land their skills ten times, yet see them take effect only once or twice.
Thus, the monsters, which seemed docile as lambs before Howard, bared their fierce nature to the other students.
In fact, several players even suffered injuries at the hands of these monsters.
And it wasnât just them. Virtually every batch of students completed their assessments near the perimeter.
Otherwise, the record scores for the assessments wouldnât hover just over ten thousand points.
Itâs fair to say that the outskirts of the Valley of Fierce Winds was where all the action happened.
In order to ensure there were monsters for the students to confront, mentors Jack and Wales even herded out some of the weaker monsters from the deeper zones.
When Howard and his team returned, they had barely taken a few steps before the sounds of intense combat reached their ears.
A grin spread across Howardâs face. Finally, theyâd come across students, and he could set his plan into motion!
If he understood correctly, after the assessment ended, not only could he claim the stolen points as his spoils, but back at the academy, he might even ask Daniel for another reward.
Following the direction of the noise, they distinctly saw a group of five students battling a Kobold Captain.
The Kobold Captain, wielding a massive axe, moved with ferocious power. Every swing of its blade cut through the air, leaving behind a sonorous trail!
The five students treaded carefully.
A shield bearer and a warrior engaged the Kobold Captain in close combat, dodging its axe with agile maneuvers.
Meanwhile, a priest chanted spells, bestowing various beneficial buffs on the two.
An archer and a magus, their expressions grave, launched a relentless assault on the Kobold Captain.
However, the Kobold Captain, after all, was a LV20 BOSS. đđłđ.đžâŽđź
Just because it couldnât withstand Howardâs group didnât mean it couldnât hold its own against students who were generally around LV10!
Whether it was the concentrated elemental skills or the sharp arrow shots, neither seemed to inflict significant damage on the Kobold Captain.
They couldnât even pierce its tough skin!
â-78!â
â-33!â
Feeble damage numbers popped up, but the Kobold Captain seemed entirely indifferent to their attacks.
With a fierce roar and its blood-red eyes fixed on the two melee students, it seemed invincible.
Witnessing the Kobold Captainâs god-like dominance, both Nick and Mike couldnât help but comment sarcastically, âAre the other students really that weak? They canât even make a dent in the Kobold Captain!â
Even without Howard, both Nick and Mike felt confident they could inflict significant damage on the Kobold Captain, if not outright conquer it. This gave them the audacity to mock the
âAlright, many students have just awakened. They donât have your combat experience or decent equipment. Failing to defeat a BOSS ten levels higher is understandable,â Howard chuckled. âGet ready to step in, finish off the Kobold Captain for them, and then⊠weâll take their points!â
With his words still hanging in the air, Howard took the lead, charging forward.
As the Kobold Captain was preoccupied chasing the two melee students, Howard swung his Soul Nurturer.
The biting cold instantly formed into an frost arrow, which howled through the air, shooting mercilessly towards the Kobold Captain.
With the combination of the Soul Nurturer and Soul Theft, after killing thousands, if not tens of thousands, of monsters, Howardâs fundamental attributes had improved.
Previously, his Frost Arrow Spell could only temporarily freeze the Kobold Captain before it would shatter the ice.
This time, however, it managed to entirely encase the Captain in place!
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