Chapter 103 Chapter 103-Challenge?
"Blade of the Gale! Strike!"
Tana's status as a mentor within the Holy Abyss Academy wasn't merely ornamental.
The resolute and decisive woman wasn't about to let those mercenaries slip away.
With a deft flick of her wrist, Tana tossed her dagger into the air.
Her ten pristine fingers fluttered like a swarm of delicate butterflies, summoning a deep blue glow.
Anemo energies converged, and with a resonating hum, the sharp essence of the Anemo transformed into hundreds of blade-like projections.
With a graceful sweep of Tana's hand, the blades tore through the air, roaring towards the scattering mercenaries.
To the astonishment of Howard and the others, the blades effortlessly pierced and tore through the bodies of the fleeing adversaries.
Screams of agony echoed, one after the other.
The mercenaries fell in succession, their bodies twitching in their death throes.
The deep crimson of spilled blood began to pool on the ground, forming puddles that radiated a pungent, metallic aroma.
So strong was the scent that even Judy couldn't help but wrinkle her nose in discomfort.
Having watched as every mercenary was cut down by the Anemo-formed blades, Tana extended her right hand, summoning her airborne dagger back to her grasp.
A moment later, with a flash of cerulean light, the dagger vanished as if it had never existed.
Upon witnessing this scene, Howard and the others couldn't help but reveal expressions of shock.
That wasn't a piece of equipment, but something forged from elemental power!
Such a revelation greatly astonished Howard and his group.
Throughout the entire Alliance, very few individuals could boast such abilities.
It was evident just how formidable the strength of the Holy Abyss Academy truly was.
A crystalline laughter chimed, "Look at you all, quite startled, aren't you?" Tana gracefully descended in front of Howard's group, her gaze, however, landed on Judy.
She teased with a chuckle, "The Church's Holy Maiden shouldn't be frightened by such a display, should she?"
Judy, sizing Tana up, responded, "What surprises me is that a mentor responsible for freshman assessments possesses such capabilities. I can hardly fathom how powerful your Dean must be."
Hearing this, Tana burst into laughter. "Our Dean has always been elusive, like a dragon seen in glimpses. However, just the Vice Dean alone possesses strength that far surpasses mine!"
Indeed, within the Holy Abyss Academy, Tana didn't rank among the very top.
She wasn't upset by Judy's remarks, and turning her attention to Howard, she exclaimed with astonishment, "Howard, were you that certain I would intervene? Daring to deliberately lure members of the Mercenary Guild?"
Being a battle-hardened mentor, who had reached beyond LV80, Tana naturally saw through Howard's earlier ploy.
Upon hearing this, Judy, Nick, and the others had their realizations too.
No wonder Howard seemed so reckless earlier; it was all intentional!
Howard chuckled, "I believed the mentor wouldn't stand by if our lives were at risk."
"You are rather astute," Tana laughed in response. "However, I can't enter this dungeon. You all need to take good care of yourselves."
Setting aside Howard, the other four had awakened remarkable talents.
Tana surely wouldn't want to see them in danger.
About this dungeon," Howard hesitated for a moment before saying, "I don't plan on exploring it just yet."
"Hm?"
Upon hearing this, not just Abby and Judy, but even Tana appeared taken aback, casting a surprised glance at Howard.
"We don't have enough time," Howard whispered, "The dungeon guardian alone is a high-level, LV50 Diamond-grade BOSS. A thorough exploration would take at least two to three days, and we'd miss the assessment ranking."
Hearing this, Abby, Judy, Nick, and Mike had their realization and quickly nodded in agreement, "Exactly. If we miss the final assessment ranking, our loss would be even greater."
"It's always Howard who thinks ahead," they mused.
Seeing that even Judy had deep respect for Howard, Tana felt a profound sense of admiration.
Whether it was his individual strength, strategic foresight, or his charismatic allure, Howard's performance was impeccable.
At this point, Tana no longer believed that Wales had given Howard undue advantage.
Instead, she genuinely recognized Howard's immense potential and talent.
"Continue your training, and do your best. I'll bring you all back to the academy tomorrow!" Tana gazed deeply at Howard. A soft blue light started to envelop her, and then, like a gentle breeze, she vanished from their sight.
"I'd never heard of Ms. Tana before," Nick mused, "but who could've imagined she'd be so formidable? Over a hundred mercenaries, none below LV50, yet they couldn't withstand even five breaths against her. Truly awe-inspiring."
Mike nodded, "No wonder my elders told me, before coming here, to always heed the mentor's advice. The mentors in Holy Abyss Academy are truly fearsome in strength."
"I believe only the Alliance and the Church possess such might," he added.
As they conversed, both Nick's and Mike's gazes inevitably settled on Judy.
Judy couldn't help but smile, "Ms. Tana is indeed considered powerful within our Church. Just not quite at that level."
"Incredible!"
"It's truly befitting of the Church!"
Amidst Nick and Mike's praises, Howard, leading Abby and the others, continued their exploration of the map.
Time passed gently amidst the relentless onslaught of the five-member team.
With Judy as their safeguard, Howard was freed from concerns over Nick and Mike's safety.
Allowing them to unleash their full power, every monster they encountered on their path was utterly defenseless before their combined might.
Consequently, their scores on the bamboo tablet skyrocketed.
Since Judy wasn't a part of their academy team and possessed a separate bamboo tablet, when Tana led them back to the entrance of the Valley of Fierce Winds, Howard transferred all the points to her.
By the time Howard's team arrived, the other students had already assembled.
After all, given their consistent activity on the outskirts, it was relatively easy for the mentors to locate them.
Almost instantly, numerous eyes turned toward Howard.
Some bore resentful glares, while others displayed unmistakable admiration.
The memory of Howard single-handedly immobilizing all the students with his power was still fresh in their minds, leaving many astounded.
Even those like Lanas, known for their S-level Talent Awakening, regarded Howard as exceptionally gifted.
Some even speculated he might be the sole individual in the Jano Province to possess an awakened S-level talent!
"Now that everyone has gathered, let's begin tallying the points' rankings. Step forward one by one, and I will inspect the points you've garnered," Jack said, stroking his beard and grinning as he stood up.
However, upon hearing Jack's words, a sense of resignation painted the faces of the assembled students.
Even though they had an entire day to grind for more points, their efforts paled in comparison to their previous totals.
For a moment, the way students looked at Howard was filled with silent reproach, reminiscent of a jilted lover's lingering bitterness.
Judy was the first to step forward, handing her bamboo tablet to Jack.
"Judy, you've earned a total of 9,700 points. Impressive, indeed!"
After reviewing the points, Jack nodded in approval.
His remark left many students astonished.
Apart from Howard, was there anyone else amassing so many points?
But then it dawned on them. Judy was one of Howard's "accomplices," which clarified everything.
Following suit, Howard, accompanied by Abby and the others, submitted their bamboo tablets.
"Ah, the bamboo tablet has a total of 63000 points. Divided equally among the four of you, it's 15750 points each. Since Howard is the leader, he gets an additional 1000 points."
Even though Jack knew Howard had claimed points from all the students, the sight of that bamboo tablet still left him in sheer astonishment.
Such a score had surpassed records set over decades, if not centuries!
With Howard and Judy's points already disclosed, the other students acknowledged the inevitable and stepped forward in turn.
However, their points seemed rather pitiable.
The lowest had just over 100 points, and the highest barely surpassed 800, not even a tenth of Howard's team's scores.
In the end, Howard secured the top spot.
His entire squad effortlessly swept the top five positions.
After Jack announced the rankings, many students heaved deep sighs of resignation, while Lanas and her group locked their gaze intently on Howard.
Noticing this, a smirk crept onto Jack's face.
He suddenly proposed, "If anyone disputes the rankings, you may choose to challenge the contender. If you succeed, both rankings will be adjusted."
As his words settled, every confident student's eyes sparkled with anticipation, their gazes shifting squarely onto Howard, Abby, and the rest.
Clearly, they didn't believe they were any less skilled than Howard's group.
They felt that Howard had merely blindsided them, incapacitating them right from the outset, leaving them unable to mount an effective counter.
And as for the skill Howard executed?
They weren't fools.
They discerned that before Howard cast his skill, not only did Nick intervene, but Judy also unleashed a skill affecting everyone's vision, facilitating its success.
In a one-on-one battle, they were confident in thwarting Howard from using that particular skill.
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