“Hiss–what an incredible spear thrust!”
“That attack was unbelievably fast!”
“It almost looked like lightning!”
“His attack speed is comparable to a Wind-type Ability User.
But isn’t his awakened ability supposed to be lightning-based?”
The spectator stands erupted into discussion.
On the enormous projection screen, the figure dressed in black had just killed a Ferocious Beast with a single spear thrust.
Fast.
Precise.
Ruthless.
That was the first impression Kael Veyron left on everyone watching.
Daniel Carter stared at the screen with widened eyes.
He was perhaps the most shocked person there.
As a head teacher, he had attended countless practical combat classes.
He knew the students in his class fairly well.
He knew their strengths.
He knew their weaknesses.
And he certainly knew Kael’s previous combat performance.
During the school’s practical combat sessions, Kael had been nothing special.
At best, he had been average.
There was absolutely no way the Kael he remembered could have possessed this level of Spearmanship.
Daniel couldn’t help sighing.
“Well, I’ll be damned.”
He shook his head.
“He really managed to hide this from me all this time.”
Then he looked at the projection again.
“With Spearmanship like that, wouldn’t it have been better to show it earlier?”
“He waited until the Combat Examination to make his grand entrance.”
There was a faint smile on Daniel’s face.
“Still, with this level of Spearmanship, even an E-rank ability is enough for him to achieve a very good result.”
He paused.
“Looking at it now, my advice to him before the examination was completely unnecessary.”
Daniel had previously warned Kael against participating in the Combat Examination because he was worried the boy would be overwhelmed by the Ferocious Beasts.
Now that he saw Kael’s actual performance…
That warning seemed almost ridiculous.
Principal Martin Cole let out a long breath.
“So he has a powerful Physique and excellent weapon skills.”
He shook his head.
“What a shame.”
Victor Mason, the director of the Education Department, also looked disappointed.
“Indeed.
What a shame.”
There was no doubt that a powerful body and exceptional combat technique were tremendous advantages for an Awakener.
During the Awakener stage, those advantages could even allow someone to defeat opponents with better-ranked abilities.
But the higher an Ability User advanced, the less important those advantages became.
At higher tiers, the difference between ordinary physical strength and supernatural abilities became enormous.
After all…
They were called Ability Users for a reason.
Their abilities were ultimately their greatest weapons.
Victor couldn’t help sighing again.
“If Kael had awakened even a C-rank ability, then combined with this Physique and Spearmanship, he would probably be the strongest candidate in Redhaven City.”
Martin nodded.
“With his current performance, that wouldn’t be an exaggeration.”
“But he only has an E-rank ability.”
Victor shook his head.
“What a waste of talent.”
The disappointment in his voice was genuine.
An E-rank ability placed a natural limit on Kael’s future.
No matter how impressive his current performance was, his path would become increasingly difficult as he advanced.
Daniel, however, wasn’t nearly as pessimistic.
For him, the current result was already far beyond his expectations.
If Kael could maintain a position within the city’s top ten until the end of the examination, he would have an excellent chance of entering a strong Ability User university.
And even if Kael stopped fighting right now and finished the examination with his current score, he would still have a place in an Ability User university.
Perhaps it wouldn’t be one of the very best.
But compared with Daniel’s original expectations—
This result was already incredible.
He had once worried that Kael might fail the examination.
He had even worried that the boy might die.
Compared with those possibilities, reaching the top ten was already an achievement beyond his imagination.
Daniel smiled.
As long as he survives and gets into a good university, that’s enough.
Inside Grayridge Town.
Kael had just killed another Ferocious Beast.
The beast collapsed heavily onto the ground.
Then the familiar voice of Deep Blue sounded in his mind.
[Low-Tier One Shadow Cat eliminated.]
[Ability Points +9.]
Kael smiled.
“Nine more.”
The Core Region was still ahead.
But even the Middle Region had already exceeded his expectations.
It had been just over an hour since he entered this area.
During that time, he had killed more than twenty Low-Tier One Ferocious Beasts.
He had also killed more than ten peak unranked beasts.
His Ability Points had risen rapidly.
312 Ability Points.
Kael looked at the system panel.
“Not bad.”
The efficiency here was considerably higher than in the Outer Region.
But before he could continue hunting…
Bzzzzzzzz….
The sound of rapidly rotating propellers reached his ears.
Kael looked up.
A military drone flew through the sky.
It stopped several dozen meters above him.
Kael immediately understood.
“A tracking drone?”
He opened his smart watch.
The ranking appeared on the screen.
9th Place: Kael Veyron — 607 Points
Rivergate Second High School
Kael’s eyes lit up.
“So I’ve finally entered the top ten.”
A smile appeared on his face.
He had expected the military to begin tracking him once he entered the top ten.
From this moment onward, everything he did would be visible to the outside world.
Including his future battles.
Including…
His ability.
Kael looked up at the hovering drone.
He knew that once he used Purple Sky Thunder, there would be no way to disguise it as his registered E-rank ability, Weak Electricity.
The difference was simply too enormous.
But Kael didn’t care.
The Combat Examination exists to test strength and potential.
The higher my score, the more choices I’ll have afterward.
There was no reason to deliberately suppress himself just to keep his true ability hidden.
Besides…
He wasn’t planning to remain an E-rank Awakener forever.
Kael opened Deep Blue.
The familiar interface appeared in his mind.
[Name]: Kael Veyron
[Level]: Awakener
[Ability]: Purple Sky Thunder — S-Rank
[Physique]: 141 Blood Qi (+)
[Spirit]: 160 Hertz (+)
[Spearmanship]: Advanced (+)
[Lightning Gale Break]: Beginner (+)
[Ability Points]: 312
Kael stared at the system panel.
“Over three hundred Ability Points.”
His eyes moved toward the Level section.
There was no plus sign.
Kael frowned.
Why can’t I increase my level?
There were only two possibilities.
The first was that advancing from Awakener to Ability User required more Ability Points than he currently possessed.
The second…
There was some kind of prerequisite.
Kael thought about it carefully.
Then he remembered something important.
To advance from an Awakener into a true Ability User, one needed to learn an Ability Cultivation Method.
Without one, an Awakener couldn’t properly cultivate supernatural energy and break through to the next stage.
Could that be the reason?
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
“It must be.”
That was the only explanation that made sense.
The Deep Blue System could strengthen his existing attributes and techniques.
But it apparently couldn’t completely bypass the fundamental rules of the world’s cultivation system.
An Ability Cultivation Method was the foundation for becoming an Ability User.
Unfortunately…
Even the most basic cultivation methods cost more than a million credits.
Kael simply couldn’t afford one.
His family’s remaining savings were already limited.
The money he had spent on his weapon and other training resources had consumed most of what he possessed.
He had originally assumed that Deep Blue would allow him to bypass this requirement.
Apparently, he had been too optimistic.
Still, Kael wasn’t disappointed.
“Compared with a real Ability User, my current combat strength isn’t that far behind.”
His eyes became determined.
“Once the examination ends, I’ll enter an Ability User university.”
“Then I’ll learn an Ability Cultivation Method and break through properly.”
There was no reason to worry about something he couldn’t solve immediately.
Right now, the examination was more important.
And he had another problem to solve.
312 Ability Points.
Kael stared at the number.
“How should I use them?”
He thought for a moment.
His combat techniques were already sufficient for the time being.
His Spearmanship had reached Advanced.
Lightning Gale Break was still at Beginner level, but upgrading it would consume a considerable number of points.
For the moment, strengthening his basic attributes would provide a more immediate improvement.
Kael made his decision.
“Then I’ll increase my Physique and Spirit.”
He allocated 200 Ability Points to Physique.
The remaining 112 Ability Points went into Spirit.
The system responded immediately.
[Physique: 141 → 181 Blood Qi]
[Spirit: 160 → 182 Hertz]
The moment the upgrades were completed…
Kael’s body trembled.
A powerful surge of energy spread through every part of his body.
His muscles tightened.
His bones seemed to become heavier and stronger.
His senses sharpened.
His thoughts became clearer.
The fatigue accumulated from hours of running and continuous combat disappeared almost instantly.
Kael clenched his fist.
A powerful feeling surged through him.
“Excellent.”
He laughed.
Then he casually swung the Obsidian Spear.
Whoosh!
The spear spun through the air.
A beautiful spear arc flashed before him.
Kael’s eyes brightened.
The weapon felt lighter.
Faster.
More responsive.
Every movement was sharper than before.
He thrust forward.
Boom!
The air seemed to tremble slightly from the force.
“With this Physique…”
Kael’s confidence surged.
“Combined with Advanced Spearmanship, even a Mid-Tier One Ferocious Beast in the Core Region shouldn’t be difficult.”
He looked toward the deeper part of Grayridge Town.
The Core Region was filled with stronger beasts.
And there were far more of them.
His strength had just increased significantly.
There was no reason to waste time in the Middle Region anymore.
“Time to move.”
Kael turned toward the Core Region.
He gave the Obsidian Spear a sharp shake.
Whoosh!
The blood covering the spearhead was thrown away by the sudden movement.
The black weapon instantly became clean again.
Kael secured it across his back.
Then he checked the map on his smart watch.
The direction was clear.
He bent his knees.
The next instant…
Boom!
Kael exploded forward.
His newly strengthened Physique gave him an incredible burst of speed.
He moved through the ruined streets like a black streak.
His speed was now so high that it was even slightly faster than Ethan Blake’s movement speed despite Ethan possessing a Wind-type ability.
Behind him, the military tracking drone immediately accelerated.
It followed Kael closely.
Like a shadow that refused to disappear.
And somewhere outside Grayridge Town, thousands of spectators were watching.
They had only just discovered the mysterious E-rank student.
They had seen his terrifying Spearmanship.
They had watched him enter the top ten.
But they hadn’t yet seen his greatest secret.
Soon…
They would.
Because Kael Veyron was heading straight toward the Core Region.
And this time, he would no longer need to hide.