Chapter 4: Hunting!
"The more, the merrier! The more, the merrier!"
Alex's eyes lit up as he stuffed both combat skill books into his pocket.
Only an idiot would turn down free stuff!
These two Tier 2 combat skills were no joke; their market price was well over two million credits!
Combat skills ranged from Tier 1 to Tier 9. The higher the tier, the stronger the power, and the price grew astronomically.
The school had really invested heavily this time!
Principal Higgins watched Alex's money-grubbing behavior and teased, "If you ever went into politics, kid, you'd definitely be a corrupt senator."
As he spoke, he pulled a card from his pocket and handed it over. "This is also part of your reward. There are 500,000 credits on this card. Buy whatever you need."
"Oh wow, Principal, I'm so embarrassed to take this..."
While his mouth offered polite refusal, his hand was honest, snatching the card and shoving it into his pocket in one smooth motion.
Higgins glanced at him, took a sip of tea, and changed the subject. "Which university are you planning to apply to?"
"Why ask that now? Isn't the Entrance Exam still ten days away?"
In this world, the College Entrance Exam took place on the tenth day after the Awakening.
It was called an exam, but it was mostly a formality. The key factor for admission was the rank of the awakened ability.
The schedule was so tight to ensure students could enter academies as soon as possible to receive unified teaching and cultivation guidance.
"It is ten days away, but before long, your phone is going to blow up. Over the next few days, you'll need to meet with recruiters from the academies coming to scout you!"
"Principal, you didn't leak my phone number, did you?"
"I had no choice. Riverdale City suddenly produced two S-Rank Awakeners this year. It caused such a commotion that it caught the attention of the Five Great Academies long ago."
Alex felt speechless. So his phone really was going to be bombarded?
"Forget talking over the phone. I'll wait until the recruitment officers arrive in person. I want to see what conditions they can offer."
What kind of sincerity could be shown over a phone call?
"That works too. They will likely arrive on the day of your duel with Elara Vance. You can look into the details of the Five Great Academies beforehand." Higgins nodded, offering his advice.
"Principal, why don't you give me a rundown?"
Higgins thought for a moment and spoke slowly. "The Five Great Awakener Academies of the Federation are: Arcane Martial Academy, Capital Warrior Academy, Northern Bastion Academy, Expanse War Academy, and Legion Military Academy."
"Among them, the top tier are Arcane Martial and Capital Warrior. The others are also top-notch. When the recruitment directors arrive, you can make your choice based on the offers they put on the table."
Alex stood up. "Thanks for the info, Principal. I'll consider it when they get here!"
Naturally, he would go to whoever offered the most benefits!
Higgins waved his hand and smiled. "Small matter. Go on, cultivate hard, and prepare wholeheartedly for your duel with Elara in three days. Win or lose, treat it as a rare tempering experience."
Winning would be difficult. Elara was a daughter of the Vance Clan; her cultivation resources and combat skills were the best in the city...
Alex nodded, turned, and opened the office door. Just as he was about to step out, he stopped. "Lose? That word doesn't exist in my dictionary!"
Higgins shook his head with a smile. "That kid is truly arrogant!"
But when he sensed the fluctuation of the realm aura radiating from Alex, he froze.
Tier 1, Rank 3?
He rubbed his eyes, suspecting he was seeing things.
After a long while, Higgins shook his head. He must have sensed it wrong!
How could anyone reach Tier 1, Rank 3 immediately after awakening?
Unless he was cheating, it was impossible!
Definitely a mistake!
After leaving the school gates, Alex couldn't wait to take out the two skill books. He found a quiet corner and began to study them earnestly.
[Ding! Tier 2 Combat Skill detected: Shadow Claw! Points can be used to upgrade.]
[Ding! Tier 2 Combat Skill detected: Abyssal Swamp! Points can be used to upgrade.]
"System? How many points to reach Novice level?"
Based on Alex's knowledge, combat skills were divided into proficiency levels:
Novice, Proficient, Advanced, Master, True Essence.
The higher the proficiency, the stronger the power and the smoother the execution.
[To upgrade one skill to Novice requires 200 Points. Two skills total 400 Points.]
"System! Upgrade both combat skills to Novice level!" Alex commanded.
Following his order, the proficiency of the two skills skyrocketed.
In the blink of an eye, they reached the Novice level.
Every detail of the two skills was branded into Alex's mind like a heated iron.
The familiarity was as if he had been practicing them for years, or even decades.
Every detail of movement, every application of power, flowed as naturally as breathing.
Alex smiled with satisfaction. This feeling of one-click upgrading was incredibly addictive!
Next, he needed to find a place to test the power of these two skills!
🎶 "Sweet child o' mine..." 🎶
Just as Alex was immersed in the joy of his upgraded skills, his phone rang with a classic rock anthem.
He pulled out his phone and saw it was his uncle. "Hey, Uncle James, why are you calling me all of a sudden?"
"Alex, my boy, I heard you awakened your ability today? Quick, tell your Uncle James, what did you awaken?"
Alex grinned. "Uncle, I awakened an S-Rank Darkness Ability. How about that? I didn't embarrass you, did I?"
James Whitefield was Alex's uncle. Since Alex's parents died three years ago, the two had depended on each other.
James treated Alex like his own son, always thinking of him first whenever he had something good.
Now that he had awakened an S-Rank ability, Alex naturally wanted to share the joy with his uncle immediately.
"You brat, did you awaken a low-level ability and are just trying to make me happy? Do you think S-Rank abilities are that easy to come by?" James clearly didn't believe him.
"Uncle... I..." Alex tried to explain, but James cut him off.
"Alex, you don't need to lie to me. No matter what ability you awakened, I won't think any less of you. As long as I'm here, you won't go hungry!"
Alex felt a lump in his throat. "Uncle, thank you..."
In this world, only his uncle treated him this well.
Uncle is the best in the world... a child without an uncle is like a blade of grass...
"Hahaha, you brat, why are you being so polite with me? I have to go now; I'm heading out of the city to hunt beasts. I'll cut a few pieces of prime meat for you tonight, and we can have a good drink together!" James said with a laugh.
Hearing the words "hunt beasts," Alex instantly perked up.
"Uncle, can you take me with you?"
Killing beasts yielded Slaughter Points. Alex had been itching to test his new combat skills and the power of his S-Rank Spirit Weapon—the Death Scythe!
"You brat, don't join in the fun blindly. Beasts aren't a game!" James said sternly.
"Come on, Uncle, I've awakened my ability now. Just take me to broaden my horizons. I promise I won't run around, and I'll listen to your command!"
Won't run around? Listen to command?
That was impossible!
James was silent for a while, but eventually, his heart softened, and he agreed helplessly. "Fine, I'll take you to see the world. But you better not run off, you hear me!"
"Roger that, Commander! Send me the location, I'm coming right now!"
On the other end, James hung up. A few seconds later, a location message popped up.
Alex looked at the GPS pin on his phone, unlocked a shared rental bike, hopped on, and pedaled furiously toward the rendezvous point!
(To be Continued)