As the Titan Stoneape thunderously fell to the ground, a moment of stunned silence enveloped the audience outside the test dungeon.


    Then, deafening cheers and gasps of astonishment filled the air.


    Someone blurted out in shock, "Damn, he actually managed to kill the Titan Stoneape in closebat. I thought he was a goner for sure."


    An experienced awakener eximed in admiration, "This kid''s judgment is incredibly precise. He must have spotted the Titan Stoneape''s weakness, opting for a melee attack. It''s hard to believe he''s still a student undergoing assessment."


    A bystander nodded in agreement, "Indeed, if he had waited for the Titan Stoneape to unleash a wide-area attack skill, he wouldn''t have won so easily."


    Another person reflected, "It''s been a long time since I''ve seen such a prodigy. Just watching him is astonishing. It seems he''s already secured first ce in this Ster Test."


    The consensus was unanimous.


    By this time, John''s score had reached 20000, leaving the rest of the assessment candidates far behind.


    Unless something unexpected urred, it seemed unlikely for anyone else to contend with John for the top spot in this assessment.


    Elsewhere in the audience, Silver Tear watched John on the screen, her eyes filled with admiration.


    She couldn''t help but say, "I never imagined John would be this strong. I remember when we first met him; he was just a newbie who could only grind in the lower areas of the Crimson Realm. Now, he''s capable of facing a lv40 boss on his own."


    Dark Fox, seemingly reminded of those days, nodded, "His strength has indeed grown rapidly, making him one of the fastest improvers I''ve ever seen."


    Silver Tear murmured regretfully, "It''s just a pity that Old Dog and Gold sh can''t see this. They would have been so happy."


    Dark Fox patted her back, offering silentfort without saying much.


    ...


    In the Enchanted Forest, John gazed at the prompt in front of him and let out a long sigh of relief.


    He had finally reached lv30.


    Staying at the silver-tier for such a long time had been a source of frustration for him, to im otherwise would be dishonest.


    However, he genuinelycked the time for leveling up, caught between training and earning money, which inevitably slowed his progression rate.


    Yet, this was an unavoidable situation.


    Leveling up in low-tier dungeons was excruciatingly slow, while high-tier dungeons and secret realms were rare finds.


    Additionally, leveling up was quite expensive, necessitating time spent earning money to buy resources.


    And the higher the level, the slower the progress.


    This was not just because of the massive amount of experience needed but also because high-tier Breakthrough Stones were not avable for purchase.


    These rare resources were generally controlled by major powers, making John''s future breakthroughs even more challenging.


    Joining Hidden Stars and forming good rtions with House Fairfax was partly motivated by the need to ess high-tier resources more easily in the future.


    However, neither Hidden Stars nor House Fairfax would provide high-tier resources for free; a price had to be paid.


    John shook his head, clearing the clutter of thoughts, choosing not to dwell on these matters.


    Future concerns could wait; for now, he was not in a rush.


    With a thought, his storage ring shed with light.


    The next moment, a silver stone adorned with mysterious patterns appeared in his hand.


    [Item]: Breakthrough Stone


    [Level]: Silver-tier


    [Quality]: Rare


    [Description]: Upon use, you will break through the silver-tier level limit and reach gold-tier.


    Without hesitation, John used it.


    The silver Breakthrough Stone shattered, transforming into a stream of light that surged into John''s body.


    Immediately, a series of prompts appeared before him.


    [Ding!]


    [You have broken through the silver-tier, reaching gold-tier!]


    [Your talent "Divine Favor Tome" has been activated!]


    [Your skill "Mana Rampage" level has increased to lv40!]


    [Your skill "Silver Moonde" level has increased to lv40!]


    [Your skill "Elemental Summoning" level has increased to lv40!]


    …


    Dozens of prompts shed before John.


    In just the blink of an eye, all of John''s skills were elevated to their maximum levels, significantly enhancing their effects.


    John opened his attribute panel to review his stats.


    [ss]: All-ss Magus (God-tier)


    [HP]: 55782


    [MP]: 209718


    [Attributes]: Strength 1540, Stamina 1589, Spirit 3137, Speed 521


    [Talent]: Divine Favor Tome (SSS-level)


    [Skills]: Spring of Soul lv40, Blood Absorption lv40, Mana Recovery lv40, Light Sword Rain lv40, Teleportation lv40, Hallucination Eye lv40…


    [Equipment]: Bloodthirsty de (Gold-tier), Blood Mask (Sage-tier), Demon Magus Robe (Unique), Hidden Stars Badge (Custom-made), Eclipse Staff lv25 (Gold-tier), Magic Stone Ne lv25 (Bronze-tier), Traveler Boots lv25 (Iron-tier)…


    …


    John''s Spirit attribute had officially surpassed 3,000 points, with his MP breaking through 200000.


    All his attributes had seen improvement.


    Furthermore, he gained three new skills.


    [Light Sword Rain lv40 (MAX)]


    [Type]: Intermediate Skill (Active)


    [Description]: Upon casting, you will summon a rain of light swords, dealing 317580 points of light attribute magic damage to enemies and applying a "Light Burn" effect that inflicts 3069 points of magic damage per second. The statussts for 1 minute. The skill has a cooldown of 15 minutes and consumes 12,000 MP.


    …


    [Teleportation lv40 (MAX)]


    [Type]: Intermediate Skill (Active)


    [Description]: Upon use, you can instantly move to any location within 120 meters, ignoring terrain. The skill has a cooldown of 5 minutes and consumes 9,500 MP.


    …


    [Hallucination Eye lv40 (MAX)]


    [Type]: Intermediate Skill (Active)


    [Description]: Upon use, you will mesmerize your target with an illusion. The duration of the skill depends on the difference in mind power between you and your target. The skill has a cooldown of 10 minutes and consumes 10,000 MP.


    …


    John meticulously reviewed the skill descriptions.


    "Light Sword Rain" not only facilitates area attacks but should also be capable of targeting individuals. Additionally, the skill imposes a special status, making it a formidable attack ability.


    "Teleportation" is a Magus''s discement skill. This ability greatly satisfied John, whocks agility; its 120-meter range significantly enhances his survivability.


    "Hallucination Eye" is particrly interesting. Illusion skills are considered rare, and in the hands of awakeners with weak mind power, such abilities are often underwhelming.


    However, for those with strong mind power, illusion skills can have unexpectedly powerful effects inbat.


    For instance, if John''s opponent is a warrior with weak mind power, John''s formidable mind power could potentiallypel the adversary to sumb to self-destructive actions with just a nce, which is terrifyingly effective.


    John nodded in approval; all three skills were potent.


    He felt fortunate not to have acquired any subpar abilities.


    Some awakeners, after their breakthrough, end up with skills of little use, leaving them with no option but toment their misfortune and seek out skill scrolls to enhance their power.


    Closing the panel, John nced at the crowd gathered around him from a distance.


    He could distinctly see some gazes filled with a mix of wariness and greed.


    Were they eyeing him for his points, thinking him weakened from his recent exertion?


    With a slight raise of his eyebrows, John twirled his Bloodthirsty de, casting a mocking side nce.


    "Are you not leaving, or are you nning to hand over your points to me?" he taunted.


    After a brief pause, his gaze sharpened dramatically.


    He spoke coldly, "Or do you believe that I, in my current state, cannot deal with you?"


    As his words fell, an intense aura suddenly erupted from him.


    On closer inspection, this aura was even more formidable than when he battled the Titan Stoneape, a silent warning to those who might dare to challenge him.


    John''s words caused a uniform shift in the expressions of those around him.


    Just as he had suspected, they indeed harbored intentions of seizing his points, drawn irresistibly to the substantial number disyed by his tally.


    With more than 20000 points to his name, acquiring them could secure the top spot in this assessment for anyone.


    Moreover, having just battled the Titan Stoneape, John was perceived to be in a less than optimal state.


    It was clear to them that John''splexion had grown noticeably paler than before, a silent testament to the difficulty of his recent fight, suggesting that victory had note as easily as it appeared.


    Now seemed the perfect opportunity for them to make their move, their faces flickering with indecision.


    Yet, upon hearing John''s taunt, some turned to leave, daunted by the formidable strength he had disyed; none harbored the courage to face him in battle.


    Seeing the makeshift alliance wavering, a leading Magus shouted, "Don''t be afraid, everyone. John has just fought the Titan Stoneape; his energy must be significantly depleted. With so many of us here, even if each of us only uses one skill, we can still overwhelm him!"


    Another gritted their teeth, adding, "Exactly, are you willing to watch such a bounty of points slip through our fingers? This might be our only chance to pass the assessment. If we let this go, are you confident you can make it into the top hundred of the scoreboard in the remaining time?"


    These words halted many in their tracks, their faces betraying a struggle with their conscience.