The laughter of Arthur rang out across the devastated area, echoing between the shattered terrain.
Arnold released a long breath of relief. If Alex had died today, humanity would never have forgiven him.
At that moment, Anna arrived.
She had run nearly forty kilometers to reach the site.
As only a level five Martial Warrior, forcing her body this far in such a short time right after using her talent had taken a severe toll. Her chest rose and fell violently as she struggled to breathe.
Her eyes were the first to take in the scene.
They landed on the piles of fallen monsters, their corpses still radiating terrifying auras even in death.
"No!" she screamed.
For a split second, she believed those monsters had killed Alex, and that the Vice President had slain them in retaliation.
Then her gaze lifted toward the sky.
She saw Alex.
He was seated calmly in midair, meditating.
Instantly, the crushing darkness gripping her heart vanished.
A pure smile bloomed across her face as overwhelming relief washed over her.
Alex opened his eyes and looked ahead.
He saw Arnold, Arthur, and Anna staring at him.
"Hello, Vice President. Hello, Teacher. Hello, Ms. Anna," Alex said politely. "Is everything alright out there? Ms. Anna, are you hurt?"
There was genuine concern in his voice.
He wanted to go to them, but the barrier surrounding the area prevented him from moving.
When Anna realized that Alex was worried about her even after experiencing something so terrifying, a warm sweetness flooded her heart.
"I'm alright," she replied softly. "What about you?"
"Yeah," Alex muttered casually. "I had fun playing with them, but they didn't last long. What a bummer."
Arnold felt his mouth twitch violently.
"Sir," Arnold said, turning to Arthur, "tell that brat to stop bragging or I'll spank him myself. We were having heart attacks out here while he was casually fighting over fifty high level Beast Grandmasters and he says he was having fun?"
Arthur burst out laughing once again.
"Alright," Arthur said, his tone turning serious. "The test is over. Call everyone back. I will compensate all participants with an extra five thousand credits for the remaining time and for our failure to protect them properly."
"As you wish," Arnold replied before leaving the area.
That was when the twenty Saints arrived.
William was among them.
He appeared in front of Alex like a bolt of lightning.
"Kid, are you alright?" William asked anxiously. "Are you hurt anywhere? I'm sorry. I couldn't make it in time."
"Please don't worry, Sword Saint," Alex said sincerely. "I'm perfectly fine. If some puny berserk beasts could kill me, wouldn't that be a disgrace for the sole existence who reached the hundredth stair?"
He smiled confidently.
"Braggart," Anna muttered, rolling her eyes.
Yet she could not stop looking at Alex.
For some reason, he seemed infinitely more handsome than before.
"That's a relief," William said as he finally relaxed.
He then bowed toward Arthur.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for saving the day. Those monsters were far stronger than normal. This situation is deeply abnormal. We must investigate. Something is very wrong."
Arthur nodded, his expression cold.
"We will," he said. "Those rats will not live much longer."
Among the Saints, one individual was having a silent mental breakdown.
He had gambled everything on this mission.
He had been absolutely certain Alex would die.
Yet Alex stood there unharmed, without even a single scratch.
How was this possible?
Perhaps the Vice President had secretly given Alex some S rank artifacts.
Otherwise, there was no way a recently awakened brat could defeat Beast Grandmasters, even if he was someone who reached the hundredth stair.
Alex habitually scanned the Saints, checking to see if there were any talents worth copying.
[Name: Timothy Garion
Talent: Earth Manipulation (S)
Rank: Saint Level 7]
[Name: Jake Pol
Talent: Berserk (A)
Rank: Saint Level 3]
[Name: Harold James
Talent: Fire Manipulation (SS)
Rank: Saint Level 4 (true strength Saint Level 9)
Status: Colluded with the Monster Association]
Alex's eyes widened slightly.
He could see hidden truths like this?
That made sense.
His talent was the Eye of Revelation, not a simple Eye of Appraisal.
"Looks like I need to experiment more with this talent," Alex muttered. "But let's milk the cow first."
He stepped forward and instantly appeared in front of Harold.
Harold stared at him suspiciously.
Why was this brat approaching him?
Did he know something?
No.
There was a zero percent chance.
Alex smiled warmly and extended his hand.
"Hello, Mr. Harold. I'm a big fan of your fire talent. It looks very cool when you use it. I've seen it on the internet. May I shake your hand?"
Alex was speaking complete nonsense.
He had never seen Harold online.
In fact, since transmigrating, Alex barely used the internet at all.
Harold sneered inwardly.
"I'll be the one to kill you someday, and you call yourself my fan? Fate really is cruel."
Still, he extended his hand with a gentle smile.
"It's an honor," Harold said.
[Ding! Elemental talent detected: Fire Manipulation. Copy?]
"Copy."
The talent transferred instantly.
Alex released Harold's hand.
"Teacher," Alex asked, "the test is over, right?"
"Yes," Arnold replied. "We'll leave shortly. I've contacted the other instructors. They are bringing all the students."
"Sir," Alex continued, "I killed sixty seven Beast Grandmasters. How many points will I receive?"
"Well," Arnold hesitated, "normally, fifth year students at the Grandmaster level receive fifteen hundred credits per high level Beast Grandmaster. I'll give you two thousand each."
Alex glanced at his wristband.
[Alex Moriarty: 170000 points, Rank 1]
Arnold's face twitched again.
Alex had earned more credits in a single recruitment test than many fifth year students earned in an year.
Arthur looked at Alex thoughtfully.
"I'll add thirty thousand more credits and round it off. How does that sound?"
"Thank you, sir," Alex replied eagerly.
Soon, the other students arrived.
Rey, Selena, and Aren were among them.
Aren's face was dark.
Even with over ten thousand points, he was still ranked second.
Who was the bastard who surpassed him?
"Alex, where have you been?" Selena asked curiously.
"Just taking a stroll in the wilderness," Alex replied casually.
Soon, everyone exited the wilderness and boarded the aircraft.
Arthur departed separately.
They arrived back on campus not long after.
The students were utterly exhausted.
"The top five hundred will stay in the dormitories," Arnold announced. "The rest will be transported home. Our aircraft will take you."
Soon, only five hundred students remained.
Arthur had already left.
"Anyone with SS rank talent or higher will receive a private room," Arnold continued. "S rank talents will share rooms with one other person. The rest will be assigned four to a room."
"Room numbers have been allocated. You may stay in the dorms or outside. It is entirely your choice."
Alex chose not to stay.
His mother would be worried.
He bid farewell to everyone and returned to the hotel.
He needed a long sleep.
Classes would begin in three days.
When Alex entered the hotel, Elizabeth rushed toward him like a storm and wrapped him in a tight hug.
She had already heard everything.
"Are you alright?" she asked frantically. "You're not hurt, right? I'll call Ezra to heal you if you are."
"Mom, I'm fine," Alex said smugly. "Don't worry. I'm very strong."
Only then did Elizabeth release him.
"Go rest," she said gently. "Food will be sent to your room after you shower."
Alex returned to his room and contacted Arthur.
"Alex?" Arthur's voice came through. "Did you need something?"
"Yes, Vice President," Alex said calmly. "Keep an eye on Saint Harold. He was colluded with today's attack."