Chapter 26: The Test: She’s Overhyped

A trace of hesitation appeared on Leah’s face, her heart speeding up. She glanced around only to see that more and more instructors were rushing over.

Only moments ago, she had merely been a failed student who was about to be placed on the academy’s observation list. Now everyone was looking at her.

The change had happened too quickly, so quickly that she had not even truly adapted.

Victor, however, had already guessed what would happen next from the onset, so he was much calmer than she was.

The academy would never treat the appearance of a special profession that had been lost for eight hundred years like any ordinary awakening.

After today, Leah could no longer remain unknown like before.

And that perfectly matched the system’s return rules.

’Strength, Status, Fate. All of them are rising,’ Victor thought inwardly, his gaze fixed on his retina.

[Detected a change in the social status of a long term investment target.]

[Stage returns are accumulating.]

The corner of Victor’s lips lifted slightly as he suddenly said, "Go."

Leah looked at him. "What about you?"

"Of course I’m coming," Victor said. "I also want to know exactly what kind of monster I just picked up."

Leah: "..." ℯ

Cecilia, standing beside him, narrowed her eyes. "Picked up?"

"Metaphor."

"You have a rather strange understanding of metaphors."

"Your Highness is unusually talkative today."

...

Ten minutes later, at the Central Testing Ground of the academy.

News had spread faster than anyone expected, but then again, it was to be expected, as half of the academy had seen the silver pillar. Therefore, the academy needed to give a reasonable explanation to ensure there was no panic or false rumours among the students.

And what better way to give this explanation than for the students to see the cause of the silver pillar themselves?

Normally, the central testing ground was merely a public area used by the academy for large scale combat tests and profession evaluations. Yet by the time Victor and the others arrived, several hundred people were already seated in the spectator stands.

And the number was still increasing right before his eyes. There were first years, second years, and even some upperclassmen, to his surprise.

"That’s her?"

"Leah Vane?"

"The one who kept failing her profession awakening?"

"I heard a silver pillar of light shot into the sky from the old research building."

"It isn’t an ordinary hidden profession."

"The instructors said it’s a Lost Profession."

"Seriously?"

"Wasn’t she not even Level 10 before?"

Discussions rose one after another. The moment Leah entered the testing area, her fingers curled slightly at her sides, and she felt as though she was naked before the countless eyes.

In the past, she had also been watched by this many people, but back then, what she heard had not been anticipation but ridicule.

So what if she ranked first in theory?

She couldn’t even awaken a profession.

All she knew was how to stubbornly cling to the flawed research left behind by her dead mother.

Trash. Stubborn. A waste of the academy’s quota. What sort of name hadn’t they called her? At some point, it stopped affecting her as she had grown used to it.

But now, the same crowd, the same gazes, were filled with envy, curiosity, shock, and even a hint of jealousy and unwillingness that was difficult to conceal.

Who would have thought these people would one day be jealous of her? Leah didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

At that moment, Victor walked past her and spoke without looking at her.

"Humans are very funny creatures."

"Huh?" The girl raised her head, looking at his tall frame.

"They will laugh and mock you when you are down and bootlick you when you are up," Victor continued. "If you want to kill this nervousness, I’ll tell you a little trick."

"What trick?" Leah said in a curious tone.

"Act as if they don’t exist."

She frowned. "That’s easier said than done, Young Master."

"Think about them doing the most embarrassing thing you can think of." Victor shrugged. "Works for me all the time."

Leah fell silent for some seconds, processing his words, then she lifted her gaze. Her eyes swept across all the spectators, and a smile appeared on her face.

"Understood," she nodded.

Her voice was now noticeably firmer, and even her stance had become straighter.

"That’s my girl." Victor smiled, seemingly pleased.

On the other side of the spectator stands, Evelyn had appeared at some point. Karl and Milo stood beside her.

"Where did Young Master pick this one up from?" Evelyn narrowed her eyes as she examined Leah. "He only dug Noah out from among us this morning. And now he’s brought back a hidden profession in the afternoon."

Karl did not answer. He wanted to know too.

What exactly had happened to Young Master Victor recently?

His eye for talent had suddenly become almost frighteningly good.

Some time later, it was time for the first test. The first test was called basic physical attributes, and one needed to strike a pillar.

The instructor responsible shouted at the top of his voice, "Strength test, begin!"

Leah took a deep breath and then threw a punch with every fibre of strength she had in her fragile muscles.

BANG!

[Strength: 21]

A very ordinary, even somewhat low number lit up at the top of the pillar.

Upon seeing it, quiet discussions immediately sounded around them.

"Only twenty one?"

"She’s Level 15 with that stat?"

"Looks like she isn’t a melee profession."

The second test was Agility.

[Agility: 28]

Still, it was nothing extraordinary.

The third test was Constitution, and it was even lower, being at 19. By now, several students were already thinking they had wasted their time coming here and had simply overhyped her.

However, despite all this, the white haired old man, the same one who had researched the astral profession, showed no disappointment whatsoever.

He had already expected most of her stats to look like this. What he truly wanted to see was...

"Spirit," the white haired old man called out.

...

AN: Thanks for reading.. Check Authors Note for Attribute Explanation.