A clear, ringing sound echoed, and in an instant, the Kobold Captain was ensnared in ice, its massive axe frozen as well.

Upon witnessing this sudden spectacle, astonishment painted the faces of the five students.

The next moment, the silhouettes of Nick and Mike were already charging forth.

An arrow, glistening with a fiery aura, sped past, launched belatedly but arriving first, streaking past both Nick and Mike and striking the icy shell with force.

Bang!

Almost in the moment when fire met frost, a powerful detonation burst forth, propelling the Kobold Captain's entire frame into the air.

The health meter atop its head took a precipitous dive, its HP decreasing at a rapid pace.

As a BOSS, the Kobold Captain wouldn't crumble as minor creatures might, remaining alive despite the onslaught. 

Yet, the pain surged like a tidal wave, relentlessly battering the Captain's senses, eliciting a heart-wrenching scream of torment from it.

Nick's figure darted forth, reminiscent of a streak of lightning. 

Having unleashed his Charge skill, she swung his blade with great fervor, delivering a fierce blow to the Kobold Captain's head.

"-638!"

After days of relentless training, Nick had ascended to LV20. 

With his significantly enhanced attributes, the damage she dealt was naturally greater than before.

And it wasn't just that. The Kobold Captain was left momentarily stunned, immobilized by the impact of his Charge skill.

Nick's eyes bore an icy cold demeanor, his blade dancing in his hand, continuously slicing at the Kobold Captain.

At the same time, Mike finally made his move. With soft, quick steps, he deftly maneuvered behind the Kobold Captain, swiftly executing his Backstab skill.

His dagger gleamed with a frosty green sheen, its edge incredibly sharp, slicing effortlessly through the Kobold Captain's skin, causing a torrent of blood to gush forth.

The effects of the Toxicity skill were then triggered on the Kobold Captain, further weakening its attributes.

"-439!"

Though the damage Mike dealt was slightly less than Nick's, his attack speed was astonishingly rapid. 

In what felt like the span of two breaths, he had already thrust five or six times, inflicting multiple waves of damage.

"Roar!"

The Kobold Captain's eyes blazed with a furious red. 

In the moment of its roar, it fiercely swung its massive axe, its entire body beginning to spin, signaling the onset of the skill - Whirlwind Strike!

Seeing this, Nick and Mike prepared to retreat, but a piercing whistle of slicing air echoed by their ears.

The next moment, a silvery wind blade tore through the air, striking squarely on the Kobold Captain's enormous axe.

Boom!

In an instant, the massive axe in the Kobold Captain's grasp was knocked flying out of its hands. 

The creature itself toppled backward, sitting abruptly on the ground, its eyes filled with bewilderment.

The Wind Blade Spell had triumphed!

Such was the advantage of the real world. If this were a game, only skills with knockback or interrupt effects could halt the Kobold Captain's technique.

In the real world, aside from those skills, there were other means to tackle the problem! Like knocking a weapon out of an opponent's grip!

Without its weapon, what could the Kobold Captain possibly use to execute its skill?

"Perfect timing!"

Nick and Mike's eyes lit up. 

With their impressive combat experience, they instantly unleashed all their skills, seizing this opportunity to ferociously assault the Kobold Captain.

In contrast, the five students seemed to be rooted to the spot, their eyes fixed blankly on Howard and his companions.

Meanwhile, Abby also sprang into action. 

As she drew her bow and nocked her arrows, she continually switched the elemental attributes of her arrows, maximizing her damage to the Kobold Captain.

It must be said that after these days of combat, Abby, Nick, and Mike had not only leveled up and increased their attributes but had also significantly enhanced their battle experience.

This time, without even waiting for Howard to make a move and with only two control skills used on the Kobold Captain, the trio of Abby, Nick, and Mike finished off the creature.

Especially notable was Mike's dazzling performance.

The dagger in his hand danced like a butterfly in flight, thrusting continuously, each strike inflicting both direct damage and the effects of toxicity.

Furthermore, Abby's switching of arrow elements, invoking the Elemental Reaction, had a profound impact on the Kobold Captain. 

Within a mere twenty seconds, the three of them had slain the Captain.

"What the fuck?! Are you guys also freshmen from this batch?"

"My God, you took down a LV20 BOSS so quickly! That's insanely strong!"

Witnessing this scene, all five students exclaimed in astonishment, their mouths agape in surprise.

However, they soon sensed something was amiss.

After Nick and Mike defeated the Kobold Captain, they didn't pick up the loot. Instead, holding their weapons, they eyed the students with a peculiar gaze.

Howard, on the other hand, leisurely approached the fallen body of the Kobold Captain. 

Only after collecting all the spoils did he approach the five students with a sly grin.

At this moment, the five students finally recognized Howard.

After all, Howard had previously laughed and chatted with Daniel in front of hundreds of students, leaving a unique impression in the minds of many.

Upon recognizing Howard, the five students immediately became animated. 

Just as they were about to voice their gratitude, Howard chuckled and said, "Gentlemen, we saved you. Don't you think you should show some appreciation?"

"Uh? Show appreciation how?"

"We're all classmates, isn't this going a bit far?"

Hearing this, the students exchanged uneasy glances, sensing an ominous undertone in Howard's words.

Howard, feigning surprise, retorted, "Going a bit far? A person's life is priceless. We saved yours. Asking for a little something in return is a bargain for you!"

It was at this moment the students understood: Howard wanted a favor!

This left them utterly perplexed.

After all, in their eyes, with Howard's superior equipment and skills, he surely didn't need any favors from them.

"Tsk tsk, are you really that dense?" Seeing the puzzled expressions on the faces of the five students, Howard smirked, "Hand over your bamboo tablets. Your points are now mine!"

"Points?!"

"What the hell?! Why? Those points are the result of our relentless battles day and night!"

At this, the countenances of all five students drastically changed.

If it was merely a favor, they would willingly oblige. 

Every student who gets admitted into the Holy Abyss Academy is far from ordinary; they wouldn't fuss over trivialities.

However, points were a whole different story!

They all knew too well that once the assessment ended, the more points they held, the greater the resources they would be able to access throughout their subsequent years of study!

One of the students couldn't help but retort, "We never asked you to come to our rescue. You chose to act on your own accord. At most, you can have the spoils of war. I'll even throw in 10 gold coins as a token of gratitude, but don't even think about taking our points!"

As he spoke, a wider grin stretched across Howard's face, while Nick and Mike quickly closed in on the five students.

Witnessing this, a sense of unease washed over the group of five.

Although they outnumbered Howard's team, when it came to sheer presence and intimidation, Howard's group was overwhelmingly dominant.

It genuinely felt as if the four of them were surrounding the five students!

For a moment, the students anxiously retreated, swallowing hard.

"Howard Hughes, don't you dare cross the line! This is an assessment, and we're all classmates here. You can't harm us! Or else, I'll call for the mentor!" one of the students cried out, scanning the area, looking for an escape route.

Howard burst into laughter, "Still running to the mentors at your age? What are you, a child?"

"You..." The student's cheeks flushed in embarrassment. 

But before he could retort, a blinding light flashed before him, followed by a sensation of an eerie force weighing down on him, as if he bore the weight of a mountain.

It wasn't just him; the four students next to him also found themselves pressed to the ground, immobilized.

It was the Gravity spell in action!

Seizing the opportunity, Nick and Mike quickly moved in, relieving the immobilized students of their bamboo tablets.

"So many bamboo tablets, you're not from the same team?" Howard exclaimed with a hint of surprise. Normally, one team would only have a single bamboo tablet.

The fact that they had so many tablets indicated that they weren't teammates but had grouped together to tackle monsters, which took Howard aback.

Clearly, it was challenging for the average student to survive on the peripheries of the Valley of Fierce Winds without forming a team. 

That's why some students would gather together, pooling their strengths against monsters.

Although this approach would mean the distribution of points and spoils would be restricted, if they didn't band together, their chances of survival would be slim.

As Howard pondered, he couldn't help but grow concerned. 

Would those who had awakened their S-level talents unite?

If they did rally together, Howard's team of just four, without utilizing their SS-level skills, might be at a disadvantage.

However, Howard didn't dwell on it too long. 

Taking the bamboo tablets from Nick and Mike, he touched them to his own. Instantly, a luminous screen emerged before him.

As expected, the points inside the bamboo tablet could be transferred.

Howard sighed in relief. The hint given by mentor Jack hadn't led him astray.

Moving forward, whether it was for ranking rewards or the prizes from Daniel, their raiding spree would continue unabated.

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