Chapter 57: Chapter57-Dusk
Everyone present was stunned.
Eldritch said with a wry smile, "Are SSS-level ratings so common now?"
Alexander sighed, "I bet a hundred federal coins it's that newcomer from Hidden Stars again!"
The others nodded in agreement; who else could it be?
The footage began to play, and everyone immediately recognized the familiar figure.
It was indeed John!
In the scene, John appeared in a dense forest.
Before him stood a gigantic treant, its body covered in human faces, a sight of sheer terror.
The treant launched an attack with its massive roots at John's appearance but was evaded by John using Shadow Puppet.
Immediately, John transformed into a spell turret, the glow of skills on his staff hardly ceasing.
Skill after skill rained down on the treant, leaving the formidable creature with no chance to resist, as John's relentless barrage of abilities broke its trunk.
Instant kill!
Witnessing this scene, everyone involuntarily swallowed.
Alexander exclaimed in amazement, "This kid's skill casting speed is incredibly fast. Could they be instant cast skills?"
Eldritch observed carefully and shook his head, "His skills are not instant cast; they're just cast quicker than usual, still a way off from being instant. However, given his age, mastering instant cast skills is just a matter of time."
Generally, awakers need a certain amount of time to cast skills, with more powerful skills requiring longer casting times.
However, some awakers with exceptional talent or those at a higher level can cast skills instantly, meaning they need no preparation time at all.
Eldritch, being the principal of StellarSea Academy, had a keen eye.
John was indeed not using instant cast skills; each of his skill casts actually took about a second, but it was so fast that it was hard for most people to notice, giving the illusion of instant casting.
Although not yet instant, given John's talent, mastering such skills was indeed just a matter of time, and Principal Eldritch was not wrong in saying so.
The others remained silent, their envy towards Victor growing even stronger.
What luck this guy had to find such a genius!
Yet, what made them even more envious was yet to come.
Just a few minutes later, another prompt popped up in front of them.
It was another record of John passing, still with a dizzying SSS-level rating!
This time, the monster couldn't even withstand three of John's skills before being directly killed by him!
John's speed in clearing the trial left everyone speechless.
They then realized that besides his fast skill casting, John's damage output was also terrifyingly high!
Even though the trial contained monsters of the same level, the most resilient ones could only withstand four or five of his skills before being slain on the spot!
And as for those more fragile monsters, they didn't stand a chance.
Any hit from John's skills meant an instant evaporation of half their HP, a sight terrifying to behold.
Even more outrageous was his trial score being SSS-level again!
It's known that trial ratings consider overall strength, not just raw damage but also reaction speed, talent, and potential.
If Victor weren't exceptionally brilliant, with his awakener talent, even an S-level rating would be hard to achieve.
This was why everyone was shocked by John's consecutive SSS-level ratings.
They were well aware that this newcomer from Hidden Stars likely had no significant background; otherwise, he wouldn't have joined Hidden Stars.
This meant he earned these SSS-level ratings purely based on his own comprehensive abilities!
Such talent was truly fearsome!
If their memory served them right, only two SSS ratings had been awarded within the Federal in the last decade, both relying on powerful artifacts and extraordinary talent, and at most, they achieved two SSS ratings.
Yet, John had already secured four, with the number still increasing!
Even these transcendent-tier powerhouses, who had seen countless geniuses, felt they were witnessing a once-in-a-generation prodigy, his brilliance even leaving them in awe, an absolute freak of nature!
Meanwhile, John continued to breeze through the trial, with prompts appearing every few minutes.
It was only upon reaching the eleventh layer that his pace slightly slowed.
And those who were initially shocked by the notifications had become somewhat numb to them.
Because the records for the first ten layers were all SSS-level ratings!
Watching everyone's astonished gazes, Victor lit a cigarette, slowly exhaling a plume of smoke, a hint of a smile in his eyes.
This kid was truly making him proud!
Watching John's brilliant performance on the screen, Theodore Winters couldn't help but sigh inwardly, wondering whether his daughter being in the same era as such a person was a blessing or a curse...
Eldritch also couldn't resist expressing his feelings, "To put it frankly, we are witnessing the rise of a legend!"
Alexander nodded, his face showing a rare seriousness, "Such a talent, as long as he does not meet an early demise, will inevitably become a pillar of the Federal, supporting our skies."
Baron, filled with envy, added, "Having such a genius could prop up a force for at least twenty years!"
The others nodded in agreement; a genius of this caliber, once grown, could ensure a force's peaceful development for two decades without anyone daring to provoke it.
This is the terror of a top-tier awaker!
Albertus suddenly laughed, "I had the foresight. When I first met him at Corpse Plains, I felt he was bound for greatness, so I gave him the Fairfax Token."
Everyone turned to Albertus in astonishment, even Victor's gaze shifted his way.
Nobody expected him to have given the Fairfax Token to this newcomer from Hidden Stars!
Those present, being worldly individuals, understood the significance of the Fairfax Token from House Fairfax; holding it was akin to representing the entire House Fairfax!
Yet such an important item had been given to a newcomer from Hidden Stars by Albertus!
Baron's eyes widened in disbelief, but instead of anger, he was pleasantly surprised, "You actually gave him the Fairfax Token, and he accepted it?"
Albertus grinned, "Of course, he accepted it, and he promised to aid our House Fairfax once in the future."
Upon hearing this, everyone's perception shifted, and Baron burst into laughter, clapping Albertus on the shoulder and praising, "Good lad, truly worthy of House Fairfax! Such foresight! With his promise, not just one Fairfax Token, we'd give ten!"
The others looked on enviously, their eyes practically glowing red.
This was a potential stock who would almost certainly become a top-tier powerhouse in the future.
Trading a Fairfax Token for a promise from such a genius was an absolute steal!
Meanwhile, in a corner of the crowd, the bearded and robed powerhouses also watched John's rampage in the trial.
They were using a mind power link to communicate telepathically.
The robed figure sinisterly said in their minds, "Unexpectedly, among those who entered the trial, there's such a top-tier prodigy. They all seem so happy now, but I wonder if they can still smile if this genius dies in the trial."
The bearded powerhouse replied gravely, "Let's not concern ourselves with them; we have more important matters at hand. How is your array coming along? Are you confident it can trap Victor and the others?"
Hearing this, the robed figure hesitated.
Remembering Victor's astonishing sword strike in the trial, he shook his head and sighed, "They're too strong. Even with preparations, my magic array might not hold them for long."
The bearded powerhouse understood the terror of Victor and the other powerhouses and knew how challenging it was to expect a transcendent-tier arraymancer to trap so many of them.
Seemingly having made a decision, the bearded powerhouse's gaze intensified as he looked at the robed figure, "We've planned this for so long, all for today. We're only one step away from completing our plan, so we cannot afford any mishaps. Before the array activates, we'll enter the magic array together to buy time for the master!"
"Us, enter the magic array?!" The robed figure looked up at the bearded powerhouse in astonishment.
With several transcendent-tier powerhouses inside, like Victor, Baron, or Theodore Winters, none of whom were easy to provoke, wouldn't entering be akin to seeking death?
Sensing the robed figure's hesitation, a hint of madness flickered in the bearded powerhouse's eyes as he said, "Death is but the beginning of life. As long as the plan succeeds and our lord descends upon this world, dusk shall envelop the land, and we too shall gain eternal life in our lord's kingdom!"
Seemingly inspired, the robed figure's eyes also lit up with fervor, and he devoutly proclaimed, "All shall return to twilight! We are willing to offer our humble lives for the Lord of Dusk!"