Chapter 44: The Confident Locke

The scales of victory were tipped in Locke’s favor.

The students present were still in disbelief.

He was a relatively unknown youngster, and yet, he had already displayed such terrifying strength!

Moreover, Locke had yet to display his full strength!

“Eliminate it!”

Locke felt that there was no point in continuing to fight.

“Roar…”

The Netherfiend Tiger struggled desperately.

Alas, it was a futile effort.

Immediately after receiving the order, a dense aura of bloodlust enveloped Lil’ White. It clamped down its bloody jaws and tore apart the Netherfiend Tiger’s throat.

With that, the battle was over.

Pindrop silence followed.

All voices immediately subsided…

The Twin-headed White Jade Snake’s final swift and lethal attack constantly replayed in their minds.

Even the experienced instructors were left speechless for a long time.

“This child is really amazing…”Trista’s[1] eyes were focused on Locke. She looked at him as if he was a priceless treasure.

“We must nurture him with utmost care…”Jacques’ voiced his thoughts loud and clear.

Locke was not surprised that the audience had gone silent. After all, these students were no more than trash in his eyes.

“Examiner! I’m Done!”

It was only after Locke’s declaration did the examiner come back to his senses,

“Oh! Locke has passed the assessment! His aptitude…”

Upon saying the word “Aptitude,” the examiner paused.

He had come across an awkward problem.

No matter how he looked at it, a student who had easily defeat a terrifying opponent like the Netherfiend Tiger was definitely stronger than Alice!

In that case, it would be inappropriate to declare him as a mere superior-grade?

The Federation’s Advanced Beastmaster Academy has always been strict with their assessments, especially ones related to admissions!

After all, a wrong evaluation would bring a huge loss to the school.

However, they had not prepared a higher qualification than ‘Superior’!

In the face of this dilemma, the examiner then turned around and looked at the two instructors, Trista and Jacques.

Understanding what his gaze meant, the two instructors approached the examiner to discuss their options.

By this point, the other students had returned to their senses,

“He’s a diamond in the rough…”

“I feel that no one can surpass his results…”

“It would be great if I could be assigned to the same class as Locke. If that were to happen, no one will bully me in the future…”

“He’s so strong!”

The students began to discuss among themselves.

Although there were some who praised Locke, there were also those who were envious of him.

Alice represented the latter.

To be more precise, it was seething jealousy!

She had regarded her performance earlier as brilliant and she had fully displayed what she had learned over the years.

However, ever since Locke’s display of strength, the attention of the audience was no longer on her!

How could the child of a great noble family be treated so coldly?

Alice’s pride could not accept it.

She was so angry that her face turned red. She stared at Locke’s silhouette with seething hatred.

On the other hand, Locke seemed extremely relaxed. Noticing that the instructors were still discussing, he simply sat down on the ground and yawned.

“It’s settled then…”

“Alright!”

Once the trio had finished their discussion, Trista then walked up to the stage and announced on behalf of the examiner, “Locke has passed the assessment! He has been assigned…”

“The special grade! !”

There was another uproar!

The students had the combat grades drilled into them prior to taking the assessment.

As such, the sudden appearance of a “Special grade” had completely dumbfounded them.

Indeed!

It was a grade that Trista and Jacques had “Invented” at the last minute!

It was due to several factors.

Firstly, Locke’s performance was too dazzling, and it was a waste to assign him a mere superior grade.

Secondly, they were extremely excited!

Locke’s level of genius was not something that could be attained with money!

He had trained long and hard!

On the other hand, the students did not have much to complain about. After all, Locke was leagues apart from them.

Moreover, they could not be anymore proud with having such an unparalleled genius as their schoolmate.

The students began to shout praises at him…

Except for Alice.

It was already hard enough on her that he had easily defeated the Netherfiend Tiger.

However, the fact that he was placed on a completely different grade was unbearable for her!

After all, it was akin to the academy admitting that she was inferior to Locke!

Her originally beautiful face became distorted and ugly.

‘He… He has to pay for this!’ She mentally declared.

A wave of relief washed over Locke. With a shrug, he stated, “Thank you, instructors! I’ll be taking my leave then!”

Trista and Jacques smiled and nodded. They were pleased with Locke’s display of strength.

So much so that they had disregarded the need for him to take the next assessment.

…

Jacques was tired from supervising the assessments.

Nevertheless, he could see that the students had given it their all. After all, the long series of assessments would determine their lives.

Fortunately, by the time the assessments had ended, plenty of students had been assigned to the Bronze Class.

At least 60% of them had made it into the Bronze Class.

There were also a number of students who had been assigned to the Silver and Gold Classes.

Nevertheless, the Diamond Class’ results was where the students had their eyes on.

The resources provided by the Diamond Class was something that not even the Gold Class students would dare to dream about.

“Diamond Class! Locke! Alice!”

Their position in the class was well-deserved.

Alice’s fusion of Battle Beasts was an eye opener, and Locke was simply a monster!

“Furthermore! Locke has been rewarded with the first seat of the assessment! His name will be carved and immortalized on the Tower of Glory!!”Jacques’ words stirred up yet another uproar!

‘The Tower of Glory!’

Not a single Beastmaster was unaware of the tower.

The tower was originally just a plain old tower.

However, ever since a prodigious student of the Federation’s Advanced Beastmaster Academy, Alston, carved his name on it, the “name-carving” ritual had become part of the academy’s tradition.

Many outstanding students had left their names on the tower after obtaining permission.

Over time, the ordinary tower gained extraordinary significance.

However, Jacques had made the decision to motivate the students.

Of course, Locke had deserved it too!

Alice’s father and brothers’ names were also carved on the tower. As such, she was unbelievably humiliated by the situation.

Fortunately for her, there were still many chances in the future.

In contrast, Locke could not care less. He had always been a pragmatic individual.

His only focus at the moment was on the System. He would finally obtain the 100 Function Points.

He mentally stated to the System, “Choose the Hidden Evolution Path for Body Tempering!”

“Ding! The upgrade condition has been met! Evolving now!”

A dozen seconds or so later, a virtual interface appeared in his mind:

[ Cultivation Technique Level: Yellow Tier, Rank 9 ]

[ Cultivation Technique Strength: 18.00 ]

At the same time!

A warm current began to flow through every blood vessel in his body. It was an indescribably pleasant experience.

Locke subconsciously closed his eyes and enjoyed the sensation.

“Are you alright, Locke? Are you tired?” Noticing that Locke had closed his eyes, Trista could not help but think he was tired.

However, Locke, who had successfully evolved, slowly opened his eyes. Fully invigorated, he confidently responded, “I’m feeling great, instructor!”

[1] Trista should still be waiting outside the center. This is likely just another one of the author’s retcons.