In search of the boss, Max Steel and his party of three carved their way forward, leaving a trail of dead ferocious beasts behind them.
Outside the trial, the principal and the school leaders stared in disbelief at the ranking board: [Ye Fan's Team: Captain Max Steel, Members Chris Kane and Luna Blaze].
The team had climbed from an initial C-grade rating with 14 kills all the way up to an S-grade rating with 101 kills.
The dean could not hold back any longer. "Principal, is there a problem with the rankings? How can three life-class students possibly kill over a hundred beasts? They even got 14 kills right at the start. The only Epic-class student, Troy Blaze, has only managed 9 kills so far."
Several homeroom teachers quickly agreed. "Yes, Principal. No matter how you look at it, this is impossible."
The crowd buzzed with discussion.
"Quiet, everyone," the principal said. "No one knows what is happening inside the trial. We will wait until they finish and ask them directly."
Even the principal found it hard to believe, yet a spark of hope remained in his heart.
Could one of them have experienced a Second Awakening?
Was it Max Steel? Luna Blaze? Or Chris Kane?
He would need to ask them once they came out. Perhaps the hope of the Eastern Region rested on these three.
There had been cases of Second Awakenings in the history of the Kingdom of Valoria. A man with a clearly ordinary profession later turned into a Legendary profession; research found that he must have undergone a Second Awakening.
...
At that moment, Max's group finally reached the boss.
It was a massive monkey-shaped beast known as the Berserk Demon Ape, standing four meters tall like a miniature titan.
Max grinned. "Finally found it. Kill it and we can go home."
Chris smiled eagerly. "Let me incinerate it with a single fire!"
Luna reached out and stopped him. "You protect God Max. Leave this one to me. It is a perfect practice target."
Chris lowered his hand. "Alright, Godmother. Be careful."
All throughout their journey, whenever they encountered beasts, Luna had been the first to charge forward, saying it was to protect God Max. Chris had been confused at first, wondering why she did not simply stay beside Max for protection. Luna had replied that offense was the best defense. As a result, nearly every corpse along the path had fallen to her sword.
Only once had Chris stolen a kill with a Forbidden Spell. Luna had nearly cut him down in anger, scaring him so badly that he never tried it again.
Luna now engaged the Berserk Demon Ape. As a Brilliant Thunder Swordmaster, she excelled in speed and explosive power. Using her lightning-fast movements, she danced around the giant ape, slashing, stabbing, and cutting until its body was covered in wounds.
Chris watched her performance and nodded inwardly. She made it look effortless and beautiful.
Max quietly opened Luna's information panel:
[Recruit: Luna Blaze. Profession: Brilliant Thunder Swordmaster. Grade: Legendary. Profession Talent: Thunder Breathing Technique. Skill: Flash Step — Moves at speeds exceeding the speed of sound and can burst with 500% to 1000% of this profession's damage. This value is random.]
The moment he read the talent name, Max's expression turned strange.
Thunder Breathing Technique? That is straight out of Demon Slayer from my previous life. How is it appearing here? Can anime powers cross over into this world?
If Thunder Breathing exists, dose it means all the derivative techniques exist too?
His eyes lit up with interest. He decided to speak with Luna about the Thunder Breathing Technique later.
On the battlefield, Luna delivered the final strike. The Berserk Demon Ape crashed to the ground. She turned her back to it and slowly sheathed her sword in one smooth motion.
Max smiled, then shifted his gaze to the ape's corpse. Earlier beasts had dropped some basic equipment, which was better than nothing.
But just as they were celebrating victory, the Berserk Demon Ape's eyes snapped open with a crimson glow.
Max shouted a warning. "Luna, it is not dead. It has gone berserk."
Luna turned calmly. "As expected, it was not that easy. Then I will end this with the next move."
She gripped the scabbard with her left hand and the hilt with her right, dropping into a low stance. Electricity flashed in her eyes, her hair stood on end, and arcs of lightning swirled around her body.
"Thunder Breathing Technique, Thunder Unleashed. Flash Step."
In that instant, Luna moved faster than the eye could follow. Her sword flashed once, and the Berserk Demon Ape's head rolled to the ground. Its crimson eyes stayed open even as its body remained standing. Only after Luna sheathed her sword did the massive corpse finally collapse.
A notification appeared before Max:
[Team has killed the trial boss. Maximum rating achieved: SSS. Do you wish to exit the Freshman Trial Dungeon?]
Max selected "Yes."
With a brilliant flash of light, the three of them reappeared outside the trial.
Principal Frederick Vale was waiting for them. "Incredible, children. Can you tell me how you did it? Not only did you kill the trial boss, you also achieved the maximum 3S-grade rating."
Chris held the back of his head and whistled, clearly avoiding the question.
Luna looked toward Max.
Max gave her a tiny nod.
The principal followed Luna's gaze and stared at Max in shock. "Student Max Steel, I remember you awakened as an ordinary Recruiter. Did you experience a Second Awakening?"
Seeing Max nod, Luna spoke up. "It was me, Principal. I am now a Brilliant Thunder Swordmaster, a Legendary-grade profession."
"Good, good, good. Heaven has truly shown mercy. I knew hard work would not be in vain."
At that moment, the system notification sounded in Max's mind:
[Recruit Chris Kane has completed the Freshman Trial Dungeon, obtaining 100 recruitment points. Detected trial rating is SSS-grade, ranked first overall, thus rewarding 500 recruitment points. Recruit Luna Blaze has completed the Freshman Trial Dungeon, obtaining 100 recruitment points. Detected trial rating is SSS-grade, ranked first overall, thus rewarding 500 recruitment points. Total: 1200 recruitment points.]
Max could not help complaining. "Are you kidding me, System? Only 100 points for clearing it? Are you treating me like a beggar?"
"Host, originally the Freshman Trial Dungeon does not grant recruitment points. However, seeing as it is the Host's first time obtaining recruitment points, 100 points were given at the system's discretion. If the Host looks down on them, this system can take them back."
Hearing they might be taken away, Max quickly backtracked. "I do not look down on them. Even a mosquito's leg is still meat. What I meant was, can these points be a bit more generous next time?"
"The amount of recruitment points obtained increases with the difficulty of the dungeon. Please keep up the good work, Host, and have the recruits challenge higher difficulty dungeons."
Max thought for a moment. "System, did you forget to give me 600 points? I cleared it too, and I am also ranked first with a 3S rating."
"No. The Host can only obtain recruitment points through recruits and no longer participates in the acquisition of recruitment points himself."
Max looked pained. "What? Are you kidding me? Then why did I even bother? I get experience sharing and attribute sharing, but no recruitment points? I might as well just lie back and enjoy the fruits of their labor."
"Correct, Host. This system is the Infinite Multiverse Recruitment System, dedicated to letting the Host lie down and reach the pinnacle."
Since he could not fight it, Max decided to enjoy it. He simply gave up on complaining.