Chapter 323: Chapter 204: He’s Always There! (Two-in-one, 2/5)_2 "Last time, I was at another venue. I’d only heard about him but had never seen him in person. This time, I got to witness his performance, and it’s impressive indeed. Once could be an accident, twice a coincidence, but this is the third time now. I can’t shake the feeling that there’s something unusual about this kid." "True, he set a record in the qualifying exam, but he had a five-star support-type professional with him at the time, which makes sense. Then, during the college entrance examination, his results alone were exceptionally different. That was almost too perfectly timed an anomaly, though one could reluctantly call it a coincidence. But this time, he’s shown outstanding performance again. Is this kid really an ordinary Skeleton Mage?" "There’s no issue with his profession. Footage of his awakening at Seaside Second Middle School is archived. Moreover, on the very day he awakened, an Alien attempted to disrupt the unusual phenomenon because a girl had awakened a five-star profession. The Alien even made a move, so that whole incident was recorded quite clearly." "I see. So, he must have acquired some exceptional equipment. Skeleton Mages are indeed not that strong initially, but if boosted by powerful equipment, their combat effectiveness can actually be quite good later on. Besides, Skeleton Summoning Skill Books are so cheap; he could have maxed out his Skeleton Summoning Skill with just a little money. That way, the Cooldown for his Skeleton Summon would be short. If one wave dies, the next is probably ready soon after. If he keeps rushing in to farm monsters without a care for their lives, it’s not surprising he can progress at this speed." "Since this kid is from Seaside Second Middle School, his family probably isn’t very wealthy, right? Where would he get such good equipment?" "In this qualifying exam, he broke the 20-day record and set a new 30-day record. He must have earned at least a billion in prize money, so funds aren’t an issue. With that money to strengthen himself, and then using that equipment to get a bound set or something, it’s definitely achievable." "Oh, right! The prize money! I’d completely forgotten about that. That explains a lot. However, if he can maintain this pace of high-speed kills, then it’s definitely not just a matter of powerful equipment." The rounds were still early, so the monsters hadn’t been significantly powered up yet. Even the goblins in the tenth wave only had attributes of 2,465 Life, 180 Physical Attack, and 399 dual defense. Such attributes were still within the range where they could be instantly killed. The teachers weren’t too surprised by this; it was only because Chen Mo was one of the two that his case sparked widespread discussion among them. Meanwhile, inside the instance, Chen Mo slowed his pace based on what Fang Datong had said. After all, they only needed to clear fifty rounds in this instance, and there were no other rewards. It wouldn’t matter if they took their time. Rushing out too early would only invite unnecessary questions. Although he wasn’t afraid of his special ability being exposed, Chen Mo didn’t really want others to know the specifics of his capabilities. If even your own allies don’t know your capabilities, your enemies will find it even harder to assess them. As Chen Mo slowed the Skeleton Monsters’ attacks, a large group of them stood dumbly in place, allowing the goblins to attack. Seeing this, Fang Datong, itching for action, drew his sword and said, "Perfect, I’ll take out a few. Consider it practice." Chen Mo laughed. "These goblins are still quite weak. You can dominate them even without showcasing your combat skills. You should probably wait a few more rounds before showing off." "Alright, I’ll just warm up then." With that, Fang Datong charged towards a goblin, sword in hand. The goblins at this stage were weak, so he easily killed one. The twenty goblins of the tenth round were quickly wiped out by him alone. However, this noticeably slowed their monster-clearing speed. The teachers outside were somewhat perplexed. Why had Chen Mo’s group’s speed suddenly dropped so much? But as their pace remained slow for the subsequent rounds, the teachers didn’t pay it much mind. Slow, yes, but very steady. By the time they reached the 25th round, the benchmark for Tier 3 university admission, everyone’s pace had slowed considerably. After the 25th round, many students were eliminated in rounds 26, 27, and 28. As the difficulty steadily increased, participants who only possessed the strength of a typical level 10 professional were already struggling to face large numbers of high-attribute monsters. After all, once past the Tier 3 admission line, the monsters’ strength was comparable to that of a level 10 Elite Beast. Of course, their Health and defensive power were only about half that of a level 10 Elite Beast; it was just their attack power that had caught up. That alone was quite deadly. When one or two people had to simultaneously face a large group of Elite Beasts of the same level, it was naturally difficult to handle. Consequently, quite a few students were eliminated shortly after passing the Tier 3 admission line. They accounted for roughly fifty percent of all examinees. It was evident that ordinary people still constituted the vast majority. By the time the Tier 2 admission line was reached, nearly another forty percent of the remaining students had been eliminated. Only about ten percent of the total participants remained. The majority of those still in were four-star and five-star professionals. Only a handful of two-star and three-star professionals were still holding on. Among them, two individuals were particularly conspicuous: Chen Mo and Fang Datong. The pair had slowed down since the tenth round, and everyone had thought they would be eliminated soon. But as it turned out, no matter how the rounds progressed, the two of them managed to pass steadily, although the time it took them to clear the monsters increased slightly with each round. "It’s quite rare to see a two-star and three-star combination as resilient as theirs." "Interesting. Let’s see where their limit lies." "I’m afraid they’re about to reach it. The monsters at the Tier 1 admission line have attack power comparable to a level 10 Golden BOSS. They’ll likely struggle to withstand that." Many teachers looked on with interest, their attention fixed on Chen Mo and Fang Datong’s team. After all, they were among the very few two-star and three-star professionals left. After some time, they finally reached the 32nd round, the benchmark for the Tier 1 admission score. They had to face sixty-four monsters, each with attack power comparable to a level 10 Golden BOSS. This was no small number. Of course, these monsters’ Health and defensive power were much lower than those of actual BOSS-grade entities. Nevertheless, such high attack power was not something a warrior of the same level could easily withstand, especially without assistance from any support-type professions. The teachers felt they would surely struggle this time. As time ticked by, more people were eliminated. They had been just a hair’s breadth away from reaching the Tier 1 admission line. Their own school teachers couldn’t help but feel it was a pity. However, two of them had received bonus points from the qualifying exam. They had a chance to be bumped up to the Tier 1 admission line. And at this moment, Chen Mo and Fang Datong—the duo whom the teachers believed had reached their limit—once again resiliently passed the 32nd round. "They actually passed? What’s going on with these two kids?" "Quite interesting. Every time something unusual happens, this kid named Chen Mo is involved. This can’t be called a coincidence anymore." The few Aliens lurking in the crowd also turned their attention to Chen Mo at this point. They had noticed this kid before and had investigated him thoroughly, but they hadn’t found anything out of the ordinary. The profession he had awakened was a confirmed fact, yet his performance was always exceedingly strange. The first time, when he had a five-star support-type professional with him, it wasn’t particularly surprising. But this time, he was merely paired with a three-star warrior. How could they achieve results that even combined teams of other three-star and four-star professionals might not manage? They couldn’t help but feel their minds fill with suspicion. However, they had only just passed the Tier 1 admission line. While somewhat unexpected, it wasn’t yet incomprehensible. If both of them had good equipment, maxed-out Skills, and coordinated well, it was still possible. For now, everyone merely found their performance somewhat surprising. But as the examination continued, the duo’s scores kept rising. Soon, their performance once again ignited discussions! They weren’t content with just reaching the Tier 1 admission line; they steadily passed the 35th round, reaching the score required for key universities! By this time, out of the tens of thousands of examinees in the entire venue, fewer than 100 people remained in the instance.