Chapter 143: Dim Dim, The Little War God < Level Up! > 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖 "Good job, Dim Dim!" Alex cheered. "Now use your ultimate move!" "Dim Dim?" Dim Dim landed on top of a bee and tilted its head. It was asking Alex what its ultimate move was. The young man blinked in realization. "F-Forget what I said!" Alex shouted. "Just slap them silly!" Dim Dim nodded before slapping the bee it was riding as if the latter were a horse. "Ei!" At this point in time, the giant bees finally had enough. They all fled as fast as they could. Even the ants had scurried away back to the forest, leaving only the Stonehide Tyrant behind. Dim Dim landed gently on top of Alex’s head, raising the wooden sandal like a sword as it announced its victory to the world. "Dim Dim!" "Well done, Dim Dim!" Alex praised. "You were amazing!" "Ahem~" "You are so cool!" "Ahem~" "You’re the best!" "Kukukuku!" Ramza, who had been watching everything from start to end, laughed out loud. This was truly an unexpected outcome. He was already cursing Rowan inside his heart for doing Alex and his granddaughter dirty. But this result pleased him. The more amazing Alex was, the prouder the Clawford Tribe would be, fer the outstanding young man was their Oathkeeper. "Did you get that, Roselia?" Ramza asked, not even bothering to hide his delight. "Yes, Master," the handmaiden replied. "I made sure to record it properly." "Good!" Ramza chuckled. "I’ll show this to the tribe. Some of them are pestering me about Alex’s trial." Now that the major threat had disappeared, Dim Dim shifted its attention to the Stonehide Tyrant and smiled evilly. Without a word, the Boss Monster fled in fear, even ramming the trees in front of it in an attempt to escape. It had seen the little bun’s outstanding battle earlier, and the last thing it wanted was to become Dim Dim’s next victim. Seeing that its bluff worked, Dim Dim giggled and ran toward the beast cores and sigil that had fallen on the ground. It hummed happily as it picked them up before keeping them inside its dimensional storage for future use. There were still less than two hours until the trial ended, so there was still a possibility that the monsters would return. Truth be told, Alex was very tempted to run after the insects in order to farm experience points. However, he didn’t want his overconfidence to get the better of him. The wooden sandal only worked against insect-type monsters. If the Stonehide Tyrant realized this fact, Alex might find himself in a situation that would result in his downfall. ’Although it’s regrettable, I cannot be too greedy,’ Alex thought before glancing at his comrades, who were all looking at him in awe and disbelief. The teenagers stared at each other for nearly half a minute before Alex coughed lightly, breaking everyone out of their daze. "Are you guys okay?" Alex asked with a mischievous smile on his face. "You guys look as if you’ve seen a ghost." "I didn’t know Dim Dim was that strong," Charles admitted. "I just thought it was a small, soft, squishy bun." "He has his moments." Alex nodded. "Unfortunately, he can’t always enter that mode. But whenever it happens, Dim Dim becomes unstoppable." This was also Alex’s way of telling everyone that although Dim Dim was easygoing and kind, that didn’t mean they should underestimate it. In fact, even without the wooden sandal, the Dim Sum God was a menace with its brittle vials. Any ordinary person would find themselves screaming in pain if they crossed Dim Dim’s bottom line. Fortunately, his message was effective. Everyone adjusted their understanding of their little friend. "Dim Dim~" Dim Dim hummed happily as it crawled up Alex’s body and perched on top of his head. It announced that it had already collected all the monster drops in the surroundings, making it very happy. "Nice work, partner." "Dim~" The two high-fived each other, prompting Nessia and Lavinia to join the fun. The two ladies also high-fived Dim Dim, making the latter giggle. Suddenly, the sound of bells ringing echoed in the surroundings. "Congratulations, you have all passed the second trial!" Rowan’s voice spread in the surroundings. "Although there is still some time left, I have decided to end the trial now because you have far exceeded my expectations. All of you did well, and I am very happy to welcome you as the new scholarship students of the academy!" Alex and the other trial takers all turned into particles of light before shooting to the sky. A moment later, they all found themselves at the plaza of the academy. Lavinia sensed the presence of her kin and was genuinely surprised when she saw her grandfather and brother waiting for her return. "Grandpa!" Lavinia ran toward Ramza and gave him a hug. "I passed the trial!" "I saw it, Lavinia," Ramza replied as he lightly patted his granddaughter’s head. "You did well. I am very proud of you." "You were amazing back there, Young Lady." Roselia praised. "Well done." Cairo also nodded before shifting his gaze to Alex, whose face was currently being hugged by a very excited Efa. The Scout had been so impressed by Alex’s performance that as soon as he appeared, she grabbed him, kissed his cheek, and crushed him in her embrace. Elaine had to restrain her overly eager partner away, asking her to release the young man, who was already blushing from the Scout’s overly familiar skinship. Efa realized that she had overreacted and suddenly became embarrassed. In order to hide this fact, she grabbed Dim Dim and peppered its cheek with kisses. The little guy giggled. "You were so cool back there, Dim Dim!" Efa said. "I never thought that you were a little war god deep inside your fluffy exterior." "Ahem~" Dim Dim looked very proud. Its cuteness made Efa kiss it a few more times. "You also did well, Alex," Elaine said as she patted the young man’s shoulder. "Your ability to lead and command others have improved over time." "Thank you, Elaine," Alex replied. "Then, do you know what time it is?" Efa asked. "Time to sleep?" Alex answered. "No." Efa shook her head. "It’s time to celebrate! Let’s go to a tavern. You can also bring your friends with you." "That sounds like a good idea," said Ramza after overhearing Efa’s proposal. "Let’s all celebrate. My treat. Bring your friends with you as well." Ramza glanced at the teenagers who had caught his eye. ’It is best if they continue to have a good relationship with Alex and Lavinia,’ Ramza thought. ’I can’t wait to see how they have all improved a year from now." The old Catkin glanced at Rowan, and the latter gave him a brief nod in reply before walking away. Both were pleasantly surprised to see promising talent among this year’s trial takers, whom they believed would make the current school year far more exciting than the last. "Would you guys like to go and celebrate with us?" Alex asked Charles, Renard, Nessia, and Phoebe. "No, thank you," Renard replied before walking away. He was someone who didn’t like to mingle with people in the first place, so Alex didn’t insist that he come with them. Charles, Nessia, and Phoebe agreed because this was a good opportunity to enjoy their hard-won victory. As everyone left the gates of the academy, Alex finally took some time to read the notification window that appeared in front of him. ——— [Main Story Quest Complete!] [Enroll at Frieden Academy] — Frieden Academy is the Academy where the most talented teenagers on the continent gather to become exceptional Warriors and Magicians. The majority of the students here are members of the Nobility and other powerful families. < Mission > — Become a Scholarship Student by passing the Trial of the Academy. Duration: 3 months. Rewards: Rewards are still being calculated. — You will be notified of your rewards when morning comes. ——— The young man finally breathed a sigh of relief because his main quest was completed at long last. However, he knew that this was only the beginning, for there were still many things that he would experience inside the walls of Frieden Academy. Deep inside, Alex was feeling very excited because he would soon meet the characters that could only be met inside the academy. The characters that he had loved. The characters that had made him cry. And the characters that had taught him things that he didn’t expect from a game, which had now become his reality.