'Fuck!'
Soren breathed heavily as he felt his mana bottom out. He never thought that using an S-rank skill consumed too much.
---
> Mana: 2/ 22
___
'But that arrow was really something else, wasn't it?'
However, a smile slowly appeared on his face when he remembered the arrow he just fired.
Artemis' Grace.
Although he didn't know who Artemis was, he felt that the skill was a league of its own.
Even among the S-rank, it was definity among the top.
'This Gap stat is too overpowered.'
"Student Soren Kingswell has completed his challenge. Completion time… 2 minutes."
Finally, Professor Lyra announced, bringing everyone back to their senses. Her eyes now lingered curiously on the average-looking guy who was only a B-rank.
'That arrow was definitely not B-rank, or even A-rank. Did he… hide his ranking?'
For a moment, she wondered if Soren had been hiding something. But then she shook her head. It wasn't that easy to conceal one's rank at the Elite Hunter Academy.
But she had never heard of a B-rank hunter naturally wielding a skill of S-rank caliber.
Sure, there were artifacts that could temporarily boost a hunter's power, but Soren was just a newbie.
Where would he get something like that?
"So… you were dodging all this time for your final attack? Excellent strategy."
As Soren stepped down from the arena, tiredly returning to his position, he heard the professor's voice.
"Hmm? Dodging? What do you mean?" he asked, a little confused.
"Hmm… showing weakness to the monster, dodging barely enough, making it enraged, and then letting it come close only to attack with all you got… Now that I think about it, you really planned this carefully, huh."
Professor Lyra nodded lightly with admiration in her eyes, making everyone feel enlightened immediately.
Really, when they thought back on Soren's battle, he did everything to fool the monster from the very beginning.
In fact, it wasn't just the monster. He even fooled them.
'So… this was his strategy all along? So sharp…'
That thought appeared in everyone's mind, including Aurelia, Sylvia, and Evan.
The way they looked at Soren immediately changed after hearing the professor, shifting from disregard to quite admiration.
The only one who was totally stunned was Soren.
"However, although your strategy was good, you were too reckless."
Professor Lyra was a Practical Combat Instructor after all. After acknowledging his strengths, she offered a light criticism.
"Although you managed to kill that monster by using your full power, you also completely exhausted your mana. If this were a dungeon, such a situation could easily turn fatal."
She solemnly warned Soren, who looked at her in a daze.
"So don't rely on such tricks unless it's absolutely necessary. Now that you know your shortcomings, make sure to prepare a backup plan. Alright, you may go."
She finished with a smile, silently taking note of him as an excellent student.
In the world of hunters, abilities stood above all else.
But presence of mind and intelligence often proved just as important when it came to surviving dungeons and gates.
As long as one survived and continued to level up, there were always ways to raise one's class rank. Not to mention, Soren already seemed to possess some hidden potential.
'Another good disciple to keep an eye on. This batch is really interesting.'
Professor Lyra smiled faintly.
...
'Strategy? Trick? Tsk… it seems Professor Lyra is quite similar to Sylvia in some sense.'
Soren was already back in his position alongside Sylvia and Evan.
He could still feel the curious gazes directed at him from all around after the professor's praise.
To be honest, he almost laughed just now. The misunderstanding was simply too funny.
'Well… at least some misunderstandings are beneficial, it seems.'
He thought while glancing at Sylvia from the corner of his eye, his gaze briefly landing on her ample bosom.
He still had no idea how he was going to complete the mission he received earlier. But one thing was clear; he didn't have much time left.
---
[Quest: Light Sneaky Touch!]
...
[Remaining Time: 29:42]
---
Really, the time was too short.
"So amazing… Soren, I didn't know you were planning all this. I was worried for nothing."
Sylvia whispered softly, the admiration in her blue eyes making Soren feel oddly uncomfortable.
Something really was wrong with this main heroine.
"Yeah… haha. Even I was caught off guard. Soren, what the heck was that skill you used?"
Evan didn't notice Sylvia's strange gaze at all and wrapped an arm around Soren as he asked curiously.
He was genuinely shocked. Killing that monster with a single arrow was no small feat. Sure, he could do something similar, but the Soren he knew shouldn't have been capable of that.
'Was he hiding all this time?'
"It's just one of my trump cards. Nothing special. Didn't you see its shortcomings?"
Soren rolled his eyes as he spoke, slipping out of Evan's hold. He really didn't want to trigger another quest by staying too close to him.
After all, who knew how perverted his system actually was?
'Oh god… that shouldn't be the case, right?'
Soren shivered at the thought. Now that he considered it, the quests at least seemed reasonable as long as the targets were women.
"Alex has completed his challenge. Completion time: 8 minutes."
"Next, S-rank Hunter Sylvia Everhart. Class: Healer. Level: 11."
Professor Lyra's voice suddenly echoed around the hall, drawing their attention.
Finally, it was now Sylvia's turn for the challenge.