Chapter 13: A Prosperous Beginning in the Secret Chamber

Chapter 13: A Prosperous Beginning in the Secret Chamber

As Wendy disappeared into the secret realm, the entrance area swiftly cleared.

Teachers were busy discussing the promising students in their classes and the quality of this year's intake, sprinkling their conversations with mutual flattery and pleasantries.

In contrast, Alex sought solace under a tree, quietly meditating.

Oscar, noticing Alex's calm posture, approached with a crafted ease, remarking, "Mr. Watson, you seem quite confident. It looks like the Omni-Class is set for a notable rank today." for new novels

Upon hearing this, Alex opened his eyes, his response laced with humility, "Not at all. I hardly expect our performance today to stand out. If I joined Warrior Class A as an assistant, I would certainly appreciate any guidance you could offer, Mr. Mills."

With those words, Alex resumed his peaceful meditation, limiting his engagement in social niceties to a bare minimum.

Oscar, faced with Alex's disinclination to prolong the conversation, let out a quiet sneer before returning to the company of his peers. Internally, however, he was plotting.

The past days had seen Warrior Class A undergo intense training, with noticeable improvements across the board. Oscar was convinced that no matter what strategies Alex and Wendy had devised, they stood no chance against his class.

The thought of Alex seeking his "support" upon joining Warrior Class A elicited a cynical laugh from Oscar.

He had already devised a plan to keep Alex busy with the most tedious and demanding tasks for six months, eventually leading to his dismissal. Oscar was curious to see how Alex would manage in Santania School following such a scenario.

Within the Chaotic Stone Secret Realm, Wendy's gaze took in her immediate surroundings. It wasn't her first encounter with a secret realm; after two years at Santania School, she had garnered some familiarity with the primary ones used.

Her scrutiny was merely due to the random nature of one's entry point into the realm each time, which could very well land a person amidst dangerous beasts.

Inside the secret passage, darkness momentarily engulfed the area as the stone door shut, only to be replaced by a soft, distant glow that was difficult to discern. Wendy, heeding the advice given by Alex beforehand, initiated the Divine Light Mastery she had honed in recent days.

Suddenly, a gentle luminescence enveloped her, casting light within the chamber. Moving towards the glow with curiosity, Wendy was taken aback by what she found.

"These are nightingale stones?! And there are so many of them? Incredible!" Her eyes widened at the sight.

Students entering the secret realm could earn points in two main ways: defeating beasts and collecting valuable parts like horns, teeth, scales, or fur, or by gathering resources such as ores and herbs.

Nightingale stones, valuable ores within the assessment, added 15 points per stone. Glancing around, she estimated there to be at least a dozen stones in sight, totaling over 150 points.

Grasping the magnitude of her find, Wendy involuntarily swallowed. She recalled that last year's top scorer, Isabella, had amassed 380 points.

Had she, upon merely entering the secret realm, already secured almost half of Isabella's previous year's score?

This realization brought tears to Wendy's eyes. The previous year, she had managed only 20 points, scraping together leftovers discarded by others, without earning a single point from defeating beasts.

This inability to combat the creatures was precisely why Wendy had remained at stage one. "Thank you, Mr. Watson! Sob..."

After drying her tears, Wendy immediately set to work collecting the nightingale stones. With no beasts or rival students to contest her, she completed the task in half an hour.

Packing the substantial ores away, Wendy consulted the map again. "There's a stone door ahead leading to the O5 area, and then... another chamber is near the O7 area!"

With her path laid out, Wendy's eyes brimmed with determination. This time, she was resolved to secure a remarkably high score.