Chapter 53: Chapter53-The Allure of a Genius

By this time, Victor had arrived at the location of the Red Glove Squad.

He looked around and then frowned slightly, "The newbie came here? Where is he?"

The "newbie" referred to John, who was still an apprentice member of Hidden Stars and thus didn't have a code name.

Until his induction, he would be referred to as "the newbie."

Victor's talent allowed him to sense the aura of others, and John's aura was particularly distinctive, making it easy for Victor to detect that John had been there.

Upon mentioning John, Old Dog and the others exchanged glances, unsure how to broach the subject.

Seeing their hesitance, Victor seemed to grasp something. His expression darkened as he asked, "Did the newbie die?"

Old Dog was taken aback, realizing Victor might have misunderstood, and quickly stepped forward to explain, "The newbie is fine; he just went into the trial..."

As he spoke, Old Dog bowed deeply, filled with remorse, "I'm sorry, Captain. We couldn't keep an eye on him."

Although Victor might seem aloof, they all knew he was very protective of his team members; he just never expressed it openly.

Old Dog expected Victor to reprimand them for not taking good care of the newbie.

To their surprise, Victor merely fell silent for a moment, then hummed in acknowledgment without further inquiry.

Victor seemed not at all worried about John facing any harm inside, confident in his abilities.

The team members exchanged glances, seeing both surprise and understanding in each other's eyes.

Indeed, there was something extraordinary about John.

Otherwise, given Captain Victor's protective nature, he wouldn't be so unconcerned.

His reaction could only mean that John was capable enough to handle whatever monsters he encountered in the trial.

The group was filled with curiosity.

What was so special about John that Captain Victor regarded him so highly?

If they remembered correctly, wasn't he just an ordinary magus?

As they speculated wildly in their minds, the notification that had appeared for Victor's segment popped up again before them.

[An SSS-level evaluation has been achieved in this round of the trial, activating a highlight replay!]

Seeing this notification, everyone was visibly shocked.

Even Victor had only received an S-level evaluation for his trial, and now someone had achieved an SSS-level evaluation, suggesting this individual's talent was even more extraordinary than Victor's!

Eldritch, with a serious expression, said, "An SSS-level evaluation! In my memory, only a few individuals have ever achieved such a rating, and those who survived, without exception, became the top legendary powerhouses of the Federation!"

Baron, fiddling with his ring, squinted and smiled, "I didn't expect that among those we invited this time, there would be such a person. I just wonder which power's prodigy it might be."

Alexander snorted, "Baron, if you dare to poach their talent, be prepared for them to fight you tooth and nail!"

Baron remained silent with a smile.

He said evenly, "Are you gentlemen considering poaching from Hidden Stars?"

Though Victor's tone was calm, it contained a hint of sharp, domineering sword intent, causing those who heard his words to stiffen.

When they looked towards Victor, they found he had already placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, seemingly ready to confront the other experts at a moment's notice.

Baron quickly tried to defuse the situation, "Hey, hey, hey, Captain Victor, no need to get worked up. We were just joking around. Hidden Stars is an official Federation entity; how could we possibly dare to poach your people? Please, don't be hasty."

After much coaxing from Baron, Victor finally retracted his hand from the sword hilt.

The others wiped the cold sweat from their foreheads, sensing that Victor had been seriously ready to act, not just bluffing.

A top-tier genius was indeed worth such a reaction from him!

Victor withdrew his gaze, admiring the textbook-level mastery of timing and adaptability displayed in the battle before him.

He couldn't help but be impressed. Although Victor, relying on his own talent, knew John was extraordinary, he hadn't anticipated John's talent to be of such a high caliber.

This time, they really had stumbled upon a treasure!

Meanwhile, in the crowd, the strong man with a goatee beard watched John's figure, his eyes filled with contemplation, pondering something unknown.

...

John, having proceeded to the second level, was naturally unaware of the situation outside. After clicking [Proceed to next level], a portal appeared before him.

Stepping through the portal, John found himself in a vast desert.

The sky was filled with swirling sands, and the endless expanse of the desert was devoid of life, save for the dried-up weeds and the bleached bones of unidentifiable animals.

The 12 blood suns that once adorned the sky had disappeared, replaced by a single massive crimson sun.

John could even make out the solar flares on its surface.

This colossal sun, with its rolling flames, seemed to take up half the sky, radiating intense heat that scorched all beings within this realm.

After just a brief moment, John began to feel his mouth dry and his tongue parched.

"-1!" "-1!" "-1!"...

Every second, a damage number would appear above John's head.

Simultaneously, a notification appeared before John's eyes.

[You have entered "Burning Sands." The second level of the trial is about to begin. Please prepare yourself!]

As the notification faded, whirlwinds suddenly arose in the desert.

Countless grains of sand were lifted by the fierce winds, forming a sandstorm in the blink of an eye.

At the same time, the rate at which damage numbers appeared above John's head nearly doubled!

"-1!" "-1!" "-1!"...

While individual grains of sand posed no threat, when countless grains were swept up by the hurricane, they instantly became sharp weapons.