Chapter 139: Chapter139-Enchanted Forest

On the other side, John experienced a brief blur in his vision.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a dense forest.

A notification popped up:

[You have entered the lv20-lv40 dungeon "Enchanted Forest"!]

John instinctively surveyed his surroundings.

The towering trees blocked out the sunlight, creating a damp environment likely due to the absence of sunlight for many years, filled with large, colorful fungi.

John even spotted a mushroom as tall as a person.

It was vivid and colorful, its cap rhythmically contracting and expanding as if breathing, continuously releasing fog-like red spores.

John witnessed a giant rat inhaling the spores, struggling briefly before ceasing to breathe, with fungal filaments quickly growing over its body.

[Name: Mushroom Spirit (Normal)]

[Level: lv30]

[HP: 120000]

[Spirit: 1179]

[Defense: 562]

[Speed: 0]

[Skills: Parasitic Spores, Spore Toxic Mist, Decomposition...]

...

After glancing at the monster's stats, John focused, and his staff lit up with silver light.

A crescent-shaped slash, several meters long, flew straight towards the Mushroom Spirit.

"Silver Moonblade!"

The Mushroom Spirit, unable to move, was an easy target, and John's skill hit its mark precisely.

A significant damage number rose above the Mushroom Spirit's head.

"-245912!"

The lv30 Mushroom Spirit was instantly killed by John's skill before it could react.

...

[You have killed a lv30 "Mushroom Spirit (Normal)" and gained 67,000 Exp!]

...

[Current Level: lv25]

[Exp: 67000 / 1500000]

...

The lv30 normal monster provided John with over 60000 Exp in total.

With his current level, it wouldn't take long for him to reach lv30.

At this moment, John felt somewhat relieved; thankfully, he had prepared a silver-tier Breakthrough Stone in advance.

Initially, he had lamented over the loss of more than thirty million from his wallet, but now he breathed a sigh of relief.

If he couldn't gain experience from killing monsters later on, John figured he would regret it immensely.

Pulling out his black assessment card, he noticed that the points had changed from 0 to 50.

Additionally, the card displayed the points ranking and the scoring rules.

John only glanced briefly at the scoring rules.

It was indeed very practical.

A cold glint flashed in John's eyes.

Fate seemed to have brought them together, randomizing them into the same area.

Encountering him, John naturally wouldn't let go of this chance to confront the foul-mouthed individual.

He noted the person's location, withdrew his mental perception, activated a Stealth Spell, drew out the Bloodthirsty Blade, and quickly made his way towards the marked individual's position.

...

On the other side, the burly figure of Andrew, clad in armor and wielding a large sword, was enveloped in a blood-like aura.

With a powerful swing, he cleaved through a rainbow-colored spider lunging at him.

"-25781!"

The spider, its body covered in wounds, let out a wail before being bisected by Andrew's blade.

In the blink of an eye, the spider's corpse turned into light and dissipated into the air.

Andrew pulled out his assessment card, checking his points, which had reached 70, placing him 49th among the over ten thousand participants—a commendable position.

A mix of joy and dissatisfaction crossed Andrew's rugged face as he muttered, "I knew there was something off with Star Cluster Academy's preliminary test. How could I possibly be just a B-level talent?"

Andrew, a gold-tier Berserker with a decent level of talent, was at lv37.

His results from the preliminary test at Hidden Stars Academy placed him in the mid-to-upper range among this assessment's participants with a B-level evaluation.

However, this felt like an affront to him.

He believed he was at least A-level in terms of talent, especially after hearing that John had passed the preliminary test by merely damaging a few Crystal Balls.

It reinforced Andrew's suspicion about flaws in Star Cluster Academy's preliminary testing.

"To think that such rubbish could pass the preliminary test, and yet I only got a B-level?"

Andrew felt greatly insulted.

However, he dared not confront Star Cluster Academy directly.

So, when he saw John at the sports field, his words were filled with venom.

Andrew even thought, should he encounter that guy during the assessment, he would definitely teach him a lesson before seeking an upgrade in his evaluation from the academy's instructors.

The prospect of passing the assessment wasn't even a concern for him.

Andrew had always been brimming with confidence.

Andrew, holding his large sword with pride and determination, planned to rack up more points first, showcasing his strength to others before confronting that detestable individual.

However, he had barely taken a few steps when he sensed something was amiss.

Why was his neck itching?

Reaching to scratch his neck, he immediately felt something sticky and somewhat warm on his hand.

Confused, Andrew looked down to see blood on his fingers.

"Why is there blood on my neck? Could it be from when I was fighting that spider?"

As he pondered this, Andrew suddenly felt his head move slightly.

Then, his vision seemed to lower.

And then, Andrew saw a body clad in armor, carrying a sword, and strikingly familiar—except it was headless.

He paused for a moment, then his eyes widened in horror.

"Is that... my own body?!"

At the same time, Andrew also saw a figure standing behind the headless corpse, holding a blood-stained longsword, with a cold gaze.

It was John!