"Haah... sigh."
Babylon collapsed on the ground, utterly exhausted.
He didn't care that the muddy water soaked his clothes.
He was just too tired.
After going through so much trouble to finally defeat the snail monster, they had used the acid sacs from its body to corrode the shells of the other two monsters.
In the end, everyone piled on and managed to overwhelm the monsters with sheer numbers.
John, who had witnessed the entire process from the treetops, was very pleased with everyone's performance.
From the initial encounter with the monster attack, they quickly stabilized the situation.
Meryl took over command and issued swift orders.
Babylon and Eden's impressive performance in taking down the snail monster was a sight to behold.
The entire process could be described with one word: "Impressive."
John had thought the sudden appearance of the monsters would catch them off guard, but these kids managed to withstand the pressure and exceeded his expectations.
"Elowen, let's go down."
"Understood, Master John."
John leaped down heavily, landing in front of the group, with Elowen following closely behind.
"Well done, everyone. Sorry for being a bit late, but it looks like you handled the monsters quite well."
John glanced down at Babylon and smiled, "Good job."
"Master John, at this point, there's no need to pretend. These three monsters were part of the test, right?"
"It was so sudden, I almost died of fright..."
"Yes, if it hadn't been for Meryl stabilizing the situation immediately, I can't imagine how things might have spiraled out of control."
The group muttered quietly, still shaken.
John smiled knowingly and said, "I'm very pleased with your performance. Everyone did their part and fulfilled their roles admirably.
I initially wanted to give special praise to Meryl, Babylon, and Eden, but after thinking it over, each of you deserves encouragement.
So, this time, everyone did an excellent job."
Upon hearing this, the crowd burst into cheers.
They had risked their lives for the simple reward of an excellent rating.
Although they still hadn't figured out what this three-month training was all about, having John and Elowen, two significant figures, personally instruct them definitely meant it wasn't a trivial matter!
"Master John, can we disband now... and rest?"
"Who said that? Didn't I mention that we're heading to the labyrinth for the assessment? Are we at the labyrinth yet?"
The person was immediately at a loss for words and shook his head.
"Hahaha, thanks, kid. I hope the next time we meet, your progress will astonish me."
John patted Elowen's shoulder appreciatively.
Though he felt a bit reluctant to leave, he knew he had to go.
His companions were waiting for him to continue their journey, and John couldn't just stay here.
"But... I'll leave you something as a reward for today's excellent performance."
Saying this, John took out fifteen Epic-quality weapons from his player inventory and asked Seraphina to erase the panel attributes.
This way, even NPCs could use them normally and fully utilize their features.
John had originally planned to give these rewards to the group after a few more days.
However, since he couldn't leave Spartonia in the short term, he decided not to keep them waiting any longer.
With this thought, John let out a long sigh of relief.
"Elowen, I'll leave these things to you."
"Understood, Master John."
"Alright, see you later!"
...
Meanwhile, in Talcavano!
Exiled Immortal played idly with a dagger, using the wind field to make it spin rapidly at his fingertips.
With a casual flick, the dagger flew out, drawing a beautiful arc in the air before landing back in Exiled Immortal's hand.
"They're still not back... I'm so bored!"
"They should be back soon. Maybe they ran into some trouble and got delayed. But don't worry, with John and Elaria, nothing bad will happen."
Helena tried to calm Exiled Immortal while constantly refreshing her player map.
Finally, after persistent refreshing, the dot representing John appeared within the city of Talcavano. Helena's eyes lit up, and she said, "They're back! They're already in the city."
"They're finally back! Hahaha! Off to Spartonia!"
Qing laughed heartily, feeling an indescribable joy.
It's no wonder Qing was so excited. If anyone was most eager to adventure in Spartonia, it was undoubtedly Qing.
As a city that revered strength, as long as you were strong enough, you could gain anything you desired in Spartonia: power, money, status, and even beautiful women!
So, Qing's excitement was understandable.
In contrast, Lily felt much more bitter.
After all, the moment she stepped into Spartonia, her combat power would be no different from that of an ordinary person.
If any unexpected situation occurred, not only would she be unable to help, but she might also become a burden to her companions.
This thought weighed heavily on Lily's mind.