John rested behind the boulder for quite a while, ensuring that his status was back to a safe level before checking his attributes.
[Class]: All-Class Magus (God-tier)
[HP]: 55782
[MP]: 209718
[Attributes]: Strength 1540, Stamina 1589, Spirit 3137, Speed 521, Constitution 557.82
[Talent]: Divine Favor Tome (SSS-level)
[Skills]: Spring of Soul lv40, Blood Absorption lv40, Mana Recovery lv40, Light Sword Rain lv40, Teleportation lv40, Hallucination Eye lv40...
[Equipment]: Bloodthirsty Blade (God-tier), Blood Mask (Sage-tier), Demon Magus Robe (Unique), Hidden Stars Badge (Custom-made), Eclipse Staff lv25 (God-tier), Magic Stone Necklace lv25 (Bronze-tier), Traveler Boots lv25 (Iron-tier)...
...
Killing the boss had directly leveled him up twice.
More importantly, it increased his Constitution by 3 points.
While most people didn't prioritize Constitution, John realized that it was the key attribute determining his HP and Stamina!
The higher the Constitution, the higher the HP and Stamina.
At critical moments, even a slight edge in Constitution could be decisive in determining victory or defeat.
The conversion rate between Constitution and HP was ten to one, but increasing Constitution was extremely difficult.
It could only be increased during level-ups or through rare encounters and achievements.
Feeling reinvigorated, John reviewed his stats with satisfaction.
The significant experience boost from defeating the boss had not only leveled him up but had also fortified his overall capabilities.
He knew that in future battles, his enhanced Constitution could make all the difference.
Reflecting on his growth, John felt a sense of readiness for the challenges ahead.
The battles had been tough, but the rewards were proving to be well worth the effort.
John rubbed the Dragonblood Stone in his hand, deciding not to dwell on anything else.
This gem was his greatest gain today!
Once he got out, he would find someone to embed it into his Bloodthirsty Blade.
With this addition, the Bloodthirsty Blade would truly become an invincible weapon!
As long as his damage was high enough, his HP regeneration would be terrifying.
His basic attack damage was around 200000 to 300000, and with skill damage and critical hits, it could exceed a million.
Even at the lowest estimate, 0.08% of 200000 was 1600 HP in recovery!
His total HP was just over 50000!
This meant that even without critical hits, he could fully recover his HP in just three or four hits!
To put it in perspective, a high-level HP recovery potion only restored 20000 HP.
John's lips curled into a smile.
The more he calculated, the more he realized he had hit the jackpot this time!
It was like carrying an unlimited supply of high-level HP potions, without having to worry about cooldowns!
As long as the boss couldn't kill him in one hit, he had the potential to turn any battle around!
The academy's higher-ups watched as John continually inspected the gem, their curiosity piqued.
"Principal, what attributes does that gem have to make him examine it for so long? Did you hide some extraordinary items in there?" one of the senior staff joked.
Principal Sophia still rested her chin on her hand, but her tone grew cooler.
"Although it is my domain, it has long since developed into a complex world of its own, which I cannot overly influence. Have you all forgotten this?" she said sharply.
"Or are you implying that I gave this person an unfair advantage?"
Her words left the senior staff feeling a bit awkward.
"Please don't be upset, Principal. We were just speaking off the cuff. It's just very intriguing to see what kind of attribute could make that boy inspect the gem for so long," Percival, the head of the Swordsman Academy, said with a smile, trying to ease the tension.
Vice Principal Geoffrey also laughed heartily, "Yes, even if that gem had no attributes, it's beautiful enough to hold anyone's attention."
But everyone knew it was impossible for the gem to have no attributes.
If what Principal Sophia said was true, it meant even she didn't know the gem's properties.
The secret realm's loot was incredibly diverse, but socketable gems were exceedingly rare.
The bright, blood-red gem must have impressive attributes for the boy to value it so highly.
Many in the audience had noticed this as well.
They began to think that if the gem wasn't embedded by the time he left the realm, perhaps they might have a chance to buy it.
While John continued to rest and recover, the other contestants were desperately racking up points.
They were either grinding monsters or engaging in PvP.
The leaderboard kept shifting, but one constant remained: the top spot.
John!
John led with an astounding 50000 points!
The second-place holder, Isabella Medici, had only just reached 18000 points, and Amelia, in third place, had 13000 points.
The Fairmont siblings, in fourth and fifth places, had just broken past 10000 points.
Everyone else was in the low thousands, with the last few on the leaderboard only having a few hundred points.
This made everyone even more anxious.
If they couldn't break into the top 100, they would be eliminated!
John's position at the top was secure, so he wasn't in a rush to keep grinding points.
Instead, he wondered if there were any more bosses to be found in the realm.
The rewards from the Shadow Crocodile had been extremely generous!
Though the equipment was subpar, the gem alone was worth all his efforts, not to mention the boost in constitution.
Moreover, the experience from one boss had leveled him up twice, a clear benefit of taking on challenges above his level.
The risks were high, but so were the rewards.
Principal Sophia and her staff exchanged glances as they watched John speed through the forest on his Thorned Rock Serpent.
They had an idea of what the boy was planning.
"Do you think he's aiming to solo another boss?" one of the senior staff members asked, frowning slightly in disbelief.
Percival watched the scene in the mirror with great interest.
"He must have realized that the experience from the boss is substantial, and the gem he got was well worth the risk," he said.
"If he has the ability, why not try?"
Geoffrey shook his head in disagreement.
"He's already at the top of the leaderboard. Even with more time, it's unlikely anyone will surpass him. There's no need for him to take such a risk."
After all, the number of monsters in the secret realm is finite! Controlling the number of monsters is essential to selecting the best candidates, isn't it?
"It seems it's time to increase the difficulty a bit," Principal Sophia said with a slight smile.
Geoffrey was momentarily taken aback, then nodded with a cheerful grin.
"Yes, it's time these kids realized just how challenging these assessments can be."
Percival stroked his beard thoughtfully.
"Joining our Star Cluster Academy is no easy feat."
The senior staff members were briefly surprised but then fell into contemplative silence.
"It's time," they all agreed, exchanging glances and nodding.
At the same moment, everyone in the secret realm heard an announcement.
[The first phase is about to end.]
[Those who have not reached lv30 by the end of the first phase will be automatically eliminated.]
[Reaching lv30 will grant automatic entry into the next phase.
The countdown to the end of the first phase is 10 hours.]
[Countdown: 09:59:59]
The sudden countdown sent everyone into a state of anxiety.
Those who had already reached lv30 breathed a sigh of relief.
At least they had secured their ticket to the next phase.
While they might not be in the top 100, they still had a chance to continue in the assessment!
Those below lv30 were instantly panicking!
"Oh my God, I'm only lv26. How can I possibly gain four levels in just ten hours?"
"I'm doomed! I'm only lv22! There's no way I'll qualify for the next round."
"Damn it! I thought killing monsters would be enough, but now we have to level up too?"
"What is Star Cluster Academy doing? This is clearly targeting us. I demand a fair explanation!"
Everyone was shouting frantically.
Even the spectators outside were taken aback.
Many participants were still hovering around lv25.
Reaching lv30 in just ten hours was possible but extremely exhausting!
All the participants were the crème de la crème from their respective families.
Many were watching from the audience, worried about their cherished ones enduring such hardship.
Some even began to speculate about John's level and how it might have influenced the sudden announcement.
"They probably saw that John was already over level 30 and decided to make this rule."
"You might be right."
"Star Cluster Academy needs to give us a reasonable explanation for this! Why is this happening?"