Although John felt that he had gained over 51% of the power of control, his headache was excruciating.
Then, he sensed something cool gently touching his forehead.
It rubbed against him, a strange sensation like a plant but seemingly alive.
He struggled to open his eyes, but in the next second, he completely succumbed to unconsciousness.
Everyone watching from the outside was incredibly anxious, and despair deepened when they saw John fall into a deep sleep.
It was over.
Now that even John had succumbed to despair, they were utterly hopeless.
The children were surely doomed!
Some people felt nothing but regret and anger.
The Dusk Sect truly deserved condemnation; they should not exist in this world!
It was a joke that Star Cluster Academy couldn't protect their students who came for the examination.
Some people cried in sorrow, while others shouted in anger, asking why the screen had gone blank.
Only Principal Sophia remained silently staring at the pitch-black mirror.
Others might not feel it, but as the owner of the realm, she definitely sensed something forceful had erased the image on the silver mirror.
"Principal, what should we do?"
Geoffrey was frantic, wishing he could dive in right now to save John!
This was mind power exhaustion!
Severe cases could lead to instant death!
This child was their only hope; nothing must go wrong!
Principal Sophia quietly watched the darkness, not saying a word.
"Principal, please say something, what should we do now?"
Geoffrey, although a transcendent-tier powerhouse, was completely panicked at this moment.
After all, the safety of so many children was in John's hands!
If John really had passed out, then the other children were like lambs to the slaughter.
"Principal, can we still withdraw the power of control? Maybe we could distribute it equally among the other two?" Percival suggested immediately.
After all, John had already fainted, and there was a high probability that his mind power was completely depleted, rendering him useless.
That power of control must not go to waste—if it were given to Isabella and Cecilia, there might still be hope.
Even... if those two girls could wield the power of control to elevate themselves to transcendent-tier powerhouses, perhaps they could stand a fight.
Principal Sophia glanced at him indifferently.
"It's useless if they don't reach semigod-tier."
Percival was momentarily speechless.
Yes...
Although there is only one level between a transcendent-tier and a semigod-tier powerhouse, the difference is like heaven and earth.
A semigod-tier powerhouse is regarded as the closest to being divine!
Even a transcendent-tier powerhouse is trivial in front of a semigod-tier powerhouse.
So...
It really makes no difference who holds that 50% of the power of control.
"Is it really all over?" Geoffrey murmured to himself.
His hands trembled slightly, and he seemed at a loss for words.
These children... they must not come to any harm!
Everyone thought John was done for.
Indeed, John had fallen into a coma.
But unbeknownst to all, after he had fallen asleep, some green vines had wrapped around him, enveloping him entirely.
The stunningly beautiful Abby appeared in his room, silently watching John, now cocooned by the vines, without uttering a word.
Two small figures stood at the door.
Old Nick looked on with a complex expression at the hovering, green-glowing vines in the room.
"I never thought you'd actually lend a hand to help him."
Wayne, too, was observing everything in the room without speaking, his thick beard quivering slightly as if concealing some emotion.
Abby's fingers gently tapped, and countless green sparks danced in the air, eventually disappearing into the green vines.
"Didn't you also give him the Heart of Dwarf?" she asked lightly, her voice devoid of emotion.
Old Nick couldn't help but touch his nose.
"That was because he traded some fine wine for it; I didn't just give it to him for nothing."
Abby looked at Old Nick and said nothing more, simply tapping her fingers, causing more green phosphorescence to dance in the air.
"This child seems different from the others," Wayne ventured, poking his head slightly closer.
Old Nick also fell silent.
This person really was different from the rest, something they had known from the beginning, which is why he was willing to give him the Heart of Dwarf.
Though hard to pinpoint exactly what made him different, there was a sense that… perhaps this person could lead them back home, which wouldn't be so bad.
"He should be fine now, right?"
Old Nick asked, watching the increasing green phosphorescence dancing in the air, unable to hide his concern.
Abby glanced at him.
"Do you think everyone is as scruffy as your bunch of dwarves?"
Old Nick's beard quivered in anger!
"What are you saying? You think being pretty is everything, huh? I'll have you know, the dwarf race is the greatest race in the world! We can forge indestructible weapons, weapons that conquer and triumph in every battle! We can even slay dragons!"
Old Nick's beard continued to tremble comically.
Abby responded lightly, "Oh, but you have short legs."
Old Nick, now fuming, jumped three feet into the air.
"So what if you have long legs, damn white elf!"
"Hmm, your legs are short."
"I call it well-proportioned! Our dwarf race is the most perfect race in the world!"
"Hmm, your legs are short."
No matter what Old Nick said, Abby only had these few light words for him.
Eventually, Old Nick, utterly furious, was dragged back to the forge by Wayne.
The room once again fell silent, and the green phosphorescence in the air was slowly absorbed by the tree cocoon.
After the last of the light was completely absorbed, the green glow gently retracted back into Abby's staff.
John remained suspended in the air; with a gentle wave of Abby's hand, his body floated directly above the bed, then slowly descended.
If one looked closely, they would notice a new mark on the inside of John's arm, resembling a small sapling that glimmered with a faint green light, which soon faded into nothingness.
John felt his parched mind power slowly being replenished.
If previously his mind power was like a thriving sapling, it had now grown significantly.
To his astonishment, he found that his control over the entire secret realm seemed to have increased—his power of control had reached 52%!
Although it was only 2% more than his opponent, it was a substantial figure.
When he gradually awoke, he was surprised to find Abby also in the room.
He jumped, quickly getting up from the bed, "Why are you in my room?"
Abby slowly stood up, the chair made of intertwined vines behind her disappearing into thin air.
"Just glad you're alive."
As Abby turned to leave, John was startled to discover an unexpected affinity for the plants in the room.
The plants around Abby always seemed to favor her and keep their distance from others, but now the vine affectionately rubbed against John's hand.
It was as if it was acting coy and endearing, like a little darling.
What was going on? He had seen the vines in the healing room before, but they never seemed so lively.
"You saved me," John stated, looking at Abby with certainty.
"Thank you!"
Although he was unsure of what methods Abby had used, they were undoubtedly extraordinary.
"No need to thank me, 50 energy stones," Abby replied.
John was about to express more gratitude, but when he heard her response, he swallowed his words.
Of course... how could he have forgotten?
She was always after profit.
Saving someone in exchange for energy stones, and considering the stakes this time, the cost to her must have been considerable.
Without any hesitation, John pulled out 50 energy stones.
The vine affectionately rubbed against John before coiling around and taking the energy stones.
As Abby was about to leave the room, John sincerely said again, "Thank you."
Abby paused for a moment in her steps.
She continued walking, but a voice floated back through the air, "Don't let us down."