"Cassia, last time 95, and now... 101!" That was top-tier strength, easily in the top three for the entire grade. She’d broken 100 before the awakening ceremony—her chances of awakening were looking very promising.

"Teacher, I’m done." Cassia said, giving a quick nod to Grey as she turned to leave. Once they entered the special training class, they wouldn’t be attending regular classes anymore, the focus would shift to one-on-one training.

Grey smiled, watching her go. Storm and Cassia were his best students, and in the entire grade, they were among the elite.

After a short wait, Axel’s name was called. His heart started to race. Even though he had the raw stones and the cash from the law enforcement team, those were just a drop in the bucket compared to what he truly needed.

"Axel, last time 73, and now…" The tester paused, staring at the screen.

"Wait, let me test again," the tester muttered, eyes narrowing in disbelief. How could someone improve so drastically in just one month?

Axel stood still, slightly puzzled. Grey walked over. "What’s going on?"

The tester didn’t answer right away, double-checking the numbers. He then looked at Axel, a strange expression again on his face.

"Axel, last test you were 73, this... 90."

A shocked silence fell over the room. 90 Force! The jump from 73 to 90 in just one month was shocking.

The silence was short-lived, and the first to break it was Drayke, who slapped Axel on the back with a loud cheer. "Fuck! Man, you were hiding this whole time!"

Cassia turned around at the sound of the commotion. Her beautiful eyes widened in disbelief. No one knew better than her how hard it was to make such a massive improvement in just a month.

"Grey, congratulations. Three students over 90 points. Huge potential," the tester said with a smile.

Grey, however, was looking at Axel with an expression of surprise, not fully processing the numbers yet.

The news quickly spread, and within moments, several teachers gathered around to congratulate Grey.

"90 points already?" Grey said, grinning from ear to ear.

"So the life crystal is really that powerful?" The life crystal was on a whole different level compared to the regular raw stones. If the life crystal had helped him reach 90, what would the piece of infected No. 2 do? Could it push him further?

Before long, the news of Axel’s massive leap—17 points in just a month—spread through the special training class gathering area.

Vale and Ryder stood off to the side, listening as the news reached them, both entering the special training class with 90 points.

"Axel, 90 points?" Vale’s voice was disbelief. She felt like she’d missed something huge."I should’ve known," she muttered under her breath.

Ryder stood there for a while, staring ahead before finally muttering a curse. "I messed up. Those quality raw stones were so strong. If I’d known, I would’ve bought them all, no matter the price."

"Ryder, do you know this guy?" Someone standing nearby asked, curious.

“That Axel, that one who killed infected....”

“Didn’t expect this guy to actually have some skills. Didn’t you say his test scores were average before?”

Although the group was surprised, they didn't seem too rattled. After all, 90 points was the minimum threshold to enter the special training class.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Ryder sighed, shifting the conversation. He mentioned how he’d been planning to make a deal with Axel for the raw stones in the morning.

.....

"Congrats, Axel," Cassia snorted and made her way over to Axel. He looked up to see that everyone had fallen silent, and their eyes were all on him.

At that moment, most of the group had gathered around Ryder, and nobody was bothering to come over and greet Axel.

But it didn’t bother Axel. Just then, Storm walked over, his expression as blank as always. "Congrats," he said in a flat tone, before turning and walking back to his original spot with a hint of arrogance.

"Tsundere," Cassia muttered. Axel could see Storm pause for just a second.

......

Meanwhile, not too far away, Mason, the principal of DuneBrookhaven High, stood alongside a burly man with a scar running down the corner of his eye. They both watched the students quietly.

"Kieran, what do you think of this year's crop of students?" Mason wore a frown, his plump face filled with concern.

Nowadays, although schools also value the number of students admitted to prestigious schools, the real decision for school resources is still the awakened and high-level force users.

“Same as last year. 26 students with a force over 90,” The scarred man stood there with his arms folded.

Mason sighed deeply. “Yeah, Shadowridge High is coming on strong this year. 19 students with scores over 90, plus one who’s already awakened early. Our resources are probably going to get stretched thin.”

Kieran raised an eyebrow. "Awakening early… that’s impressive."

“Do you think anyone among them has a shot at awakening early?”

Kieran squinted, watching the students in the distance. When he saw them mingling and chatting with their sleeves rolled up, he shook his head in slight disapproval. "Too focused on connections. They’re not even awakened yet, but all they’re doing is networking. It’s a waste of time."

He paused. "However, still a few worth watching. For example, Theo."

Theo! The top performer in DuneBrookhaven High's multiple assessments, now with a Force value of 109. He was the most likely to successfully awaken on the upcoming awakening day.

"There’s a surprise today?"

Mason nodded. "Axel from Grey’s class. His Force is now 90."

Axel? Kieran paused, surprised at first. Then, his expression shifted to something more complex. "So, he broke through to this level in such a short time after using the raw stone?"

Mason nodded again.

Kieran fell silent for a moment, then let out a heavy sigh. "What a pity, what a pity..."

"It’s a pity," Mason continued. "He's already eighteen. It’s too late now. Even with resources, he’ll still be slower than others....."

"That’s on me," Mason sighed.

Kieran didn’t respond—he was just a temporary teacher assigned to guide the special students, and he knew better than to get involved in matters like this.

Mason gave a slight nod. "Alright. Then I’ll leave these students to you."

.....

Axel felt surprisingly good as the sun set, casting an orange glow over the horizon.

The school’s reward for any awakened student was a million-dollar cash prize. He was only ten points away from that threshold! He couldn’t wait to share this news with Annabelle.

When he passed by his old house in the city, he stood at the door and looked for a while. The single-family home, now long neglected and falling apart with peeling walls, held all their cherished childhood memories. They had never really considered buying it back before.

But now, maybe, there was a chance.

At that moment, two figures in dark gray police uniforms entered the slums. Their heavy boots, with their hard soles, left deep impressions in the mud as they walked.

Many residents hurriedly looked away, avoiding any direct eye contact. Step by step, they made their way to the door of a small, run-down shack.

"This. This is the boy’s home," one of them said, his voice flat.

Without another word, the two officers pushed open the door and entered.

Axel bought a bottle of beer and a pound of beef, his mood lightened by the simple pleasures. But as he walked back through the slums, he noticed the curious stares of the neighbors.

He pushed open the door, only to find two unfamiliar figures sitting on the well-worn sofa inside. They were dressed in police uniforms. Annabelle sat between them, fidgeting, her eyes downcast. Two cups of steaming water sat untouched on the table.