Chapter 21: Boarding First, Paying Later – Part Two

Chapter 21: Boarding First, Paying Later · Part Two

Low moans came from behind the curtain.

After about three minutes, the noises inside quieted down, and the young girl’s breathing slowed, returning to its normal rhythm.

“Five minutes are up. Congratulations on passing the test. Remove your hand from the bottle’s mouth. Take this and find someone outside.” Tylus’s cheerful voice congratulated her, then he called out, “Number Seven, come in.”

Xia Zuo glanced at the black-haired girl, whose brows were lifted with joy, and used his detection technique to scan her attributes.

[Spirit] 10

Her name was unknown.

As she opened the door, she hesitated for a moment, sneaked a glance at Xia Zuo, then left.

Xia Zuo began counting the number of people in the room, a faint fragrance swirling near his nose. When he identified it as the scent of turpentine, the black-haired girl had already closed the door.

He shrugged slightly and counted the numbers of boys and girls again.

The tests inside the room were conducted in order—girls first, then boys.

Keri, the miller’s daughter, entered the curtain before the blacksmith’s son, Xiao Moben.

Keri also chose a water-blue elemental bottle, covered the mouth with her hand, and after three minutes of low, pained cries, she calmed down.

Her spirit attribute was also 10 points.

Xia Zuo nodded silently. It seemed that the spirit attribute was crucial in this round of testing.

After twenty minutes, all the girls had completed the test and left the room.

Only Number Six, the black-haired girl, and Keri Muller passed; the rest had given up within the first three minutes.

Xia Zuo couldn’t help but feel regret for those who forfeited.

They all had enough spirit attributes, but their willpower was weak, only 3 points; they couldn’t endure even three minutes of pain.

“Now we begin the boys’ test. Number Nine, come in.”

Number Nine was Xiao Moben Riley, first in line among the boys.

He stepped into the curtain, greeted Tylus briefly, and began the test. Soon, he was crying out loudly, repeatedly shouting that it hurt.

After three minutes, his sudden, hoarse, agonized cries made everyone present tense up.

Why was it different from the girls’ situation? Xia Zuo frowned, shifting uneasily.

Every girl who advanced to the second round had 10 spirit points, but Xiao Moben only had 9.

Could a difference of one point cause such an impact?

Inside the curtain, Tylus asked if he wanted to stop, but Xiao Moben refused outright: “I can… endure it.”

The remaining two minutes passed agonizingly amid sobbing and heavy breathing.

During the girls’ tests, nearly all the boys wore smiles, as if just being a bit stronger than the girls and enduring the first three minutes guaranteed passing.

Xia Zuo glanced around, clicking his tongue. Sweaty foreheads were standard; boys with weaker mental fortitude had already clenched their trousers tight.

“Congratulations, little guy, you passed the test. Take this and head out.”

When Xiao Moben pulled back the curtain, his face was pale, his robe soaked with sweat, black sweat stains clinging to his chest and back. He staggered as he walked, utterly exhausted, like he had just finished tending a bellows.

“Number Ten, come in.”

Number Ten was slimmer than Xia Zuo, descended from herb gatherers who often accompanied teams hunting for wild medicinal plants in the forest.

During the first three minutes of his test, he behaved identically to Xiao Moben, but once the three-minute mark passed, he let out a bizarre scream, then fell silent.

“Ah.”

Tylus seemed exasperated by the boys’ stubbornness.

If it had been a girl, she would have given up before three minutes; boys pushed through forcefully for the last two minutes.

After several tens of seconds, Number Ten groaned awake.

“Little guy, you can go out now.”

When he pulled back the curtain, his eyes were bloodshot, indistinguishable whether from pain or the sorrow of failure, frightening those watching. He clung to the wall, walking unsteadily toward the door, in far worse shape than Xiao Moben.

In the following time, several more boys entered the curtain, none passing the test. Having witnessed Number Ten’s experience, many gave up within the first three minutes.

Xia Zuo frowned, reviewing the recorded attributes of the participants in his mind, noticing some details:

This test seemed to hinge on a spirit score of 9.

Those with 10 spirit points experienced some pain but without exception passed. They felt pain in the first three minutes but became calm afterward.

With only 9 spirit points, like Xiao Moben, relying on willpower to endure was still possible.

Below 9 points, no matter what, one couldn’t withstand the pain after three minutes and would immediately lose consciousness.

Comparing these facts, the conclusion was clear:

A spirit attribute of 10 was the true starting point for an elemental affinity mage.

Those born with elemental affinity naturally had 10, even over 15 spirit points at birth.

Among all who entered the second round, no one besides Xia Zuo had spirit below 7.

They all had at least 3 points of willpower.

Seven spirit and three willpower were the minimum prerequisites to generate elemental resistance under normal conditions.

As for Xia Zuo…

He relied on high vitality and rapid regeneration, forcibly taking on the role of a fire-breathing performer, continuously leveling up, eventually gaining the identity bonus of [Fire Resistance].

His attributes were skewed, yet he still made it into the second round like everyone else…

The data-driven enhancement of his “golden finger” was truly impressive!

Half an hour later, only Xia Zuo remained untested.

From behind the curtain, Tylus called, “Number Seventeen, come in.”

Xia Zuo smiled warmly and stepped inside. “Lord Tylus, long time no see.”

“It’s you, Xia Zuo. You’re the youngest in this group, so you’re last.”

Tylus still wore the appearance of a simple middle-aged man, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.

After sitting down, Xia Zuo’s gaze swept across the wide bottle on the low table before him, puzzling him somewhat.

This bottle was noticeably wider than a typical potion bottle, with much thicker glass, frosted with diamond-shaped patterns.

Inside the curtain, a faintly glowing alchemy lamp illuminated them, but apart from the glass reflection, the bottle didn’t seem to contain anything luminous.

“Since you only have fire resistance, take this bottle with red light for your test.”

Tylus leaned back in his chair and spoke slowly, “It’s okay if you don’t pass this year. You can try again next year. Don’t push yourself too hard. No matter what happens during this test, I’m not allowed to touch you, do you understand?”

Red light...

Is there really something inside this bottle?

Probably not...

“I understand, Lord Tylus.”

Xia Zuo blinked, unsure if Tylus had mistakenly handed him the wrong bottle.

Tylus smiled kindly, as if recalling something. “Stop staring at me. Flip the hourglass to start the test. I won’t give you any shortcuts.”

Doubtful, Xia Zuo cast his detection spell into the bottle.

“Unknown substance detected. Due to low spirit and perception, unable to obtain detailed information.”

So there really was something… Maybe because my spirit attribute is less than 2, I can’t see the red glow.

Xia Zuo smiled awkwardly, avoiding explaining the minor misunderstanding. He flipped the hourglass with his left hand to start timing, removed the cork with his right, and covered the bottle’s mouth with his palm.

“Hiss…”

Xia Zuo gasped as a sharp, searing pain ripped through his palm, as if it were breaking apart. The sensation was even fiercer than when unignited hot potion splashed on his face during fire-breathing practice.

“Hmm?”

Tylus tilted his head slightly toward Xia Zuo, sensing his reaction was more intense than others. “Want to stop? Just remove your palm from the bottle.”

“No, no.”

Xia Zuo clenched his teeth, the clicking echoing sharply.

He shut his eyes tightly, pressing the bottle’s mouth with his right hand, focusing his attention on the character profile in his mind.

[Health] 27/28 (corrupted by unknown substance)

[Regeneration Rate]

[Base Regeneration Rate]

1.62 points/hour.

[Real-time Regeneration Rate]

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1.62 - 200 → -198.38 points/hour.

The base regeneration rate was 1.62 points per hour, but faced with a loss of 200 points per hour, it was negligible.

Adding his six free attribute points to spirit wouldn’t help; 7.5 spirit points still fell far short of the minimum threshold of 9.

Did he really have to wait until next year to retake the test? Xia Zuo hesitated, shivering from the intense pain.

Let’s see… I wonder what the health loss rate will be after three minutes.

He shifted his thought, switching the regeneration rate unit to “points per minute.”

…

[Health] 27/28 (corrupted by unknown substance)

[Regeneration Rate]

[Base Regeneration Rate]

0.027 points/minute.

[Real-time Regeneration Rate]

0.027 - 3.33 → -3.03 points/minute.

…

Time ticked away, the three-minute threshold drawing near.

Xia Zuo adjusted his sitting posture, clamping the elemental bottle between his legs, using his arms and upper body to brace his right hand.

Tylus sat opposite, shaking his head helplessly.

This scene had repeated too many times today; as soon as time was up, Xia Zuo would nearly faint from pain.

Three minutes!

The health loss rate instantly doubled, reaching 10 points per minute, equivalent to 600 points per hour.

“Ah!”

Xia Zuo screamed in agony, rolling off his chair to the floor, nearly knocking over the table.

Tylus restrained himself, not offering help. As the chief examiner, he could not touch the candidate.

“Xia Zuo…”

Tylus looked on, puzzled by the boy writhing on the ground but not losing consciousness. Then he recalled how Xia Zuo had escaped from a deadly pit and walked alone through the forest for two days…

“What tenacious willpower.”

Tylus sighed silently, leaning back in his chair.

At this moment, Xia Zuo could clearly feel the source of pain in his palm.

It was as if dozens of fine needles repeatedly pierced his skin and bones. Though invisible, he imagined the needles stabbing through his palm and emerging from the back of his hand.

The only reason he hadn’t passed out at the three-minute mark was thanks to his “golden finger” data-driven enhancements.

[Immortal Body]: Before health reaches zero, even a critical hit won’t kill him, and all injuries automatically heal as health regenerates.

This talent gained after his data transformation did far more than its name suggested.

Based on his experience, Xia Zuo roughly understood the relationship between health and his condition.

Health > 90%:

All senses normal, thinking sharp, reactions quick.

If instantaneous health loss does not exceed 10% of maximum health, no matter the pain, steady focus can suppress it.

50% < Health < 90%:

Vision blurs gradually, thinking and reactions slow.

Resting for a while helps recover from muscle soreness or dizziness.

Above 50% health, pain, hunger, nausea, or poisoning won’t cause unconsciousness, but feelings of disorientation and dizziness persist.

Health < 50%:

Almost constant headaches and nausea; negative status effects will likely cause fainting.

Health < 20%:

Xia Zuo had yet to experience this; likely, even a light push would topple him, unable to rise.

(End of chapter)