Talent Awakening: I, the Weakest Awakened, Start with Dragonfire Spell

Jimmy was genuinely terrified of Howard. Hearing those words laden with murderous intent, his body shuddered.

He feared that Howard might genuinely kill him. 

After all, when no one dared to snatch points, Howard acted decisively and wasn't even reprimanded by the mentors.

"We are classmates, after all, and this is just an assessment. I won't kill you." 

Noticing the fear in Jimmy's heart, Howard's lips curled into a smirk, whispering, "However, if in the future, when we face other races, you dare act like this again, even if I take your life, the mentors won't object."

"Get lost!"

Without another word, Jimmy scampered away, reminiscent of a rat scurrying across the streets.

"Tsk, tsk. That guy is such a coward," Nick remarked with a look of disdain on his face.

Howard seemed unfazed by Jimmy. 

He turned his gaze to Judy, asking, "The mentors have spoken; we can't snatch points from other students anymore. What's your plan now, Judy? Go solo or stick with us?"

"Of course I'm staying with you!" Judy replied with a light chuckle, "Now that I've joined the team, we should work together. With me around, I believe we can challenge even fiercer monsters."

"Good!" Howard nodded, "With you on board, we can venture deeper. Can you share the skills you've mastered with me?"

"As the team leader, I need to understand every member's capabilities."

To know your allies and adversaries ensures undefeated battles. 

Here, 'allies' doesn't just mean oneself but also encompasses all forces at one's disposal.

If he remained unaware of the abilities of each team member, how could he effectively lead them?

"Of course." Judy replied with a gentle smile, "Earlier, I employed two skills. One is 'Angelic Blessing', which provides protection for allies. The other is 'Radiant Blaze', which inflicts damage on the eyes of any target facing me within a 30-yard range. It takes at least 5 seconds for them to recover their vision."

"Besides these, I possess three healing skills and one offensive skill..."

Listening to Judy's revelations, Howard's expression subtly shifted. 

No wonder she was revered as the Church's Holy Maiden; her power was truly formidable.

Not only was her level as high as LV23, second only to Howard, but the skills she had grasped were also incredibly potent. 

She had two S-level skills, five A-level skills, and more than ten other skills!

While Howard did boast several SS-level skills, within the entire Alliance, those who could comprehend S-level skills below LV50 were exceptionally rare.

After all, typical S-level skills come with comprehension level restrictions. 

Those unrestricted S-level and SS-level skill books were as rare as Supreme Artifacts, so much so that even the top families within the Alliance might not possess them.

Mike and Nick were utterly impressed, "Truly worthy of the title 'Holy Maiden'. Besides the boss here, I doubt anyone among this year's freshmen can rival you."

"I am, after all, a priest. My combat prowess isn't as potent as yours," Judy responded with a serene demeanor. "For our future battles, I'll be relying on you all."

"You're too modest. Welcome to our team!" Howard said with a soft grin, extending his hand.

All things considered, the mere fact that Judy dared to stay and aid them in controlling numerous students during their ambush had thoroughly convinced Howard of her genuine intent to join their ranks.

After a brief respite, Howard led the group deeper into the map.

Truth be told, the previous halt in their exploration was because the team's strength simply couldn't keep up. 

Although Howard himself had reserves left, pushing forward in such circumstances would have meant him leading the team's progression on his own. 

Nick and Mike would have been rendered virtually useless, even possibly facing danger. 

Abby, too, lacked the means to defend herself. 

Without the energy to protect all three simultaneously, Howard naturally couldn't continue their exploration of the map.

Now, with Judy at their side, such concerns vanished. 

With the boost from Judy's skills, Abby, Nick, and Mike might even be capable of inflicting damage on the monsters lurking deeper within.

As expected, as the group ventured further, bolstered by Judy's skills, Nick and Mike seemed invigorated, as if they had taken a potent potion. 

Every attack they launched at the monsters astonishingly resulted in two damage numbers!

This was the effect of Judy's skill -- Radiant Power!

It imbued allies with a luminous effect. 

When they attacked a target, apart from their own attack power, an additional attack power equivalent to Judy's spirit was added.

Furthermore, whenever the monsters retaliated, before their strikes could land on Nick or Mike, a milky-white light shield materialized, deflecting the counterattacks with ease.

Monsters that previously required Howard's intervention for control or attack were now effortlessly dispatched by the duo!

Upon witnessing this spectacle, Howard, no longer satisfied with their prior exploration depth, ventured deeper into the map, with the monsters they encountered growing increasingly formidable.

With Nick and Mike being so greatly empowered, just imagine how it would affect Howard himself?

[Ding! Congratulations to Awakened Howard. You are under the influence of Judy's skill -- Radiant Blessing. Your skill damage increases by 30%, and your skill effect amplifies by 100%!]

While Howard was indifferent to the damage boost, the doubling of his skill effect sent him into a rapture. 

A twofold increase in effect! 

This would enhance every special effect. For instance, if a skill initially reduced an enemy's attack power by 10%, under Judy's enhancement, it would reduce it by 20%. 

The duration of control exerted by a skill would also double.

This boost wasn't just a mere percentage increase. 

It elevated Howard's team to a power far beyond their own capabilities. 

Even Tana, silently following from above, couldn't help but marvel.

While each year's assessment location varied in difficulty, the strength of monsters could always be gauged by their Level and Tier.

In nearly a century, the most accomplished student teams had only managed to conquer Level 40 Diamond-grade monsters and BOSS -- and that too, by leveraging treasures bestowed upon them by their elder family members.

Now, Howard's team had achieved this solely on their own merits -- a truly terrifying feat.

Yet, the power granted by skills was finite. 

When they began encountering monsters rising to Levels 45 and 50, Nick and Mike once again hit a bottleneck. 

Even with Howard's skills restraining the monsters, their inflicted damage dropped below four digits.

Thanks to Judy's incredible protective capabilities, even with this disparity in strength, she could shield Nick and Mike, ensuring they weren't critically wounded after a hit or two. 

Moreover, Judy could constantly replenish their HP, keeping them out of immediate danger.

However, the bulk of offensive responsibility now rested squarely on Howard's shoulders.

As Howard exerted his full offensive prowess against the monsters, Judy's eyes sparkled, silently assessing Howard's attributes.

Being the Holy Maiden of the Church, could Judy be anything less than sharp-witted? 

Her decision to join Howard's team had not been arbitrary. 

She had discerned an anomaly: Howard's level and the damage he inflicted seemed disproportionate. 

This piqued her curiosity. 

Keen to fathom Howard's underlying strength, she had chosen this path.

She too aspired to enhance her own attributes swiftly. 

After all, the Church was brimming with prodigies. 

She wished to widen the gap between her and other contenders, to firmly secure her position as the Holy Maiden.

Regrettably, she couldn't have foreseen that Howard's elevated attributes were primarily due to his high-tier equipment. 

Judy, harboring certain preconceptions, believed it implausible for anyone to possess equipment surpassing the Church's. 

This led her to mistakenly assume Howard had some other unique abilities.

Of course, the impressive nature of Howard's attributes wasn't solely equipment-driven. 

The combination of Soul Theft and Soul Nurturer also granted Howard significant attribute enhancements. 

With time, Howard's attributes were destined to grow even more formidable.

However, without the Soul Nurturer equipment and the enhanced version of Soul Theft, relying solely on Soul Devouring would necessitate defeating an astronomical number of monsters to gain any notable attribute boost. 

The effects wouldn't be nearly as pronounced.

Time unfurled gently. With Judy's unwavering support amplifying his strength, Howard's output was nothing short of remarkable. 

Even without employing his SS-level skills, the LV40 monsters couldn't withstand Howard for long. 

Their health points dwindled at a steady pace, and one by one, they met their demise, transforming into valuable experience for Howard's team. 

Furthermore, a generous array of spoils lay scattered on the battlefield.

Nick had effectively become the diligent gatherer of these hard-won treasures, while Mike had fully transitioned into a scout and informant, no longer engaging directly in combat with monsters.

Only Abby, with her ability to alter attack attributes and capitalize on Elemental Reaction, was able to contribute some damage and remain actively involved in the skirmishes. 

The battlefield was dominantly graced by the duet of Howard and Judy, with their harmonized tactics dictating the flow of combat.

Suddenly, Mike bolted in from the distance, his face painted with exhilaration. 

"Hey, boss! There's a cave up ahead guarded by a BOSS! I'm sure there are treasures waiting for us inside."

His announcement electrified the atmosphere. 

Howard, Abby, and Judy all felt a rush of excitement. 

A map guarded by a BOSS was an unequivocal promise of precious loot waiting to be discovered.