Cornflower Witch

Chapter 440 A Victory Brought About by Composure

The scene was somewhat quiet. Everyone watched as the girl folded her wings and descended, and suddenly felt a sense of unreal fantasy, as if such a scene shouldn't exist in reality.

After a while, Spencer's stiff expression finally changed, as if he had been forced to accept some kind of reality.

"Yes...you won." There seemed to be lingering resentment in his voice.

After saying that, he left without looking back, not stopping even when someone called after him.

This was probably the most painful and humiliating scene he had experienced in recent years, as if every second he stayed there was like being tortured on a scalding hot stone slab.

After Spencer left, the students looked at the girl standing on the stage, one foot slightly raised to adjust her shoe, and still found it hard to believe.

Hedra's strength in the battle was so overwhelming that even these geniuses from various school districts took a while to accept the fact.

It's important to know that many creatures gain core abilities at the third tier, achieving a qualitative leap, which is an extremely difficult hurdle to overcome.

Generally speaking, only the top performers among second-tier apprentices can barely defeat weaker third-tier opponents. Those who can hold their own against third-tier opponents at this stage are already considered elites and geniuses among their peers in the entire Mage Alliance.

Facing the most perfect Heroic Spirit in the third tier, whose skills surpassed that of the tier but whose power was downgraded, even a fourth-tier extraordinary being might be defeated. Yet, in her hands, it seemed as if the difference in rank did not exist, and she defeated him in such a simple and unpretentious way.

In a duel of swordsmanship, which her enemy excelled at, the forces clashed repeatedly, and even in a dangerous close-quarters combat situation, she defeated her opponent without being at a disadvantage.

Winning with such composure made it impossible to discern her limits, and this vast difference in strength ultimately led Spencer to break down and despair.

He had to accept the reality that there really are geniuses in this world who are beyond imagination, and that he was just born into a better family and was a little smarter than ordinary people. This almost destroyed the belief that had always supported his inner pride.

"Spencer will probably be depressed for quite some time now."

"Wow, Chief Hedra is just too perfect. Even someone as outstanding as me is a little afraid to compare myself to her."

"It seems that for the next few years, we won't need to discuss who is number one; we can just compete for second place."

"She's so beautiful, from her movements and posture to her appearance and temperament. I wonder who will ever come close to her near perfection."

"If there really were a guy like that, I'd probably be insanely jealous."

"Let's go, it's time to disperse. Let's focus on our recent courses and not think about those genius-related things."

The students gradually dispersed, and Hilti also walked out of the battlefield. Perrin then jogged over to catch up.

"Chief Hedra, are you alright?" Despite the victory, the girl still asked with some concern.

"It's nothing." Hiltiya gently brushed aside the stray hairs that had been blown around her ears.

"Has anything major happened at the academy lately?" She'd been busy with advancement matters these past few days and hadn't paid much attention to other things.

"There shouldn't be any major events, but there have been some other activities and news," Perrin explained.

"The alliance is currently at war with the barbarians in the west, and our academy will regularly send some members to provide support. The senior students occasionally discuss this."

"The Sculpture School recently sent several enormous golems, which are to be placed at this year's Silver Bell Festival venue. They are said to be the result of several years of joint research between our two schools."

"The winds on the Ice Sea are getting stronger and stronger. The northern part of the Mage Alliance has suffered a lot of hail and snowfall, and the market price of warm clothing has increased a lot."

……

Perrin talked about recent events at the college and news in the newspapers. Although there were many things, they were not very relevant to the freshmen.

That makes sense. In the eyes of the higher-ups in the Mage Alliance, these second-tier freshmen are probably just like children. They won't take on any responsibilities and all they need to do now is study hard.

"I understand." After hearing this, Hilti nodded.

The two continued to the restaurant. Hilti looked at the menu on the table and then ordered a Tier 2 'Lemon Silver Cod' for Perrin, while she ordered a 'Pan-fried Venison Chops' for herself.

"Thank you, Lord Hedra."

"Let's eat together." The two then sat down with their food. Perrin was a student in the same year as Siltia, and one of the few students from the 'Milne District' who joined her group. She usually served as her deputy, helping to handle matters related to the chief, or notifying other students, etc.

Generally speaking, students at the Tethys Academy don't like doing these chores because they take up time that could be used for studying and relaxing. So, as compensation, Hilti occasionally treats her to a meal or helps explain difficult points in the course.

However, Perrin doesn't come from an ordinary family that lacks money. From her occasional spending habits and clothing, Hilti can tell that Perrin's family is probably not bad off; she's just more low-key.

The two ate their meal, exchanging a few words now and then. As the sunset gradually appeared outside the window, evening slowly approached.

"Next weekend, after the exams, will you have time, Chief?" Perrin asked cautiously and nervously.

"There should be something. Is there something wrong?" Hiltiya looked at the girl with the single ponytail opposite her.

"I would like to invite you to my home, which is not far from the college."

"Oh... okay then, just remind me when the time comes." Hilti thought for a moment, and since she didn't seem to have any reason to refuse, she agreed.

After dinner, Hilti said goodbye to Perrin and went to the mission hall again. Although it was already evening, it was still open and seemed to be open 24 hours a day.

"I'm sorry, I have class during the day today. I forgot to tell you yesterday." After arriving here, Hiltiya first told the receptionist apologetically, and then asked if she could continue to complete her task in the evening.

“No problem, Miss Hedra.” The receptionist went to the back and notified another mage familiar with alchemy and mechanics to follow her.

Having learned from yesterday's experience, Hiltiya completed the task very quickly this time, taking only a little over two hours to complete the six gem bearings. Among them, three were of excellent quality and three were of rare quality, much to the astonishment of the mages watching the process.

"Although I looked through yesterday's records, I still find it somewhat unbelievable."

"Have you considered joining a workshop? I know someone here who can introduce you to a place where you can earn a higher income."

"No need for that. I'm still in school and can only come here occasionally to take on some tasks." The girl shook her head and declined.

She only needs resources to advance her skills during this period and does not intend to make money from this in the long term.

Furthermore, if she really had to make a living through a certain profession, she would prefer gardening, as it would be much more relaxing for her mind and body.

In the following days, Hilti came every night to make gem bearings and complete the task. The quality of her work improved, and she was eventually able to reliably engrave 'rare' quality parts.

"Congratulations, Miss Hedra. This is your reward." The counter lady collected the last batch of gemstone parts, put them in a box for registration and sealing, and then took out the reward for the girl.

"The original reward was 370 gold coins, but your crafting quality is excellent, so the employer has added 150 gold coins based on the quality, for a total of 520 gold coins, as well as this 'Tier 3 Excellent' ruby."

After saying that, the saleswoman took out another small box. Inside was a transparent ruby ​​the size of a fingernail, which emitted a beautiful halo.

"Thank you." Hiltiya put away the gems, deposited the gold coins into her student account, and continued browsing the bulletin board.

Through this experience, she gained a lot of insight into these tasks. Although some tasks seemed to offer high rewards, they were time-consuming and laborious to complete, making them less efficient and cost-effective than some lower-rewarding tasks.

It's not necessarily true that the higher the reward, the better, she thought. Unless it's related to her advancement, that would save her some energy and allow her to practice in advance.

As she looked around, her gaze lingered on a corner.

"Forged into the Evil-Slaying Silver Blade..." she read out the requirements and reward.

The extra reward was actually mithril. Hilti blinked and quickly calculated in her mind.

If that's the case, then the reward for completing this task will probably be close to 3000 gold coins. Of course, the other party's requirements are also exceptionally high, and even she isn't entirely confident.

However, a little challenge seems like a good idea. She wants to see if she can do it, and if not, she can find out where she needs to improve and learn.

"Could you entrust me with the task of forging this 'Evil-Slaying Silver Blade'?"

The girl, still wearing her freshman uniform and exuding a youthful air, came to the counter again and pointed to the notice in the corner of the bulletin board.

(End of this chapter)