Marlon scanned through the series of notifications with a bright expression on his face.
"An EX-rank talent... only one out of one billion people can awaken something of this rank," he whispered excitedly.
As he continued reading through the skills he had awakened alongside it, the smile on his face widened further.
Although the skills were still low-ranked for now, their effects were nothing short of monstrous.
Most B-rank skills could not even grant triple damage, yet his D-rank skill amplified damage by five times. Even at level one, defeating opponents above level three would not be difficult for him at all.
And that was not even the best part.
He had another skill that completely overpowered him against demons, one of the greatest calamities threatening the human race.
Even his passive skill was absurd, the kind of ability countless people would willingly kill for.
Now that his awakening had finally been confirmed, all the suffering he endured during the past hundred days no longer felt meaningless.
It had all become a small price to pay for such an incredible reward.
Determination filled his eyes.
Those who had looked down on him, especially his so-called family in this world, along with the trainees and teachers in the preliminary training camp, would be utterly shocked once he revealed his talent during the entrance examination to Farrowen Hunter Academy three days from now.
Just imagining their dumbfounded expressions made the smile on his face deepen.
Nevertheless, right now, he had something else to focus on.
"Reveal character panel."
━━〔 BASIC INFORMATION 〕━━━
Name: Marlon Ashleigh
Talent: Absolute Attack (EX)
Power Level: 0 (0%)
Power Rank: FF
Health Points: 50/100 (Severely Injured)
Health Regen: 1 HP/min
Aether Points: 100/100
Aether Regen: 1 AP/min
━━━〔 STATS 〕━━━
Strength: 12 | Agility: 15
Vitality: 10 | Intelligence: 10
Free Points: 0
━━━〔 ATTRIBUTES 〕━━━
Physical Attack: 30 | Magical Attack: 25
Physical Defense: 5% | Magical Defense: 5%
━━━〔 SKILLS 〕━━━
Passive: Drain (D)
Active: Punch of Iron (D), Punch of Judgment (B)
"So neat and detailed."
His face lit up as the character panel floated before him.
During the months he spent in the training camp, apart from enduring daily beatings, he had also attended lessons conducted by senior hunters who occasionally shared their knowledge with the trainees.
Through those lessons, he gradually came to understand the meaning behind each stat and section.
After carefully reading through everything, he dismissed the panel and rested his head against the bed properly, staring quietly at the roof with dreamy eyes.
For the first time in a long while, he felt genuinely relaxed.
Slowly, his tense body loosened, and before long, he drifted into sleep.
As he slept, the recovery of his body became even more visible.
Bruises gradually faded away, wounds closed up, and color slowly returned to the patches of skin that had lost pigment from the constant beatings.
However, less than an hour after he fell asleep, loud panicked shouts erupted throughout the encampment, abruptly shattering his peaceful rest.
"We are under attack!"
"Wake everyone up! Demonic beasts are approaching!"
"There are too many of them!"
Marlon's eyes slowly fluttered open with a faintly annoyed look as he pushed himself off the bed.
The injuries covering his body had already healed completely, and his health points had returned to full.
The commotion outside only grew louder.
Hurried footsteps echoed across the encampment as frightened trainees rushed out of their tents in panic.
A grin slowly appeared on Marlon's face.
"I guess the universe wants to test me immediately after giving me these ridiculous skills," he muttered.
He grabbed a black scarf from a small cloth box on the ground and wrapped it around his face before dashing out of the tent to join the chaos outside.
"Anyone capable of fighting, move to the front! The rest of you stay behind. Dead weight will only slow the fighters down!"
A loud commanding voice echoed across the encampment.
Marlon's eyes shifted toward the owner of the voice.
It was a tall, burly blonde man he recognized immediately as Drever, the captain of the trainees.
Drever possessed an A-rank talent and was considered one of the strongest trainees in the entire camp. Rumors even claimed he had already secured direct admission into the academy, yet he still chose to participate in the preliminary training camp.
Following Drever's command, hundreds of trainees rushed toward the eastern side of the encampment while many others fled in the opposite direction to avoid the incoming horde.
Marlon followed the advancing group without hesitation.
After several minutes of running, they crossed the encampment and arrived at a vast sandy plain.
The training camp itself was located within a desert region surrounded by several low-level danger zones.
Its purpose was simple.
To expose trainees to the dangers hunters faced and prepare them to become stronger fighters and better survivors.
Although demonic beasts had occasionally appeared around the area before, they usually came alone or in very small groups.
Never in numbers like this.
Dust surged into the air in thick waves, stirred violently by the charging beasts.
The ground trembled beneath the synchronized pounding of clawed feet, each thunderous step sending vibrations across the desert floor. Their bloodthirsty cries echoed through the night like a chorus from a nightmare, filling the air with tension and dread.
Then, from within the thick veil of dust, glowing crimson eyes began appearing one after another.
Soon, massive shadows emerged from the haze.
Each one looked larger and more terrifying than the last.
Dozens appeared.
Then hundreds.
Until it seemed as though the desert itself was spewing out demonic beasts endlessly.
Drever narrowed his eyes at the approaching horde before raising his hand high into the air.
A second later, he pointed directly toward the beasts.
"Attack!"
The moment the command was given, the trainees broke formation and charged toward the horde with superhuman speed.
Marlon's eyes gleamed as he rushed forward as well.
Although he was slower than most of the others, the confidence in his steps remained completely unshaken.