"This is really… the legendary Dual Fusion Method."
"Dual Fusion Method?" Fredrick couldn't help but overhear.
"For someone who has just become a gold-grade evolution master, you might not know about it yet. But if I had mastered this technique, I would have become a diamond-grade evolution master already."
"What? Diamond grade… Then, that kid…"
"He obviously hasn't reached the diamond grade. His skill is too rough and unpolished. However, to be able to use this technique means his sensitivity is equal to that of a diamond-grade evolution master. If he can also evolve his avatar, he can easily become a silver- or even a gold-grade evolution master in the future."
Fredrick drew in a cold breath. Such high praise coming from the president was unheard of.
However, if Auric could indeed do all the things he mentioned, he might be witnessing the birth of a legendary evolution master.
"Huu…" Auric exhaled deeply, sweat forming all over his face and body. Lindwurm said it casually, but this technique took a toll on his mind.
Fortunately, his focus had yet to wane. The energy in his body was draining, but he maintained the channel as firmly as possible.
Still, Auric had awakened just two days ago. Even if he could comprehend a technique quickly, he didn't have enough mastery yet.
If someone else performed this technique, they would be able to create a channel much firmer and longer-lasting than his.
'Ten more seconds!'
Auric was shouting firmly in his mind. His energy was already draining, so he couldn't afford to make a mistake that would force him to use even more energy.
'Five seconds…'
Auric kept counting in his mind as he looked at the material that was about to be depleted.
'This is it!' Auric saw no more energy coming from the material, so he checked the flow in Golanz's arm.
Even though his part was done, he still had to see whether he matched the amount of energy Golanz had or not.
So, until the last bit of energy from the man-eating plant disappeared, he couldn't let his guard down.
'This is…' The plant evolution master was taken aback. This was the first time he had seen such a technique. The others could see it from the screen, but he was fortunate to watch it directly.
His body gradually relaxed as if he already knew that the energy was just perfect for the evolution. 'It looks like helping out with the exam is really one of the best decisions I've ever made.'
"Haaa!" Auric let out a breath of relief the moment he saw the energy from the man-eating plant completely vanish. There was also no abnormality in Golanz's body.
So, he stepped back and placed his hand on the wall to support his body while wiping his sweat with his other hand.
"Are you alright?" The plant evolution master asked.
"Yes." Auric nodded, assuring him. He was just exhausted, nothing more.
"You should take a break. Congratulations."
"Please say that after we finish." Auric indirectly implied that it wasn't over until the evolution succeeded.
The evolution master smiled. Whether it was personality or the way he conducted himself, Auric befitted the title of an evolution master.
So, he stayed silent after that, waiting until Golanz finished his evolution.
It took another seven minutes before his avatar transformed. Since there was no interference from the evolution master, Auric passed the third test.
"I evolved…" Golanz was surprised. Although he decided to do it because of the president's guarantee, Auric had proven himself to be more than capable of helping him.
Hence, the first thing he did after evolving was stand up and politely bow to Auric. "Thank you, esteemed evolution master, for helping me evolve."
Auric nodded with a smile. "Congratulations."
"Congratulations to you too."
There was no need for any more words between them. They just ended it with a firm handshake.
Once they exited the chamber, they still saw the same number of people watching them.
"Are you guys really so free?" The plant evolution master smiled wryly. "I can understand if you wanted to watch the drama earlier, but shouldn't you wrap this test up?"
The president was the first to react. He hurriedly waved his hand and raised his voice. "What are you doing? Go! Don't waste our time today!"
They really wanted to say, 'Weren't you the one enjoying it the most?'
Unfortunately, there was no way to disrespect their president, so they could only start the test for other examinees as well.
Meanwhile, the president turned to Auric. "Congratulations. You are now a 3-star bronze evolution master."
"Thank you." Auric nodded.
"We're looking forward to your achievement as an evolution master. I hope that you stay true to the spirit of the evolution master."
"Yes."
The president smiled and patted Auric's shoulder as he walked away.
"I thought you wanted to give him the badge personally." Fredrick followed him, curious about his action.
"It's his moment, I shouldn't be there to disrupt it. He deserves it."
"The boy doesn't seem that hungry for attention, though."
The president smacked the back of Fredrick's head and continued walking as if telling him to just shut up and follow him.
"Thank you for accompanying me. Having you beside me made me feel at ease." Auric first thanked the plant evolution master.
"Hahaha. That's because you have the skill to back it up. How about this? Let's exchange our contact information. If you run into trouble, just call me."
"I understand."
There weren't many who wanted to offend a gold-grade evolution master, so having this contact would be beneficial.
"I have sent your data to the staff. Let them guide you to finish the remaining process. I still need to oversee the test."
"Yes."
The staff was already waiting for them in the distance. Once Auric walked away, the staff immediately approached him and guided him to another counter to record everything.
"Congratulations on becoming a 3-star bronze evolution master, Master Auric." The staff politely handed him a card, a certificate, and a badge.
"This card will act as your identity as an evolution master, the certificate is the proof that you have become one, and the badge will be the symbol of your rank. Do you have any other questions?"
Auric shook his head. "No. That's enough. Thank you. Have a nice day."
"You're welcome. You too, sir."
'It's done, right?' asked Auric in his mind.
Lindwurm had to acknowledge him this time. "You did well. I expected you to pass the normal element smoothly, struggle slightly on the variant, and have a difficult time on the extreme variant, but I might have underestimated you."
Auric didn't say anything. Lindwurm, after all, had no knowledge about his true senses.
All he knew was his comprehension ability.
'At least we don't have to worry about starving anymore, especially you.'
Now that he has become an evolution master, money would be pouring in. Even though he looked young, he would be popular with women, so seducing—no, attracting customers shouldn't be too hard.
So, they indeed didn't need to struggle anymore. "That's true. If we struggle, you can always sell your body."
'How about I sell you instead? The scientists will definitely love to learn a thing or two about an avatar who can survive without its owner.'
"How cruel." Lindwurm teared up as if he had been wronged.
'Anyway, I wonder if I should inform Mom about this… I'm still too young, so I'm afraid she'll be worried.'
"How about postponing the announcement for six months?"
'Well, people will find out sooner or later since a 17-year-old evolution master is not something we can hide.'
"Fair point. Maybe after you get into university? You tell her that you have found a way to use the element without even needing an avatar."
'Yeah. That's a much better option.' Auric thought the president would spread this information. Even if he didn't, the fifty volunteers, tens of examinees, masters, and other staff weren't going to stay quiet.
So, he would just postpone it for a few days and tell her after finishing the registration on Wednesday. His mother would most likely cook something delicious to celebrate, so it would be a perfect moment.
Auric didn't realize that someone was actually observing him among the volunteers.
In fact, one of the volunteers had just joined yesterday.
…
A few hours later.
"I see. Thank you for your hard work." Ellia hung up the call with a serious expression.
"Did he pass?" Arina asked while placing the coffee down on the table.
"Not only did he pass, but he even got 3 stars."
"What? He can actually become a 3-star bronze evolution master?"
"Yes. Apparently, the president was watching the whole thing. In addition, it seems the president has taken a keen interest in him. He could do things that only high-grade evolution masters can do.
"Seriously? I thought he was capable, but I didn't expect him to be that capable."
"More importantly, do you know what his element is?"
"His element? But shouldn't he…"
"Exactly. He apparently was registered as a plant evolution master."
"Plant? What?" Arina covered her gaping mouth with her hand, unable to contain her surprise. "But wasn't he supposed to have no avatar? How come he has an element?"
Ellia couldn't answer that question. She pulled out the document about Auric again. "According to the report, he's the one in the rumor."
Arina couldn't figure out how Auric even possessed an element.
"It looks like he has a lot more secrets than I originally thought."
"Should we extract that secret from him?" Arina asked with a serious expression.
"Arina…" Ellia sighed. "Tell me your three sizes."
"Huh? Why?"
"My point exactly. As I previously told you, he's unknown. He hasn't even discovered all his own secrets, so why should we come for his secrets? Besides, why would he tell us? It's better to just watch him first and see if we can benefit as well. Don't you already see the first benefit?"
Arina scratched the back of her head. "I guess I'm really not suitable to be a leader. Ahahaha."
"Well, we will meet him tomorrow. I'm curious what kind of present he has prepared for me. If what he claims is true…" Ellia crossed her arms. "You should know the struggle of everyone to evolve, right?"
"Yes. We need our element to be at 100% before or during the evolution. This way, they don't need to pay an expensive evolution master."
"If he can truly create something that will allow me to gradually increase my element without external sources, it will become one of the most sought-after items."
Arina's body shook as she agreed. "In the end, evolution masters don't necessarily have a 100% success rate. Just having that guarantee alone is enough for everyone."
Ellia added, "There are also some people who don't care about the cost and will use it to increase their initial level."
"Ah. Having, like, an initial 10% or 15% element before we begin hunting is definitely reassuring."
"Right? However, he is much more important to me. You should know that even though there are nine elements, there are only eight evolution masters, right?"
"That's true. The six basic elements, the two-cycle elements… All of them have weaknesses and strengths. However, the unique element is isolated. There is no evolution master, so they normally have to do the calculations themselves." Arina nodded.
"If not, we can only risk it and hope to succeed. There are a lot of unique element users who die because of this, and people expect me to die sooner or later or retire from this field entirely. However, I don't plan to do so."
"I see." Arina finally understood Ellia's plan. "If he can do it at his current level, he might be able to do more at a higher level in the future."
"Yeah. I might not need to worry about the restriction anymore." Ellia sighed. "Anyway, I want you to investigate a person."
"Who?"
"There was someone who kept provoking him during the test. Dig up everything you can. Since he looked petty, I'm not going to let him mess up my plan."
"Understood." Arina received the order, but before she left, she couldn't help but ask one more question. "Are you really going to give him the recommendation letter? Isn't that letter from a bribe?"
"What do you mean by bribe? It's a donation!" She corrected Arina while rolling her eyes. "Well, this year at the university will be intriguing. I'm looking forward to this soon-to-be junior of mine."