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Their expertise, technique, statistics, and teamwork set them leagues apart from average individuals.

"Excellent work, everyone!" Nock Fletcher praised the group, his eyes shining with pride.

"You all performed admirably. I\'m impressed by your teamwork and your ability to combat the Sylvan Shadowscale."

The group exchanged smiles, their confidence soaring. While they were a proud bunch, they respected Nock Fletcher and were pleased to receive his compliments.

"Some of you could benefit from further training," Nock Fletcher continued. "But most of you handled the situation perfectly. I hope you maintain the same spirit for the rest of our journey. We still have a long way to go, and we will undoubtedly encounter more monsters. I trust you will rise to the challenge."

Nock Fletcher spoke.

During the battle, there was a group that chose not to participate at all. William and his friend avoided combat altogether, hiding behind their bodyguards and waiting for others to slay the monsters. Some were so afraid that they couldn\'t bear to witness the scene.

Not only were they lacking in skill, but they also lacked the courage to confront the monsters. They were truly pampered individuals who had grown up under the constant care of their parents.

Nock disregarded them and addressed the remaining individuals.

"Now, let\'s continue our journey."

The group set off, their spirits high. They had faced a challenging ordeal and emerged victorious, eager to proceed to the Elven Nation.

As they walked, they discussed the battle, sharing their thoughts and experiences. They were all eager to learn from one another and grow as fighters.

Particularly for the group of individuals who had only met in Etheron City, it was crucial for them to understand each other\'s abilities and execute effective teamwork.

However, there were also those who believed that working together and learning from others were unnecessary. They considered themselves to be the best and saw no need for further improvement.

This mindset was not uncommon among geniuses who had been hailed as number one. If Zion had not been defeated by Hiro, he might have fallen into the same line of thinking as he grew up.

They continued their journey, and Nock Fletcher found himself pondering about Zero. Zero\'s exceptional strength and fighting style intrigued him.

He looked up Zero\'s information on his phone. The Authority possessed comprehensive knowledge about individuals in the human domain, and as a Rank-SS member, Nock had access to almost all the information.

As he perused the information, he found nothing remarkable. It stated that Zero hailed from a fairly prominent guild that was rising in Star City and appeared to possess talent.

However, there was one aspect that puzzled him as he delved deeper into Zero\'s information.

(This doesn\'t make sense!)

Nock thought as he glanced at the information on his phone and then at Zero. The issue at hand was Zero\'s rank, which was listed as Rank-B.

There was a possibility that the information had not been updated, but Nock sensed that Zero was not someone who had recently ascended to Rank-A but rather someone on the verge of reaching Rank-S.

Yet, he couldn\'t be certain as he couldn\'t accurately assess Zero\'s mana. It could be due to a skill that Zero possessed, but Nock was surprised that it even managed to evade his Rank-SS perception.

However, based on what he had witnessed during the battle, he was confident in his assumption.

(Otherwise, how could a Rank-B so effortlessly dispatch the Sylvan Shadowscale without utilizing any techniques?)

Nock pondered. Even Rank-A individuals had to employ their unique abilities and exert considerable effort to defeat the Sylvan Shadowscale.

Yet, Zero precisely struck at the creature\'s weak points with his sword. He didn\'t appear to exert his full strength, relying solely on normal attacks to eliminate five Sylvan Shadowscale.

It was reminiscent of the actions of Rank-S geniuses who didn\'t need to rely on any special abilities to dispatch the Sylvan Shadowscale.

Thus, Nock was certain that Zero was not a Rank-B. However, considering Zero\'s appearance, Nock believed that attaining Rank-S would be impossible, although he couldn\'t state it definitively.

For now, the most likely scenario was that Zero was at least a Rank-A, possibly even at Rank-A+.

(But how come I\'ve never heard his name!)

Nock wondered. A young individual at Rank-A would have caused a sensation in the world, much like Mia and Hiro, who had broken the record as the youngest Rank-A achievers.

Even if Zero hadn\'t attained Rank-A before the age of 20, it would still have been remarkable if he achieved it before the age of 25. From Zero\'s appearance, Nock was certain that Zero was not older than 25.

He continued reading Zero\'s information.

(So, he is indeed the same age as Hiro Ernest. I initially thought his youthful appearance was a disguise, but he truly is young.)

Nock thought, surprised by Zero\'s real age.

Someone as young as Hiro but stronger — Nock wondered how a person with such talents could fly under The Authority\'s radar.

Not only that, someone of this caliber would have garnered attention and made headlines in the news. Yet, contrary to that expectation, Nock had no recollection of ever hearing Zero\'s name.

He couldn\'t comprehend the discrepancy between Zero\'s talent and the level of recognition he received. In a world where strength determined survival, talented individuals were always in the spotlight. However, Zero seemed to be an exception to that rule.

Nock was puzzled but continued reading the information provided by The Authority. Fortunately, several agents had collected substantial information on Zero.

"Wait! I think I\'ve seen him!"

Nock muttered quietly as he examined a picture of a young Zero. The information and image of Zero from the Tournament of Academies appeared, and memories started resurfacing in Nock\'s mind.

During Zero\'s first year as a participant in the tournament, Nock had attended as a guest to observe the competition.

Although Zero hadn\'t emerged as the victor, Nock remembered witnessing him defeat numerous talented students ranked as Rank-B and Rank-C from various academies.

It was during the final round that Zero\'s dominance astonished many, including Nock himself. At that time, multiple gifted students were made to appear feeble as Zero effortlessly vanquished them.

(So, that monster was him!)

Even from his perspective, Zero\'s actions at the time were incredible and seemed unattainable by anyone else.

Regrettably, the referee deemed Zero\'s actions to be in violation of the rules and disqualified him. Based on his strength, Nock believed that Zero would have been the winner that year.

Recalling the event, Nock widened his eyes in surprise. As he had mentioned before, the greater the genius, the more attention they would attract.

Although news of Zero\'s achievements had been overshadowed by Lisanna\'s victory in the Tournament of Academies, which marked the second decade of Ace Academy\'s dominance.

"He is worth keeping an eye on!"

Nock whispered to himself.

Days passed, and the group of geniuses faced various monsters on their journey to the Elven Nation.

Enemies of Rank-A posed no significant challenge for them, especially with five geniuses ranked at Rank-S.

However, trouble arose when they encountered monsters led by Rank-S creatures. In usual circumstances, Nock would have stepped in to protect them, but the capabilities of the geniuses surpassed his expectations.

To truly gauge their power, Nock needed to observe how they fared against monsters led by Rank-S creatures. Therefore, he allowed them to handle the situation themselves when faced with Rank-S monsters.

Fortunately, while the leading monsters were Rank-S, the accompanying ones were of Rank-A. If hundreds of Rank-S monsters had attacked together, even with Nock Fletcher\'s presence, it would have been challenging to protect everyone.

Particularly since individuals ranked at Rank-B were essentially useless against Rank-S monsters. However, the geniuses seemed to handle their fear and the pressure of Rank-S monsters more easily.

The strategy to deal with Rank-S monsters was simple.

Rank-S geniuses engaged with the Rank-S monsters, and if their numbers exceeded five, Rank-A geniuses would collaborate to stall or, if possible, eliminate the Rank-S monster.

Zero\'s group could effortlessly handle three Rank-S monsters. However, Zero didn\'t wish to reveal his full capabilities, so he appeared to support Amelia and fought alongside her against the Rank-S monsters.

This approach didn\'t arouse suspicion since Amelia, despite being Rank-S, served as a support role. She could provide assistance and attack the Rank-S monster from behind while Zero appeared to engage and stall the creature.

The Rank-B geniuses refrained from directly confronting the Rank-S monsters and instead focused on combating their minions, who were either Rank-A or occasionally Rank-B.

Overall, while the battles against Rank-S monsters were challenging, they didn\'t reach an alarming level.