Endless Leveling Done Right!

Chapter 161: Trial Of Defense

As a Tanker Class, Alex was very curious what kind of trial he would face inside the portal.

The moment he regained his vision, he found himself on a wide open plain.

He saw several students fighting against monsters, holding shields in their arms.

Clearly, these teenagers had chosen professions that used shields and were being tested for their ability to block their opponents’ attacks.

Alex and Dim Dim observed the battle for a while.

A burly student, nearly two meters in height, was currently battling a Troll.

Trolls were monsters whose ranks could range anywhere between Rank 3 and Rank 8.

They were monsters that no beginners would want to face. Not only were they physically strong, they also had strong regeneration abilities.

In fact, there was a saying that you couldn’t kill a Troll unless you were proficient in using fire or a strong acid.

”That’s one sturdy guy,” Alex muttered. ”Is he really a teenager?”

The sound of the wooden club hitting a shield spread through the surroundings like the beats of a war drum.

Two Professors watched the young man, nodding their heads in appreciation of his ability to take hits from a strong opponent.

”Okay, that’s enough, Garran,” the Combat Professor shouted. ”I’ll award you 3,500 Points.”

Garran backed away from the Troll, who faded out of existence with the wave of the Professor’s hand.

”Professor, why did I only get 3,500 points?” Garran complained. ”I endured the hits of the Troll without a problem.”

”You’re right,” the Combat Professor agreed. ”However, that’s all you did. You just took hits and didn’t even bother to try to defeat the Troll. I am already being generous by giving you 3,500 points only because you did block all of the Troll’s attacks without getting blown back.”

Garran frowned but decided to accept his score since the Professor had already given him an explanation.

Besides, the middle-aged Combat Professor with gray hair and gray eyes was none other than Darius Gray, a very famous knight in the Kingdom of Avalon.

Many knights wished to become just like him. Garran certainly wasn’t arrogant enough to challenge the words of such an accomplished fighter.

However, he didn’t leave the Trial of Defense.

He had already finished taking three trials, and stayed to see if there were any First Years who were better than him.

Garran believed that he would be the top scorer of the Trial of Defense this year, which was an honor in itself.

Meanwhile, Professor Darius finally noticed Alex.

He tried to give the young man a smile of acknowledgement, but the scar on his left cheek affected his ability to emote. The battle-tested Professor then asked Alex what kind of trial he would like to challenge.

”Can I see what kind of trials are available?” Alex inquired.

”Sure,” Darius replied before snapping his fingers.

A projection appeared in front of Alex, listing the names of several monsters.

”Just choose a monster and indicate how many of them you want to fight,” Garran, who felt like he needed to show that he was superior to other students, commented.

”Take note—you can only take this trial once. If you get defeated by your opponent, you get zero points. So don’t bite off more than you can chew, okay? Choose your opponent wisely.”

Alex nodded. ”Thank you for the reminder.”

The young man then shifted his attention to the list of monsters while rubbing his chin.

Clearly, he wanted to get a high score in order to get to the class he wanted.

He had only gotten 1,100 points from the Trial of Alchemy.

As for the Trial of Music, he hadn’t heard his score before being sent out of the concert hall.

But judging from the reaction of Professor Arienna, the other teachers, as well as the students, he was certain that he had gotten a perfect score due to his outstanding talent.

Three minutes later, Alex finally made his decision.

With a few clicks, he chose the monster he wanted to face and added the number of opponents. With that done, he went toward an empty spot on the plain to take the trial.

Garran, some of the other students who had also finished their trial, and Professor Darius looked at the young man who had summoned a black shield on his left hand.

However, when he summoned another shield on his right hand, nearly all of them smirked, with some even laughing out loud.

”Dual Shielding!” Garran chuckled. ”He is indeed a tanker! Hahaha!”

Professor Darius smiled faintly. This wasn’t the first time he saw someone attempt the trial with two shields.

Since this was the Trial of Defense, they were being tested on how they would be able to defend against attacks from their opponents.

However, the students’ laughter ended when they saw the monsters that Alex had challenged.

———

< Killer Quill >

”Some Adventurers have claimed that it’s just a demonic porcupine. Their paralyzed corpses say otherwise.”

Monster Rank: Rank 2 Monster

Monster Grade: Common

Attribute: Poison / Demonic

Species: Venom Spike Porcupine

Type: Ambush Striker

Health: 880 / 880

Attack: 90 - 130

Active Skills: Quill Burst, Needle Lunge.

———

Garran’s mouth opened wide in shock, not because Alex was fighting a Rank 2 Killer Quill, but because he was fighting against a hundred of them!

A countdown timer above Alex’s head informed him that the battle was about to start.

Five...

Four...

Three..

Two...

One!

As soon as the countdown ended, the Killer Quills unleashed a spray of sharp quills laced with paralyzing venom at the young man.

Garran and the other students couldn’t help but shudder, knowing that even if only a single quill landed on the young man, he would be finished!

But things didn’t turn out the way they imagined.

As soon as the countdown ended, Alex raised Svalinn in front of him and charged forward.

”Shield Charge!”

The sound of quills pelting his shield reached Alex’s ears, but he didn’t mind it one bit.

Most of the quills missed their target because Alex had moved away from his spot.

When his shield rammed the Rank 2 Monster in front of him, Alex used one of the skills that his master, Cairo, had imparted to him.

”Demon Slaying Art Second Form...” Alex shouted, and Everguard shone in a golden light.

”Grand Cross!”

The young man slammed his shield on the ground, and a magic circle expanded around him.

A moment later, radiant light surged forth, dealing holy damage to the demonic porcupines, who all screamed in pain as the element they hated the most burned their bodies.

The remaining Killer Quills ignored the screams of their comrades and unleashed another barrage in Alex’s direction.

”Shield [EX]!”

”Enchant Holy!”

< Multicast [EX] activated! >

Four magical shields imbued with the holy element appeared around Alex, protecting the blind spots his two shields couldn’t cover.

The magical shields resisted the bombardment, and as soon as the initial threat was over, Alex once again took the initiative to attack.

”Shield Throw!” Alex roared, and the four magical shields flew in different directions, slamming against the Killer Quills.

The sight of this shocked the people who were watching the battle.

”W-What the hell...” Garran, who initially thought that he was the best Defender among the First Years, looked at the battle in astonishment.

This was the first time Alex was using a fighting style inspired by his Shield Savant Job Class.

Although it was his first try, Professor Darius and the other students looked at him in awe as if he was some kind of Shield Master who could deftly throw shields left and right on the battlefield.