The forest began to dim as the sun descended on the western horizon. Shadows of trees grew darker, merging with the night sky.

Flashes of light flickered in and out, illuminating a part of the dimly lit forest.

"Are you sure it’s okay this way?"

Noah’s question made Desther tilt his head.

’Does this fool not want the point anymore?’

In fact, he could figure out what Noah was hesitating for. After all, it was over fifty points of increase in a span of a few minutes. If all of this was recorded, wouldn’t that mean that he would shoot directly to the top 10, or to the top 5, or to the top 1 even?

"What? You don’t want the points anymore?"

Noah smiled wryly upon hearing his question.

Of course he still wants it. However, this kind of point surge was just too much to handle.

No matter how thick-skinned he was, Noah still felt that this was absolutely not something he could do.

It might seem glorious to obtain such points, but he knew for a fact what kind of consequence it would have on him in the long run.

False expectations would soon befall him. It would not be warranted, and at the same time, he would not be worthy of it.

It was Desther who made the kill, not him. His help extended to only that of a mere watcher and picture taker, nothing more, nothing less.

He knew that Desther was trying to act low-key... but this... This was just too much!

The way he killed those Ravenous Lizards, it felt like a Tier 2 Awakened Professional toying with mortal animals.

A level 100 boss, suddenly wrecking havoc in a level 1 starter village.

Yes, that feeling. It was extremely similar. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"It’s not that I don’t want it. But won’t it be too much? You know...me getting to the top 5?"

Desther chuckled upon hearing that.

"Why? You don’t want to be in the top 5?"

Noah scratched his head in dismay. Normally, he would absolutely have no problem being in the top 5.

However, being in the top 5 in this scenario generally meant that he was strong enough to defeat those monsters and that he would be labeled as a genius like Arthur, Victor, and Lexie.

He knew for himself he was not a genius, and he knew for himself that he wouldn’t deserve such praise.

For god’s sake, he only has D-Grade Bear Strength Talent. His grades in written and practical exams were basically shit. How could he have the nerve to be in the top 5?

"Alright, I get it. I’ll take some of the points away."

Desther finally relented after seeing Noah’s expression.

Although it was inconvenient, he knew that Noah was just very self-aware as of this moment.

He did not blindly let his greed and fame take over him as well, making him a worthwhile companion if such an attitude was maintained.

If he ever shamelessly took all the points without showing any concern, it would only mean that Noah was a superficial person and did not truly understand the risk and consequence of his action.

At the very least, Desther was glad that Noah seemed to have his own kind of humbleness too.

As for the points, Desther decided to take twenty of them. Although he already took some, Noah’s ranking still shot to top 9 after they were done recording the points.

Their group chat was already exploding with great commotion after this incident.

Noah told Desther that most of them were asking how Noah did it and also if he needed any companion to help him.

Naturally, Noah ignored those questions and just replied perfunctorily as per Desther’s instruction.

Aside from the group chat, his direct message was also flooded with inquiries regarding his current situation.

Although he could just ignore all of them, there was one or even two chats that he could not casually ignore.

One came directly from Lexie, while the other came from Victor.

Sent almost at the same time, the two of them actually asked the same question that none of the others even dared to think of.

"Are you with Desther?"

"How did you manage to convince Desther to come with you?"

The first one came from Lexie, while the last was from Victor.

They did not ask how he did it but asked regarding Desther instead.

Lexie was not a surprise, but Victor, asking that, was actually a surprise to Noah. From the looks of it, he seemed to be aware of Desther’s abilities too.

’Was it because of that incident?’

Noah could help but recall the incident with John and the others.

As Victor’s lackey, it would not be strange if they told everything that has transpired during that time.

In fact, it was also at that exact moment that Noah realized that Desther was not as simple as he seemed.

"How should I reply?"

He turned to Desther and asked his opinion regarding this matter.

Upon seeing that, Desther merely shrugged his shoulders and began to walk back to their tree house.

"You can reply as you see fit."

In regards to that, Desther thought it would no longer matter much.

His and Noah’s points would soon explode due to the mission he got. Gone were the days that he would just casually help Noah in the side. The mission given by the title was a priority and was best to be completed as soon as possible.

The Space Bag was waiting for him, too.

So, he thought that even if the whole school knew that the two of them were teaming up, it would still not change the fact that he would be hunting monsters crazily from now on too.

And besides, both Lexie and Victor already have an inkling about his true strength. Both were unaware to what extent he was hiding, though.

Noah nodded his head and replied "Yes" and "I hired him" respectively. Both were the truth, and no ounce of lie contained.

After that, he closed his phone and followed behind Desther.