In the blink of an eye, the bolt of light slammed hard into the humanoid target standing not far away, and a loud crash echoed through the stone hall, like a large bell shattered by a pendulum. The resulting sound wave and vibration created a shockwave; everyone felt a brief gust of wind hit their faces, and the stone floor beneath their feet trembled slightly.
The humanoid target in the distance displayed the powerful properties of an alchemical item; after being struck with such force, it was not sent flying, and its base seemed to have taken root on the spot. However, the impact was so great that the target bent backward violently, almost parallel to the ground. But after the force dissipated, it snapped back forcefully, oscillating back and forth a dozen times before gradually coming to a steady stop.
It was only then that the onlookers clearly saw the value displayed on the chest of the target: 238!
Everyone gasped sharply. With such a massive commotion, combined with the intimidating value that stood in stark contrast to what had come before, it was as if they were getting to know their Chief all over again. Everyone widened their eyes, looking at Alan with a mix of awe and fear. Meanwhile, Alan stared straight at the humanoid target, expressionless, as if lost in thought.
*The preliminary test performed well; at the very least, its quality has passed. It can withstand my Knockback Jinx at 70% power, so as long as it isn't a spell with exaggerated destructive power like Fiendfyre or Wild Lightning, it should have no trouble handling the vast majority of conventional defensive spells and Dark Arts.*
Alan immediately snapped back to reality, scanned the stunned crowd, and frowned slightly. "What are you all staring at? Did you remember what I just said? I don't want to repeat myself too much. When casting spells, concentrate as much as you can. Imagine yourself as steel that fears no pain."
"Wizards in the third year and above, line up by year. Let me see how much you've absorbed. If your performance is poor, you'll all have to do extra practice later!"
Alan's eyes sharpened as he swept a glance at everyone around him. Only then did the students, still in shock, react and hurriedly scramble to line up behind Alan. Originally, Alan had intended to only let the third, fourth, and fifth years practice; after all, it was remedial tutoring, so he naturally had to prioritize the students with issues. However, the upperclassmen were now joining the queue as well. Clearly, they were very interested in this humanoid target that could display data for spell power and wanted to use this opportunity to test their own strength.
Soon, a line that twisted in several directions had formed. The first third-year wizard to step up was very excited. After drawing his wand, he shouted with great momentum, "Expulso!"
But when the spell hit the target, it only displayed a mere value of 15, which was not even as strong as when Alan had deliberately lowered his power to cast the spell. The surrounding crowd couldn't help but laugh when they saw his performance, leaving him incredibly embarrassed.
"Calm down. The louder you chant the spell, the stronger it isn't. Concentrate, and try again!" Alan instructed sternly.
"Yes, Chief." The young wizard shuddered in fear, then carefully recalled the key points Alan had guided them on. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, tried to concentrate his mind, and then, with his face flushed red, fired a spell with all his might.
21!
The value appeared on the humanoid target again; although the intensity was still not high, it was at least much better than before.
"Not bad, there's progress. You need to practice on your own after class using this method. Now step aside, next!" Alan nodded.
The wizard made way, looking a bit reluctant. The performance of the next student was even worse; the first Knockback Jinx only scored 13 points. After Alan let him try three times, he only just managed to reach 20 points.
This result made the other third-year wizards behind him feel a chill. Was it really this difficult? They had been mocking the first person to try just a moment ago. When Alan quantified the power of their spells, these students faced their own skill levels for the first time. In the past, many of them might have thought their spellcasting was decent. But after testing it for real today, they discovered they were only at an average level.
However, this was not surprising to Alan. These students rarely had the opportunity to practice casting spells, and although the Knockback Jinx was taught in the third year, it was actually only tested in the fourth year.
As time passed, the third-year students finished their turns, with scores generally between 20 and 25 points. But when it came to the last person in the third year, his performance suddenly amazed everyone. A spell struck the humanoid target with a dull thud, sounding completely different from the previous wizards, and a value as high as 53 appeared on the target.
Not only the other third-years, but everyone around them burst into exclamations. The person standing in front of the humanoid target at this moment was none other than Evan, who had already received two years of training from Alan. Evan stared blankly at the target. Only now did he realize just how much improvement Alan's training had brought him.
"Did you hold back? I remember that your spell trajectory was faster last year than it was just now. Or did you learn bad habits from Charles and the others, and slack off during the summer break?" Alan didn't care about the astonished gazes of others; instead, he looked at Evan with an unfriendly expression. This kid was usually quite honest; had he been corrupted too?
Evan, who had just been marveling at his own strength, felt his whole body tense up. He hurriedly shouted, "No, I didn't! I didn't slack off with Bill and the others. I just wasn't focused enough. How about I try again? I'll definitely reach the standard next time!"
Alan glanced at him speechlessly. "Forget it, don't waste time here. Get back to training immediately. If your performance is still at this level during the next practical exercise, don't blame me for arranging special training for you."
Upon hearing the words "special training," Evan's face stiffened instantly, as if he were recalling something terrifying. He nodded repeatedly like a chicken pecking at rice, then hurried to the side.
The conversation between Alan and Evan had been heard by everyone. Seeing Evan's performance, they only felt it was incredible. But judging by what Alan meant, was this still considered insufficient for Evan?
At this moment, they couldn't help but look back and forth between Alan and Evan. They knew Evan had a good relationship with the Chief, but could his ability truly be related to Alan? Seeing this scene, not only did they look at Evan with new eyes, but Alan appeared even more unfathomable. Every time they thought they understood him well enough, more mysteries would emerge, making it impossible for anyone to ever truly see through their Chief.