The next day.

The qualification matches officially started today. Some were excited and eager to perform well, while others were nervous, fearing they might be eliminated.

Shia didn’t overthink it. He quietly arrived at the testing venue and waited patiently for the first test to begin.

The first test primarily assessed special skills.

The test took place in the school's Cultural Control Center, where the spacious arena in the center was large enough to accommodate hundreds of participants simultaneously.

Surrounding the arena were tiered seats, where a few senior students who had taken the entrance exams before were sparsely seated to watch.

Lilith was among them.

On the platform overlooking the arena, the examiner was explaining the rules of the first test.

Shia wasn’t paying attention. His mind was elsewhere.

The test focused on special skills, showcasing individual talents. However, these talents were graded on tiers.

Skills like alchemy or magic formations, even combat-based ones such as swordsmanship or marksmanship, were highly valued and awarded more points.

But the real highlight was the second test—dungeon combat.

“Candidate number 136, Shia, special skill challenge: Forging.”

As the announcement echoed through the arena, Shia stood up and walked into the testing area.

Forging was considered one of the lowest-scoring special skills due to its widespread availability and general utility.

In the spectator seats, a clear, crisp sound rang out.

Lilith, with her sunny elegance, golden hair, and black stockings, was gripping the handrail with gloved hands, a frustrated smile on her face.

Lilith was exasperated!

Although her fiancé wasn’t very skilled, he did have a variety of secondary professions. So why, of all things, did he choose forging—the one skill with the lowest score potential?

Even choosing alchemy would’ve been better!

But she could only watch, unable to influence the test. All she could do was sit there anxiously.

At the same time, Violet, the princess in white stockings, turned her head away, losing interest in this unconventional classmate.

She felt a pang of disappointment.

During yesterday’s opening ceremony, she had been intrigued by him. She thought he might be someone impressive. But seeing his choice for the first test today, it was clear he was just someone who got in through connections.

As someone riding on connections, he obviously didn’t care about scores. That’s why he hadn’t looked at her yesterday.

The first test wasn’t the most important part, but anyone with a bit of ambition would choose a higher-scoring special skill.

Shia’s choice of forging had already branded him in Violet’s mind as someone unmotivated—a quitter.

He wasn’t even in the same league as her and didn’t qualify to be her opponent.

Such a person wasn’t worth her attention. She averted her gaze and dismissed him from her thoughts.

Forging as a special skill was just too unremarkable.

It was understandable. While master blacksmiths did have some influence on the continent, a mere student couldn’t compare to those masters who had access to the resources of the entire continent.

Moreover, anything Shia forged would only have temporary use during the test. He couldn’t take any of it with him.

The requirements for passing the first test weren’t particularly high. As long as students demonstrated basic skills, they could pass. What mattered was how much extra credit their chosen skill could earn.

Hardly anyone else chose forging like Shia.

The first test, based on the different skills chosen by participants, effectively sorted standout students from ordinary ones.

Shia’s choice undoubtedly disappointed everyone who had their eyes on him.

But he chose it for a reason only he understood—a strategy born from skipping steps in the system.

Through the first test, he could craft weapons imbued with special attributes to deal massive critical damage to the dungeon boss in the second round!

Even if the weapon could only be used once, if it was well-crafted, it would allow him to defeat the boss in record time.

Do you even understand the value of a ninth-playthrough strategy?

Shia had already mastered the nuances of the qualification matches.

Forging might seem insignificant, scoring the fewest points, but it was the only skill that could meaningfully impact the second test!

Standing before the forging table, Shia looked at the array of materials and tools, all of which he was intimately familiar with.

With a secondary profession at level two or above, passing the test would be a breeze.

But that was just the bare minimum—it wasn’t his limit!

Shia placed the metallurgical materials into the forge and cast a spell to activate it. These spells were the key to forging, unlocking the materials’ potential, refining their purity, and combining metals in precise proportions to grant weapons extra attributes.

His swift, practiced movements were fluid, like a master artisan at work.

The unremarkable forging station became an Eden in his hands, shaping the final weapon exactly as he envisioned.

The examiners, initially uninterested in the forging test, found themselves drawn to Shia’s actions.

When one examiner saw how Shia refined the materials, his eyes widened slightly.

Such speed and precision—this level of refinement required at least level eight forging skills!

Yet this student wielded level eight techniques with such ease.

A level nine forger was the pinnacle of mastery, while level eight alone was enough to earn the title of blacksmith master outside.

And here was a mere freshman showcasing such skills in an entrance test.

Still, it was just a test for a secondary skill. No matter how skilled he was, the scoring for forging remained the lowest.

The examiner sighed and shook his head slightly, glancing at Shia before turning his attention to students with more promising special skills.

What the examiner didn’t realize was that Shia wasn’t merely at level eight—he had reached level nine, the highest possible level in a secondary profession!

A level nine forger could be called a blacksmith grandmaster.

It was the pinnacle of human craftsmanship.

And forging wasn’t Shia’s only fully maxed secondary profession.

Lilith’s frustration wasn’t without reason. Shia knew other secondary professions but deliberately chose not to showcase them. It was maddening!

His plethora of maxed-out secondary professions was one of the few perks in the game.

By the mid-game academic arc, Shia’s secondary professions would all be maxed out.

Do you understand the value of such a versatile character?

It wasn’t just talk!

Without these extraordinary secondary skills, would Lilith have clung to her tool-man fiancé?

Her purpose was simple—to have Shia manage logistics and internal affairs so she could focus on wooing other girls.

Regardless of the developer's intention behind this setup, it worked entirely in Shia’s favor.

Though he lacked innate talent and combat strength for now, it was only temporary.

Once he unlocked the first layer of the Charm Ring, its unique bonuses would elevate his secondary professions to legendary level 10.

At that point, he would qualify to unlock the game’s only hidden profession.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com