Robert heard this and nodded in agreement.
Suddenly, he curled his lip into a mocking smile and disdainfully said, "Exactly, they're both named Austin, but they're worlds apart."
Vincent: "…" He began to feel a bit uneasy.
Sure enough, the next thing Robert said was: "That good-for-nothing Austin from the Cross family even dares to gamble, claiming he wants to come in first in the exam. Too bad he's just sharing a name and not the same person. How could that guy possibly win? He really doesn't know his own limits, ha ha ha…"
Saying this, Robert burst out laughing.
Vincent: "…"
Vincent looked at Austin, then at Robert, momentarily at a loss for words.
Cliff noticed the conflicted expression on Vincent's face and realized something was wrong. Although he was quite surprised, he didn't show it too openly.
He glanced at Robert, who noticed Cliff's look and approached him, asking, "What's going on? What I said is true."
Cliff looked at Robert with a deadpan expression and disdainfully said, "You big idiot."
Robert: "…"
Robert was furious; he yelled, "What is that kid saying now? Is there a problem?! I haven't even touched you yet!"
Just as Robert was about to blow up, he noticed Cliff's contemptuous gaze and Vincent's blank expression.
He looked at Austin uncertainly, his expression filled with skepticism, and stammered, "You, you really are the Austin from the Cross family? The Cross family I'm thinking of?"
Austin turned to look at Robert and nodded coldly.
He couldn't blame them for mistaking him, as his past self had truly been a failure. From now on, he would change that perception of being a good-for-nothing.
The whole continent would only recognize him as the exceptionally gifted Austin, no longer the shame of the Cross family or the laughingstock of the Imperial City.
The journey became oddly quiet. Robert wore a skeptical expression, and even Vincent had a blank face, unwilling to talk.
The sudden lack of Vincent's incessant chatter made the atmosphere surprisingly peaceful. Austin couldn't help but exhale, somewhat grateful for Robert's presence.
After walking for a while, Vincent began to regain his composure and asked Cliff, "By the way, how come you two were at the Golden Magpies nest and got surrounded?"
As soon as Vincent spoke, Cliff's face darkened, and he shot a murderous glare at Robert. Although Robert shrank back a little, he quickly glared back at Cliff.
Cliff frowned, turned away, and said to Vincent, "It's all that idiot's fault for wanting to go to the Golden Magpies Nest to look for spirit beasts to earn points. In the end, he didn't find any spirit beasts, just a bunch of little Golden Magpies."
Though Cliff's tone was still cold, Vincent felt as if he wanted to tear Robert apart.
Hearing this, Robert muttered, "I just wanted to earn points quickly…"
While the three were talking, a sudden sound of a fight echoed from ahead.
Robert glanced at Cliff and then dashed toward the source of the noise. In less than ten seconds, he came back, looking somewhat flustered.
Cliff frowned and asked, "What's wrong?"
Robert looked at them and said in a serious tone, "There's a group of people ahead fighting against a Magical Beast."
Vincent raised an eyebrow, confused, and asked, "So what?"
Robert swallowed hard, his face grave as he said, "The Magical Beast doesn't have a collar."
Vincent was taken aback by this, and Cliff frowned in thought.
Only Austin raised an eyebrow, silently thinking to himself: finally, it has arrived.
In his previous life, he had the misfortune of encountering a Magical Beast without a collar, but in terms of rank, it definitely surpassed the Purple level.
This time, perhaps because he was transported to the Desert area, things had changed slightly, but he still ended up facing this beast.
One could say that the beast was intent on his death. However, the unfortunate part was that he didn't die in his previous life, and he definitely wouldn't this time either.
Just as the other three were pondering the appearance of the collar-less Magical Beast, the ground began to tremble.
Vincent looked up ahead and saw a beast three times his height charging toward them, its mouth open wide like a blood basin. He felt that if they stood still, the beast could swallow all four of them in one gulp.
Under normal circumstances, Vincent would have definitely run for his life, but this time was different.
Looking at this Magical Beast, he realized that even if he took ten steps, it wouldn't even be equal to one step of its!
Cliff also sensed the seriousness of the situation; he frowned and raised one hand. Immediately, hundreds of ice shards began to coalesce in the air, each one razor-sharp, radiating a cold light.
Vincent watched this scene and couldn't help but mutter, "Not bad, little Frank. It's Water Magic, but it must be a mutated Ice Water Magic, right?"
Cliff didn't pay attention to Vincent's jab at him; the ice in the air began to rain down, aiming directly at the Magical Beast.
Dust flew everywhere, and many trees were sliced and fell with a crash, while the air became chillingly cold due to the ice's presence.
Austin looked at Cliff, feeling a bit surprised. He had once thought Leonard was the one with the strongest magical talent in the Frank family. But after seeing Cliff today, he realized he had been mistaken.
Being able to use that much magic at this age without changing color was undoubtedly a talent among talents. This time, he was genuinely curious about what had happened for Cliff to disappear and for Leonard to betray the family.
The Magical Beast let out a roar, and the ice shards embedded in its body caused its skin to freeze.
It pulled out the ice fragments and continued to charge at them; aside from moving a little slower, the beast was completely unaffected.
Cliff frowned, and just then, a nimble figure darted past them. Vincent leaped into the air, bringing one foot down hard, directly confronting the Magical Beast. The beast was actually pushed back half a step by his kick.
Vincent's form had changed a bit. Sharp claws had sprouted from his hands, and scales were roughening on his neck and face.
Although the claws looked somewhat inexperienced, no one wanted to test their sharpness. The claws of a Merfolk weren't for decoration; they were specifically designed to gut prey.
Robert also jumped in to fight alongside Vincent. Unlike Cliff, he had awakened his Battle Ability, making him more suited for hand-to-hand combat than using magic.
The three of them fought together like this. The noise was so tremendous that the team that had just been attacked by the Magical Beast, hiding not far away, could feel the ground shaking.
Their expressions turned grim, unsure whether the Magical Beast was the real monster or if the three of them were the true monsters. Was there any new student with such an otherworldly level of magic and Battle Ability?
Outside the testing area, the principal stroked his long, white beard and nodded, saying, "As expected, the precious gems of the two great families. Cliff and Vincent have lived up to the expectations of the two family heads."