At that moment, hundreds of screens around the training ground were continuously looping the usage rules and reward system for the [Simulation Battlefield].
At the southern entrance of the training ground, first-year students with excited expressions were lining up to register in front of hundreds of self-registration machines.
Everyone's face was filled with a mixture of excitement and nervousness; this was the best opportunity to test the results of their cultivation.
Beside the long queue of new students, a few senior students with powerful auras were maintaining order.
One male student said dismissively, "If it weren't for the Contribution Points, I wouldn't bother watching these rookies peck at each other."
Someone else agreed, "Exactly. These newbies haven't even reached Apprentice Middle Rank and have only learned two or three Skills. At most, they can only handle the [Simple] mode of the Simulation Battlefield. There's nothing worth our attention."
Another female student said with envy, "Yeah, looking at those first-clear and speed-run rewards makes my mouth water."
Just then, a calm-tempered male student shook his head. "You shouldn't underestimate this year's freshmen! I heard that just one month after Awakening, someone has already mastered five Skills."
"You're talking about that freshman named Ye Fan, right? Not only did he awaken the [Demon Hunter] Rare Profession, but I've also heard his combat instincts are exceptionally strong."
The calm student sighed. "It's not just him. There are several impressive people among the freshmen. One of them even independently deduced four new Skills."
"What? Four new Skills!"
"What Profession? How is that possible!?"
This news left the senior students utterly shocked.
The calm student gave a bitter smile. "I have a senior brother who works as a research assistant on the Demon Hunter research team. I heard it from him, so it's definitely true. If you don't believe me, just look at the Apprentice-level Skill Library for the Undead Mage."
"...That's insane." The previously proud female student swallowed hard, unable to compose herself for a long time.
The Undead Mage was a weak Profession without a complete heritage, yet a freshman had managed to independently develop new skills just one month after his Awakening.
Just how monstrous was this person's talent!
"The new generation is already pushing out the old. It looks like this batch of freshmen really can't be underestimated." The other senior students also began to look serious.
「」
Soon, Fang Zhou completed his registration and squeezed into the training ground.
"Fang Zhou, over here!"
Fang Zhou looked up and saw Bai Xiaochan in the distance, standing on her tiptoes while waving and calling out to him. Standing around her were Ye Fan and other students from their company.
Seeing Fang Zhou walk over, Ye Fan's eyes burned with a competitive spirit as he stroked the Blade Bow in his hand.
"Fang Zhou, let's compete! Let's see who can get the first clear in the Simulation Battlefield!"
Bai Xiaochan hugged the small lyre in her hands, her voice filled with envy as she looked at Fang Zhou, who was decked out in a full set of Apprentice Equipment.
"Fang Zhou, you big spender! You actually exchanged for a complete set of equipment. That's so extravagant!"
Her words echoed the thoughts of the other students.
The vast majority of freshmen had come to the training ground empty-handed. Even elites like Gu Zhiqiu and Zhao Yuan could only scrape together enough to exchange for their most crucial weapon.
Who could have imagined a freak like Fang Zhou, who had managed to acquire a complete set of Apprentice Equipment just one month into the school year?
That was a full 80 Contribution Points! That was a Junior Sergeant's basic salary for 80 months!
Fang Zhou smiled faintly and looked up at the large screen displaying the rules for the Simulation Battlefield.
The Simulation Battlefield opened to the freshmen this time was the Apprentice Lower Rank solo mode, [Little Inferior Demon Camp]. It was divided into four difficulties: [Simple], [Normal], [Hard], and [Abyss], each with a different "ticket" price.
Based on factors like combat performance and clear time, each difficulty had four possible evaluation ratings: [Perfect], [Excellent], [Good], and [Pass]. The higher the evaluation, the greater the rewards. A player had to clear the previous difficulty with an [Excellent] rating or higher to unlock the next challenge.
Each person only had one challenge attempt in the [Simulation Battlefield] per day. However, the first time clearing any difficulty did not consume an attempt, though the ticket price still had to be paid.
The rules were simple enough. Fang Zhou then turned his attention to the rewards, which were his main point of interest.
The rewards for the Simulation Battlefield were extremely generous and were divided into several categories: Individual First-Clear Rewards, Grade-Level First-Clear Ranking Rewards, Historical Speed-Run Ranking Rewards, and Lucky Drop Rewards.
Individual First-Clear Rewards were granted the first time a person cleared a specific difficulty. The Grade-Level First-Clear Ranking would record the top one hundred students in the grade to clear a difficulty, granting a one-time reward in descending order of rank. Lucky Drop Rewards were spoils of war that could be randomly dropped within the Simulation Battlefield.
As for the Historical Speed-Run Ranking Rewards, these were the most prestigious, as they best reflected combat power. This leaderboard recorded the top one hundred fastest clear times among all students in the history of Sea City Military Academy, with the rankings updated and rewards distributed at midnight on the first of every month. Anyone whose name was on that list was an elite among elites. Since the Simulation Battlefield had only been developed a few years ago, the leaderboard was mostly filled with current students or recent graduates.
Staring at the immensely generous Contribution Point rewards, Fang Zhou's heart raced with anticipation.
There was half an hour left before the Simulation Battlefield officially opened.
He found his Simulation Pod based on his registration number, put on the equipment, and opened the Simulation Battlefield function on his personal terminal.
DING. "Junior Sergeant Fang Zhou, welcome to the Simulation Battlefield."
"Now creating projection. Please follow the prompts to input your personal strength information."
"System scanning, please wait..."
"Scan complete. Please confirm the information is correct."
"Fang Zhou, Undead Mage, Apprentice Middle Rank. Equipment... Skills..."
After Fang Zhou confirmed, his body trembled slightly, and his entire being entered a virtual world radiating a vast, white light. A Teleportation Gate appeared before him, with a few words floating above it.
"[Little Inferior Demon Camp] Simple Difficulty (Apprentice Lower Rank), Solo Mode."
Fang Zhou operated his projection and gently touched the Teleportation Gate.
He thought his instance journey was about to begin, but he was gently repelled by the gate.
"Junior Sergeant Fang Zhou, your strength has reached Apprentice Middle Rank, exceeding the entry requirements for this Simulation Battlefield. Please select a Simulation Battlefield appropriate for your rank."
Fang Zhou was stunned. What's going on? Could this instance have rank restrictions?
He carefully reread the rules and discovered that such a restriction did, in fact, exist. But this created a problem. As an Apprentice Middle Rank Undead Mage, he could only enter Apprentice Middle Rank Simulation Battlefields. However, for the first-year students today, Sea City Military Academy had only opened [Little Inferior Demon Camp], an Apprentice Lower Rank battlefield.
What am I supposed to do? Did the academy really assume no one could break through to Apprentice Middle Rank in just one month?
With no other choice, Fang Zhou used his personal terminal to report the issue to the academy administration.