"Second place, Holt Elvin."
The head of the procession stepped forward slowly, his demeanor as steady as a mountain.
"You can choose three advanced magic potions or one advanced alchemy item, plus five complete magic stones."
Holt’s response was crisp and decisive: "I choose the alchemy item ’Heart of the Earth’."
This answer seemed to be exactly what Hayek anticipated; he nodded slightly and signaled his assistant to bring a heavy black ebony box.
When the box was opened, inside was a fist-sized brown crystal, its surface covered with tiny patterns resembling the veins of the earth.
Inside the crystal, some sort of energy seemed to flow slowly, like an underground stream, emanating a sense of weight and timelessness.
"’Heart of the Earth’, capable of repairing earth element structures and enhancing their toughness and strength," Hayek explained succinctly:
"For your combat style, this is undoubtedly the most suitable choice."
Holt accepted the wooden box and magic stones, bowing respectfully to the masters in gratitude, his eyes showing a relieved expression.
Ron keenly caught this subtle change and immediately analyzed it.
"He knew the contents of the prize long ago and had even decided on his choice before the battle."
Ron inferred internally:
"This suggests that Holt also likely learned about the prize list in advance through his master. Indeed, connections are indispensable anywhere, both Trish and Holt have their masters tell them the choices; luckily, I don’t need to make a choice..."
Finally, it was time for the most anticipated highlight, the first prize.
"First place, Ron Ralph."
There was a special note of attention in Hayek’s voice:
"You will receive the special reward of this contest—a Stand-In Puppet, eight complete magic stones, and the option to pick any one book from the school’s rare collection."
Ron walked up calmly, sensing countless eyes in the hall focusing on him.
Among them were envy, jealousy, and even some indescribably complex emotions.
The Vice Dean personally retrieved an exquisite black ebony box, its surface engraved with intricate protective runes, having an oddly cold feeling to the touch.
When the box was opened, an oddly shaped humanoid puppet lay silently inside.
The puppet was entirely grayish-green, as if weathered by countless years of erosion, its body covered in twisted, complex runes.
These runes were not simply engraved but seemed to naturally grow on the puppet’s surface like blood vessels, forming a complex energy network.
Most unsettling were its eyes:
Two dark red gemstones were embedded within, glimmering faintly even in darkness, as if something inside was observing the outside world.
"The ’Stand-In Puppet’, originating from the Great Abyss Fourth Layer, contains a Soul Stone capable of housing consciousness."
Hayek explained, his voice carrying a tone of objective calm:
"However, its effect is not as ideal as rumored."
Ron took the wooden box, bringing it slightly closer, carefully observing every detail of the puppet while awaiting Hayek’s further explanation.
"Ordinary people have only one soul; when using this item, a portion of consciousness must be separated and injected into the puppet."
Hayek continued to explain:
"This leads to a fundamental dilemma—dual tasking is extremely difficult for most apprentices. If too little consciousness is injected, the puppet acts mechanically stiff; if too much, the main body becomes weakened."
Hayek paused slightly, as if observing Ron’s reaction:
"More importantly, this duplicate cannot exceed one hundred meters from the main body, and the copied strength cannot reach the level of an Official Wizard, as if there exists some inherent limitation."
"Therefore." With a touch of resignation in the Vice Dean’s tone:
"This Abyssal Treasure holds little value in the eyes of Official Wizards, at most serving as a decoy in times of crisis. But during the apprentice phase, it still has its unique uses."
On the surface, Ron listened earnestly, displaying an aptly mixed expression of gratitude and slight disappointment.
Yet inside, he was boiling, having instantly discerned the true value of this "Stand-In Puppet" through the panel’s hints and his Extraordinary Recognition Ability.