NOVEL NEXT Chapter 56: [57] Winning!
No one had dared to laugh, even if they wanted to, as nobody wanted to offend Osborn. It was not until Osborn had walked away that laughter filled the air, the civilian apprentices laughing the loudest.
"Hahaha, Theon! Nicely done! That was awesome! "
"Haha, I didn't expect Osborn's 'little brother' to be so small! Let's see if he still has the face to bully us in the future!"
"Hum! This group of noble apprentices could usually detain our resources and suppress us in all aspects, especially Osborn, who has taken god knows how many resources secretly. So, this was nicely done today!"
For the civilian apprentices, this marked a huge turning point for them, which was very satisfying. In the past, the noble apprentices, led by Osborn, would always bully the civilian apprentices for entertainment, even robbing them of their resources.
The civilian apprentices were not able to get many resources in the first place, so when whatever resources they had were seized and robbed, this caused them to resent the noble apprentices greatly.
Theon smiled, not caring about that at the moment. He had just wanted to teach Osborn a lesson.
Suddenly, an unexpected figure in a white skirt appeared beside Theon, and a voice that belonged in heaven rang out, asking, "How on earth did you get such high marks?" Jasmine had snuck up to appear beside Theon, her eyes full of curiosity.
"Don't you care that Osborn lost and had to streak naked for you?" Theon asked her.
"Why should I care about him?" Jasmine was puzzled.
Theon instantly felt sorry for Osborn. He had done so much for Jasmine, but Jasmine had always regarded him almost like a stranger. Theon even doubted if Jasmine had feelings at all.
"You haven't answered my question. How did you get a perfect score?" Jasmine remained unbending. In her mind, pharmaceutics were the most important thing.
Theon laughed, "Why would I tell you? "
Jasmine was stunned, but before she could respond, Theon left. Right then, Osborn, who had been getting dressed not far away, saw that Jasmine had taken the initiative to talk to Theon, and as the two of them were talking and laughing, his face became twisted with anger.
After so many years, he had never seen Jasmine take the initiative to talk anyone!
Theon's and Osborn's bet ended like a farce. Jasmine did not continue to pester Theon, especially since she didn't know how to respond, having never been rejected before.
Soon, the third round of the certification examination was about to start. But first, a few more preparations were needed. This was because a Grade one Geneticist must be able to control at least three kinds of Grade one serum simultaneously, while upholding a success rate of more than 20%.
In the past, the Grade one serums that were used in the third round of certification were chosen by the apprentices themselves, as long as all three kinds of Grade one serums reached a success rate of at least 20%.
"We have decided to change some of the rules for this certification examination," Aaron announced, having received the order from upper management. "According to the requirements of the upper management, out of the three required Grade one serums, two will be chosen by the apprentices, while the third must be a Primal Blood Serum," Aaron explained.
The announcement caused consternation among the apprentices.
"Why is the Primal Blood Serum needed?"
"I am not familiar with the Primal Blood Serum. What do I do?"
"Ha ha, the Primal Blood Serum is one of the most common serums. Fortunately, I have am familiar with it."
The abrupt rule change left most of them feeling grossly unprepared, especially since the difficulty level of refining the Primal Blood Serum was well above average. Of course, some of the apprentices were not too bothered by the new rule, as the Primal Blood Serum was already familiar to them.
"Primal Blood Serum?! How can there be such a beneficial coincidence?!" Theon smiled.
...
Meanwhile, the props and pharmaceutical materials at the venue were being prepared...
"Theon, even if you can earn a perfect score on the basic knowledge questions, with your limited talent, you surely cannot pass the final round," Osborn said to Theon in a harsh tone.
Theon let out a laugh and said, "Why, do you still want to bet on it? How about… This time, whoever loses will run naked for ten laps around the Geneticist Guild?"
Hearing this, Osborn's facial expression changed drastically. After all, he had just lost a bet to Theon and become a laughing stock. If Osborn was to lose this bet also, his story would definitely be broadcast on the newspaper headlines, thus making him the biggest laughing stock in all of Stanlos base!
"Theon, I will not fall for any more of your tricks!" Osborn said.
"Ha ha ha, Osborn! You are not afraid, are you? The young master from the Helius family is afraid to take up a challenge!" Gordon said with a laugh.
After Gordon said that to provoke Osborn, he asked Theon secretly, "Brother, are you really sure you can beat Osborn? If you lose, you would have to run naked in public!"
"You can rest assured that, if he dares to take the bet, I will make sure he will be the one running around naked," Theon responded softly.
After seeing Theon's unusual performance in the previous round, Gordon and others chose to believe Theon, as he had also been confident in the last round, which he did win in the end.
"Osborn, you are right. With Theon's small talent, the chances of him succeeding are one out of tens of thousands! Why are you not taking betting, since you are so confident of being able to beat him? "Klein asked with a laugh.
"Ha ha, the young master of the Helius family is a coward, who doesn't even have the courage to accept a challenge! So, this what the Helius family is!" Mayor continued to provoke Osborn further, while looking at the noble apprentices with disdain in his eyes. "You nobles are all cowards!"
These words not only agitated Osborn, but they also angered the noble apprentices, who started shouting back.
"Stop being arrogant! How dare you insult us? We will sue you!"
"Master Osborn, take their challenge! This is a great opportunity for you to salvage your reputation. With Theon's limited talent, why are afraid of losing?"
Gordon and several other noble apprentices encouraged Osborn to take the challenge. Osborn looked gloomy, while he pondered this for a while.
If Theon was someone with a superb memory, it would be natural to lose to him. But, in the third round, theoretical knowledge would not be sufficient. Instead, it would be a competition based on hands-on experience. In addition to proficiency, the sense for the elements would also be very important.
Comparing Theon's five points to Osborn's hundred points in elemental sensing, it would seem nearly impossible for Osborn to lose to Theon. And, as what others had said, this could be the best chance for Osborn to salvage his reputation.
"Okay! I accept your challenge!" Osborn said with an insidious smile. "The loser will run ten laps around the Geneticist Guild, completely naked!"
Theon shook his head and sighed, then said, "Since you are agreeable to the bet, let's sign the agreement. The Geneticist Guild will be our witness and executor for the agreement.
Theon then drafted two agreements, which Osborn signed readily.
"Ha ha ha, Theon! This time I will win back everything that I lost, and you will be too ashamed to face anyone in the future!" Osborn said with a laugh.
Theon smiled, but did not respond to Osborn. The noble apprentices laughed upon hearing his words. This was also a good chance for them to salvage their reputations, which had been tainted during the second round of examination. This time around, the noble apprentices would let the civilian apprentices know that their lowly humble births could never challenge the nobles' statuses.
"Brother Theon, are you feeling confident? If you lose, you will be shamed," Clay asked.
"You may rest assured that I will not be the loser this time," Theon said calmly.
Soon, the materials required for the third round of examination were all ready. So, the third round of examination officially began.
...
"The third round of the certification test is about to start. There are a hundred sets of materials for each serum. You have three days, and within these three days, if your success rate is less than 1%, you shall be eliminated," Aaron announced solemnly.
The first two examinations had tested them on their potentials and foundations. The real assessment that would determine whether they could become Geneticists or not was this third test, so it was obviously the most important one.
Even if one's results were average in the first two rounds, the person would not be eliminated yet. However, they would be eliminated straightaway if they could not pass the third test. The apprentices came forward with serious faces, as passing this examination was the only thing that mattered.