To keep the bracelet out of the villain's hands, Sam intended to claim it first. But reaching that place wasn't easy.

'I have to strengthen my mental defenses before going there. Without doing so, I'd be vulnerable to those Soul Monsters.'

Apparently, spiritual energy can also affect the soul of a monster. After they die, if the dark spiritual energy in the area is dense, the soul of the monster can be impacted.

That soul may regain consciousness and linger in that place. Such monsters have two favorite attacks: mind control and possession.

If your body is much stronger than theirs, they won't be able to possess you—just as with greater mental defense.

So, Sam wanted to strengthen himself as much as possible before heading to that place.

'Sigh, unfortunately, I don't know exactly where I'll find the bracelet. It'll be like the time I searched inside the wooden mansion.'

Sam knew searching for the bracelet wouldn't be easy, but he wanted to get it before that background character did.

Meanwhile, while Sam was busy in his hotel room, many people were paying attention to him. They had gathered all the information available about Sam and his family. Some even tried to find Sam's weaknesses.

As expected, some wanted to pressure Sam using those weaknesses.

Unfortunately for them, he had no weaknesses that could be used against him. In a way, being an orphan had its own advantages.

Besides that, the warrior academies were waiting for the entrance examination to finish so they could invite him. If it weren't for the entrance exam, they would have already reached out to him.

Just qualifying for the final was enough to attract the attention of top academies and several guilds.

Sam wasn't aware of any of this. Even if he found out, he would simply ignore it.

After resting for a day, Sam refocused on his training. Luckily, as he earned more merit points, he could further improve his techniques.

For now, he didn't see anything interesting in the system shop, so he focused solely on training.

Additionally, the principal of Base City School had sent him more resources. Items such as spirit fruits could quickly increase his spiritual energy.

With these, he could rapidly break through to a new level.

****

'Is my level high enough to defeat David? I'm really curious about his current power. There's a chance he's already reached Level 59 Warrior.

Even during the main story, he came close to reaching the peak of Mortal Grade, so I doubt he's far from that now.

Sigh, being the protagonist of the story is like having the ultimate cheat. Not only does he have three powerful blessings, but the plot always helps him get stronger.

I'm sure he's already started training under Fiona Radus. With her guidance, he can reach the peak of Mortal Grade easily.

It would be great if I also had such a sparring partner. Even more important is receiving guidance from experienced warriors for improvement,'

Sam thought as he took a deep breath.

Unfortunately, he could do nothing about it and could only focus on his own training.

Fortunately, he had already advanced to Level 55. Don't assume he always relied on resources from the principal—he had used about 60% of them.

Normally, he wouldn't have been able to break through to Level 54 with just those resources. This progress was also due to his hard work.

Sam once again improved his absorption technique, boosting the spiritual energy he could take in and reducing the mental energy consumed by the technique.

He was already preparing to break through to Level 56, but he knew he had to keep working on his overall abilities first.

Each technique he trained improved his stats. With this, he wasn't far from reaching the limit of Level 55.

Would he achieve that before the final?

Aside from the absorption technique, his sword technique had also become stronger, as had the Thunderblade technique.

'One thing I'm sure of is that David won't use Dragon Slayer during the Battle Royale. He probably wants to keep his trump card hidden, just like me.

But even without using Dragon Slayer, he's still very powerful. I have to stay cautious.

Unfortunately, because of the brightness, I won't be able to use my Shadow Movement or Shadow Slash technique.

I'm not even sure if I can use Shadow Bind. If I don't go all out, I don't think I can win.'

Sam knew this, which was why he decided to focus on other techniques, such as movement and swordsmanship.

If he could use Shadow Movement and Shadow Slash, he would have a better chance of defeating David.

On the other hand, Alexa had already sent Sam all the details about David that she was able to gather. She even shared her experience facing David.

Sam once again felt grateful to Alexa. At least, with her experience and the details she provided, he could form an idea of David's power level.

Sam would compare this information with what he already knew from the story. At the very least, this would give him some insight.

What Sam didn't know was that David was also receiving information about him through Lisa. As expected, Sam was training under Fiona Radus, and Lisa, Fiona's cousin, was there as well.

Lisa decided to share her own experience facing Sam, along with all the information she had about him.

"I have to say, like you, he's a very mysterious person. I think you should be extremely careful against him. Sam will be your toughest opponent, and this time your chances of winning are not high.

Even though he can't use his signature skill, like Shadow Movement, I don't think he's shown his full power yet. There's a possibility that he has other techniques he hasn't revealed.

Be sure to pay close attention to his movements. If you notice anything unusual, retreat immediately.

He might also possess powerful illusion techniques, so it's best to remain cautious from the very beginning."

Fiona reminded David to be especially careful against Sam. She believed that Sam would be the toughest opponent David had yet faced.