Chapter28-Gratitude and a Bountiful Harvest

Howard's intervention had left the students of the elite team stunned; it was their first time witnessing a dragon! 

In their minds, dragons were extremely powerful entities, and the fact that Howard could summon a fire dragon meant that his strength was undoubtedly not to be underestimated. 

Some students even started idolizing Howard.

If it weren't for Caitlin holding Howard's hand, a few female students would have entertained the thought of approaching and striking up a conversation with him.

"Thank you for your help. Without you, my students might have been injured," Glyn sincerely thanked Howard as he walked over. 

Indeed, if any issues arose with the students under his guidance, not only would he lose face, but it would also affect the reputation of his academy and the family backing him. This time, Howard had helped him avert a major crisis.

Glyn solemnly said, "If you don't mind, you are welcome to visit my Jon family. You will be treated with the highest courtesy." 

After a moment of hesitation, a ring on Glyn's hand blinked suddenly, and in the next moment, a white whistle landed in his hand.

"This is the Beast Control Whistle. Blowing it will allow a summoner to delay the timing of their summoning skills by 20% and reduce the cooldown time by 10%. Consider this my token of gratitude."

Hearing this, Howard couldn't help but feel astonished. 

After dealing with people like Jay and Jeffers, encountering a normal person like Glyn seemed almost unbelievable to Howard. 

He scrutinized Glyn carefully, and seeing his sincere expression, which showed no signs of deceit, Howard stepped forward to take the whistle. 

He nodded to indicate that he accepted Glyn's kind gesture, yet remained silent.

His mask could conceal his face, but it couldn't alter his voice. 

Having spent so much time with Abby and others, they would surely recognize his voice. 

Therefore, if Howard wanted to keep his identity hidden, he couldn't speak.

As for accepting the whistle? 

Although Howard stepped in mainly to help Abby, he had also rescued the other students, indeed doing a great favor for Glyn. 

Moreover, the whistle had promising effects that tempted Howard. 

Since Glyn offered it willingly, why would Howard refuse?

"Hehehe, our Glyn, the young master of the Jon family, is indeed generous, offering a gold-tier item just like that," someone chimed in.

Caitlin smiled and said, "Darling, you don't need to overthink it. The Jon family is wealthy, and you have done them a huge favor; this treasure is what you deserve."

"That's right."

Glyn nodded, expressing his sentiment, "Caitlin, you indeed have a good eye for people. I fear that, looking across our entire academy, there isn't a student who can match this gentleman's prowess."

Glyn had sensed the aura of the fire dragon; in his eyes, Howard was likely a powerful summoner. 

Although the fire dragon that Howard "summoned" wasn't much stronger than him, Glyn knew well that a summoner could never have just one Summoned Beast.

With just one fire dragon, Howard had managed to hold him back; if a few more summoned beasts were to join the battle, they could undoubtedly defeat him. 

Although Glyn wasn't the strongest student in the academy, he believed his strength was not far off from Caitlin's.

If even he would be defeated, the others would not be Howard's match either. 

Moreover, Glyn wanted to befriend Howard, naturally choosing flattering words to do so.

But the students from Soulspark Academy were not privy to Glyn's thoughts. 

Hearing his words, they were instantly astonished. 

They could see that Howard had tender, fair skin, even more delicate than many young masters, clearly indicating his young age. 

The fact that someone so young could possess such strength left them immensely shocked.

"Alright."

At this moment, noticing Howard's impatience, Caitlin softly said, "Let's not waste time here, we should hurry and explore the ruins! The extraplanar creatures have notable intelligence just like us; if we let them snatch the treasures within the ruins and enhance their power first, wouldn't our trip be in vain?"

Hearing Caitlin's words, Glyn couldn't help but become tense.

Within the spacerift, the objects to be transported were random. 

Glyn wasn't certain what kind of extraplanar creature would be transported next, and dared not waste any more time, heading straight towards the last passage.

Witnessing this, Howard couldn't help but furrow his brows slightly; he did not believe that the last passage would be safe. 

Since the previous four passages were trapped or guarded by monsters, the fifth one would likely be the same.

In that case, it would be better to take the fourth passage, which, despite having been guarded, now had no traps, and the hidden monsters had already been killed by them.

However, unable to voice his opinion, Howard could only watch helplessly as Glyn and the others attempted once again.

Just as Howard was inwardly sighing with regret, Abby approached him and said, "Thank you for your assistance, kind sir. We owe you our lives and can only offer you our deepest gratitude! This is a spoil of war that I acquired earlier. After studying it, one can comprehend how to summon an enchanted boar!"

As she spoke, a brownish book materialized in her pristine palm.

Howard was slightly startled; he had not expected Abby to come and thank him personally. 

Normally, since Glyn had already given a gift of thanks, the other students wouldn't have to give anything.

However, Howard understood Abby's intention.

She didn't regard Glyn as one of her own and didn't want to be associated with him, hence she personally offered a token of gratitude to repay the life-saving favor.

This filled Howard's heart with mixed feelings. 

He wondered what Abby liked about him, that even when faced with young, handsome individuals with exceptional abilities like Glyn, she remained unmoved.

Howard didn't want to accept it, yet at this moment, he couldn't voice his refusal. 

After hesitating for a while, he eventually nodded, reaching out to take the skill book.

Seeing this, Abby revealed a smile. 

However, as her gaze swept across Howard's palm, a faint sense of familiarity stirred in her.

Even though Howard had undergone some changes in his constitution after his awakening, it induced a sense of doubt in Abby who had spent several years with him.

She felt an intense familiarity towards Howard but despite racking her brain, she couldn't pinpoint who it reminded her of!

After all, in Abby's mind, Howard was just someone who had recently grasped the F-level talent as an awakened, absolutely incapable of having the power to summon a fire dragon.

Seeing that Abby was still lingering after handing over the book, the group of students from the elite team couldn't help but start whispering among themselves, "Earlier Abby acted all prim and proper, standing by Howard even when he only attained the F-level talent. Who would have thought that as soon as she encounters a stronger individual outside, she takes the initiative to approach them."

Caitlin cast a glance at Abby and suddenly flashed a smile, moving forward to meet her.

Meanwhile, Howard was checking the attributes of the newly acquired item.

[Beast Control Whistle (special item)]

Level: 10

Grade: Gold

Effect: Upon blowing the whistle, all the Summoned Beasts of the awakened individual, or summoned series skills, have their duration extended by 20%, and cooldown time reduced by 10%. The whistle can only be used once within 120 minutes.

"!!!"

His pupils contracted abruptly. Howard couldn't believe it; such a powerful Beast Control Whistle had a cooldown time of only 120 minutes.

Looking at the skill book once more, Howard's smile became even more radiant.