Chapter 187 : Exam Questions
"Oh no!"
Sekke, who was instinctively preparing to cast magic, suddenly felt his vision go black, then the world spun, and he lost consciousness.
Common Realm, Naion.
A crescent moon hung in the night sky, and countless stars twinkled like fireflies.
Outside Naion town, there was a vast, sunken area filled with rubble. This was originally a mountain mine, once used by the Eye of the Midnight Sun as a scattered base in the Clover Kingdom, but a great battle later broke through the mine.
Thus, such a hollowed-out place was formed.
"Let's stop here." Bai En, wearing a fox mask, and Nozel, stopped.
Nozel's silver armored boots stepped over the weathered rubble. He looked up at his surroundings, the half-enclosed plain nestled against the mountain, scattered rocks piled everywhere. He murmured softly, "This is... the first place we fought against the main force of the Eye of the Midnight Sun."
"That's right." Bai En placed the two people he was carrying on the ground. "It's precisely because of that last battle that this has become an excellent place for training and duels."
The silver moonlight kept the visibility clear and bright.
"Alright, no more idle talk, let's officially begin." Bai En found a pile of rubble, sat on it, and discussed what was to be done next. "Based on my understanding and speculation, there are less than five months until the Spade Kingdom takes action."
"So during this time, my demand for you... no, it should be called a test—
—break through my defense with all your might."
Bai En's mouth curved into a smile. "Of course, if you can injure me, that would be even better."
"Break through defense?"
The night wind stirred Nozel's cape. He took a step forward. "Are you serious?"
"I originally thought the so-called help... was to defeat you head-on during this period. I didn't expect it to be as simple as just breaking through your defense?"
Bai En said faintly, "It seems you are very confident in yourself."
"...Of course."
"Very well." Bai En spread his hands, looking down from above. "Then come and try."
Cold magic poured out unreservedly onto the desolate open ground. A silver grimoire floated in front of Nozel, rapidly turning pages. In the deep night, a silver tide shone. "Mercury Creation Magic, Silver Rain."
"And, Silver Sword."
Droplets of mercury floated in the air. The heavy rain was strangely suspended, not falling, as if space had frozen.
At the same time, mercury longswords appeared in a circular dance behind Nozel.
As Nozel's thoughts stirred, the sword tips pointed directly, and the mercury droplets in the air changed direction, all locking onto Bai En. When the first mercury longsword shot out, a sky full of raindrops poured down madly, drenching Bai En.
The Silver Rain tide continued to pour.
Each drop of mercury hitting the ground created a new crater, and fine dust rose in rolling clouds of smoke.
The night was hazy, and the dust obscured the moonlight, dimming its original brightness.
Nozel observed the rising dust, his expression not relaxed. He could clearly feel that the deliberately revealed magic aura within the dust remained unchanged.
As the three-minute torrent of Silver Rain began to dwindle and draw to a close, in the gradually fading smoke, twelve mercury longswords hovered around Bai En, never advancing an inch.
Nozel took a deep breath. He was not surprised by this outcome. His grimoire turned another page.
"Mercury Creation Magic, Silver Blazing King's Spear!"
Nozel took a step forward. As a heavy, giant mercury spear appeared, he lunged forward, channeling almost all his magic into this strike. The mercury spear broke through the air, and an enraged mercury flower bloomed on the spear.
This was the magic he had developed since the night of the Star Festival, and it was his strongest attack magic to date.
"Wrath of the Blazing King's Spear."
The blooming mercury flower enveloped Bai En. The mercury petals and spear tip churned wildly, their sharp, keen aura seemingly capable of tearing and crushing everything.
Nozel's mouth curved into a smile. He firmly believed that no defensive magic could withstand this blow!
But... gradually, Nozel noticed something amiss. Bai En, inside the mercury flower, remained unharmed, sitting on that pile of rubble, never moving from his spot.
"How is that possible?"
"This is his strongest attack magic!"
Nozel murmured, looking up, just in time to see the fox-masked figure looking at him. It was hard to imagine what expression lay beneath that mask: amusement? mockery? or even... pity?
His usual arrogance began to shift in the opposite direction.
"Your mercury cannot break through my infinity." Bai En commented on Nozel's performance just now. "Perhaps it sounds ironic, but strictly speaking, it's a fact."
"There is a gap between magic types."
"Light and Dark Magic surpass ordinary four-elemental magic like wind, fire, water, and earth. Time Magic and Spatial Magic are unique, just like Light and Dark."
"Your mercury magic is strictly a branch of water magic, so it cannot break through the constraints of space."
"On the surface, the test I set for you is to break through my defense, but in essence, your true test is—to break through constraints using mercury magic, thereby surpassing yourself and transforming into a true strong person, just like... that guy..."
Bai En's gaze shifted behind Nozel. That slender figure had woken up at some point and unleashed a slash.
The azure slash was like an arc of moonlight, severing everything in its path.
A deep crack appeared on the ground.
Bai En pushed Nozel away before the slash arrived. The azure slash grazed between them, severing the Blazing King's Spear that was connected to the mercury flower. As Nozel retreated, his magic sense swept over the slash. He could clearly feel that everything had been torn apart by that slash.
His mercury magic, the wind it stirred, space... and also his own perception when touching this slash.
Nozel looked at Jack, who was licking the scythe blades on his wrists, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes. Why could this commoner do something that he, a member of royalty, could not?
"Hehehe... so you're the one who knocked me out from behind, huh?" Jack let out a wild laugh. "I don't know what you're up to, but... let's fight first!"
"I feel like you're more worth tearing apart than that Lord Royalty!"
"Severing Magic, Death Scythe!"
Jack leaped up from the ground, the two scythe blades on his wrists glowing with an azure sharpness. He spun his body like a circular blade, the blades at the edge cutting through the wind, revealing curved arcs like the scythe of death...
⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
Read Ahead & Support
Read up to 220 [FİNAL] chapters ahead with daily updates at 02radnovel.com
Connect & Updates:
(Twitter) • x.com/02IsmetHQ
Instagram • instagram.com/02novelofficial
100 POWER STONE = BONUS CHAPTER
⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯