Chapter 66 - 066: Triumph!

Chapter 66: Chapter 066: Triumph!

St. Nicholas Auditorium

Silver Arcane Academy

Miriselle exhaled slowly as her core continued folding inward. Her family’s crest, the Winged Lion that hung on the collar of her dress, felt heavier than usual, symbolically.

She continued to draw her core inward, folding it layer by layer. The instant she had begun, the pressure mounted, and beads of sweat drenched her.

And this was pretty much the fate of all seated in the circles.

All in all, she was progressing smoothly. As a failure would probably result in the shattering of her core.

The presence and efforts of the professors were felt very well.

The priest somewhere in the auditorium had cast blessings that reduced their mental fatigue by a lot, while the professors all released their auras, albeit in a warm, comforting manner that seemed to aid in their core compression.

A few circles behind, a scream pierced the air, and she could hear the scurrying feet of what would most likely be the medical personnel and the hushed voices of some teachers.

Miriselle gritted her teeth and pushed on, guiding her compression carefully.

For Leon, the compression didn’t seem like an issue, although he, too, did not escape the torrents of sweat that had already drenched the second change of clothes he wore.

He wasn’t clear on exactly how long had passed since they began the strenuous endeavor, but there had been quite a few surprises and events.

Once every couple of hours, the Time spell was cast on their cores, freezing them in whatever particular state they were... Alas, this lasted for twenty minutes at most. Not enough time to properly recover from the accumulated stress of hours. Not to mention that during that time, no one exited the barrier-dome, although meals, changes of clothes, and portable restrooms were provided. Everyone moved at a fast pace and took care of their business and once more quickly got to meditation before the Time spell was removed.

What took all this time was absorbing the core fragment of the Godbeasts, the top-tier monsters among Ravagers. Of course, if it was the core fragment of a normal Ravager, the absorption rate would take much less time, and there would be no internal fight of wills.

After all, Godbeasts are truly in a class of their own, Leon thought.

The Time spell was released, and the struggle continued.

The core fragment Leon had chosen was red and looked like it had the Fire affinity, and so did he. Though it was expressly stated there would be no difference in effect.

The rigidity of will left in the fragment had greatly reduced compared to when he had just started, so Leon could feel his success slowly but steadily approaching.

Meanwhile, over at the Western Exit of the auditorium, the Old Headmaster stood gazing, gentle and warm as he looked at the candidates.

Around them, the spell circles beneath most had already changed their color to match the color of their cores, which showed that most had achieved the quasi-Grandmaster rank.

"Cough, sniff. To think over seventy candidates are about to succeed in their first try at ascending to Grandmaster, Lord Malcius," the tone was smug and proud.

"Sir Raul," the Headmaster acknowledged the red-headed youth who stood a few feet behind him. "Yes, it is impressive to watch. Many thanks to you for the Time spell. You will be handsomely recompensated for your expenses, that is a promise."

The redhead bowed slightly. "Please, it is my honor to help you anytime, Lord Malcius. I did spend quite a lot, though."

The Headmaster nodded. A moment of silence passed between the two.

Finally, the old man sighed. "Surely you aren’t only here to hear me offer speeches of gratitude to you. What is it that you want to ask, Sir Raul?"

Raul laughed heartily. "Ever so harsh, Lord Malcius," he continued laughing.

"My patience stretches thin, boy."

The laughter ceased instantly, and the air around the two turned grim.

"Apologies, my lord. I will get to my questions immediately then. What is happening, my lord? I believe this is the first time in the centuries of history of this academy that new candidates are required to break through to Grandmaster just to be admitted. It would seem that the coming war will be quite difficult, my lord."

"And how is that a question, Sir Raul?" Malcius sighed. "The upcoming war, according to the Oracle, will surely be tough."

"So we are increasing our forces? I am somewhat..."

The sound of soft clapping interrupted the duo in their discussion.

Inside the barrier, Miriselle stood, fist pumped into the air, drenched, and happiness clearly etched on her face.

"We will talk later." The old man vanished that instant, reappearing just outside the barrier.

"Come, child," he gestured towards Miriselle, who began walking to him, though the instant she stepped out of the barrier, strength completely eluded her, and she all but collapsed to the ground.

The healing staff were already on her. She was put on a stretcher and whisked away for care.

Malcius clasped his hands in a prayerful gesture.

"Praise be to the Goddess," he muttered.

The next instant, the next successful candidate walked out, tears of joy streaming down his face, though he walked chin up.

Like Miriselle, the healing staff swarmed him and whisked him away.

Over at the western end, a female professor clad in a tight black dress now stood beside Raul.

"Lord Malcius must be resisting jumping to the sky and down," Raul joked, smiling.

The professor simply glanced at the Headmaster and turned back to Raul.

"The tension was real, so... it can’t be helped. Even I feel happy for them. Admission plus Grandmaster? Major giveaway, worth the risk." ℯ

As they spoke, two more students stepped out of the dome with weak smiles and tears, which were most likely of joy.

"Well, I’ve done my part. It’s time we depart. I fear time is our—my greatest enemy."

"And where are you heading off to this time around, Raul?"

"Wherever the winds of Time and Fate blow me, beautiful lady."

And with that, the two walked out the oak doors behind them and into the chilly morning.