Within the artificial Shadow World.
A powerful gust swept in from across the distant plains, carrying tumbling masses of vapor. Thick layers of cloud gradually drifted past, like a colossal white curtain veiling the azure sea of the sky.
The atmosphere across the grassland instantly tightened, as though even the vegetation could sense the impending storm.
Her surprise attack having failed, Hyperion landed once more. As if tethered by a thread of woven mana, the scorpion-tail dagger that had fallen far away reeled instantly back into her grip.
This caused Ferrat's expression, not far off, to darken slightly once more.
He possessed small, instant-cast spells that required no chanting.
Yet he did not have many.
And they were still bound by cooldowns.
If he failed to monitor Hyperion and Lanqi's movements closely and land a decisive blow, he could very well be dragged into a grueling deadlock.
For the examinees,
simply holding out for the full thirty minutes
was also a passing condition.
The wind grew fiercer, like an invisible hand thrashing wildly across the plains.
The emerald sea of grass surged under the gale, forming rolling waves of green like an untamed ocean. Wild grass danced in the wind with a dry rustle, mimicking the sound of oceanic tides.
Hyperion's slender figure flickered in and out of sight across the plains. Her body remained taut, her center of gravity lowered, resembling a viper poised to strike again at any moment amid the swaying blades.
At any second, she might also choose to hurl the weapon in her hand as a projectile once more.
Ferrat knew full well that this was an heirloom artifact of House Aransal.
Now in Hyperion's possession, it served as her primary weapon.
Yet he had never imagined that a day would come when this weapon could actually threaten him.
High-quality magic cards, even at a low tier, were indeed troublesome.
...
At the same time.
On the magic screen at the center of the School of Sages conference room, the attributes of this weapon—one permitted inside the Shadow World—were displayed:
[Purgatory Scorpion Tail]
[Category: Equipment Card]
[Quality: Pink Sacred]
[Tier: 3]
[Effect: Attacks have a chance to inflict abnormal statuses such as Poison, Bleed, Paralysis, and Healing Reduction. Can expend mana to recall the weapon from a distance, 3-second cooldown. Can cure Poison, drawing out the target's toxins and imbuing them into the weapon, 120-second cooldown.]
[Note: A scorpion's tail from the purgatory of the Demon Realm.]
"Those who possess magic cards of Rare quality or above without ever having challenged a Shadow World are almost exclusively from prominent noble families."
"For a freshman to possess a Pink Sacred card—and one suited to herself, no less—is rare to see across all the academies of the Southern Continent."
Inside the conference room, the instructors watched the weapon in Hyperion's grasp and engaged in earnest discussion.
Cards of this caliber were perpetually in high demand yet impossible to find on the market.
Even many instructors relied primarily on Purple Rare cards.
Ultra-high-quality magic cards could only be obtained through extraordinary feats in a true Shadow World,
or through rare strokes of fortune where a card maker achieved a miracle,
or as ancient cards passed down unbroken through generations, having survived the passing of their original wielders into history.
"Hyperion possesses exceptionally high Strength and Mana, but her Mind and Stamina are quite poor. That means she cannot cast spells in large volumes and is extremely fragile, so she simply converted all her mana into boosts for her physical stats to rely on physical attacks."
"Aside from this weapon, an invisibility spell, and a life-saving card, almost all of Hyperion's remaining card slots are dedicated to physical enhancement spells. In essence, she is an assassin."
"Hyperion almost succeeded just now."
"She wasn't close at all. Ferrat's combat experience and sensory awareness ensure she is still far from being able to threaten him."
At the various round tables, the different groups of instructors had been conducting their pedagogical analysis from the very beginning.
"In truth, she would be far better paired with a support mage who can grant buffs, rather than a white mage specialized in healing,"
Vice Dean Ron remarked in a deep voice from the head table, tapping his fingers against the surface.
Evidently, a glass cannon like Hyperion was no tank; she had little need for potent healing.
"Even if Lanqi were a summoner, it would be better, as many summoned creatures carry team-wide aura buffs."
Generally speaking, among magic cards of the same tier,
[Summon Cards] consumed the most mana, [Spell Cards] varied, and [Equipment Cards] usually had low mana costs.
That was precisely why equipment cards were most favored over at the School of Knights.
Meanwhile, the massive mana pool granted by Lanqi's high Mind stat was more than enough to sustain numerous summoned creatures.
Even if his low mana output resulted in rather abysmal stats for his summons, equipping an array of aura-granting creatures to support his teammate would still have been a viable functional role.
Clearly, what Hyperion needed at this moment was an ally like that.
"Indeed. What a pity."
"Let's see if Lanqi has any key spells or summons in his remaining card slots that can turn the tide."
Upon hearing Vice Dean Ron's assessment, the instructors in the room nodded in agreement.
They harbored no expectation that Lanqi possessed an individual card of extraordinary quality like Hyperion's, but they believed he must carry high-output spell or summon cards; otherwise, his high Mind and enormous mana pool would go entirely to waste.
Quite a few School of Sages instructors
actually wished to see Hyperion and Lanqi gain admission now.
These two freshmen had already displayed ample remarkable qualities under such grueling test conditions.
Under normal circumstances, this would have made for a splendid game of cat and mouse.
Yet,
to defeat Tier 5 Ferrat in a frontal confrontation, they were still missing many of the pieces necessary for victory.
In truth, many instructors were well aware of Hyperion's background.
And not just them.
The proceedings of today's entrance exam
were also being watched by powerful figures high within the kingdom.
There was no way Hyperion alone could overcome Ferrat, even with Ferrat's chanted casting currently sealed.
If they wanted to win,
their only shot lay with Lanqi—the wildcard!
He had to create an opening for Hyperion.
The crucial question was: aside from his abundant healing magic, what else did Lanqi carry in his remaining two or three card slots besides the mute spell "Friendly Communication"?
Ever since Lanqi produced "Friendly Communication,"
the instructors in the conference room had been waiting for him to reveal his true capabilities!
...
On the Eleven Great Plains within the artificial Shadow World.
Suspended in midair like a deity, Ferrat surveyed his surroundings with a cold gaze.
He had to keep most of his attention focused on Hyperion, who was closer and far more dangerous.
Not only did he need to watch for when Hyperion might leave behind another decoy and slip into invisibility for a lethal strike, but he also had to guard against whatever Lanqi in the distance might do once he acted.
What truly irked Ferrat, however,
was that Lanqi remained completely composed in the distance, showing no sense of crisis whatsoever.
Lanqi was supposed to be the challenger,
while Ferrat, as the examiner and absolute powerhouse, was the one being challenged.
Yet from the start of the exam until now, the contrast in their states of mind had steadily bred a question in Ferrat's mind:
Just who was challenging whom?
Whether Lanqi genuinely possessed the means or simply loved putting on airs, this sort of person infuriated Ferrat to no end!
Chapter 26