Chapter 574: The Everlasting God of the Dark Demon (10k)
“Huu—”
The wind blew, chilling to the bone.
Dark walked through the thick forest, his steps slow.
Only one mana marker remained uncollected.
Time was still ample.
He even had the leisure to stroll through the forest.
A closer look would reveal many mysteries within this dense forest.
Besides the “ghost butterflies” dwelling in the leaves, there were numerous strange species in the outer areas.
They occasionally peeked out from behind bushes, startling both him and themselves.
Mushrooms growing from the bases of towering trees emitted a faint glow.
But those were not magical creatures.
For they lacked mana.
With the special “ghost butterflies” that could absorb mana present, the outer regions naturally became a “mana-free zone.”
Even venturing deeper into the forest beyond this area, the initial zones rarely contained species with mana.
However, this phenomenon gradually changed as one delved deeper.
It was quite simple to deduce that deep within the forest, powerful mana-rich species and various rare medicinal herbs must exist.
But since the academy did not develop the forest, treating it not as a “dungeon,” it indicated that the powerful species within were likely not irrational monsters.
Dark reasonably suspected that powerful species with high intelligence might very well be living inside.
“Huack!”
The sudden loud screech made Dark pause in thought, and he involuntarily looked up toward the source of the sound.
Then, a blood-red light shot into the sky, making him suddenly alert!
The strong scent of blood wafted over on the wind, as if tiny particles of blood were suspended in the air.
A hazy blood mist rose into the sky, fiercely entwining with the white sea of light created by the swarm of ghost butterflies. It seemed as if two-colored surging waves were奔涌 in the air, with a ferocious aura spreading wildly.
“This… is it a golem?”
Dark’s eyes flickered as he focused his senses.
The scent of blood from afar reminded him of two people.
One was Tom Nixon, now a fourth-year student at the Fool’s Academy.
The other was Wit’s mother, the Blood Princess—Ophelia Brad!
But clearly, neither of these two could possibly be here in the forest at this time.
So, the one causing such an anomaly must be him.
“The bloodline of Wit Gold, it seems, has awakened.”
Dark’s expression turned serious.
As the offspring of a hero and a blood princess, Wit possessed both the bloodline of a hero and that of a blood tribe.
But due to some special reasons, the bloodline of the blood tribe had lain dormant within him until recently, probably awakening after encountering the blood princess.
Originally, this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
However, before giving birth to Wit, the blood princess had already received the “first embrace” from the demon king. His blood must flow in her veins.
This meant that as the bloodline of the blood tribe within Wit activated, the demon king’s blood mixed in would also awaken.
“I wonder if Principal Altair knows about this…”
“Probably does.”
Thinking this, Dark slightly shook his head.
This matter had nothing to do with him.
“There’s no need to worry about it.”
Once the blood princess “resurrected,” Wit’s involvement would come to an end, unless he managed to uncover something new.
…
The tide of blood quickly subsided.
A golem capable of causing such a large-scale anomaly would certainly not be confined to the second tier.
Even if the goblin-like creatures formed by the ghost butterflies were formidable, they couldn’t stand against it.
In fact, it was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
The ghost butterflies weren’t dangerous magical creatures.
But disturbed by this, Dark lost interest in continuing his stroll in the forest.
He soon left the forest and picked one of the remaining eleven mana markers from the map, then walked over calmly.
…
Saint Maryann Academy did not have any old buildings, but behind the castle, there were ruins.
How these ruins came to be could no longer be traced.
But because there was a special “spring” that periodically released “ancient aura,” the ruins were never cleared.
Lower-grade students had little knowledge about this and lacked the means to identify and collect “ancient aura.”
To most people, this was merely a wasteland.
But Dark occasionally saw Sarah Swati running over there.
Now strolling here, he unexpectedly saw Sarah Swati… and Emma Maltis who happened to be there too.
The mana marker located in the ruins was an ancient gear floating in mid-air.
Above the gear floated the number “10”!
Clearly, no one had yet solved the puzzle associated with this gear.
Dark indeed came here to challenge the difficulty…
But Sarah and Emma, who stood on either side of the gear, seemed to share the same intention.
Neither appeared anxious.
They probably had almost completed their assessments and thus had the leisure to stay here and study.
However, it was somewhat different from what Dark imagined.
They weren’t stuck by the challenge itself, but rather by the trigger mechanism!
That is, they hadn’t even triggered the challenge.
Dark couldn’t help but ask curiously, “How long have you been here?”
Sarah lifted her head and smiled brightly, “About ten minutes. How about your assessment task? Completed?”
Dark shrugged and said, “Just one more.”
Then he pointed at the gear and gestured, “Right, this one.”
Emma teased, “I suggest you finish your task first.”
Dark was slightly surprised, “You’ve collected twenty mana markers already?”
Emma decisively shook her head, “No.”
Dark was taken aback, “Then you…”
Emma stood up and glared at him playfully, “I’m just worried you’ll get sidetracked by this and delay your assessment.”
Before she finished speaking, she started walking away, saying casually, “Anyway, I’m off. Keep going. Good luck, Dark. Looking forward to seeing you solve the puzzle one day—”
Thus, half a minute later, the two girls around the gear had left.
Among the students, it was widely known that there was a mana marker that couldn’t even activate the challenge, much like a dud.
“They say even professors make mistakes sometimes.”
They thought this, but didn’t take it seriously.
Indeed, it was because he heard that the mana markers here were difficult to crack that Dark had come over.
He hadn’t expected it to be this difficult!
“In any case, let’s take a look.”
He blinked and directly stretched his hand towards the gear.
The “teeth” of the gear were not dense; they appeared both metallic and rocky, hard to distinguish, covered in cracks.
Most of these mana markers were not native products.
This gear and this ruin did not fit together at all.
Who knows where Professor Jones had found it?
Dark stopped his hand. As his fingers approached the gear, they touched a layer of transparent membrane.
He changed his gesture from “stabbing” to “touching.”
After one circle, he understood the structure of the membrane—it was like a soft shell shaped like an oval.
A slight force on the fingers could leave a mark on the soft shell.
But pressing further revealed that it couldn’t be pressed down at all.
Emma and Sarah were blocked by this soft shell.
“Indeed, if even the hand can’t get in, how can we activate the stage?”
Dark shook his head and retracted his hand.
In such a situation, his first thought was to break through with brute force.
Perhaps summoning a high-attack golem could directly pierce through.
But clearly, this didn’t meet the requirements of the assessment.
“Maybe, this membrane is the stage itself?”
Dark couldn’t help but ponder.
Then, after careful consideration, he summoned the “Mana Spirit”!
He chose to summon the “Mana Spirit” naturally because it was a “Ghost.”
The recently encountered “Ghost Butterfly” gave him inspiration.
Since the gear was protected by a physical barrier that could be touched, why not use a “Ghost” that could pass through walls?
“Yomimi—”
The little Mana Spirit immediately pounced on his face.
He quickly extended his hand, grabbing its sides, then flipped it around so it faced the gear, saying, “There’s an invisible shield around this gear. Can you try to pass through it?”
“Yomimi—”
However, the Mana Spirit shook its head fiercely.
“Even if it’s a mana barrier, you can’t just penetrate it at will?”
Dark sensed its meaning but still said, “Try?”
The Mana Spirit then squeezed out a small tentacle like a hand and gently touched the membrane outside the gear.
The result… it penetrated directly!
“Indeed, it’s a physical barrier.”
Dark’s eyes lit up, feeling that he might have found the correct way to crack it.
Originally, these mana markers were designed for second-year students, so they couldn’t be too difficult, just suitable for different groups.
Just like the initial stage requiring math problems, which was perfect for the students of the Mana Academy.
And the stage in the thick forest, which was very suitable for the students of the Knight Academy.
As for the current gear stage, it was probably aimed at students with “penetration abilities.”
While Dark was thinking this, the Mana Spirit’s tentacle had already touched the gear.
In an instant, the gear, which was floating quietly, began to spin rapidly.
A strange mana spread out from the center of the gear like a vortex.
Dark didn’t react and was enveloped by the mana vortex along with the Mana Spirit.
The ground beneath his feet seemed to be dyed black by ink, instantly losing its luster.
When he looked down and then up again, even the gear had completely disappeared.
His entire field of vision turned pitch-black, except for the outline of the Mana Spirit glowing faintly.
Dark suddenly realized something.
This should be a stage that only mana spirits or ghost-type mana spirits could trigger!
“But how to crack it?”
When this thought flashed through his mind, the darkness in his vision suddenly dissipated, and light spread out from a central point.
But the world that regained its color was no longer behind the castle ruins.
Dark suppressed his curiosity and slowly looked around.
The ground under his feet had turned into flat bricks—though not clean, there were no cracks.
The walls that should have collapsed and the broken stone pillars had unexpectedly been rebuilt.
The entire ruin had transformed into a style of unfamiliar city architecture.
He had never seen this architectural style in books; several typical ancient cultures were also distinct from it.
The animal heads carved as “totems” in various places were hard to identify.
When he subconsciously wanted to approach and examine them closely, the ground suddenly started to retreat backward.
And his body shot forward at high speed.
The buildings on both sides flowed past his eyes like water.
Then everything suddenly froze!
Dark widened his eyes, realizing he was already inside a building that resembled a chapel.
The interior of the building was hollow, with a hemispherical dome above and windows all around the walls. The bright white light from countless small windows made the room dazzlingly bright.
In an instant, the white light exploded.
Dark had a moment of blankness, and when he regained consciousness, he was standing back in the ruins.
He raised his head abruptly, and the massive castle came into view.
The floating gear also stopped spinning.
Instinctively, he reached out to probe, discovering that the “membrane” protecting the gear had completely vanished, and his hand could directly touch the gear.
This made a question involuntarily arise in his heart: “The assessment?”
He originally thought this was an assessment within a幻境, but in the end, apart from watching a segment of an ancient city like riding a train, nothing else happened.
Although that scene indeed could shock the heart, it certainly didn’t have any puzzle-solving elements.
With a hint of doubt, Dark took out the “mana collector” for collection.
When he filled one grid, the number “10” on the gear changed to “9.”
Thus, his “simulation exploration assessment” was officially completed.
…
After about two minutes.
The membrane around the gear regenerated.
Dark repeatedly tested until his finger touched the membrane.
His eyes flashed, and he made the little Mana Spirit extend its tentacle again, passing through the membrane to touch the gear.
At the moment of contact, the gear began to spin rapidly.
A corner of Dark’s mouth couldn’t help but curve upward.
“It worked!”
Indeed, this mana marker wasn’t advanced enough to recognize independently.
The little Mana Spirit triggered the gear mechanism again.
In a blink, Dark was back in the ancient city once more.
This time, he was prepared and quickly memorized the architectural pattern of the ancient city.
Until he entered that chapel-like building again, he squinted and looked at the center of the building, finally seeing the peculiar decoration hanging on the wall in the middle.
It was a giant gear with wings on both sides, each with a strange
Formation.
[???]
It’s like… the ascending gear!
…
The light was instantly extinguished.
Darkness flashed by in an instant.
Dark returned “again” to the ruins.
Then he summoned the “Mana Book,” and used the Magic Pen to draw and record inside the “Mana Book.”
When the “membrane” outside the gear regenerated again, he directed the little Mana Spirit to stretch out its greedy hand once more…
Thus, for the third, fourth, and so on…
Dark Demon pulled the wool with neither joy nor sorrow.
Until he entered the ancient city for the tenth time and exited again, he suddenly realized that there was something wrong with the gear.
Although the number above the gear was still “9,” why did it feel unstable and wobbling?
“Could it be that I pulled too hard?”
Dark couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty.
…
Atop the castle.
Professor Pavar Jones had somehow walked to this side, her gaze distant, her face expressionless.
The gear in the “ruins” was actually a surprise she had specially prepared.
As long as a ghost-type Mana Golem touched the gear, it could trigger the mechanism and lead the Magus into a幻灯片继续
Professor clapped his hands and suddenly shouted loudly, “Fall in, stand straight!”
After a moment, the students lined up into four neat squares, each with a different expression.
Professor Jones swept his gaze and solemnly said, “Now we will start checking. Come up one by one with the mana collectors.”
The mana collector had twenty slots, each recording the time when it was filled to capacity.
By checking the mana collector, it was very easy to know the results of the students’ assessments.
At this point, those who had completed their assessments early naturally wore broad smiles.
And those who had not finished by the deadline looked gloomy and utterly dejected.
But today’s fruit is yesterday’s cause.
They lacked sufficient physical strength and knowledge, thus failing the assessment.
One could only hope that after this assessment, these students would be ashamed and then strive harder.
Unlike the obvious results of others, another batch of students who completed their tasks later were quite conflicted.
They did not know the order in which they completed their assessment tasks, so they couldn’t determine if they qualified.
Once they became part of the bottom forty, it would truly be worse than eating bitter melon.
…
Dark was called over by Professor Jones.
After Professor Jones checked a mana collector, he announced a time.
He recorded the time, roughly sorting them.
Finally, he reordered all the times, compiling them into a table.
This work continued until around two in the afternoon.
After obtaining the table, Professor Jones asked the students to line up again and said, “Starting from the first… Dark Demon!”
Dark was not surprised; after all, he had compiled the table.
Later on, Sarah, Emma, and others also made it into the top ten.
“Students entering the top ten will receive credit rewards. Come to me after class to collect them. Next are the remaining thirty from the top forty. The mana collectors you hold will be your prizes.”
Professor Jones called out each name individually.
Diana, Rose, Tudor, and others were among the forty.
Surprisingly, the much-anticipated Hero’s Child seemed to be absent?
Wit Gold’s expression was somewhat grim.
The quarrel at the entrance of the dungeon and the trip through the thick forest had wasted too much of his time.
At the entrance of the dungeon, he failed to successfully collect the mana marker.
When he finally found the mana marker in the thick forest, the number on the stone pillar had already returned to zero!
These two misfortunes had pulled him down completely.
Although he eventually managed to complete twenty collection tasks, he had little confidence in passing.
Robert was even slower than him.
If he ended up in the bottom forty, Robert wouldn’t escape either.
Their planned dungeon expedition was thoroughly ruined.
…
After announcing the top forty, Professor Jones took a sip of hot water from his thermos and continued, “Next, starting from the last…”
As each name was called, the young magus whose name was mentioned almost split apart on the spot.
Every name brought a new focus of attention.
The students’ interest in the “unqualified” was even stronger than that in the “qualified.”
Those who were uncertain about their results and weren’t called out trembled with fear, dreading that their names would be next.
In this increasingly tense atmosphere, student after student was eliminated.
Forty spots were indeed too many.
There were only about one hundred sixty second-year students, so forty was a quarter of them!
This meant that one out of every four students would be eliminated.
Under such circumstances, it was no surprise for anyone other than the top forty to be called out.
From an unknown time onward, those called out couldn’t help but wail in despair, making the scene a chorus of laments.
“Thirty-fifth!”
Finally, Professor Jones read out the thirty-seventh name from the bottom.
Many people breathed a sigh of relief, but some looked increasingly grim.
Robert Broheim was one of them.
His expression was even worse than Wit’s.
To relieve pressure, Wit whispered, “Robert, do you remember how much faster you were compared to the person just before you?”
Robert rarely suppressed his loud voice, taking a deep breath and saying, “Not by much. Wit, I have a very bad feeling, I’m done for.”
“No, it won’t happen.” Wit forced a laugh. “I wasn’t much faster than you, you can’t be done.”
Robert pressed his heart, feeling for the first time how rapid his heartbeat was.
He whispered, “Don’t comfort me anymore. I know I’m not doing well… I lost in my debut battle against Rose.”
Wit tried to console him, “How could that be? You ran so fast.”
“What’s the use of running fast?” Robert said bitterly, “I was the first to find the mana marker, but I couldn’t solve the puzzle. By the time others had solved it and left, I barely managed to figure it out.
Wit, I probably won’t make it. Once the results come out, don’t forget to find a guide. Going into the dungeon alone is too dangerous.”
Wit’s face turned rigid, “No, we agreed to go together the first time.”
“Thirty-seventh…”
Robert’s expression grew increasingly grim, yet he still harbored a glimmer of hope.
“There are only three left!” Wit hurriedly said, “It’s a big chance, hang in there.”
“I can hardly hold on…” Robert gritted his teeth and said, “Thirty-eighth, only two more left!”
Wit secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
There were only two left, and at least two or three students separated him from Robert.
This meant he could not possibly be eliminated.
Robert’s chances of being eliminated were also not particularly high.
“Thirty-ninth…” Robert suddenly widened his eyes.
This thirty-ninth from the bottom was still not him!
“There’s only one left!” Wit hurriedly said, “Think quickly, is there anyone else who is later and hasn’t been called?”
Robert trembled all over, “Yes, there seems to be someone, let me think, let me think…”
“Robert Broheim.”
Professor Jones calmly read out the last name.
In this world, there are always those who don’t work hard usually, but at the last moment, they hope for a miracle.
And these missing efforts will truthfully reflect in the final result.
Robert Broheim,出局!
…
When the name of the fortieth from the bottom came out, nearly everyone’s gaze instantly focused on Robert.
The intensity of those gazes was so strong that even Wit, standing beside Robert, felt blinded.
He wanted to console Robert, but his heart was filled with a sense of “hope.”
Robert was the fortieth from the bottom, so he was the forty-third or forty-fourth…
Just a few more people, and he would also be eliminated!
If he were to be eliminated here, he really wouldn’t have the face to see his mother.
…
Dark curiously watched
Robert, some unexpected things happened.
He had originally thought that with Robert’s physical advantages, he could find the mana markers more quickly and have more time to think about how to solve the puzzle, thus making it unlikely for him to be eliminated.
And Wit was even less likely to be eliminated.
If the duo couldn’t even enter the dungeon…
“It seems that Wit will have to fight alone in October.”
Dark blinked, thinking this might not be entirely bad news.
“Could this be what they call an unexpected event?”
His mind spun rapidly, analyzing the current situation and gradually building up more anticipation for the upcoming weekend’s dungeon adventure.
…
In short, where there are those who rejoice, there must be those who worry.
No matter how much Robert regretted it, he could not change the fact that he was eliminated.
After Professor Jones read out his name, she slowly said, “Don’t think that not being called means you’re safe. If I find any of you still don’t qualify for the dungeon, I’ll issue a ban at any time.
The forty people temporarily eliminated are also subject to the same rule. Don’t think that surviving October means you can enter the dungeon in the eleventh month.
If you still can’t show me progress within October, this semester might just pass by. Alright, disperse!”
The tone of Professor Jones became increasingly stern as she spoke.
So much so that when she shouted “Disperse,” the students did not cheer.
Moments later…
The students who had regained their composure finally started moving.
Those who did not make it into the top forty began handing in their “Mana Collectors.”
Those who made it into the top ten went to Professor Jones to collect their credits.
Dark also collected his credits.
Although these credits were insignificant compared to his savings, they were still the reward for topping the assessment, and he felt very happy about it.
Well, better than nothing.
As for Diana and Rose, both missed out on the top-ten credit rewards due to their respective disadvantages in mental and physical capabilities, which left them feeling disappointed.
But for them, not being eliminated was already a victory, especially since they managed to squeeze into the top forty.
“Come on, let’s go eat a big meal to celebrate!”
Diana waved her hand and rushed toward the cafeteria.
There were no classes on Wednesday afternoon, and the cafeteria was usually quite empty at this time, possibly even offering freshly cooked dishes from halfling chefs.
“Let’s go, eat something to calm down,” Wit patted Robert’s shoulder and said helplessly.
Robert was in low spirits, completely unlike his usual energetic self.
Wit didn’t know how to console him and could only take him to the cafeteria first.
After all, it wouldn’t be appropriate to invite him to play magic guides… or simulate duels at this moment, right?
“Wit, let’s duel.”
“Huh?”
Wit looked bewildered.
Robert’s gaze was serious: “I need a decisive victory to wash away today’s humiliation!”
…
After lunch.
The second-year students who qualified to enter the dungeon gathered in groups and headed to the task hall.
Since they were going to the dungeon for an adventure on Friday afternoon, they naturally needed to prepare thoroughly.
Apart from various tools for adventuring, the newbies needed to complete as many official tasks as possible—especially collection tasks!
The official collection tasks from the academy generally had no penalties and no upper limits.
Basically, anything valuable that the students could gather would be acquired through tasks.
The academy certainly wouldn’t take advantage of students’ assets, so the purchase prices would not be low.
But if students wanted to sell at higher prices, they could engage in personal transactions under certain conditions with others.
Of course, they could also set up stalls in Traveler’s Street or sell to shops there.
Some shops would buy materials to create finished products and then sell them in Traveler’s Street—they were not allowed to sell them outside.
Even though Dark had no pressure regarding credits, he still considered it and took on numerous unpunished material collection tasks with Diana and Rose.
These tasks would keep him busy while searching in the dungeon.
They stayed in the task hall until nearly evening before leaving together.
The main tasks Dark held were “Safety First” and “Advance Door.”
He needed “Dungeon Storage Box,” “Dungeon Escape Device,” and “Gate Key (11).”
Additionally, the reason he chose to go alone this time was because he had another purpose.
…
After dark, Dark arrived at the Magical Animal Club.
Catalysta and Broni had somehow found a small tree bonsai, which was now placed in the living room, enclosed in glass from all sides.
And among the three green leaves of the bonsai, three “Ghost Butterflies” resided.
This was the Magical Animal Club’s true second magical creature.
While they might not be rare in the Thick Forest of Saint Maryann Academy, they were definitely rare species outside.
Their ability to absorb mana for themselves greatly increased their value.
Catalysta clearly showed great interest in this rare and exotic species that wasn’t even mentioned in books.
Broni was particularly interested in the “scale powder” of the “Ghost Butterfly.”
“Scale powder” of the “Ghost Butterfly” was a good material, and Broni had recently been using it in her research.
The treatment of the “Ghost Butterfly” in the Magical Animal Club was clearly different from the other magical creature—the Small Guhui Bird.
Club members mostly treated the Small Guhui Bird like a baby, while the “Ghost Butterfly” was the true subject for normal research.
This might become the club’s research topic for this semester.
Dark had even thought of a title for his report: “On the Causes and Effects of the Magic Absorption Characteristics of Exotic Ghost Butterflies.”
After observing the “Ghost Butterflies,” Dark had the “Mana Book” display the records of “Ancient Ruins Land,” studying them in detail.
At exactly eight o’clock, Professor Kazel knocked on the door as scheduled.
Dark had been working with Professor Kazel on researching the “Illusionary Worm” “dawn-to-dusk” phenomenon, and therefore had not yet awakened its consciousness.
…
Half an hour later, the night experiment concluded successfully.
Professor Kazel and Dark had a detailed discussion about the experiment and shared their research results.
Then Professor Kazel quickly left with the experimental data, while Dark sat down to absorb and digest the information.
Once he finished digesting it, he took out his notes from Alchemy Class to review the knowledge related to the “Eye of Truth.”
Tomorrow he was going to attempt to activate the “Eye of Truth.”
Thinking carefully, he suddenly felt a bit nervous.
…
[5-in-1 Over 10,000]
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[August is almost over, brothers—don’t waste your monthly tickets and votes!]
