As Davi ran forward at full speed, the sound behind him began to change.
At first, it had been a single beast chasing him relentlessly, but now the noise had multiplied.
The slithering, hissing, and crashing sounds overlapped, making his expression turn grim.
"It's not just one anymore…" he muttered.
Davi cursed under his breath and immediately abandoned any thoughts of fighting back.
Even one of those creatures had pushed him to his limits… facing several at once was nothing short of suicide.
Blind and surrounded, the only thing he could rely on was the system's treasure mapping skill guiding him forward.
He pushed himself harder.
But suddenly, Davi stopped… he hit a wall… a dead end.
Davi's heart sank as he realized he had been cornered.
Behind him, the beasts closed in rapidly, their presence growing heavier and more suffocating with each passing second.
"System… what exactly is this?" Davi asked angrily. "If you wanted me dead, you could have just said so."
Before any response came, several snakes lunged at him at once.
Hiss!
"Damn it!"
Davi swung the Windcaller with all his strength.
Bang!
Woosh! Woosh! Woosh!
Screech!!!
The Blackhorned Miasma Python let out a furious roar, its massive body surging forward with overwhelming killing intent.
In its mind, Davi was nothing more than prey, it should have already been devoured.
Yet Davi was still resisting.
That alone enraged it.
The beasts attacked again, faster and more aggressively than before.
Just as their attacks were about to land… Davi stepped backward and his foot hit a rock.
Boom!
A deafening explosion erupted instantly, sending a violent shockwave through the area.
Davi's body was thrown off balance, and before he could react, everything went black.
***
Several hours later…
Davi slowly regained consciousness, his head throbbing as fragments of memory returned.
"Ahh… what happened…?" he muttered weakly.
He forced himself to sit up, his expression tense as he realized something was wrong.
The beasts were gone.
The suffocating miasma had disappeared.
Everything was quiet.
Too quiet.
"Where am I…?"
Suppressing his confusion, Davi quickly began circulating the Hell of Torment, stabilizing his internal condition.
"System… how much time do I have left? And what happened to me?" he asked.
[Ding!]
[Host has 6 hours 12 minutes remaining]
[Host has been teleported to the Chamber of the Rune Key by the Asura]
Davi was slightly shocked, but he didn't question it further. From past experience, he already knew the system wouldn't give him any detailed explanation as a result of his authority level.
"…Fine," he muttered.
"At least I'm still alive."
He stood up slowly.
"Well then… let's finish this and get out."
Without wasting any more time, Davi activated the treasure mapping skill again, spending another 20 points.
A golden thread extended outward in his perception, guiding him forward.
He followed it carefully.
Less than four minutes later, the thread suddenly condensed into a bright golden sphere.
Davi immediately understood.
"I've arrived…"
However, he didn't move right away.
Something felt off.
Everything had been too smooth… almost suspiciously so.
After everything he had just gone through, it didn't make sense for the final objective to be this easy.
"…Am I overthinking this?" he muttered.
After a brief pause, he shook his head.
"There's no point hesitating now."
Davi stomped the ground lightly, sending a wave of qi into the earth.
The feedback returned almost instantly.
A small object… metallic… a few meters ahead.
Davi's expression lit up.
"That must be it."
He moved forward quickly and reached down, grabbing the object.
The key felt rough and worn, as though it could crumble at any moment.
Just then, a series of notifications rang out in his mind.
[Ding!]
[Mission Update]
[Status: Completed]
[Retrieval Task: Retrieve the Lost Rune Key]
[Location: Bonecradle Range]
[Time Limit: 72 hours (Synced with Exam)]
[Penalty: Host's Twin Brother Russell will be eliminated]
[Reward: Mini Pocket Dimension (33 cubic meters), +50 Asura Points]
Davi froze for a moment.
Then he let out a long breath.
"…Finally."
The tension that had been building inside him slowly faded. The thought that Russell's life had been hanging on this mission had weighed heavily on him, and now that burden was gone.
At the very least… This was worth it.
"…Now, how do I leave this place?" he wondered.
Before he could think further, the space around him distorted, and just like before, he was teleported away.
***
The moment Davi landed, a furious roar echoed through the cave.
The Blackhorned Miasma Python had been waiting… luckily it was just one of the beasts the rest seemed to have vanished.
It lunged at him instantly, its massive body cutting through the air as the miasma surged violently.
Davi reacted without hesitation this time.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
He clashed against it head-on, the Windcaller striking its scales with force.
The beast roared in anger as it felt pain.
Taking advantage of that moment, Davi didn't linger.
He turned and rushed out of the cave at full speed.
Just like before, his escape was relatively smooth. After about thirty minutes of running, he finally exited the Bonecradle Range.
Only then did he slow down.
Through his connection, he sensed Gravilis' location.
"…Still alive," he murmured in relief.
Not long after, he reunited with his beast.
"Take me to Russell," Davi said.
Gravilis didn't move.
Davi frowned slightly.
"…No response?"
He exhaled.
"Alright then… take me out of Ashwood Forest."
This time, Gravilis reacted immediately and dashed forward.
As the wind rushed past him, Davi fell silent.
"…I spent almost a full day in that cave…"
The thought alone made his expression darken.
"…That better be worth it."
***
Meanwhile, the other participants had already begun returning.
Russell and Priscilla managed to obtain two Lunar Purity Blooms.
Nimue's team secured three.
Alyssia's team was initially successful as well, but after being ambushed by another team, they were forced down to two.
Neri and Rita also managed to gather two through careful ambush tactics.
At this point, everyone was making their way back to the entrance of Ashwood Forest while protecting their price.
The final stage of the Mage Ascension Exam had come to an end.
"I wonder where Davi is…" Russell thought as he walked beside Priscilla.
"But he should be fine."
The alliance between the teams had already been dissolved as agreed.
Soon after, a loud bell rang across the forest, signaling the end of the exam.
***
A large crowd gathered at the Mage Ascension platform.
Excitement filled the air as both magic academies and knight academies prepared to recruit new talents.
Most people were here to watch, but for the participants, this was the moment that would determine their future.
Magic Archon Alzareth stepped forward.
"Congratulations on completing the final stage of the Mage Ascension Exam," he said.
"Whether you passed or failed, each of you has displayed your abilities. You will now be given the opportunity to be recruited."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"All teams… step forward onto the platform."
***
Davi sat silently on Gravilis.
Unable to see, he could only wait.
"Davi! Where have you been?" Russell called out as he approached with Priscilla.
Davi let out a small sigh.
"…It's a long story. I'll tell you later."
"Let's go up first."
Russell looked at Davi deeply then he nodded.
"Alright."
As they walked forward together, Davi asked…
"Were you able to get a Lunar Purity Bloom?"
Russell grinned.
"Yeah. Both of us did."
Davi nodded slightly.
Good.
The moment everyone had been waiting for finally arrived.
It was time to choose a magic academy.