Translator: AnubisTL
Victor raised his head with a dignified air, displaying a ring on his finger. "No problem. I'm prepared."
Now, not only Amy but even Jieming looked at his ring with a hint of envy.
While Victor couldn't match Jieming in terms of assets or innate talent, as a member of an ancient noble family, he possessed certain advantages.
As for restrictions, the workshop overseeing this assessment had imposed none. As long as you could acquire it, you could even bring strategic weaponry into the simulation.
After all, this was a genuine Planar War, and the apprentices needed to demonstrate their true capabilities.
This principle extended beyond the Noren Workshop; it was a core tenet of the wizard civilization's apprentice training. Authorities and qualifications were granted, but resources were never directly provided.
All merit points and resources had to be earned through personal effort, and the ability to accumulate wealth was considered an integral part of an apprentice's overall strength.
Victor's space ring, for example, was purchased directly from his family using merit points he had saved over several years.
While his family had indeed granted him preferential access, the merit points used to acquire the space ring were entirely earned through his own efforts.
Victor hesitated, looking at the two of them. "I prepared an extra bottle as a backup, which I can give you, but we're still one short."
"This is much better than I expected," Jieming said with a smile, standing up and brushing off the earth. "I was originally planning to craft three Ascension Potions by hand."
"This simplifies things considerably. But our immediate priority is to leave this area," Jieming said, pulling back the camouflage at the cave entrance and gazing at the distant sky where another explosion erupted.
"The workshop's arrival was too conspicuous. Indigenous forces will likely surround this area soon. We need to get out of here quickly!"
Amy and Victor nodded in agreement.
The location was dangerously close to the rift in the planar barrier, making it extremely risky.
If they drew too much attention, they might attract not only the indigenous army but even the notice of spirits.
With their consensus reached, the trio swiftly set off, cautiously navigating through the primeval forest.
As they moved, Jieming continuously scanned their surroundings with his scouting eye, while Amy and Victor each cast enhancement-type detection spells to aid in the search.
Suddenly, Jieming's footsteps faltered slightly, and Amy and Victor stopped as well.
"What is it?" Jieming asked.
Victor squinted into the distance, then nodded. "Not many of them, and their strength is manageable. They've spotted us, though. They must have some special tracking method."
"Evading them would be easy, but it would mean taking a longer route," Amy suggested. "I recommend we just take them out. It would save us a lot of time."
Jieming offered no objection, simply nodding. "Alright!"
Moments later, dozens of serpentine creatures with razor-sharp claws and six legs burst from the surrounding bushes. Their streamlined bodies moved with incredible speed, their eyes glowing with a bloodthirsty crimson light.
"I'll take the left flank," Victor growled.
Already prepared, he raised his staff and swung it, unleashing several wind blades that sliced through the throats of the nearest monsters with deadly precision, sending blood spraying.
Amy was equally relentless. She clasped her hands together, summoning scorching fireballs that crashed into the magical beast horde like meteors, erupting in thunderous explosions that instantly incinerated several creatures into charred husks.
Compared to Amy and Victor's "efficiency," Jieming appeared utterly relaxed, even taking the time to observe their combat techniques.
The ease and precision with which they cast spells revealed the immense effort they had poured into their training over the past nine years.
Their skill level even surprised Jieming. Judging by their spellcasting prowess, they had clearly independently constructed their own offensive Witchcraft Models—an achievement only a handful of apprentices managed in previous years.
This is about the same firepower I had a few years ago...
As these thoughts raced through his mind, Jieming barely moved.
With a slight flick of his wrist, the rune-imbued magical artifact on his wrist whirred like a high-speed machine gun, emitting barely audible hissing sounds.
Dozens of energy bullets formed a dense, nearly invisible net of fire. Each bullet struck a monster precisely between the eyes, with no wasted motion or energy.
Based on the monsters' reactions to Amy and Victor's spells, Jieming subtly adjusted the energy bullets' power, making them strong enough to pierce the predators' skulls without creating loud explosions that might attract stronger creatures.
However, given that Amy and Victor had already created a significant commotion with their initial attacks, Jieming's maneuver now seemed more like a show of skill.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
In an instant, the dozen or so monsters facing Jieming had their skulls crushed as if by an invisible hand. Their movements stiffened, and they collapsed dead without even a chance to scream.
The entire process was fluid and swift, executed with extreme precision.
While Amy and Victor were still dealing with their remaining enemies, Jieming had already eliminated all the monsters attacking him and swiftly retracted his rune-imbued magical artifact, as if nothing had happened.
Amy glanced at Jieming's "battlefield." Apart from the few corpses on the ground, there were virtually no signs of combat. Her lips twitched involuntarily.
This guy's combat style is still... ridiculously efficient.
She turned to look at Victor, who was also looking at her.
Their eyes met, and they both recognized the same emotion in each other's gaze.
This guy... is still such a monster!
After clearing the magical beast horde and catching up on each other's lives over the past few years, the trio continued their journey.
Jieming always led the way, his rune-imbued magical artifact scanning everything within a hundred kilometers like a radar.
Suddenly, a distinct bright spot on the real-time tactical map provided by the Five Aggregates Rainbow Transformation Mirror caught his attention.
Taking control of the scouting eye, Jieming closed his eyes and examined the anomaly carefully, quickly understanding its significance.
It was a landmark structure formed by a concentration of powerful natural energy—a "shrine" guarded by an elite orc squad.
Located deep within an inconspicuous jungle, far from the wizard army's known front lines, its unusually active energy fluctuations clearly marked it as a crucial node within the Elosia Plane's native power system.
"There..."
After deploying various other types of reconnaissance rune-imbued magical artifacts to confirm the information, Jieming marked the location on the map, his mind already formulating a new plan.
He turned to Amy and Victor, a faint smile playing on his lips. "I've found a good spot. Want to test your skills?"
(End of the Chapter)