"The test will end after 10 minutes," the announcement suddenly echoed across the forest.
The voice was loud and carried unnaturally far, as if it had been amplified through magic.
Olivia froze for a moment before panicking.
"Oh no! I didn't get any points yet!"
Lily, in contrast, remained calm.
She had already secured one point. And based on how the scoring worked, she wasn't in immediate danger of falling behind. Kane and Eren were on the same team, which meant defeating both of them would still only count as a single point. As for Darius, while he could potentially gain two points by defeating both of them, the results were counted individually.
Even if that happened, Lily would still remain ahead.
"It's fine," Lily said calmly. "Let's go toward the others. We still have time."
Without waiting, she raised her staff slightly.
"Breeze."
A soft gust of wind spread outward from her.
But this wasn't just a simple wind spell anymore.
Instead of dispersing randomly, the wind moved with intention. It flowed through the forest in thin, controlled streams, slipping between trees, brushing past leaves, and weaving around obstacles.
Lily focused.
She wasn't looking with her eyes—
She was feeling.
As the wind traveled, she recalled what she had observed earlier.
Eren arrived too quickly at the start.
He moved directly toward us.
That meant he wasn't guessing.
He was detecting.
Not mana sense… he didn't show that level of control.
he had to be using wind.
It could travel without being noticed.
So he must be using it to map the surroundings… letting it touch everything, then reading the changes.
Lily adjusted her control.
Instead of letting the wind flow freely, she thinned it out—splitting it into smaller, more precise currents.
Every time the wind touched something, it shifted.
Trees redirected it smoothly.
The ground slowed it evenly.
But living things—
Interrupted it.
After a few seconds, she spoke.
"They're about 500 meters to our left," Lily said.
Olivia immediately nodded, her expression turning serious. "Okay. Let's go."
She raised her hand and began casting.
A faint glow surrounded both of them.
This was enhancement magic—buffs that temporarily strengthened the body.
Unlike elemental spells, these didn't manifest outwardly. Instead, they worked internally, reinforcing muscles, accelerating blood flow, and increasing the efficiency of mana within the body.
Lily felt it instantly.
Energy surged through her.
Her body felt light
At the same time, it felt powerful—like every movement carried explosive force.
Her senses sharpened.
Her thoughts sped up.
Even her mana flow became smoother.
So this is what enhancement magic feels like…
She clenched her hand slightly.
I could probably cast intermediate spells continuously in this state…
"Let's move," Olivia said.
The next moment—
They disappeared.
They covered 500 meters in just three seconds.
The speed was overwhelming.
The force behind their movement shattered branches and tore through bushes. Some smaller trees were outright broken as they rushed forward without slowing down.
The ground cracked under their steps.
Wind trailed behind them.
Then—
They arrived.
Ahead of them, a scene unfolded.
Kane and Eren were both on the ground.
Injured.
Exhausted.
Their breathing was uneven, their bodies barely able to move.
Standing before them was Darius.
Compared to them—
He looked almost untouched.
Only a few minor injuries marked his body, and his breathing remained steady.
He stepped forward slowly.
Calmly.
He bent down and picked up Eren's nameplate.
Then—
He reached for Kane's.
Olivia moved.
She launched herself forward, her body cutting through the air.
Her leg swung down in a powerful dropkick aimed directly at Darius's head.
The force behind it was immense.
If it landed, it would have ended the fight instantly.
But—
It didn't land.
At the last possible moment—
Darius disappeared.
Or rather—
He shifted.
It didn't look like movement.
No visible motion.
Yet the attack missed completely.
Olivia landed and immediately followed up with another strike.
Then another.
And another.
A rapid barrage of punches and kicks.
Each one fast.
Each one powerful.
But none of them connected.
From the side, Lily watched carefully.
Her eyes narrowed.
That's not normal dodging…
Then she understood.
He's not moving his body.
He's moving through space.
Dark magic.
Darius was using a spell.
"Dark Pool."
It was an intermediate-level spell that created small, shadow-like pockets on surfaces. These pools acted as connected spaces. By linking them together, the caster could instantly move between them.
It wasn't teleportation in the pure sense.
It was more like slipping through a hidden path that only the caster could access.
That was why it looked like he hadn't moved at all.
While Olivia was focused on attacking—
Darius shifted again.
This time, he appeared beside Kane.
Before anyone could react—
He grabbed Kane's nameplate.
Meanwhile, Lily felt the effects of the buffs fading.
The surge of energy disappeared.
In its place—
A heavy, sluggish feeling.
Her body felt tired.
Almost unresponsive.
She didn't force herself to act.
Instead, she climbed onto a tree and hid.
She waited.
Olivia, however, didn't stop.
"I'll deal with him myself," she muttered.
She cast three more buffs.
Speed.
Strength.
Endurance.
Her body surged with power again.
Then—
She focused.
Instead of attacking immediately, she observed.
Carefully.
She watched Darius's movements.
Watched the ground.
Watched the shadows.
And slowly—
She saw it.
Not all of them are connected…
Some dark pools only linked to specific ones.
That meant—
His movement wasn't completely free.
There was a pattern.
She waited.
Then—
The moment Darius prepared to move—
She moved first.
She rushed to the location he was about to appear in.
And—
She punched.
This time—
It connected.
Darius took the hit.
But only partially.
A layer of dark mana formed around him at the last second, reducing the damage.
Even so—
He was pushed back slightly.
At the same time—
An explosion sounded behind Olivia.
Darius had redirected part of the force into another dark pool.
Olivia didn't stop.
She continued attacking.
Relentlessly.
But every strike was either avoided or redirected.
Then—
Her buffs ran out.
Darius seized the opportunity.
"Dark Spear."
A spear formed in his hand.
Unlike his movement spell, this one was simple.
But deadly.
It condensed dark mana into a solid form.
Being struck by it wouldn't just cause physical damage—
It would also disrupt the target's mana flow, causing intense pain.
He thrust it forward.
Before it could hit—
Lily acted.
From the tree—
"Water Bullet."
"Earth Shards."
Small but fast projectiles shot toward Darius.
Water bullets were compressed spheres of high-pressure water, capable of piercing through defenses.
Earth shards were sharp fragments of hardened soil, formed and launched with force.
Darius tried to block—
But he couldn't stop all of them.
One grazed his eye.
Others scratched across his body.
Lily continued.
A sphere of flame formed above Darius.
At the same time—
Walls of wind surrounded him.
The wind wasn't just for blocking.
It controlled airflow.
Trapped heat.
Restricted movement.
Inside—
The temperature rose quickly.
The air became thin.
Breathing became difficult.
Darius immediately recognized it.
The same spell…
The one used on Seraphina.
He tried to escape.
But his dark pools were all within the barrier.
There was no exit.
Outside—
Lily watched.
Then—
She released the spell.
Darius collapsed, gasping for air.
Before he could recover—
"Water Ball."
"Earth Rain."
Water soaked him.
Then—
Heavy clumps of dirt fell from above.
Each drop dirt was infused with water, increasing its weight.
The combination made it harder and harder for him to move.
Lily paused.
She looked toward Olivia.
Olivia was exhausted.
And out of breath because of her barrier
She looked back.
Darius was still conscious.
He began preparing another spell.
It felt different.
More dangerous.
Lily didn't hesitate.
She fired more spells—
Water.
Wind.
Interrupting him.
Then—
She moved.
She grabbed Olivia—
And retreated.
Darius chased.
Through trees.
Through shadows.
But—
They were gone.
Then—
The announcement rang out.
"The test has ended. You will be transported out shortly."