Ch 38 : Results of Training 2

In the white space, Alice darted around, using Fire Dash to evade the attacks of the stone guard. Though they were on the same cultivation level, the stone guard was physically stronger.

"I need to hit its weak point. But it's made of stone... Let's focus on one spot," Alice muttered, forming a plan.

She decided to target the guard's head. As it advanced, she cast Fireball Toss, but the guard didn't flinch. In a swift motion, it landed a punch, sending Alice flying backward.

Clutching her side in pain, she quickly summoned a Flame Shield to buy time and retreated to catch her breath.

"That hurt like hell..." Tears welled up in her eyes from the impact.

Regaining her focus, Alice decided to stick with her plan—dodging and targeting the head repeatedly. After launching five more Fireball Tosses in quick succession, the guard finally crumbled.

"That was tougher than I thought," Alice sighed, collapsing onto the ground to recover her mana.

Meanwhile, Thyra was effortlessly evading her guard's attacks. She adopted the same strategy as Alice but focused on the guard's leg joints instead. Combining Tempest Arrow and Wind Step, her strikes were precise and calculated. As the daughter of an experienced hunter, she had honed her battle instincts well.

She controlled the flow of the fight, calmly reacting to every move without breaking a sweat. Her control over her rhythm allowed her to defeat the guard without taking a single hit.

Meanwhile, Eliot was struggling. Exhausted and low on mana, he had just managed to defeat his guard, but not without a fight. Since he lacked agility, he relied heavily on his Aqua Net to bind the guard and then struck with Aqua Jet.

It took everything he had to finally wear it down, but not before the guard landed a heavy blow to his chest. Now sitting on the floor, he healed himself using Water Mending, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

In the last room, the sound of metal clashing echoed. Walter was the embodiment of a true augmenter, swinging his hammer with lethal precision. He skillfully switched between defense and offense, deflecting the guard's blows with his shield before smashing its leg joints with his hammer. After three powerful strikes, the guard's leg shattered.

Though the fight seemed simple, Walter's muscles were trembling from the effort. Each swing of his hammer demanded an enormous amount of strength.

Back in the central space, Seraphael observed the individual battles. "Not bad. They've used their spell mastery, combat arts, and their wits to pull through without relying on Heavenly Runes. You've trained them well," he said, nodding in approval.

Auron sighed. "I've done what I can. But there's only so much I can help with in such a short time. Spell mastery and combat arts are one thing, but finding a suitable mana circulation and body refinement manuals takes time and money."

Seraphael nodded. "I understand. It's a pity I can't help you with that. But perhaps you can try exploring a labyrinth. If you're talented enough, you might even create your own mana circulation and body refinement manuals later."

"Both are based on the Heavenly Runes," Seraphael continued. "That's why most established manuals come with rune sets, to fully harness their power."

Auron's eyes gleamed with realization. "So my theory was right. I could eventually create a body refinement manual, but that's a project for later. No rush. I've got time here at the academy."

Seraphael smiled knowingly. "Well, now it's time for the group round.

Alice, Thyra, Eliot, and Walter reappeared in a white space together, smiles lighting up their faces. They had all passed the first test, though not without some struggle.

"Get into position! Prepare your spells and battle stances!" Thyra called out immediately. After her last fight, she had realized the guards would attack right away once they appeared.

Sure enough, a group of stone guards materialized a few meters behind them.

Walter quickly raised his shield, stepping forward to engage the guards. Alice and Thyra readied their spells while Eliot cast Aqua Net in an attempt to slow the guards down, though it barely held for a moment before breaking.

Without missing a beat, Thyra unleashed Tempest Arrow, and Alice followed with Fireball Toss. Walter blocked the first wave of attacks, swinging his hammer and sending one of the guards flying. But another guard slipped past his defenses, its fist hurtling toward him.

"Wind Shield!" Thyra cast her spell just in time to deflect the blow.

"Stay in formation! Walter, you're too deep in their line," Alice shouted.

"Fall back, I'll cover you," Thyra urged, releasing a barrage of Tempest Arrows to force the guards back.

"I'm sorry," Walter muttered as he pulled back to the group.

"It's fine," Thyra said, "Just focus. Let's take them down one by one. Aim for the head and joints. Walter, lock down one of them while Alice and I distract the others."

Walter nodded, focusing his attacks on one guard while Alice and Thyra split the attention of the remaining ones. With Eliot's help providing additional crowd control, they gradually wore down the guards. One by one, they were dismantled using their divide-and-conquer strategy until none were left standing.

Just as they caught their breath, Auron and Seraphael appeared before them.

"You all did a great job out there," Auron praised. "You handled those guards beautifully. By the way, this is Seraphael, the tower spirit."

"Nice to meet you, Seraphael," they greeted in unison.

"Nice to meet you as well," Seraphael said warmly. "Auron has told me all about each of you. I've been watching your progress, and you've all done excellently. Now, it's time for you to receive your rewards."

The group looked at each other, excitement bubbling as they realized the real reward was just beginning.

"The reason Auron advised you not to visualize your Heavenly Rune yet is because I plan to reward each of you with a specialized Heavenly Rune set," Seraphael explained. "These sets are tailored to your unique characteristics and your role in the formation. By using a cohesive set, your Heavenly Runes will synergize, enhancing your mana core's overall power and efficiency. This will help you not only strengthen your abilities but also balance out your weaknesses, allowing for greater growth in both individual and team dynamics."