Chapter 49 The Summit (2)
As the man stepped forward, the golem’s gaze focused intently on him.
The flow of magical power around the golem became sharper, more ferocious.
For some reason, it seemed to be more wary of the man with the mask than of Sion.
Launching a preemptive attack, the golem started to indiscriminately hurl rocks.
Dodging the boulders, which came at him two at a time every second, the man seemed to deflect them effortlessly.
Despite the varying sizes, speeds, and angles of the incoming projectiles, he didn’t miss a beat.
While his agility may have been several notches below Sion’s, he showed no sign of deficiency. His movements were extremely concise and efficient.
Seizing a momentary gap, he quickly unleashed a blade of light that severed the golem’s left shoulder.
Kwaang!
The golem’s body tilted from the recoil.
The barrage of stones subsided, thanks to an arm being blown away, and swiftly, another blade of light destroyed the right shoulder.
With both arms of the golem collapsing to the ground and the uncontrolled rocks rolling away, the man quickly closed in on the now defenseless creature.
‘What’s his plan?’
Destroying its arms would only buy a short time.
Maintaining a magic sword consumes an enormous amount of energy. Hence, it was only logical to target the core rather than attack other parts.
Just as Sion suspected, the golem began to regenerate its arms again.
Rocks that had been scattered were now being drawn back to the golem.
The recovery was noticeably quicker, and in less than ten seconds, the previously destroyed left arm took shape again.
Taking advantage of the lull, the man rushed towards the torso and threw a bright blue orb into the thick gash left by Sion.
He then leaped off the golem’s body, striking its newly reformed left shoulder with his sword.
The man’s blade sliced through the solid rock as if it were cutting through cake.
“…!”
It was an area that required Sion to make three cuts to sever. Although she had not maximized Silveryn’s performance yet, even considering that, the man’s magic sword was overwhelmingly powerful.
The way he wielded the sword was more reminiscent of a wild beast than a swordsman trained over many years.
This made determining his identity even more challenging; his swordsmanship lacked any identifiable traits, making him seem quite literally like a person who had fallen out of the sky.
Meanwhile, the golem’s right arm finished regenerating. The speed now felt almost pointless to bother destroying, as the golem’s attacks intensified in its desperation to protect the core.
Every time the golem’s hand struck the ground, fissures appeared, and dust from the shattered rock scattered.
The intensity of the fight led Sion to wonder if the very summit of Mount Grace might crumble from their battle.
In a swift move, the man evaded another attack and flung another blue orb deep into the golem’s body.
‘What is he putting in there?’
Time was against the slightly less agile man, and as it progressed, he also began to struggle.
But even amidst the adversity, he managed to embed two more orbs.
Having reached his limit, the man got hit directly by one of the golem’s freely flailing limbs and was sent flying.
Sion frowned. As she had experienced a single hit, she knew the impact alone was enough to severely impede movement, making the fight all the more strenuous.
He rolled on the ground about fifty paces away before slowly making an effort to stand.
Taking some time to catch his breath while lying down, the man rose leisurely.
From a distance, he then took out a bottle – a potion.
Sion recognized what the potion was.
‘A vitality potion…?’
The golem, now frenzied, began to close in on the man swiftly.
In a situation that seemed to call for escaping, the man paid it no heed and gulped down the potion vigorously.
Then, he stood still, watching the golem intently.
Sion couldn’t understand what he was waiting for.
‘What is he waiting for?’
Amidst the golem’s nearing, a blue light burst out of its torso with an explosive noise, making the massive body wobble.
This initiated a chain of explosions from within the torso.
The golem contorted, cracked, and fissures spread across its frame.
Frost spread rapidly from the torso to the shoulders and legs, congealing into solid ice.
Sion’s eyes grew wider as she observed the phenomenon.
‘A magic bomb?’
Finally, the golem was completely frozen.
Having emptied the potion, the man nonchalantly tossed the empty bottle aside and admired the statue-like frozen golem as though it were a masterpiece sculpted by a grandmaster.
He then swung his sword mightily, releasing another sword blast.
Kwaang!
This strike shattered half of the frozen golem’s upper body.
A subsequent blast of light reduced the remaining torso to rubble.
Kugugugugu-
With the torso gone, the rest of the structure slackened and crumbled to the ground.
In the now empty space where the torso had been, a bright red crystal floated – the core of the golem.
The final sword blast struck precisely, shattering the crystal into dust, which scattered into the wind.
After a brief silence, the magic stone slab that lay at a distance began to resonate with power and emitted a blue light.
Kugugugugu.
Around the magic stone slab, a magical circle unfolded, and the chaos surrounding the area began to reorder.
The strewn rocks noisily moved, smoothing the ground neatly.
It seemed to confirm that the last gateway had finally concluded.
Contrary to her expectations, the man had indeed defeated the golem on his own.
Only then did Sion realize that she had lost the wager with her master.
All because of this unexpected man who had suddenly appeared.
The confusion overshadowed the feeling of defeat.
Had her master anticipated the arrival of this bizarre character and placed a bet knowing this?
The man dissipated his magic sword and approached Sion.
As he squatted in front of her and reached for her swollen ankle, she quickly brushed his hand away.
“Don’t touch me.”
Unperturbed, he took out another potion from his cloak and poured it over Sion’s ankle.
“What are you doing…!”
The acute pain that hinted at a bone fracture began fading almost instantly.
Speechless for a moment, Sion was baffled by the assortment of inexplicable items the man carried.
As she tried to stand up on her own, the man offered his support.
Sion spoke in a cold tone.
“Why are you meddling unnecessarily?”
Once again, there was no response.
Despite her words, having received his aid several times had somewhat relaxed Sion’s guard.
The man helped her up and slowly led her towards the magic stone slab.
When they reached the slab, Sion shook off the man’s support and stood on her own.
The first to place their hand on the slab would claim the rank of overall champion. While others would have scrambled for this opportunity, the man merely gazed at Sion, seemingly wanting to say something.
“What are you waiting for? Why aren’t you placing your hand on it?” Sion asked after observing his hesitation.
“You want to do it together, or what?”
He nodded in affirmation.
“You really are a strange one, aren’t you?”
Was it because they fought together that he wanted to imprint together?
Sion no longer desired the top rank, as she already felt bested.
She stared intently into the man’s eyes. Perhaps he had his own motivations for this gesture?
Sion had acted entirely alone and thus had no room for earning extra points. Although she wasn’t fully aware of how Eternia’s scoring system worked, if the man could indeed gain additional points for collaboration, then both imprinting their hands would still make him the top student.
Even if things went wrong, she’d at least be the co-valedictorian, not losing her position entirely.
Sion sighed.
It was a bitter feeling. This was her first defeat against someone of her age, and to make matters worse, she had lost the wager, which meant she was now bound to Eternia for four years.
In the current situation, she didn’t want to overthink things.
“Ah, forget it. Just do it.”
Both extended their palms and brought them close to the stone slab.
Together, they imprinted their hands onto the slab.
Sion deliberately placed her hand a moment later than the man.
As they withdrew their hands, the bright blue handprint faded from the slab.
“It’s over.”
Their entrance exam was now complete, and only the descent remained.
A gentle breeze tousled Sion’s long hair. She paused to take in the view from the summit. Not far off, a stream cut through the mountains, and five Eternian galleons awaited below.
Those who had finished the exam could board the ships and descend downstream without having to retrace their steps back.
Sion turned to the man and said,
“You…”
The man stretched languidly and casually turned in the direction of the descent.
As he was about to start walking, Sion grabbed his sleeve and said,
“Tell me your name.”
“…”
The man ignored her, but Sion persisted.
“Your name.”
He shook his head.
“I won’t let you go until you tell me.”
“…”
“I get that you have your reasons, but everyone will know your name at the matriculation ceremony. I can keep a secret, so just tell me.”
He silently pried Sion’s fingers off and walked away again.
Sion lurched after him, gripping his clothing so tightly it nearly ripped.
“Your name.”
When Sion’s resolve did not waver, the man’s eyes showed a slight tremble.
“…”
Attempting to free himself from her grasp but unable to, the man, seeming resigned, drew out his wooden sword. He then began scratching characters onto a rock.
Sion read the name etched into the rock with an incredulous expression.
“…Candy?”
The man nodded.
Sion glared at him and said,
“That’s not your real name.”
Seeing no indication that he would share, Sion sighed deeply, her frustration evident.
“Forget it, no need, just go.”
She finally released his garment.
They were bound to meet again, being in the same combat division, and would have to cross swords once more.
“…But next time we meet, we are having a match.”
***
I had to return to the base.
It wasn’t truly over, and though exhausted and longing to go home, I couldn’t.
Removing the mask and returning from being nameless to Damian, I was to fill the seven days completely and conclude the examination.
Since my name had been made known as a disciple of Silveryn, I needed to be seen enough to avoid unnecessary suspicion.
After filling the time, on the seventh day, I descended and boarded the boat returning to Eternia.
Everyone aboard with me were among the last to arrive or had not managed to arrive at all, landing them in the lowest ranks, their expressions grim.
Among them were the knight and mage who had picked a fight with Cecil while I was with them. Without my mask, they failed to recognize me.
The trip downstream to Eternia took less than half a day.
At the wharf near Eternia, a carriage sent in advance by Silveryn was waiting to welcome me.
Thus, I journeyed to Silveryn’s manor by carriage.
The sun had begun to set by the time I completed everything and arrived at the manor.
It had only been a week, but it felt like months had passed.
I disembarked from the carriage at the city gates and walked towards the central courtyard.
For some reason, the maids were all out in the courtyard, tending to the floral bushes and weeding.
I must have entered too quietly, as they didn’t seem to notice me.
While surreptitiously observing the surroundings, my eyes met with Silveryn, who was sitting on a wooden bench, legs crossed and chin propped up on her hands.
Her eyes widened as she saw me.
She leaped up and approached me.
Without traditional greetings, she grabbed my wrist abruptly and said,
“Come with me.”
Silveryn dragged me across the courtyard to some undisclosed location.
“Master…?”
“It’s urgent.”
Liria spotted me and stopped her sweeping, beaming brightly and waving at me cheerily.
While being pulled away, I returned Liria’s greeting.
Silveryn led me past the corner of the main building’s exterior, away from the maids’ prying eyes to a secluded, shadowy area.
The grip on my wrist by Silveryn was determined and strong.
From her tone and expression, it appeared to be a matter of grave urgency.
She cornered me against the wall and said,
“Spit it out.”
“…Yes?”
“You… Didn’t want to see your teacher?”
In a state of bewilderment, I blinked several times before stating,
“Well, of course I wanted to…”
Silveryn cut me off by pulling me into a tight embrace.
Using her weight to press me against the wall, she said,
“Me too.”
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