Chapter 369: Chapter 369: Melee
“I think I may have seen this guy in class before… he always sits at the back,” said one.

“Now that you’ve mentioned it, I remember too. He only showed up recently,” added another.

“After class, he would approach any teacher, regardless of their temperament, to ask questions… I heard he even dared to bother Mr. Jose, who teaches the theory of black magic, he’s not afraid of death.”

“Honestly, I admire him quite a bit.”

“I heard that there’s a ‘visiting scholar’ arrangement in the academy, which allows students from other departments to attend our classes… after all, the origins of magic involve various fields.”

“He might be a visiting scholar.”

“I think he might just be a magic apprentice… Look at his body, it’s definitely not that of a crusader or controller.”

Because Han Dong appeared with Hera, the whispers about him gradually grew.

Han Dong didn’t care too much. He only came here to comply with Lady Hera’s request… Once he met the standards, he could continue deepening his studies in the library.

He aimed to conceal his true abilities as much as possible, using Dumps, the shining jewel, as his shield.

After a short while.

A high-level animated puppet was created by Lady Hera.

Almost two hundred magic apprentices began to queue for testing, each given only one opportunity to cast a spell.

Those whose magic quality or purity was substandard, or those whose non-directional magic had missed the target, would all be deemed unqualified.

The majority of magic apprentices used the most common and easily controlled elemental magic, most commonly the fireball technique and the frost arrow. Such basic magic contains enough power and is easier to control and less likely to go wrong.

Nevertheless, there were a few outliers.

Students who studied black magic stood out in this period.

A female student with long, disheveled hair covering half her face, specializing in dead spirit spells, was able to create a bone spear out of thin air. Compared to other elemental magic, the bone spear was surprisingly powerful and its firing speed was more than twice that of elemental magic. Even Lady Hera was shocked.

Then, there was a male apprentice with a soft face, dressed in feminine attire.

By rubbing his hands together slowly, he created a shadowy magic ball with considerable moving speed.

The magic ball engulfed the puppet and then caused a corrosive explosion, leaving a mark on the puppet’s surface… It was immensely powerful.

Of course.

Though the spells cast by black magic students tended to be more powerful, they also had to assume significantly higher risks than regular mages.

Besides, standard elemental mages can be highly effective when dealing with life forms sensitive to certain elements.

There really wasn’t a clear domain better than the other.

Because Han Dong joined in last, he was naturally the last to go.

He silently observed the magic apprentices casting their spells.

His ‘demon eye’ could spy on the flow of magic within the bodies of the other students, clearly revealing that some were holding back during the first round of tests.

Soon, it was Dumps’s turn.

Without chanting, or relying on any mediums such as a magic book, jewelry, or a staff.

With just a flick of his fingers, a fireball struck the puppet, and the absorbed energy exactly met the standard line.

Such fine energy control is virtually unreachable for apprentice knights of the same level.

As Dumps took a step back, Han Dong purposefully whispered to him: “Hold back a little in the upcoming fray.”

“Could you hold back a little too… I’m scared of you,” Dumps replied, making a wimpy face as he walked past Han Dong.

Finally, it was Han Dong’s turn.

Everyone naturally focused their attention on the ‘visiting scholar.’

Han Dong temporarily placed his left arm behind his back.

Just like a month ago, he concentrated his energy in his left arm, creating a black crow from his palm that quickly flew towards the puppet.

Suddenly… an invisible interference came.

“Hm?”

Han Dong immediately glanced at the vice-curator. The magical disturbance was obviously Lady Hera’s doing, but most people wouldn’t notice it.

The invisible interference directly disrupted the energy flow within the crow, causing it to flap unevenly from left to right.

If things continue this way, the crow would definitely miss its target and Han Dong would be eliminated.

Since the rules forbid recasting, Han Dong’s only chance is to subtly readjust while the crow is still in flight.

A series of dark patterns surged on the surface of his left arm, unseen due to his sleeves.

An invisible field was released, repairing the energy flow within the crow.

Caw!

The crow accurately dove into the puppet, immediately meeting the standard.

“Field energy supplement… How is this kid’s progress so fast?” Upon seeing Han Dong’s performance, surprise flashed in Lady Hera’s eyes.

The other teachers present were also looking at him differently.

Among the students, only Dumps had observed the entire incident and he shook his head sighingly.

…

The first round of testing ended.

The magical quality of 95% of students reached the standard.

Next, they will receive a ‘magical cloak’, commonly used for student duels. This garment provides a magic shield that protects the entire body.

Once the magic shield is broken, the individual is considered eliminated.

Looking at the white tight-fitting robe on his body, Han Dong thought, “This is a very ordinary magical cloak. The protection it provides is very limited, basically it would disintegrate after being hit by two spells… This kind of free-for-all would result in rapid elimination within a short period of time. It’s best to avoid combat as much as possible in the early stage.”

Han Dong moved his body slightly.

Since this was an assessment for mages, Han Dong tried to avoid using physical or mystical powers as much as possible.

“Let me remind you, please follow the rules, otherwise it won’t be as simple as failing… Young ones, begin the battle.”

Several teachers took to the skies to better observe the apprentices’ performance.

The apprentices at this stage could basically not ‘fly’… After all, to overcome gravity using magic with just the power of a seed would be completely insufficient.

Suddenly, a large-scale magical battle commenced.

Han Dong deliberately avoided combat, heading in the direction where there were fewer people.

However, due to the battle involving nearly two hundred individuals, eliminating other students would earn extra points… immediately, several spells were locked onto Han Dong.

But, the impending fireballs were easily dissolved by Han Dong’s ‘seeing through’ technique before they could even hit the magic shield.

In a situation where someone takes the initiative:

With a wave of Han Dong’s hand, several crows directly shattered the opponent’s magic shield… Unbeknownst to them, four individuals had already been eliminated by Han Dong.

When the other students noticed this, they no longer troubled Han Dong.

About ten minutes of magical chaos passed.

Just as Han Dong had predicted, 90% of the apprentices had already been eliminated.

Only seven people remained in the field.

Dumps was farthest from Han Dong, being in the opposite corner.

Those left were the elite magic apprentices of this batch.

Suddenly, a temporarily formed group of three approached Han Dong.

They weren’t there to give Han Dong trouble, but to form an alliance.

“Want to form a temporary alliance with us? Let’s bring down Dumps first, then we can see who’s better.”

“Haha, no thanks…”

Upon Han Dong’s rejection, the three immediately targeted him.