Chapter 77: Exam Finished
Luna stood in the very center of the square, took a deep breath, and said, “Sir Examiner, I’m ready.”
The Black-Clad Examiner slowly stepped forward, pulled out a pitch-black scroll again, and opened it, revealing a slowly floating red orb of light.
Luna looked at the red orb hovering in the air, and couldn’t help but ask, “Sir Examiner, what is that…?”
“You don’t need to worry about it; just proceed with the exam as normal,” the Black-Clad Examiner said slowly. “Withdraw, let’s begin; examinee Luna, please show us your strongest magic.”
“Understood.”
Luna held her magic wand, her mana surged, and she focused her mind. Countless Mana Dust particles flew up from her wand, gradually forming a circular magic formation beneath her feet.
The next moment, an ancient incantation echoed out.
【Blacker than black, darker than darkness, let my true red golden light reside here! The awakening time has come, the fallen principle of the Absurd Church manifests as an intangible distortion! This is the eternal pride of the ancient red magic family, called——Dragon Flame Explosion】
“Boom!”
The magic formation beneath Luna’s feet suddenly burst into a deep red light, mana coalescing as it gradually transformed in front of Luna’s wand into a gigantic deep red flame ball.
Indeed, if one were to ask which magic Luna currently mastered was the strongest, it was undoubtedly the fifth-tier explosive magic【Dragon Flame Explosion】.
She had experimented with this magic nearly a hundred times, failing almost a hundred times, but ultimately mastered it completely with Elrose’s guidance.
If it was this magic, she absolutely had the qualifications to step into the Obsidian Tower.
On the other side, the examiner couldn’t help but display an approving gaze: “Fifth-tier explosive magic,【Dragon Flame Explosion】, quite a good choice.”
The examiner glanced at the red orb floating beside him and said lightly, “It seems she is quite the loyal reader of yours; will you consider giving her a higher score when it comes to grading?”
“Boom!”
Deep red flames whirled upwards, gradually deepening the color of the flame ball, which then instantly took on the shape of a dragon’s head.
“Beautiful,” Elrose immediately raised her fist; the crucial step had succeeded. As long as this magic was released, it would be successful.
However, the next moment…
For some reason, the massive dragon head instantly dissipated, reverting back to the deep red flame ball.
Everyone was startled and quickly looked at Luna, only to see her complexion suddenly turn pale, looking very unwell.
“Kendrick, what’s happening?” Stella asked anxiously.
Kendrick furrowed his brow and shook his head. “I’m not sure, but I’ve seen this state before; it seems like…”
At that moment…
“Insufficient Mana,” the Black-Clad Examiner said coldly. “Unfortunately, her mana is nearly exhausted, and the remaining mana is likely insufficient to cast this magic.”
“How could this be?” Lilith said immediately, tense. “Hasn’t Luna practiced this magic before? How could she not even know her mana isn’t enough? This doesn’t sound like a mistake she would make!”
“I don’t know,” the Black-Clad Examiner shook his head gently. “All I know is that if she can’t successfully cast this magic, her exam will end here.”
“What do you mean?” The expressions of the crowd immediately turned grim.
Stella gritted her teeth and shouted loudly, “Sister Luna, hang in there, don’t give up!”
“Luna, you can do it!” Kendrick and Lilith joined in encouraging her.
Behind them, no one noticed that Elrose stood dazedly in place, her beautiful face filled with guilt and regret.
She knew, Luna wasn’t using this magic for the first time, and under normal circumstances, her mana was more than sufficient to successfully release it.
The only reason for her current insufficient mana was that—last night, her mana had been siphoned off.
Luna stood somewhat dazedly on the magic formation; this sensation was one she was all too familiar with, felt when mana was excessively consumed.
She was running low on mana.
In the air above the magic formation, the flame ball’s color continued to darken, gradually fading away.
Luna clenched her teeth tightly.
Could it really just end here, without any clarity?
No!
I won’t let it end like this.
Summoning the last bit of mana, the magic formation glowed red brightly, and the deep red flame ball once again returned to its original form.
【Blacker than black, darker than darkness, let my true red golden light reside here! The awakening time has come, the fallen principle of the Absurd Church manifests as an intangible distortion! This is the eternal pride of the ancient red magic family, called——Dragon Flame Explosion】
The ancient incantation echoed once more; this was Luna’s final perseverance and determination.
“Boom!”
In the next instant, the flame ball transformed again into a gigantic dragon head.
Seeing this, the crowd erupted in cheers once more.
“Sister Luna, you can do it!”
“Luna, great job!”
Even Elrose beside them couldn’t help but shout, “Luna, keep it up!”
Encouraged by her family, Luna gathered her courage again. She raised her wand and shouted loudly, “Dragon Flame Explosion, go!”
“Roar!”
The fierce dragon head soared upward accompanied by a tremendous roar.
But the next moment…
“Clang.” Exhausting her final bit of strength, Luna collapsed to the ground, and the Dragon Flame Explosion dissipated.
Seeing this, everyone understood; Luna had failed to release her magic.
“Luna!” Kendrick was the first to regain his composure and rushed like a cannonball to her side.
Kendrick gently picked Luna up; her complexion was as pale as snow, devoid of any color.
“Luna, Luna, wake up,” Kendrick shouted loudly.
At that moment, the Black-Clad Examiner came quickly over, taking out a vial of crystal potion from his pocket and handing it over. “Don’t worry; she’s just a classic case of over-excessive mana expenditure leading to a decline in physical function. This is a Mana Restoration Potion. Give it to her, and let her rest for a while; she’ll be fine.”
“Okay, got it.” Kendrick quickly took the Mana Restoration Potion and fed it to Luna, whose complexion immediately improved a little.
“Quickly take her to rest. If she shows symptoms like fever, dizziness, or vomiting in the short term, it’s normal. Let her rest well and eat more nutritious food; she’ll recover quickly,” the Black-Clad Examiner explained patiently.
“Understood.” Kendrick nodded heavily, carrying Luna straight out of the magic test area.
Seeing this, Lilith and Stella didn’t stay either, directly following Kendrick out.
Only Elrose stood dazedly on the spot, her fists clenched, looking at the Black-Clad Examiner with a hint of hopeful eyes. “Um, Mage, what about Luna’s exam…?” she asked, holding on to a glimmer of hope.
The Black-Clad Examiner gently shook his head, saying with great regret, “She did not pass our assessment; she has been eliminated.”
“Whoosh!” Elrose’s small face immediately turned pale, an overwhelming sense of guilt flooding her heart.
The Black-Clad Examiner sighed lightly; the assessment was over. Slowly, he turned and prepared to leave.
But Elrose quickly stepped in front of him, blocking his path. “Please wait.”
The Black-Clad Examiner frowned immediately. “What can the little girl advise?”
“She, she, this is not Luna’s true level! The only reason she performed this way today is due to her poor state, so please give her another chance,” Elrose pleaded.
“I’m sorry, but that’s not possible,” the Black-Clad Examiner said coldly. “Poor state is due to her own issues; she can’t blame others.”
“But even if she has 99% of the problems, don’t you have any issues at all?” Elrose retorted angrily. “Adjusting the exam format and timing without any warning, and starting the exam without any preparation. Is that how you conduct exams? Isn’t it normal for examinees to be unprepared? Don’t you give even a little chance?”
“This…” The Black-Clad Examiner was momentarily at a loss for words.
To be honest, he also had quite a few objections to the adjustments made for this exam, but that was decided by above; he had no authority to intervene.
Seeing that the examiner was somewhat shaken, Elrose swiftly added, “Luna’s magical talent isn’t bad; it’s just that her way of cultivation has some issues. As long as you guide her more, along with her own diligence, she’ll definitely become an excellent mage one day.”
Upon hearing this, the Black-Clad Examiner clenched his fists; internally, he found himself in great agreement with Elrose’s words. He admired Luna greatly, partly for her diligence, and partly because of her past.
He genuinely wanted to give Luna a chance to retake the exam, but unfortunately, he couldn’t, as there were other examiners involved in this assessment.
The next moment, the red orb floating in the air gently swayed, instantly transforming into a humanoid figure—a fire-type Saint Tier Mage, Vokrald.
Vokrald hovered in the air, coldly gazing down at the Black-Clad Examiner. “Armand, why are you still standing here? According to the ‘Examiner’s Code,’ if an examinee fails, the examiner must leave the scene swiftly. Have you forgotten?”
The Black-Clad Examiner quickly knelt down, extremely respectfully. “Of course not, Master; it’s just…”
“Armand, don’t overthink it,” Vokrald said sternly. “Considering her identity, it’s already quite generous of us to give her this exam opportunity. It’s her own fault for not cherishing this chance; she can’t blame others.”
“Yes, my master.” Armand slowly stood up, preparing to leave casually.
But…
“Please wait.” Elrose once again blocked Armand’s path as she walked slowly to Vokrald’s feet, looking up at the weak figure in the air with immense respect. “You are the renowned strongest fire mage of this era, Lord Vokrald, right? Luna is your loyal fan; I often hear her mention your name.”
“Oh? Is that so?” Vokrald replied indifferently. “But so what?”
Elrose clenched her fists. “I don’t know what the problem is with Luna in your eyes. I just know she works very hard. If it weren’t for her poor state today and your arbitrary adjustments to the exam time, she would have passed the exam.”
“Yes, but what of it?” Vokrald’s tone was icy. “The so-called assessment is like this; the opportunity is only once. If missed, one can only wait for the next time.
“Unfortunately, with the Obsidian Tower closed, the next enrollment may not be for decades.”
Vokrald smiled slightly. “Luna Yureili will not be able to enter the Obsidian Tower; this is, a matter of fate.”
In the next moment, a burst of red light erupted, and Elrose immediately closed her eyes tightly. When she opened them again, Armand and Vokrald had vanished from sight.
Elrose bit her teeth hard: “Damn it!!!”
