Trial 3 of the Evolution Chamber
In chapter 4 of the fanfic novel, during the second semester segment, Edwin formed a party with Selena and pulled off the miraculous feat of clearing it as a duo.
– They cleared Trial 3 as two first-years?
– No way!
The academy was shocked, and the world was astonished.
Here, it’s great that Edwin is creating a good atmosphere with Selena.
The problem was the author’s brain freeze that followed.
As Caeran, who copied Selena’s Wind Archery and Edwin’s execution, single-handedly cleared Trial 3, the spotlight on him became extremely intense…
It turned into a gathering of original characters’ fanfics.
I doubt that’ll happen again, though.
Still, because of this narrative, Trial 3 differs from Trials 1 and 2, with some indication of strategies in the story.
To start, the target to defeat is
the High Wind Spirit, Jinn.
I was already familiar with the setup of this spirit from the fanfic.
Unlike middle and lower spirits, Jinn possesses intelligence and can adapt to melee or ranged combat as the situation warrants.
Using high-level wind magic and his unique swordsmanship, many aspiring frontline and backline students seek to learn combat arts or magic from him.
However, ever since the demonic invasion began, the Spirit Realm has maintained a passive neutral stance, and the number of Spirit Mages and Elementalists has drastically decreased, making it less common to summon a high spirit like Jinn into the mortal realm.
Ultimately, Sinatis implemented Jinn’s avatar in Trial 3 for the sake of training the heroes of the Chamber.
I think this is roughly the extent of the setup…
His patterns are simple.
He divides into melee and ranged forms. In melee mode, he uses a dagger for high-powered attacks and finishing moves with his [Wind Swordsmanship].
In ranged mode, he only attacks with simple wind spells like [Wind Cutter] and [Wind Edge], while maintaining a constant high-level defensive magic, [Wind Wall], making him effectively invincible.
Thus, my only chance to take damage happens when Jinn is in close range.
The problem is, with the compatibility of Marksmen and Assassins, if he approaches to attack, it’s obviously difficult for me to shoot my crossbow.
So, this trial requires party play, and the strategy will vary depending on what form Jinn takes.
For example, if he’s in ranged mode, the frontline should disrupt his spell casting while the backline aims for effective hits.
Conversely, if he’s in melee form, the frontline must position themselves well to prevent our backline and midline from getting too close.
Even recalling how Edwin and Selena worked together aligns with this.
When Selena spent her wind energy supporting Edwin, it seemed to look fairly harmonious. However, when Selena ran out of wind energy, Jinn switched to close combat to target her first.
Unable to withstand his fierce attacks, Selena was out.
But Edwin awakened during that moment and overcame Jinn, creating the story.
There has never been a pattern that completely contradicts the canonical storyline.
Therefore, keeping this in mind and actively utilizing my strategy will surely lead to victory.
Tick-tock.
As the pocket watch I bought at Hwangdo approached 6 PM,
Ding!
[Trial 3 Begins]
A simple status message popped up.
Then, a spirit emerged and revealed itself.
-…
Overall, it looked like a tall adult male, with long flowing hair that seemed to belong in Greek or Roman mythology.
His entire body shimmered emerald, reminiscent of a hologram projected into existence.
This dreamlike atmosphere harmonized beautifully, exuding mystery.
– Are you the next challenger?
His voice resonated low.
It seemed quite gentle and sweet, but…
His battle style was anything but!
The conditions for clearing were straightforward.
Rather than a priestly weapon like the Gray Ashen Bolt, I needed to use a special weapon only usable in the Chamber to reduce his HP to 0%.
Damage judgment would be applied considering what Sinatis had set.
Since he’s merely an illusion, I won’t die, but if I expose my weak points or take too many hits, I would be disqualified.
As I sorted my thoughts, he asked me in an emotionless voice:
– …You can start once your comrade enters.
He clearly didn’t realize I was challenging him alone.
[Jinn]
[High Wind Spirit]
[HP: 100%]
[State: None]
No state…
I cautiously asked him, “Once everyone is in, can we attack first?”
– Sure…
– Riiiiiing!
-!!
His affirmation was cut short.
It was sneaky, but my Wind Archery responded first.
And then,
Swoosh!
The sound of wind ripping through the air.
[Critical Hit!]
[Additional Damage Based on Agility]
[Jinn]
[High Wind Spirit]
[HP: 61%]
[State: None]
-…?!
The Arrow of Illusion skill beautifully pierced Jinn’s left flank.
*
-…
Fast shooting means firing swiftly and directly in a straight line at an unsuspecting opponent.
Even high spirits like Jinn had seen many aspiring Marksmanship students’ patterns.
Of course, even considering that, I never expected to use the fact I was challenging him alone as a bluff.
Most challenges come in groups of four or five, and no one had challenged him solo before.
So Jinn was left with no choice but to let his guard down.
– Sure…
Zaap! Zaap!
The instant he allowed the first attack, azure wind arrows surged towards him.
– ‘A human… using Wind Archery…?
He was too late to finish casting a spell. So Jinn tried to evade with minimal movement.
However, that proved to be his downfall.
Whirr!
As he twisted his body quickly,
Crack! Crack!
-!!
His wind arrow correctly pierced through Jinn’s flank, just as if it anticipated his movement.
This wasn’t a quick shot but a [Wind Arrow – Curved Shot].
In fact, it was a wind archery move I had never even seen before.
With its blue hue, it left a trailing image as it moved.
‘He’s this fast, yet it curves…?
Every gesture from aiming to pulling the trigger felt like it stretched, almost disappearing.
To exaggerate slightly, I couldn’t even see it.
So, naturally, I assumed it was a rapid-fire shot.
-…!
Whooooosh…
A clear mark was seen where the crossbow bolt had penetrated his side, only to vanish with the wind.
I had already given him an effective hit from the start.
– Absolutely, neither let your guard down nor get complacent.
Sinatis’s warning to Jinn was true.
This creature wasn’t playing games.
He genuinely intended to defeat me alone.
Jinn switched his stance.
A powerful gust started swirling around him.
No more attacks would be allowed from here on out.
‘This feeling… it’s been a while…’
As I looked up, he bore an expression with no hesitation or confusion.
Naturally, spirits don’t often care much for non-spirit humans.
But Jinn couldn’t help but ask the boy.
– …What’s your name?
“Lev Denec.”
Lev Denec…
Maybe my confident shot had done something.
An ordinary yet suitable name felt somewhat distant.
Murmuring his name, Jinn began to cast wind magic with both hands.
…
In a match between ranged vs. ranged combat, it unfolded like this:
Clang! Clangclangclang!
With every meticulous motion from Jinn,
the blades of wind, Wind Cutter, became projectiles launching toward Lev.
A crescent-shaped boomerang of wind.
Thwip!
Boom! Pow!
And Lev countered each one with his crossbow.
Outwardly, it seemed that Jinn had the upper hand, relentlessly pushing Lev.
But that was merely an illusion.
All of Jinn’s advances were thwarted by Lev’s wind archery.
And surprisingly, Lev’s wind arrows were targeting Jinn’s vital points.
‘He can read my attack vectors…?
He was no average aspiring Marksman.
Of course, with Jinn’s wind wall in effect, he wouldn’t allow any more effective hits…
Yet, honestly, he found Lev’s behavior a bit strange.
He seemed to know how fast the crossbow could shoot, yet acted overly cautious against even a single Wind Cutter.
His aimlessly distributing power in his skills made Jinn ponder many possibilities.
‘He’s just waiting for my mistake.’
That was acceptable.
The act of neutralizing magical projectiles with archery is something that can only be done by elite marksmen endowed with extraordinary reflexes – it’s basically a “Look how good I am!” moment.
But simultaneously, it was a complete waste.
Wind Archery utilized ‘Wind Energy’ as a cost.
Meaning, there’s a limit to its usage.
On top of that, he was solo rather than in a party.
Sure enough, without a prolonged bout, he’d run out of energy before 1 or 2 minutes were up.
In contrast, Jinn’s Wind Cutter was equivalent to a 3-circle spell, making it far more economical.
‘It’ll be over soon.’
As Lev’s wind energy dwindled, Jinn planned to continuously pressure him from a distance.
And once Lev ran out of Wind Energy,
Jinn would then easily engage him in close combat using his mobility enchantment skill, Wind Walk.
Being a marksman means being completely defenseless in melee combat.
Having already let effective hits slip away, this was Jinn’s composed plan to eliminate any unforeseen variables.
Once again, Jinn’s Wind Cutter surged towards Lev.
Clang, clang!
“Gah!”
Slowly, Lev’s wind arrows’ strength began to drop.
‘Is this it…?
Jinn was disappointed in Lev…
Was that first attack merely a stroke of luck?
Or had he just overthought his responses?
Boring.
As more exchanges of Wind Cutters and arrows occurred, a fleeting look of surprise appeared on Lev’s face.
He had now run out of Wind Energy.
– It’s over.
Whoosh!
-!!
Leaving those words behind, Jinn switched stances and charged at Lev.
