“Phew, that was fairly simple. At least it wasn't as troublesome as a Tier 4.”
Lillian asked curiously, “Senior Silas, have you participated in a Tier 4 monster subjugation before?”
“Yes.”
“As an important member of the logistics personnel.”
Lillian grumbled, “Doesn't that mean you didn't do anything?”
Silas stared into Lillian’s eyes and replied, enunciating every word.
“An important member of the logistics personnel.”
“Right, right... an important... logistics member.”
Lillian’s lips twitched. She decided not to argue with him and instead skipped over to Ain, patting him on the shoulder.
“See? So simple!”
The girl stood with her hands on her hips, her face practically screaming, “I’m super awesome.”
She blinked, then ran over to Erylin. Lowering her voice, she mimicked the tone Ain had used earlier.
“Erylin, you have to be careful, it’s different!”
Immediately after, the girl burst into laughter.
“Oh, please! What’s so different? It just struggled a few more times than a normal Tier 3, that’s all.”
“Against something like this, Erylin and I could take on ten at once!”
Silas also walked over. He looked at the magic wolf lying in the distance and then at Ain, his gaze filled with a sense of scrutiny.
Lillian made a face at Ain. “And those lies about ‘Creeping Spirit Grass’ and ‘low-frequency breeding season warnings’—they obviously sounded made up on the spot. Who in their right mind would remember a monster’s diet so clearly?”
She brushed off some non-existent dust from her hands and turned toward the magic wolf, her steps light and airy.
“Alright, alright, exam time is limited. I need to go retrieve that Tier 3 mana crystal first. You just sit there and wait for your perfect score.”
After a few steps, she turned back and winked at Ain, her smile carrying a hint of mischief. “If you really want to contribute, how about I let you handle the job of extracting the crystal?”
“Assuming you even know how to do it.”
“Lillian!” Erylin frowned, her tone carrying a hint of reproach.
Lillian stuck out her tongue and continued walking toward the magic wolf.
She had no intention of being nice to Ain.
“Wait.”
Ain’s voice came from behind her.
Lillian stopped in her tracks. Standing on the edge of the scorched ruins, she looked back at him.
“It’s not over yet.”
“Huh?”
Lillian tilted her head, her face full of impatience. “I said, are you—”
“I said, it’s not over yet.”
Ain’s tone was devoid of emotion, yet it inexplicably made Lillian shiver.
Silas frowned. “Student Ain, the mana fluctuations have disappeared. The Titan Badge in my hand isn't reacting at all.”
“I suggest you look again.”
In the center of the badge, a dim purple glow slowly emerged.
“This is...”
Unaware of the change in Silas’s expression, Lillian only thought Ain was trying to be mysterious.
“The exam has been going on for so long, and you just have to choose now to—”
Lillian’s words caught in her throat.
It was because Ain had suddenly grabbed her small hand, his expression incredibly serious.
“You!”
“Haven't you noticed? Not even a single trace of mana impurity has leaked from that corpse yet.”
Ain’s voice dropped low, his gaze never leaving the ruins.
Lillian was stunned.
“And you just said the mana fluctuations disappeared?”
“Y-yes.”
“Then have you considered...”
Ain looked toward the sky nearby.
“Why is there still a magic pattern over there that’s actually glowing, even though the mana fluctuations are gone?”
Silas jerked his head up.
Erylin pulled out the portable wand she had already returned to her waist.
In that moment, everyone’s gaze turned toward the magic wolf’s corpse.
On that scorched and broken body, deep purple lines were emerging like veins, spreading along the spine, climbing up the skull, and converging on the previously dim white mark.
The mark...
It was being lit up.
Lillian’s head felt like it was about to explode.
Silas instinctively reached for his magic book, but when his fingertips touched the cover, he realized his hand was actually shaking.
Erylin was the quickest to react.
“Everyone, get back!”
She grabbed the dazed Lillian, an ice-blue magic circle already spreading out beneath her feet.
But she was still a step too late.
The white mark suddenly exploded, turning into a blinding ring of light that expanded in all directions. Everywhere the ring passed, grass withered, the air distorted, and even the sunlight seemed to be swallowed for an instant.
And that magic wolf slowly stood up from the shadows of the fissure.
Its body expanded rapidly, and the injuries from the previous battle began to heal at a visible rate. The scorched fur peeled off in large clumps, revealing new gray-black skin beneath that possessed a metallic luster.
Its tail, which had only been slightly white before, was now wrapped in layer upon layer of magic patterns. Within the tuft of fur at the tip of the tail, a blinding lightning glow was compressing, condensing, and preparing to strike.
The magic wolf slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air.
The mana pressure carried within that breath was more than twice as strong as before.
A wave of heat hit them. Lillian was choked by it and staggered back, her legs going weak, barely able to stand.
Her intuition told her that this magic wolf was the most powerful creature she had ever seen.
Only one thought remained in her mind.
It seemed Ain was right.
Rate on N.U.
