With Kraznys's head severed, a beam of black light shot out from his body and entered the mark on Edwyn's hand.
Buzz!
An enormous and unprecedented energy wave erupted, instantly spreading across the entire testing ground.
All the examinees felt the wave and received a message from it:
[Monster 0521 has been slain by apprentice Edwyn. Remaining monsters: 9.]
"Someone killed one of the monsters released by the academy? On the first day?!"
The apprentices stared in disbelief toward the direction the wave came from, eyes full of awe and dread.
What kind of terrifying strength must a Mage apprentice have to kill a monster with High Apprentice power in such a short time?
Meanwhile, all the apprentices who had planned to hunt monsters turned toward Edwyn's direction.
A tall apprentice holding a staff looked up and murmured, "Edwyn, huh. Interesting."
Beside him, a three-meter-tall fire giant radiated a terrifying aura.
…
A black-robed young apprentice looked in Edwyn's direction, smiling while stroking his chin. In his hand, a tattered straw doll emitted a sinister aura.
…
"Edwyn... That name sounds familiar. Isn't he the one who sells Focus Potions?"
A blind apprentice pondered, then casually pointed. A zombie-like apprentice shuffled to his side, still alive, but with vacant eyes, clearly under some sort of control.
"Have you heard of Edwyn?"
…
"You're famous now," Elia teased, walking up beside Edwyn. "By the academy's standards, you're a legendary apprentice!"
She had also received the message embedded in that wave of energy.
"Legendary or not… I didn't expect the academy to pull something like this."
Edwyn's emotions were mixed, he couldn't tell if he was happy or annoyed. He'd always preferred staying out of the spotlight, but this public broadcast had definitely painted a target on his back.
Still, the 50 points helped ease his frustration.
After killing Kraznys, Edwyn's score increased by 50, shooting him to the top of the leaderboard. Unless something unexpected happened, his reward from the academy was guaranteed.
"Now that you got that one, the next one's mine," Elia said with a grin, whistling as Moony fluttered down to perch on Edwyn's shoulder.
"Of course."
Edwyn bent down and picked up Kraznys' greatsword.
The blade had magical runes inscribed on it, seemingly meant to enhance its power, but as a student of the alchemy school, Edwyn immediately saw their true purpose.
Crack... crack…
As Edwyn channeled magic into the runes, the greatsword crumbled to pieces in his hand.
The runes existed solely to collapse the sword, revealing what was hidden inside.
From the fragments, Edwyn pulled out a ring. The moment he touched it, the Infinite Forge in his soul stirred slightly.
[Material: Strength Ring]
[Extractable Information: Strength Amplification Spell Model – Cost: 20 Spiritforce]
[Extractable Technique: Spell Inscription (Incomplete) – Cost: 10 Spiritforce]
"Strength Ring?" Edwyn slipped it on and channeled magic into it. Instantly, he felt a unique energy surge through his blood, coursing through his entire body. His physical form came alive with vitality.
"This energy… feels like a kind of life essence."
Edwyn examined the ring. He was no longer a novice, he could infer a lot from what he'd studied.
Activating his bloodline once again, Edwyn swung his sword. The resulting wind pressure flattened a swath of grass.
"My strength just increased by about 30%. If I stack that with my Release technique, I can triple my normal strength. Downside is, the injuries will be even worse."
Using the Release technique wasn't without cost. The human body doesn't limit its strength for no reason. Using it risks torn muscles or even shattered bones.
After testing the ring, Edwyn pulled a slightly spoiled piece of meat from his magic pouch and fed it to Moony. After 15 days in the field, the stored meat was starting to go bad, even with magical preservation.
Though Kraznys's corpse was fresh meat, something about the look in his eyes before death made Edwyn shudder.
He decided this monster's body should serve a better purpose.
Time to collect samples.
Edwyn retrieved his dissection tools and began collecting flesh and organs for research.
Moony, whose digestive system had been modified, didn't care about the freshness of the meat. After eating, it nuzzled Edwyn affectionately.
Edwyn stored the samples, then incinerated the remains with magic.
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.
He then sent Moony aloft. "Done eating? Back to work."
With Moony acting as an aerial scout, Edwyn's monster-tracking speed was far above average.
Soon, he found a second monster.
"Due east, three kilometers. Let's move!"
…
At Central Black Tower, the Mages in the great hall buzzed with discussion.
Less than six hours after releasing the enslaved monsters, the first one had already been killed.
This was far faster than usual.
"Joron, you've got quite the student," said Elric, glancing at the leaderboard's top spot.
Through the crystal orb, the Mages had witnessed the entire battle between Edwyn, Elia, and Kraznys.
Their tactics weren't particularly clever. Their use of familiars wasn't groundbreaking.
But in this exam, their unremarkable tactics and basic application somehow produced incredible results. Like a chemical reaction, it just worked.
Using the right tools at the right time, that's Mage wisdom.
Joron accepted the compliment without modesty. In his view, Edwyn's performance had indeed earned it.
He eyed the leaderboard and asked, "Elric, the top ten get access to the Chancellor's secret dimension… What about the top three?"
Elric shook his head. "That's up to the Chancellor. We won't know until he announces it."
"But one thing's for sure, whatever it is, it's bound to be valuable. Even we might get jealous."
…
The second monster Edwyn found looked like a grotesquely enlarged mosquito, its translucent wings patterned with irritating, dizzying stripes.
By the time Edwyn arrived, the creature had already drained a student dry with its needle-like proboscis.
"That's disgusting," Edwyn muttered, watching the thick liquid drip from its mouth.
If Kraznys had been terrifying and fanatical, this bug was just… revolting.
This thing had no right to exist.
Buzz!
The mosquito spotted him and charged, its wings creating a hypnotic kaleidoscope of shifting color that made the mind spin.
Black flames ignited along Edwyn's sword. He gripped it tightly, his form shifting into a black-scaled giant.
At the same time, he activated the strength ring.
As the energy flooded his blood, his muscles swelled again. An unprecedented surge of power roared through his body.
With his strength at a new peak,
Clang.
Edwyn blurred, vanishing from view, and reappeared behind the mosquito.
It still buzzed, apparently unharmed.
Did I miss?
Then, something dropped from the sky.