Fourth Phase (1)

But...why…? Why did it stop moving..?

"Congratulations to the participants that survived this third phase. All of you will be transported to another room in a few seconds."

"What?! We passed...? But there's 5 seconds remaining in my timer—"

Ah, right. I was a few seconds late already by the time the third phase began.

But...would things turn out differently had I been a second late?

Markus gazes at the immobilized giant golem where the tip of its spear is merely touching the magic stone. The golem's spear was millisecond away from shattering the magic stone.

The giant golem before him then disappears into light particles while the magic stone instantly shatters.

What the?! But I thought we passed—

Before Markus could finish his words, he was teleported to another place along with the other participants.

…Oh…

"You may have 5 minutes rest before we proceed to the fourth phase exam."

Oh great. Finally, I have time to rest after all that exhaustion.

"Markus!"

Markus immediately recognized the voice that was calling him and shifted his eyes towards the voice. The person was none other than Angelina who's rushing towards him with a worried look.

"Angelina..."

"I'm glad that you made it!"

"Yeah."

Though I barely made it out there. I was so close to getting eliminated after all.

*Gasp*

"Your wounds!"

"Ah, I'll be fine."

"But—"

"Don't worry Angelina, I won't fall that easily."

Markus reassures her. Angelina had no other choice but to be convinced by his words.

"Oh alright then… Please be more careful next time, okay?"

"I will."

Damn it, my wounds still haven't completely healed yet.

Well…it's my first time ever actually taking the explosion so it can't be helped.

I hope I'll heal on time before the fourth phase begins though…

After all…there's this bastard who I have to defeat.

"Hey, hey, what do we have here?"

Hm?

…

Oh great, this bastard's here. What the hell does he want this time?

"Looks like you're here all along, Angelina."

What the hell? This bastard knows Angelina's name?

Markus could only ponder as he watched the unpleasant interaction between the two.

"Say dear slave, do you think you could escape me?"

"..."

Angelina remained silent while looking away in fear.

Slave?! What the hell is that bastard trying to say?!

"You've been quite disobedient to me for quite some time, don't you think?"

Reyham steps closer to her forcing Angelina to step back a bit out of fear.

"How should I punish you for that, Angelina?"

Angelina trembles in fear as soon as she hears those words from him.

Reyham then reaches out his hand to her face and caresses it for a bit while Angelina is too terrified to do anything but watch.

At that moment…

*Smack*

A loud smack came in as Reyham slapped Angelina in the face that sent her flying to the ground.

The slap was so quick that not even Markus was able to notice it in time.

"YOU BASTARD!!!"

Markus charged towards Reyham with rage, unable to remain calm after witnessing the situation.

*Clang*

"!?!?!"

To Markus's surprise, his full force swing of his trident was easily blocked by Reyham's sword.

"Impossible…"

"Oh? It's you again. Say, is this all you got after barely passing the second and third phase?"

"You pathetic lowly peasant."

Reyham swings his sword that shattered Markus's trident in an instant after letting out an insult.

What the…

Markus couldn't grasp or process the situation he had just experienced, making him off guard for a moment giving Reyham enough time to deliver a second strike that is guaranteed to hit Markus's neck.

"Okay that's enough."

"What?!"

To Reyham's surprise, assistant Paul instantly appeared before him and stopped his attack with his hand. Even Markus was shocked by what just happened.

"Fighting is only allowed during the phase exams, besides that it is forbidden to fight."

"Oh? Is that so…?"

Reyham uses his other hand to create another sword from magic in an attempt to attack the assistant but fails when Paul easily shatters the blade with his hand.

"I will not repeat it twice. Learn to listen, you rotten spoiled brat."

Reyham was infuriated by Paul's remark, but he couldn't do anything as he was immediately intimidated by Paul's cold glare towards him.

Reyham had no choice but to walk away as he looked at the assistant with a dissatisfied look while Markus could only watch the unexpected events unfold before him.

What the hell…? Just who the hell is he…?

My gut tells me that this guy is very powerful since the first time I met him.

"Sir Markus, I did tell you before not to cause anymore trouble didn't I?"

Assistant Paul turns his attention to Markus as he reminds him not to cause anymore scenes.

"Right…my bad."

"Oh right, Angelina!"

Markus quickly rushed towards Angelina who's sitting on the ground caressing her right cheek that Reyham hit very badly.

"Angelina! Are you okay?"

Markus tried to console her, but Angelina didn't give any response as she remained trembling in fear.

Because of this, Markus's worry worsens and tries to pull away Angelina's hand that covers her damaged cheek gently.

"…"

Markus went silent for a moment with his widened eyes as he saw her cheek was heavily bruised from the attack.

Upon seeing this, Markus outbursts in rage and attempts to charge at Reyham but was immediately blocked by Paul.

"YOU BASTARD—"

"That's enough, Sir Markus."

"DON'T GET IN MY WAY—"

"Why can't it get through to your thick skull that you're too weak to match him at your state?"

"...."

Markus immediately went silent as Paul let out a dominating presence while gazing down at him with his green eyes and black sclera.

W-what the hell is this guy…? Is he even.. a human..?

"You are well aware that he easily outmatched you just now despite the fact you are undeniably stronger than him during your encounter with him before the first phase exam began, right Sir Markus?"

"Yes…"

"You do realize as well that you're being sabotaged from the beginning and you're being handicapped so badly despite your excellence in using magic. And the only thing that was saving you this far was none other than the advice that the merchant was giving you so far."

Markus lets out a surprised look as assistant Paul reveals the reason why Markus was able to catch up with the sabotages awaiting him at the exams.

What the… how does he know about that?

"I hope you stick to the advice 'that person' gave you, it's probably the only saving grace you have left."

He's right. If it wasn't for that merchant, I wouldn't make it this far in the first place.

"I get it now, thank you for telling me."

I'm glad this guy is taking my side despite the discrimination around here. But his identity is still a mystery to me.

Those eyes just now… it's definitely not human…

"It's been a good talk, Sir Markus. But it seems the fourth phase will begin soon."

Assistant Paul's eyes turn back to normal as he's about to bid farewell to Markus.

"Right."

"One more thing though."

"What is it?"

"That merchant… he's quite familiar, don't you think?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

What the hell does he mean? Not only did he know that the merchant gave me some advice and information that allowed me to survive the sabotage here, but he also knows about his identity?!

"Hey wait, where are you going?"

"I'll reveal some of the merchant's identity that you interacted with, if you manage to defeat Reyham Fortunatus, the expert swordsman of the elven country

in a one on one at the final phase."

"Huh, really? Hey wait!!"

Paul immediately left by teleportation after saying a word.

"Damn it…"

It's not just me and that merchant who want that elf bastard beaten up so badly, but Assistant Paul as well.

If so…then that bastard must be that horrible.

"Markus, the fourth phase will begin anytime soon."

"Oh right-"

As Angelina snaps him back from spacing out, Markus immediately looks at her.

"Angelina…"

Markus was dismayed as he saw Angelina's empty expression caused by fear instilled in her by Reyham.

He's filled with rage, but he couldn't do anything but control the urge to attack Reyham and wait for the right time to defeat him.

"Alright, let's go then."

Angelina responded with a silent nod with her unchanged empty expression.

Markus was a bit discouraged by her response, but he tries to brush it off and focus on the fourth phase exam.

"Time's up, let us proceed to the fourth phase exam."

Ah, here it is. Giving another instruction as they prepare me another round of sabotage.

*Snap*

Ah yes, his signature. What is it this time—

Markus suddenly got interrupted as he heard some other participants from afar talking about the particular phase.

This can't be...

Hey… is this the alterification exam that the previous participants mentioned who failed the exam..?

It can't be… That phase where only less than 10% passes it?!

Alterification exam?? I see… So this calls for transmutation.

Everyone starts worrying as they see a small orb appear before them. Markus notices everyone's concern about the exam and starts raising his guard on his surroundings.

Everyone seems worried about this phase. It must be difficult if that's the case.

Also…is it just me or that prejudice proctor is a fan of orbs? It's like from the first phase but much smaller compared to the first phase.

"As for your fourth phase exam, each one of you will attempt to alter this orb. In order to pass this phase, you must successfully alter the matter of this orb into your respective magic attribute. Similarly to the first phase, failing to do so will be an instant elimination."

I see. Wait… How would they know if I successfully alter the orb if the color itself is identical to my ink magic…? Not to mention, the texture itself…

Markus's worry arises as he realizes something is wrong.

Don't tell me….

"Now let us begin, step forth participant number 1."

"Heh, this will be better than last time."

The lion-faced participant said so with confidence as he walked towards the orb.

Ah-, so that guy made it this far.

The beastman raises both of his hands and envelops the orb as he attempts to alter the property of the orb.

Unlike before, he doesn't have the arrogance on his face. Even Markus was surprised as he noticed it.

Ah, here it goes.

As Markus thought so, a powerful aura spiked throughout the whole room. The aura of the beastman was violent and ferocious that it struck fear into everyone across the large room.

What an incredible mana he has. It seems his charging up affected everyone here.

Markus on the other hand, is simply observing the beastman unfazed by it as if he had already anticipated it.

After the beastman charges enough power, he then concentrates it on the orb and unleashes it.

"AGHHHHH!!!"

The beastman yells as he attempts to change the property of the orb. The other participants from afar were impressed by the sheer power he's displaying while some claim that he is certain to pass the 4th phase exam.

This continued for over nearly a minute before the orb slowly started glowing. Everyone watches with anticipation as he slowly changes the property of the orb.

At long at last, the orb successfully turned into a floating flame. It took over a minute for the beastman to successfully alter the property of the orb.

*Pant*

*Pant*

However, because of the amount of energy and power he had exerted within that time, the beastman was greatly exhausted as a result.

"Participant number 1 passed the fourth phase exam, next participant 4."

*Growl*

The beastman growls in dissatisfaction as he goes back despite knowing the fact he passed the exam. The reason for that was because he was offended by the way the proctor responded with a casual cold demeanor in spite of his effort.

Meanwhile, a new participant goes forward as the orb was replaced by a new one. This time, it's a human from a noble family wearing luxurious clothes. In terms of looks, his appearance is average. Yet his movements were full of arrogance.

What an unbelievable cocky person this guy is, he's much worse than the lion-man. Not only his attitude, but also his mana in comparison. At this rate, he'll fail.

"You may now begin."

"Heh, imagine a lowly beastman struggling this much. This will be a piece of cake."

The participant arrogantly said so as he began concentrating his magic on the orb. He attempts to concentrate a large amount of magic on the same level as the beastman. In each second passing by, the nobleman's arrogance and composure slowly fades away.

In less than 30 seconds, his magic suddenly stopped working.

"What…? Why did it stop…?"

He pauses for a moment as he processes what just happened.

"No…."

The arrogant nobleman started panicking as soon as he realized he ran out of mana.

"Participant number 4, eliminated. Participant number 6, step forth."

"NO! IMPOSSIBLE —"

Upon hearing this, he screamed out of frustration but was instantly teleported out of the room.

Everyone is left speechless from what they've just witnessed. Some of them mock him for his failure while some were taken aback for some reason.

"That guy is definitely insignificant for a participant, but his mana is definitely abnormal."

"Seriously, that guy failed who has more mana than I do..?"

"Can we even pass this?"

It seems some of them were bothered by that cocky guy's failed attempt. That said, observing is the only way for me at the moment to learn more about this exam. My turn is still a long way off after all.

Markus contemplates everything that happened within the entrance exam thus far while he watches the exam.

Starting from the first phase, over 45 participants were eliminated. Which is quite a big number even though it's a first phase exam. And then over 41 participants were eliminated at the second phase. Majority of those eliminated participants attempted to sabotage me. As for the third phase, we were grouped into 15 teams with 4-6 members. And during that time, only 3-4 teams were eliminated while some hordes of golems were hunting us down relentlessly. In other words—

"Participant number 46, eliminated. Participant 49 step forth."

Ah, that bastard's turn huh….?

I almost forgot that this exam will end much sooner since our numbers are reduced by a huge portion every phase.

The nobleman elf steps forward with his usual arrogant smirk as he looks down on everyone around him.

"Pathetic. Didn't expect their little brains would be far more pitiful than their mana itself."

As he got close enough to the orb, he immediately began channeling his magic into the orb with one hand.

Didn't know he'd be this cocky. He's using much less mana compared to the previous participants. I wonder how he'll pull that off—

"?!?!?!"

Markus's eyes suddenly wides open as he notice something. It is something he dares not to take his eyes off.

Even the other participants were surprised by the fact that despite the elven noble's usage of magic being significantly lesser compared to the previous participants, the orb began to undergo a change.

As soon as the orb shines brightly, he immediately poured large portions of his magic into the orb that would last for several seconds before turning the orb into a bright light particle.

"Participant 49, you passed. Participant 56, step forth."

Everyone was astonished by this, even Markus was astounded despite his huge dislike for the elf.

Thanks to the elf, Markus discovers a technique to alter the property of the orb without exhausting too much magic. All he needs to do is to think of a way to execute it.

The exam continued to proceed for several minutes with over 17 participants failing and eliminated so far. Within those duration of observing, Markus noticed something.

"Participant number 141, failed. Participant 143, step forth."

After the elf bastard's turn was over, those who attempted to do the same the elf bastard did failed. And those who didn't managed to pass by a landslide.

Not because the procedure the elf bastard did was flawed or anything. But because everyone couldn't execute it properly. Which is why the others had to find another way.

"Participant number 143, failed. Participant 145, step forth."

It's her turn now.

Markus concernedly watches Angelina go forward with her appearance exposed to the crowd. She doesn't seem to care much around his surroundings and immediately prepares herself to alter the orb.

I see, she's a bit determined now. Even though she was anxious walking there, she managed to hide it.

Angelina, without hesitation began channeling her magic into the orb. Markus notices that her method of altering the attribute is vaguely similar to the nobleman elf. He praises her in his thoughts for being able to execute the technique that the others failed to do.

However… Markus notices something was wrong and decides to intervene.

"WAIT!"

Angelina was startled by Markus, canceling out her own magic. This caused everyone to immediately turn their attention to Markus with disdain.

"You repulsive peasant! How dare you interrupt with the exam?! Can't you just wait for your turn?!"

"That orb is rigged."

As the proctor exclaimed at Markus furiously, he pointed at the orb claiming there's something wrong with it. This surprised everyone, while the proctor broke out in a cold sweat.

"What are you on about with your futile claim, peasant?"

"That orb is unstable, is it?"

"What..?"

The proctor was frightened by the fact Markus managed to perceive the defect of the orb.