The wind on the bridge remained as boisterous as ever.
“Ha—” Lynn lay on the ground, lazily letting out a yawn.
The elimination announcements kept appearing in front of the two of them.
It was clear that the battle for the treasures was truly fierce.
At this rate, in the end, probably fewer than five would make it alive to the evacuation point.
But that had nothing to do with Lynn—after all, his spot was peaceful and undisturbed.
Besides, Lynn honestly didn’t want too much attention.
He’d always preferred quietly making a fortune without drawing eyes.
Surely, no one would bother to watch a guy napping right in front of the evacuation point.
…
The examination office was packed with teachers.
They were divided into ten groups in an orderly fashion, each responsible for grading the performance of a group of examinees.
In front of them, a huge magical crystal screen was broadcasting the situation in every test site in real time.
As expected, after a round of brutal fighting, most candidates had already been eliminated.
“Looks like competition this year is destined to be fierce.”
Dean Emil stood in front of the large screen and spoke slowly.
Lucy nodded.
“Those remaining now should all be candidates with some real ability.”
Even as she said so, Lucy couldn’t help feeling uneasy inside.
She hadn’t seen any trace of Lynn from start to finish.
Nor had she seen any announcement that Lynn had been eliminated.
Where could he be?
“Dean, there’s something off about this examinee here!”
A burst of commotion yanked Lucy’s thoughts back to reality.
The technicians quickly manipulated the controls, and soon, Lynn and Sophie’s figures were enlarged on the big screen.
The two of them were lying side by side in the sunlight, legs crossed, looking for all the world like they were sunbathing.
They seemed not to care about the exam in the slightest.
“The examinee’s name is Lynn Carrett, First Rank Magus.”
“The other is Sophie de La Roche, Second Rank Martial Artist.”
“Why would a martial artist apply to the Academy of Magic?”
Dean Emil frowned, feeling that something was off but unable to say what.
“Perhaps it was a registration mistake,” Lucy explained.
“This kind of thing has happened in past years as well.”
“Martial artists applying to the Academy of Magic is within the rules for candidates.”
“However… Though below Third Rank, martial artists can suppress magi, if they have to cross ranks and can’t get close, it’ll be a tough fight.”
There was a hint of regret in Lucy’s tone.
“Are they just giving up and slacking off now?”
Whispered gossip drifted into Lucy’s ear.
“Well, think about it. How’s a First Rank Magus supposed to fight for treasures against the others? Probably just a rich young master on a whim, taking a day trip.”
“…….”
Listening to the various negative comments from the proctors about Lynn, Lucy couldn’t help feeling disappointed.
She had truly hoped Lynn would be able to handle the ‘Orange Legend’ grade Chesspiece and stun everyone in today’s test.
But now…
It seemed she had just gotten her hopes up for nothing.
“Ah, look, the last one from that group is about to evacuate,” a teacher pointed at the screen, gloating.
“That’s Pedro, Crown Prince of the Northern Kingdom, Third Rank Magus—he’s cleared out almost the entire region by himself.”
“I’ll bet a silver coin this guy won’t last ten seconds in front of him.”
Dean Emil didn’t join in the schadenfreude.
He shook his head, feeling all the more puzzled.
If Lynn was really just here for a day trip, why hadn’t he just left at the start, instead of waiting till the very end?
And indeed, just as he had a hunch—
Sensing that the last survivors were about to evacuate, Lynn finally got up, stretching lazily.
“Who is making such a racket beneath the bridge?”
“……?”
Stuffed and ready to waddle off, Pedro stared up at Lynn overhead in bewilderment.
Hadn’t he cleared the area?
Why was there still an expert at the evacuation point?
Before he could make sense of it, a roar from behind snapped him back to reality.
No time to hesitate—the Outerworld Dragons were almost upon him.
He was already running on fumes; there was no way he could withstand another attack from the Outerworld Dragons.
“To hell with it! First Rank Magus, just a clown—take him out and hurry up and evacuate!”
With that thought, Pedro sprang into action.
Though the bridge was steep, as long as he pushed through this last stretch…
Thinking this, he quickly closed in on Lynn, chanting magic under his breath as the spell array formed in his hand.
He was just about to strike Lynn with a fatal blow.
In the next instant, a razor-sharp blade of sword aura swept past his face.
His pupils shrank sharply, and the magic array in his hand shattered instantly.
Two words flashed across his mind: Martial artist.
Wait, why would a martial artist appear in the Academy of Magic’s exam?
Things that defied common sense surged through his mind.
Dazed, Pedro felt like his cerebellum had shriveled.
Before he could make sense of anything, several more blades of sword aura followed, forcing him back again and again, nearly knocking him off balance.
Damn it…
Pedro gritted his teeth.
That First Rank Magus is just a piece of trash.
Deal with the martial artist first!
With that thought, he immediately changed direction.
But before he could get close to Sophie, the sky rang out with a wave of oppressive dragon roars.
Pedro’s attention wavered for just a moment.
And in that moment, a terrifying presence locked onto him.
In his final glance, Pedro saw only the black chesspiece floating in Lynn’s hand.
Then, searing light rained down from above.
The exam was over.
Seeing this scene, all the teachers in the office fell silent.
The earlier mocking was now nowhere to be heard.
“So that’s it.”
Dean Emil’s eye twitched.
“The final long bridge was meant as the last obstacle, favoring the Outerworld Dragons chasing the candidates.”
“Never thought this guy would use the terrain advantage, bringing a martial artist to carry out a dimensional reduction strike on the remaining examinees.”
“And that last attack… this gatekeeper even had the leisure to set up a magic array?”
At this point, Dean Emil was getting a little heated.
More importantly, everything this gatekeeper had done was fully within the candidate rules.
To prevent loopholes this year, he’d even specifically amended the rules before the exam.
Just to make sure nothing like this could happen.
But Lynn’s tactics really made Dean Emil feel…
So stupid.
“Hoo—”
Dean Emil let out a long breath.
Stay calm, Emil.
Stay calm.
No normal person would’ve thought of Lynn’s tactics—it’s perfectly normal that you didn’t, either.
Unless Old Feng was as much of a genius as Lynn…
“Hoo—”
On the screen, Lynn also let out a long sigh.
He happily pocketed the two treasures Pedro had painstakingly collected all match, then walked toward the final evacuation point.
“You see, I told you—fighting for treasures isn’t important; what matters is evacuating.”
Lynn waved his hand, looking very pleased with himself.
Sophie followed behind him, her right eyelid twitching non-stop.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that after blocking the bridge with Lynn, she’d lost something very important.
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