Chapter 87

One of the rules of this exam was that no candidate was allowed to leave the barrier during the exam. Fortunately, although the exam ended in failure, he survived.

Xiu Er scanned the wounds on the injured people present. These marks should have come from the bird Monster in this forest. The reason why this group of people failed must be that they were caught by those Monster when they flew into the sky.

"..."

He ignored the group, deduced the whole process, and then walked past them, continuing his previous steps.

Everyone present certainly saw this unidentified person, but because they had just experienced a life-or-death situation, they didn't pay attention to him immediately.

"Who is she?"

"I don't know. I didn't see this person when everyone was here."

"That shouldn't be one of the candidates this time."

"Never mind all that, I'm just grateful to have survived, even though I failed the exam."

"That's true."

And so, Xiu Er kept circling the barrier until the end, when he finally left. Apart from a few people who had been sent out of the examination hall for failing and who happened to meet Xiu Er, no one else knew where Xiu Er was.

None of these people were curious about this being.

Because the first assessment ended at the same time as the training session at Hutalk, after leaving, Xiu Er went directly back to the location of the "Training Ground".

After all, without his help, Hutalk wouldn't have been able to get out on his own.

If it were a Magic User with sufficient strength, it might be possible to "find" or "create" an exit on their own. But a "warrior" like Hutalk would be trapped inside forever, fighting against the endless enemies within until the end of time.

The first round of the Level 1 Magic User exam has ended.

Some are happy, while others are sad.

Those who are "happy" are the ones who passed the first test, while those who are "sorrowful" are naturally the ones who had to leave.

However, the latter should be thankful that most of those who left the scene in the original work died on the spot, but because of Xiu Er's intervention, they all survived.

And no one knows these things now.

The contract with Frieren ended on the day the assessment began. For the rest of the time, Xiu Er had nothing to do because Sariel had arranged for him to participate in the third and final round.

During this time, Frieren approached Xiu Er once to inquire about the "bracelet." Since it wasn't something to hide, Xiu Er readily admitted that it was his doing.

Frieren wasn't surprised, because she had witnessed the bracelet "saving" people with her own eyes, and that incredibly familiar "door" belonged only to Xiu Er.

After that, the second exam, presided over by Zanze, began. Unlike the original story, since Xiu Er had already solved the Mirror Demon's Dungeon that year, the content of Zanze's exam was changed. However, this time, Xiu Er did not go to watch it.

Firstly, he didn't care what Zanze's assessment would become, and secondly, he still had things to do, so he returned to the Training Ground that hadn't been "demolished".

It turns out that this Training Ground was built for another purpose besides training Hutalk.

That would become Xiu Er's examination venue, the main venue for the third assessment.

The reason for choosing this location due to the difficulty of the "problem" is to avoid the destruction of the real environment (this is also an instruction from the original body Xiu Er).

The Training Ground's interior space is essentially a virtual world separate from the outside world. As for why it looks exactly like reality, it's simply because it was designed based on the appearance of this place from the very beginning.

Since it was originally intended as a training ground for Hutalk, Xiu Er didn't make any major changes to the environment. But now, he can freely construct a venue that matches the "problem".

Back in the Training Ground, Xiu Er not only extensively modified the environment but also gradually strengthened Training Ground stability.

Time slipped away second by second, and before we knew it, it was time for the third assessment...

Episode 65: This level tests you...

Xiu Er stood quietly in a clearing surrounded by a grove of trees. To others, apart from Xiu Er, it was just an ordinary clearing.

Only Xiu Er knew that this was the location of the [Training Ground], and also the examination venue for the third assessment.

Today is the day of the third assessment, as Sariel had told him. Before today, he had already completed the renovation of the venue.

Now, Xiu Er is standing here early in the morning, or more accurately, he has never left since the modification was completed. He has been waiting here, waiting for the day to come.

He wasn't worried about the candidates not knowing the exam venue, because he had already informed Sariel of the coordinates beforehand, and he believed that she had already relayed the information.

"Key Item: Update Magic Database - Completed"

"To be completed: Fulfilling the promise with Sariel - In progress"

"Secondary Bonus Item: Search for Demon: In Progress"

The main mission under the Commander Unit's command has been completed, and the agreement with Sariel is about to end. Therefore, the secondary missions can be discontinued, and Aura no longer has any "value" to continue.

As time passed, candidates who had passed all the stages and reached the final assessment arrived one after another.

While waiting for the others, they chatted with their companions or acquaintances, and the conversations were mostly about guessing what the third assessment would entail.

The first thing people notice when they arrive is Xiu Er, who is standing to the side. He is dressed in very ordinary clothes, his eyes are closed under his hood, his arms are crossed in front of his chest, and he stands there with a straight posture.

Everyone present vaguely guessed that the person who had been there from the beginning was probably the examiner for this round of assessments.

No one recognized this person, and none of the examiners in previous assessments had ever seen him before. However, they did not underestimate this person who seemed "ordinary" in every way, because such an "ordinary" image was most likely a "disguise" of him.

In this era, besides Frieren and her group, the only people who have ever seen Xiu Er are probably Sariel and her disciples.

Frieren and Frieren arrived early as well, and like everyone else, they immediately noticed Xiu Er on the field.

"Lady Frieren, um... I think it should be Xiu Er, right?" Frieren whispered as he moved closer to Frieren.

Because of the special training he had received earlier, Frieren had a very deep impression of Xiu Er. After all, he had managed to train the exceptionally resilient Hutalk so that he would lie down on the bed and fall asleep instantly as soon as he got back to the hotel at night.

"Um..."

Frieren stared at the motionless Xiu Er, giving Frieren a speechless look.

Since Xiu Er's attire was exactly the same as when they first met, with no change whatsoever, the answer to the question of whether it Xiu Er or not was obvious.

"You're not mistaken, that is indeed Xiu Er, who gave you special training a few days ago."

Unlike the puzzled Frieren, Frieren, who had encountered Xiu Er many times in the past and was therefore well aware of Xiu Er's Doppelganger characteristics, probably thought that this guy was just waiting around with nothing to do.

Xiu Er observed everyone present without making a sound; even with his eyes closed, his detection ability remained unaffected.

He discovered that compared to the "familiar" faces in the original work, there were several "strangers" among them. It seemed that the second test of Zanze was not as difficult as in the original work, and now even more people were able to pass.

However, compared to the very safe final test personally conducted by Sariel in the original work, Xiu Er is providing here will be a nightmare for everyone present.

As for the claim that the exam questions were too difficult? It's very likely that no one will pass.

Sorry, but since he promised someone, he won't just do it carelessly. He will naturally take this matter seriously. If you want to blame someone, blame Sariel who brought him here.

He had a list in his hand, something that Sariel had personally handed over; it contained information on all the candidates who had passed the second round.

Soon, the last person on the list arrived, and when all the candidates for this assessment were present, Xiu Er opened his eyes.

Everyone present immediately noticed Xiu Er's movements, and the place quickly fell silent.

"[Announcement] This unit is the examiner for this round of assessments. This stage tests your teamwork capabilities..."

Without any pleasantries, Xiu Er briefly introduced himself and then went straight to the point, announcing the assessment content.

"... In this round of trials, all of you will face together a Monster that can bring natural disasters. The condition for passing the test is to defeat this Monster. As long as at least one person survives when the Monster is defeated, all of you will be considered qualified."

"[Supplementary] You will be given three 'chances' in this level. A total party wipeout counts as one chance being used."

As he spoke, unnoticed by anyone, two "tails" emerged from under the wide outer robe at the lower back of Xiu Er, the tips of which were close to the ground.

Immediately, a magic circle appeared beneath his feet, then expanded outwards, covering the ground beneath everyone's feet; it was a teleportation magic circle he had prepared beforehand.

"Within the barrier, you will experience an incredibly realistic experience, and any 'damage' you suffer will be completely eliminated when you emerge. You don't need to worry about your safety." After saying this, Xiu Er activated the magic circle without regard for the reactions of the people present.

As the light of the magic circle rose, the entire large group, including Xiu Er, disappeared onto the lawn.

This is a world painted entirely in red.

The most abundant thing in this world is the lava that flows everywhere. The high temperature fills this red space, and the surrounding "walls" reach straight into the sky. Only a corner of the sun can be vaguely seen through the round skylight.

Judging from the environment, this place seems to be inside a volcano, and inside the volcano there is a strange circular plate with a radius of about a hundred meters that can be used as a foothold.

The harsh environment has made this place a no-man's land, and in such an environment, a dragon-shaped monster with a purplish-black body is resting on the only piece of land.

This enormous monster, which is about 30 meters long, occupies a considerable area just by lying there.

A pair of unusually thick, sky-piercing horns and scales growing backwards all over its body are the most distinctive features of this monster.

[Alatreon]

Originally, it was a monster from the previous game's world view that Xiu Er transmigrated into, and after arriving in this world, he used specific Magic to create a replica of the individual from his memory.

It was captured at the very beginning of its creation and stored in a certain container. The "light ball" that was retrieved from Frieren earlier was the "Poké Ball" used to imprison this monster.

Now that this monster has escaped its captivity and appeared here, the reason is obvious.

He is the "question" for this round of Xiu Er's test. This place is also the Training Ground that Xiu Er has completely transformed and changed. This scene is a recreation of the scene of "first Alatreon" in the game series in the Commander Unit's database.

The next second, a blue spell appeared on the only foothold, and the monster created by Magic immediately sensed this magical trace that had suddenly appeared in its perception.

Furthermore, He discovered that along with this trace of magic, several unfamiliar auras had intruded into His "territory".

Its previously closed eyes suddenly snapped open, and it raised its head, its scarlet dragon eyes glancing toward the source of the aura.

Then He saw a dozen tiny ants appear in His territory.

He squinted, wondering why these tiny creatures had appeared here, while also carefully observing the movements of these ants.

The reason He didn't act immediately was also out of "curiosity," because He didn't think that such a tiny creature could threaten Him.

Until He saw, among those creatures, a small figure that was most vividly etched in His memory...

Throat--!!!

The dragon's roar, as piercing as metal scraping against metal, echoed through the sky.

Chapter 66: A Sudden Turn of Events

Buzz—

As the teleportation array was activated, everyone was transported by Xiu Er to an unfamiliar place.

The scorching air hit everyone's faces, and the change in temperature made them immediately realize that they had been moved by the magic array from before.

They immediately began to observe the unfamiliar surroundings.

Where is this place?

"I don't know, but the environment here looks extremely harsh."

The group discovered that they were standing on a huge lava plate surrounded by magma. Apart from the magma all around them and a huge, unidentified black object not far away, there was nothing else.

Everyone was carefully observing their surroundings, including Frieren and Frieren.

"Lady Frieren, where have we been teleported to by Lord Xiu Er?"

Having never seen such an environment before, Frieren asked his companions for advice.

"Ugh..."

"Lady Frieren, what's wrong?"

Not receiving a reply, Frieren turned to look at Frieren beside her, and there she saw a white-haired elf about to be "melted".

"Frieren... it's so hot! Just standing here makes me feel like I'm melting..."

Hearing Frieren's desperate wails, Frieren's face immediately darkened.

Because Frieren was wearing the thickest clothes among everyone present, which was also because she was more sensitive to the cold.

Now that Xiu Er has sent her to such a high-temperature environment without saying a word, Frieren is rightfully the first person who is about to suffer from heatstroke.

"Lady Frieren, really, why does she have to wrap herself up so thickly?"