Opening

Finally, Benjamin picked up the Movement Rune Artifact.

He had made this one into the shape of a belt, allowing it to be fastened directly around his waist.

When he infused it with spiritual power, a gentle yet powerful energy field lifted him up.

Benjamin hovered steadily in the center of the training ground. Controlling the spell, he gradually accelerated through the training ground!

Whoosh!

Benjamin's figure gradually became an afterimage as he raced through the training ground, far faster than when he had simply constructed Flight Spell runes with the Wizard Meditation Method.

He weaved nimbly between the obstacles, stopping sharply, changing direction, climbing, and diving with smooth, swift movements.

The additional agility granted by the Cultivation lightness technique let him move through the air as freely as a fish through water.

In just a few minutes, Benjamin had explored every inch of the training ground and was exceedingly satisfied with the speed and maneuverability provided by the Movement Rune.

He stopped and hovered in midair, idly turning the several Rune Artifact prototypes over in his hands.

The training ground's energy absorption system swiftly dissipated the energy fluctuations caused by his experiments. A faint burnt smell and residual elemental fluctuations lingered in the air.

After repeated testing and fine-tuning, Benjamin was sincerely satisfied with the performance and potential of these three types of Rune Artifacts.

They had fully achieved the goals he had initially envisioned and clearly surpassed Wizards of the same level in power, speed, versatility, and other aspects.

While Benjamin had been focused on researching, crafting, and repeatedly testing and refining these prototypes in the training ground, the news of the trial had already caused a tremendous stir.

Only after he left the laboratory did he discover that the matter of the trial was no longer the little piece of gossip Amy had brought him. It had become an official Academy announcement, broadcast through enormous rune projections to every corner of Noren Academy.

The apprentices reacted in different ways.

Some looked tense as they clutched thick books and rushed between the library and classrooms, desperately cramming knowledge that might be useful in the trial.

Others held their heads high, their eyes filled with fighting spirit. They gathered at the training grounds to test their spells and magical devices, fully confident that this was a perfect opportunity to display their talent and earn the favor of the Academy's higher-ups.

Some remained unusually calm, continuing to study and live at their own pace as though they did not care about the outcome of the trial at all.

Then there were those apprentices with low talent ratings who were usually overlooked. They were now rubbing their hands together, their eyes gleaming with unwillingness and desire.

They knew that in real combat on the Savage Wilderness Plane, talent was not everything. Tactics, intelligence, and thorough preparation were equally important.

They wanted to use this opportunity to prove that they were no worse than those "geniuses."

Influenced by the news, the prices of all kinds of practical Wizard Artifacts and potions within the Academy—especially combat consumables such as instant-cast Wizard Artifacts, emergency potions, simple scrolls, and so on—began to skyrocket, even reaching several times their usual prices.

This allowed those Logistics Department apprentices who had originally been struggling at the poverty line to make a small unexpected fortune.

But none of this meant much to Benjamin.

He looked at the faintly glowing Rune Artifacts in his hands and felt the power contained within them.

They were the crystallization of his efforts, finally completed after several rounds of testing and countless modifications.

"I still have other ideas I want to test, but there isn't enough time... It seems that during this trial, I can only test the practical effects of these three Rune Artifact prototypes first."

He put away the Rune Artifacts, his eyes gleaming with eagerness.

On the enormous teleportation array plaza, the air was filled with a complex, intense atmosphere.

Several thousand Wizard Apprentices from the same cohort at Noren Academy had gathered here, their faces full of excitement, nervousness, worry, anticipation, and unease...

Whispers and the clatter of equipment mingled together, forming a roaring tide of noise.

At the center of the plaza, the massive teleportation array glowed with a deep blue light, radiating unsettling spatial fluctuations.

Benjamin stood near the edge of the crowd, calmly surveying his surroundings.

His hands hung naturally at his sides, but beneath his robes, his fingertips lightly brushed the several metal pendants hanging from his waist—they were disguises for his Rune Artifacts.

He observed those geniuses who were renowned throughout the Academy.

Most of them had formed groups of two or three. They wore Wizard robes or light armor that were clearly self-made and emitted powerful energy fluctuations, while holding Wands or energy conduits of various designs.

Their bearing was clearly different from that of the ordinary apprentices around them, carrying the arrogance and confidence of the strong.

"Benjamin!"

A lively voice interrupted his observations.

Amy wore a lightweight apprentice robe covered in protective runes. Carrying a seemingly valuable bag of Magic Potions, she quickly walked over to him.

"You don't look nervous at all," Amy said with a hint of admiration. "Just as expected of you."

Benjamin smiled. "I've studied for so long, after all. I can handle a situation like this."

Amy covered her mouth and laughed, then lowered her voice with a touch of pride. "Speaking of which, it was all thanks to the information you gave me last time!"

"Oh? What information?" Benjamin asked.

"After you spoke with Mentor Clark last time, you told me the specific details about the Academy's trial so I could prepare early!" Amy's eyes sparkled. "I heard from you that the trial would likely involve a new plane and that we could bring apprentice-level equipment and potions we made ourselves... I made a killing with that information!"

"That was all your own ability." Benjamin shook his head. "I only passed along the news."

He was not merely being modest. Relying on her astonishing social skills, Amy had immediately sought out several friends from the Alchemy Department and the Magic Potion Department after receiving the information.

They had stockpiled a batch of commonly used raw materials in advance and rushed to produce a batch of apprentice-level Wizard Artifacts and potions.

After the news of the trial was officially announced, Amy had made a huge profit by taking advantage of the soaring prices of materials and consumables.

Ordinary students, even if they had received the information, would not have been able to earn much without Amy's social skills and sufficient startup capital.

"And you gave me a share of the profits too, didn't you?"

"Heh, those few points were nothing. It was thanks to your help."

Amy waved her hand proudly, but soon frowned again. "Still, this trial is so dangerous. People will definitely die... Don't let your guard down."

"Don't worry. I'm prepared," Benjamin said calmly.

Just then, a loud and authoritative voice rang out from the center of the plaza.

"Silence!"