And so, the four of them set out with two horses.
They left Buena Village and headed for the open plain beyond it.
Once they arrived, Cui Ciyou and Roxy stopped beside a solitary old tree, dismounted, and tied both horses' reins firmly to its trunk.
To keep these two "valued contributors" safe, Cui Ciyou took a quail-egg-sized Magic Crystal from inside his clothes.
(A gift from House Boreas. Thank you, Philip!)
(You spendthrift, use it sparingly. Magic Crystals are expensive.-Philip)
He summoned the mental power within him, which he could not generate himself but could use to control external energy, and called out in a low voice:
"Advanced Earth Wall-activate!"
Guided by his mental power, the Magic Crystal flashed.
The ground trembled slightly, and a thick, sturdy earthen wall capable of withstanding ordinary lightning strikes rose from the earth, sheltering both horses and the old tree behind it.
Rudeus and Sylphy looked at the earthen wall Cui Ciyou had erected, their faces full of confusion.
Roxy, however, blushed faintly when she saw it.
"All right, Rudeus."
Roxy walked to the center of the clearing and addressed him with a serious expression.
"Next, I'll give you a complete demonstration of the Water Saint-level attack spell, Lightning Cumulonimbus."
"Watch the flow of magic power, the gathering of the elements, and the construction of the spell formula carefully. Understood?"
"Yes, Teacher Roxy!" Rudeus nodded solemnly.
"This spell produces heavy rainfall over a wide area, accompanied by powerful lightning. It's tremendously destructive, affects a large area, and requires extremely precise control."
Roxy emphasized the point again.
"Since this is only a demonstration, I'll limit my magic power output so the spell dissipates naturally after about a minute."
"But for your exam... after successfully casting it, you must keep the downpour going for at