Qiaolin glanced at the minor disturbance occurring in the distance.
He noticed a condescending gaze scrutinizing him from afar, as if saying, ‘You raise it, then. Go ahead and try.’
Qiaolin didn’t know this man named Karl at all, and he felt confident that his identity as the Hero hadn’t been exposed.
Otherwise, even if the man didn’t want him to pass the test, he wouldn’t have used such a petty restriction—
He applied a bit of force and discovered that the bottom of the stone seemed to be firmly locked in place by something.
‘What should I do? If I keep pulling, I’ll probably tear the whole place apart. If that happens…’
Qiaolin looked up and saw Gabriela’s gaze from a distance.
The young girl was pumping her small fists, cheering him on as usual, completely unaware of the situation.
“Sigh, there’s really no choice.”
Qiaolin slowly curled his index finger.
Everyone noticed his strange gesture, but before they could mock him, the ground began to vibrate.
The source of the tremor was the very stone in front of Qiaolin.
*Rumble—*
Even though the bottom of the stone showed no sign of leaving the ground, the surrounding rock had already begun to crack.
The fissures spread rapidly beneath Qiaolin’s feet until the entire shattered foundation was lifted along with the stone!
Worried that people might not have seen it clearly, Qiaolin raised the foundation—which was ten times larger than the stone itself—to chest height before slamming it back down.
Dust billowed everywhere instantly!
“Wh-wh-wh-what… did you do?!”
The Blue-robed Mage emerged from the dust with a face covered in soot.
He pointed at Qiaolin’s nose, his face filled with horror.
“I lifted the stone, didn’t I? I just accidentally lifted a bit too much. The quality of the foundation must be poor,” Qiaolin replied.
He had no way to explain it; how else could he justify such a display of brute force?
“Is this a matter of ‘poor quality’?”
The Blue-robed Mage wasn’t blind, and neither was anyone else present.
They were all terrified by the shocking scene.
“This is incredible! Such powerful Mana Intensity! His strength might not even be below yours, Master Karl!” an attendant said in shock.
Karl’s expression was clearly unpleasant, but it calmed down in an instant.
“Heh, if he really is a master, then it makes sense for him to come seeking magic.”
“I am afraid he might interfere with our plan, sir.”
“That is not for you to worry about. You only need to be responsible for the results of this test.”
Karl looked toward the crowd surrounding Qiaolin and smiled.
“Just let him pass according to the normal procedure. After making such a scene, it would be suspicious if he were eliminated.”
“Then the next test…”
“Proceed as usual. The remaining Mages won’t be able to pass the final round anyway. As for this fellow…”
A mysterious, inscrutable smile played on the corners of Karl’s mouth.
“He will become an asset to us instead.”
***
Qiaolin passed the second round of the Mana Intensity Test.
Although the stone didn’t technically leave the ground, the staff explained the confusion by claiming the venue had fallen into disrepair.
This made Qiaolin feel that the excuse was incredibly forced.
Fortunately, most people passed this round, so not many paid it much mind.
It wasn’t a competition, after all; there was no limit on the number of slots, and passing was all that mattered.
However, the way people looked at Qiaolin was no longer as dismissive as before; their gazes had become much more cautious.
“You… just where did you come from? Do you really only have the qualifications of a Preparatory Mage?”
The Blue-robed Mage, who had witnessed everything, no longer believed the young man’s status.
Even if a natural abundance of mana capacity was understandable, Mana Intensity was something that couldn’t be faked.
Powerful Mages, without exception, possessed mana capable of shaking mountains.
“Would you believe me if I said I was a world-class powerhouse living in seclusion?”
Qiaolin joked.
“Of course I wouldn’t. You look far too young. If you had such outstanding talent, you should have been discovered and cultivated by the Empire long ago. You would probably have a seat up there among the judges.”
He didn’t believe anyone in this world wouldn’t crave fame and fortune.
Even if one pursued power, except for Karl, the disciple of the King of Arcane, outsiders could only take one type of magic from the Imperial Library, and they could only learn it once.
“Qiaolin!”
The girl’s voice pierced through the crowd and reached the young man’s ears.
“My partner is calling me. I should go.”
“Wait…”
“I’ll see you at the afternoon test.”
The Blue-robed Mage wanted to ask more about his background, but in the blink of an eye, Qiaolin had walked away.
He suddenly felt that this unremarkable black-haired youth possessed a sense of depth that was unfathomable.
‘I hope he doesn’t hold a grudge…’
***
A short while later, in a sealed room.
Karl leaned against a sofa, leisurely flipping through a thick tome.
His eyes occasionally flicked toward the door. With a *creak*, the door opened, and a servant led three figures of varying statures into the room.
“Apologies, Master Karl. To avoid prying eyes, we took a bit of a detour,” a purple-haired woman at the lead said calmly.
Her curvaceous, seductive figure was wrapped in leather, emitting a sharp aura.
The Serpent Short Blade tucked at her waist exuded a cold light even before being drawn.
“Rest easy. Even though you are from the Barta—those northern barbarians—under my protection, you have been given Imperial identities. For now, you are merely my mercenaries.”
“Our King ordered us to follow your lead for the time being, but that doesn’t mean you can order us around as you please!”
The burly man standing at the back let out an irritated huff, making a muffled, threatening sound like a savage bear.
“Heeheehee, we are merely in a partnership, Master Karl. As long as we help you kill Osaran, you can inherit all of your master’s magic, and our army can march south without restraint,” a lean man said, letting out a chilling laugh that made one’s skin crawl.
“This is a trade. I hope Master Karl does not forget that,” the purple-haired woman reminded him.
“Hmph, I naturally understand. But you weren’t even able to break through the magic circle at my master’s residence, let alone get past the several guards skilled in swordsmanship by his side. My teacher is indeed old and frail, but his mental strength hasn’t regressed one bit. You would still be toyed with by his magic in the palm of his hand.”
Karl sneered.
“Furthermore, I need to open the back door for you during the tests. This is the only way to enter Osaran’s Mansion legally and openly.”
Hearing this, the three exchanged glances and then bowed their heads.
“Snake Eye is willing to follow your commands,” the purple-haired woman said respectfully.
“You mentioned a swordsmanship expert just now. Didn’t anyone tell you that I, Black Smoke, love close-quarters combat the most?” the lean man laughed excitedly.
“Does that mean only the three of us will pass the test in the end?” the giant man known as Rock Bear asked in a deep voice.
“That was the plan before, but I’ve changed my mind now.”
“What?”
“An unexpected character seems to have appeared in this test. His strength might not be below my own,” Karl said.
“How is that possible? Aren’t you currently the strongest Mage in this country?”
Rock Bear asked with a look of surprise and confusion.
“On the surface, yes. But who knows how many hidden powerhouses are above me? My master’s magic has always been intended for such individuals.”
“If he is that powerful, he might hinder our assassination plan. If he’s only at your level, maybe we should take him out too,” Snake Eye suggested.
“Attacking him recklessly will expose your identities. My plan is to have him enter the mansion with you. After you assassinate my master, we will kill him together. That way, we can pin the blame for Osaran’s death on him, and we can all walk away clean.”
“Hahaha, what a perfect strategy. I’m starting to admire you, Master Karl. ‘Teacher’ this, ‘assassination’ that… you’re even more poisonous than a venom-user like me,” Black Smoke laughed.
Karl closed the book, a flicker of sharpness and greed flashing in his eyes.
“This is all so that my teacher’s magic can return to my hands. Only I can use them correctly, rather than sharing them with those… weaklings.”