Chapter 23: The Mission Objective

The afternoon arrived.

The four of them arrived early to wait in the designated area.

Inside the Examination Hall, enormous magic instruments stood in orderly rows.

With each burst of light, the examination instruments were fully activated.

It was just as Luofulei had said.

The four of them had no time for extensive tactical discussion.

Following the procedure, they were summoned to a mysterious space.

This space was also a creation of the Magic Engineers, for the internal use of the Weierdun Empire Academy.

In a pitch-black space, the confinement was somewhat suffocating.

There was no time to react.

The next second, a dazzling flash of light passed by.

Ailundun and the others were summoned to a mysterious space.

Within this space, they could communicate with each other but could not see each other’s physical forms.

Each person appeared to be shrouded in a cloud of gray mist.

As usual, text prompts appeared.

[Conducting Examination Analysis]

[Examiner: Lami’er]

[Candidates: Ailundun, Luofulei, Isabella, Leisha]

[Note: In this examination, Examiner Lami’er will be restricted from using one random category of magic effects. His power will be adjusted to the fourth tier.]

[Note: Analysis indicates a significant power gap between the candidates and the examiner in this examination. The candidates will receive one random type of enhancement.]

[Note: Failure will not result in a zero score for this examination. All scoring criteria are based on comprehensive performance within the field.]

[Note: This examination takes place in a Secret Realm produced by the Magitech Institute and will not cause any real-world injuries.]

“If only it could restrict concealment magic or enhancement magic…”

A figure beside Ailundun said with hope.

Judging by the general outline, it should be Leisha.

If they were truly that lucky, this examination wouldn’t be so painful.

“Indeed.”

Isabella nodded.

If it randomly restricted either of those types, it would be a significant weakening of Lami’er.

This examiner was famously known for his cautious and agile methods.

Ailundun didn’t feel too strongly about it.

Before the Crimson Thumb Ring, all were equal.

[Random assignment in progress…]

They waited quietly as time passed.

[Random assignment successful.]

[In this examination, the type of magic Examiner Lami’er is restricted from using is: Healing Magic.]

[The random enhancement the candidates receive is: Shortened Casting Time.]

[Examination map is being randomly generated.]

[Examination Objective: Find and defeat Lami’er within the allotted time.]

[Examination Time: 2 hours.]

[Examination begins. Remaining time: 1 hour, 59 minutes.]

As the final prompt passed, they found themselves on a snowy plain.

As far as the eye could see, it was a vast expanse of white.

The sky turned a gloomy gray, and swirling snowflakes stirred up the entire white world.

The chill on their skin instantly sobered them up for a moment.

“What kind of ridiculous objective is this? We have to find Lami’er here and also defeat him?”

Leisha widened her eyes in disbelief.

She just felt a bit unlucky, thinking the task-assigning system wasn’t doing its job properly.

Even though Lami’er’s power was adjusted to the fourth tier, and they had a numbers advantage, he still wasn’t someone they could easily target.

“Unfortunately, the restricted magic that was randomly selected is a healing type…”

Beside Ailundun, Isabella sighed helplessly.

“At least the enhancement we got is useful—shortened casting time…”

Luofulei nodded gently, unconsciously moving a bit closer to Ailundun’s side.

“What do you think, Ailundun?”

Luofulei shifted her body slightly, feeling a bit of cold.

“Since we’re already here, let’s start a fire first. We can think about the rest slowly.”

Ailundun curled up and pointed to a campfire not far away.

He had noticed the campfire earlier.

It was probably a gift from the task-assigning system.

How thoughtful of them.

Ailundun, with Luofulei’s help, lit the campfire using a Small Fire Magic spell.

Bright flames rose, seeming like the only solace in this cold night.

The group gathered around the fire, discussing the examination’s objective.

How to find Lami’er had become a major problem for them.

Lami’er knew concealment and speed-type magic.

Right now, they had no idea where he had vanished to.

“One thing we can be sure of is that we at least don’t have to worry about the awkward scenario of Lami’er being heavily injured, fleeing, and then recovering to full health…”

Ailundun murmured quietly.

That was good news for them.

“The problem is, where do we look now? I just tried. The range of my Locking Magic is limited, and Lami’er’s figure isn’t visible anywhere nearby.”

Isabella sighed.

“But one thing is certain. This space can’t be infinitely large. We will definitely find him.”

Luofulei’s expression was calm, showing no ripples on her face.

“Let’s sit here for a while. Since we can’t think of a good plan.”

“So we just sit here and warm ourselves by the fire? We have to do something…”

Leisha felt inexplicably anxious.

“Leisha.”

Isabella raised her eyes disapprovingly, interrupting her.

“We are a team.”

Leisha was slightly taken aback, not expecting Her Highness the Princess to scold her for such a thing.

She then remembered.

This situation was different from before.

It wasn’t just her who wanted Her Highness the Princess to pass the examination successfully.

“I’m sorry, Miss Luofulei. I was a bit impatient just now…”

She lowered her head and apologized to Luofulei very sincerely.

She inwardly admitted she had indeed been impatient.

Previously, whenever she thought about this concerning Her Highness the Princess’s enrollment, she couldn’t help but feel anxious.

Luofulei nodded at her, accepting the apology with equanimity.

And then.

There was no ‘and then.’

She just stayed quietly where she was, showing no intention of getting up to offer comfort.

Ailundun watched everything that had just happened and stroked his chin.

Things… were worse than he had imagined.

Would this team successfully start infighting before they even found Lami’er?

“…”