“What’s happening? My head feels awful… so nauseous…”
Lami’er, still in mid-air, suddenly began to tremble uncontrollably.
He sensed something was wrong.
It felt like every bit of magic power in his body was being drained away.
This feeling of losing control over his own body filled him with immense terror.
No, he couldn’t stay in the air any longer.
If this continued, the magic drain would completely exhaust him.
He wanted to roar, but found he couldn’t even make a sound.
His body remained curled up, suspended in mid-air.
Gritting his teeth, he slowly extended his limbs and began to descend in an extremely awkward posture.
If he forced himself to hold on any longer, he was afraid he would become the first examiner to die from a fall.
That would be a laughable way to go.
Meanwhile, in a valley somewhere on the snowy mountain, Luofulei was waiting silently.
From her position, she had a perfect view of Lami’er descending from mid-air in that awkward posture.
Just as Ailundun had predicted.
She slowly opened her palms, her chant already complete, her gaze locked onto the spot where Lami’er was about to land.
Whoosh—
A roar of flames swept past as magical energy gathered in Luofulei’s palms.
Small fire orbs began to circle her hands, burning with intense heat.
The magic continued to build, the bright, sun-like orbs growing larger and larger.
At the perfect moment—
A large fireball shot straight toward Lami’er.
It smashed precisely into his landing point.
BOOM!
A violent explosion shattered the sky, tearing a blazing line across the horizon.
The fireball struck Lami’er the moment his feet touched the ground, blasting him away again.
He tumbled across the freezing ground several times before finally coming to a stop.
A searing, bone-burning pain spread through his entire body.
“Son of a… how can you be this dirty?”
Lami’er wanted to curse, but he couldn’t even open his mouth properly now.
Extreme dehydration had already dried his lips, making speech impossible.
But it wasn’t over.
Barely enduring the fireball, he struggled to rise, his body weak and spasming.
A dagger suddenly appeared from nowhere.
A sharp glint flashed through the air, aiming straight for his body.
From its angle, Lami’er could see it clearly.
The dagger was coated with a deadly poison.
His eyes widened in horror.
Relying on muscle memory honed over years of training, even with his spasming body, he managed to twist slightly at the last moment.
That tiny movement was enough to avoid a fatal blow to the chest.
The dagger stabbed into his shoulder instead.
Pain exploded through him as the poison spread.
“Ugh…”
Although the toxin was low-level and wouldn’t kill him immediately, it would at least cripple his left arm.
Rage began to burn in his heart, his remaining rationality being swallowed by fury.
These bastards…
What kind of game were they playing?
They were even dirtier than him!
Hiding everywhere, stacking all kinds of debuffs on him.
Dizziness, paralysis, poison, dehydration, burning…
He had already lost count of how many effects had been applied to him.
Gritting his teeth, he endured the pain.
Good.
It won’t last long.
I’ll be able to get up soon.
His eyes burned with fury.
He wanted nothing more than to stand immediately and teach them a lesson.
The valley wind howled past, but he felt no cold—only burning heat and sweat pouring down his body.
Then, two figures appeared before him.
Ailundun and Isabella.
“Damn bastards… when I get up, I’ll—”
Then he heard the words he least wanted to hear.
Ailundun turned slightly and said with a light laugh:
“Your Highness, please use the Blessing of Reduced Casting Time on me.”
“Goddess of Light and Blessing, I beseech you… grant Ailundun your blessing: reduce casting time…”
Isabella chanted.
A holy light swept past, forming radiant wings as feathers gently brushed over Ailundun.
With this blessing, combined with the exam amplification, Ailundun’s Crimson Thumb Ring could be used again.
“Sorry… it seems the cooldown is up again.”
Ailundun gave Lami’er an apologetic smile.
“What?!”
Lami’er’s heart filled with terror.
Didn’t he just use it? What do you mean “again”?!
To Lami’er at this moment, this man was nothing short of a demon.
Then Ailundun picked up the Crimson Thumb Ring and used it on him once more.
A deep red light enveloped Lami’er’s body.
He could not resist, only stare in horror as everything unfolded.
After Ailundun finished, a roaring sound tore through the sky.
Another fireball came rushing in from the valley.
Luofulei had finished her chant again.
The fireball melted snow and ice as it flew, echoing through the valley like a flame demon.
It locked precisely onto Lami’er.
Ailundun and Isabella quickly moved aside, leaving only Lami’er lying on the ground, watching helplessly as the fireball approached.
“Your… damn…”
He never managed to finish the curse before it hit.
Yes.
He was completely controlled and couldn’t move at all.
Ailundun and the others continued their control chain.
Then another fireball would arrive to finish the damage.
What broke Lami’er the most was that throughout the entire exam, he hadn’t even seen Luofulei’s face.
Although each attack didn’t deal fatal damage, continuous hits were unbearable.
In this repeating cycle, Ailundun used the Crimson Thumb Ring, Luofulei cast fireballs, Leisha applied poison, Isabella supported spells, and the ring kept coming off cooldown again and again…
He was successfully… tortured to death.
From start to finish, his mentality suffered a crushing blow.
In his final moment, a question arose in his heart:
“Who’s testing who?”