Chapter 75

“Students who possess enchanted weapons and items must report to Instructor Batts. During the inspection, all enchanted items except these two must be removed before entering the Dungeon. Please abide by the rules.”

“Many of you may become freshmen of our academy in the future. Before you enter, I will first teach you a lesson: to abide by the academy rules and mottos. This is the only red line that our academy cannot cross. Do you understand?”

Everyone answered in unison that they understood, but although they had listened, it was unclear how many had truly taken it to heart.

Many students went to Instructor Batts to report their enchanted items.

Most of them were aristocratic students. How could ordinary students afford enchanted items?

The price of even a low-level enchanted item was far beyond the reach of these poorer students.

This could be considered a privilege for aristocratic students, much like the cultural written test.

Although it was said that everyone could participate, in reality, it was exclusive to aristocratic students.

The civilian students and minor noble students stood where they were, eagerly watching the young masters and ladies of the noble families who took out all kinds of enchanted weapons to report.

Winnie should have been in this group as well, with the only difference being that the last time he went out, he met a kind-hearted man who generously gave him his life and two enchanted weapons.

Upper-tier magic tools are quite prestigious among all enchanted items and can be used for a lifetime.

Winnie glanced at the scene and noticed that there was no sign of Aesphyra.

He thought that she must be at the entrance of another kingdom branch.

Otherwise, if she were here, there would be another wave of pretentious displays.

However, after her rebirth, Aesphyra should be more low-key and probably wouldn’t reveal her soul armament and weapons so early.

Seeing Winnie appear in the reporting queue, everyone else was surprised, and then felt disdainful.

Times have changed; enchanted items are now so common that even someone like Winnie has them.

“Hello, Mr. Instructor, these are the two enchanted weapons I want to register,” Winnie said when it was his turn.

He took off his ice crystal earrings and ring and placed them flat in front of the instructor.

“Okay, leave them there,” Instructor Batts replied.

He took out a magic lens for observation and, after simply recording the elemental properties of the enchanted items, returned them to Winnie.

He would not ask Winnie to demonstrate the uses of these two enchanted items.

These were the students’ trump cards. As a tutor in the academy, he would not be so foolish.

When Winnie put the two enchanted items back on, other students also observed them.

A ring and an earring?

What kind of enchanted items are these? They lookuseless except for their good appearance.

The other nobles around looked at Winnie with even more contempt.

He managed to get by with the cultural written test to make his presence felt, and now he’s also getting by with the enchanted items being reported for inspection, right?

After this, he’ll probably just muddle along in the Dungeon and then get eliminated.

Moreover, he’s so grown up, yet he wears these kinds of enchanted accessories just to make up thenumbers.

Only little girls play with such things.

A grown man wearing rings and earrings, wow, so feminine.

A real man should use an enchanted sword.

“As the assessment continues, the available area for activity will gradually shrink. If you manage to advance all the way to the final stage and endure until the very end, your token will activate at the last moment, instantly teleporting you to the grand square of Carillian Academy.

There, you will be greeted by the entire faculty and student body, and awaiting you will be the official admission certificate of Carillian Academy.

Now, we will distribute tokens and map fragments to each of you. Keep them secure at all times.

The token bearing your name is essential, it not only tracks your score but also ensures your safety within the Dungeon. Should you suffer a fatal attack, the token will activate, blocking the deadly strike and immediately teleporting you out of danger.”

“If you encounter trouble in the Dungeon, especially trouble that concerns your life, do not hesitate, crush the token. Remember, as long as you have the green mountains, you will have no worries about firewood.”

“On behalf of Carillian Academy, I would like to extend a warm welcome to all motivated candidates.”

After saying that, the instructor waved his hand, and each student received a token and a small, incomplete map.

Winnie looked at the map and token in his hand thoughtfully.

The token was made of some kind of jade. It was indeed as Malric had said, an incomplete map would be distributed to each student at the beginning.

If they wanted to piece together a complete map, they had to take it from others.

Winnie turned the map over and saw a number “5” written on the back.

This should indicate that he had map number five.

The entrance examination of Carillian Academy is designed to prevent chaos in the world.

The rules are structured to encourage students to engage in a melee, making it clear that only by defeating more opponents can they gain a greater advantage.

Imagine if you only killed wild monsters.

Even if you killed them quickly and earned a goodscore, by the time you reached the final area, how would you fight against people who had a complete map while you only had an incomplete one?

You might not be interested in others’ scores, but others are certainly interested in yours.

This is not a game you can choose to opt out of. If you want to survive to the end, you can’t avoid fighting with other candidates.

Carriman Academy trains its students in this way, much like an eagle throwing its cubs off a cliff one by one to teach them to fly.

What are eliminated are failed and defective products, and what remain are high-quality ones.

It was also at this moment that Winnie noticed something off about the eyes of the candidates around him.

They looked at each other with a hint of vigilance and alertness.

They might call each other brothers or sisters, or agree before the test that people from the same kingdom would not fight each other.

But once inside the Dungeon, the binding force of these verbal agreements is very weak.

Who can guarantee that they won’t attack each other in the end, for promotion, for their family, for their own future, or even stab each other in the back to steal points?

After all, they have the tokens, so no one will be killed. If they are eliminated, it’s just because they aren’t capable enough.

They can’t blame others.

They all understand that they must always be on guard against others. It’s better to be cautious.

Winnie noticed that many candidates had secretly activated their Soul Armaments in advance, fearing they might be ambushed the moment they entered the Dungeon.

While the ambush might come from candidates of other kingdoms, the specifics didn’t matter much.

Winnie recalled the records of this examination from the original work.

Why did he feel his chances of catching up with the entrance examination of Carriman were slim?

Because this time, all the talented individuals had gathered together.

Almost all the heroines from the original work had participated in this competition, except for Mirexia, who had already enrolled, and the future Demon Queen Julianna, who was far away and ineligible to participate.

Basically, everyone who could come had come.

If you accidentally hit one of them, you’d be in trouble for eight lifetimes.

If you hit the protagonist, Aesphyra, you’d be in trouble for nine lifetimes.

Judging from his experience dealing with Julianna, each of these Heroines of Destiny was a tough opponent.

Each one was more legitimate and formidable than the last. A genius who appears once in a century?

They were just stepping stones for these heroines to rise to prominence.

However, after a quick glance, Winnie didn’t spot any of the heroines of Destiny. Even Aesphyra, who was a candidate from the same kingdom as him, was at the entrance of another kingdom branch.

This was good news.

The map of the Dungeon was vast, but there were too many candidates taking the test.

Winnie had to be prepared to fight as soon as he entered.

He tightened his bag. Since he would be staying in the Dungeon for several days, his backpack contained not only Vanessa’s special weapon but also plenty of water, bread, and other necessities.

After reporting his enchanted items, Winnie returned to the queue and looked at the platform.

“Before opening the dungeon, let me reiterate that no matter what happens, life comes first. Do not act rashly out of youthful impulsiveness,” the white-bearded instructor declared.

He twirled his beard, leaned his staff on the ground, and held the key to the Dungeon in his hand.

As he chanted a spell, the space around them began to fluctuate and tremble.

The colorless space vortex expanded like a surging tsunami, rapidly shifting from static to dynamic.

It sucked all tiny objects into the air, resembling a wormhole in space and time.

The candidates held their breath as they watched. Whether commoners or nobles, none had ever witnessed such a magical scene.

Though they knew there was no danger, they were still frightened and hesitated to move forward.

Winnie glanced at the hesitant candidates around him and knew this was a pure waste of time.

Those who entered the Dungeon first would undoubtedly have more advantages than those who entered later.

Just as he was about to step in, a voice called out to him.

“Hey, Lord Winnie, I finally found you. Why are you standing so far out front?”

“Oh? What a coincidence, you’re also at this branch entrance?” Winnie glanced at Malric, who had approached him, and couldn’t help but smile.

“Yes, yes, we’re truly fated to meet. You always appear when I need you the most.” For some reason, when Malric saw Winnie’s smile, he always felt there was something malicious behind it, making him uneasy.

“Did I come at the wrong time?”

“No, Malric, you’ve come at the perfect time,” Winnie replied, his smile widening.

“Ah? What? What do you mean I came at the right time?” Malric looked confused.

“Malric, have you ever thought about becoming famous and being a hero that everyone admires?” Winnie asked.

“Of course I’ve thought about it, but why do you suddenly ask this question?” Malric felt a twinge of fear.

“Because now is your chance to become famous,” Winnie said, patting Malric on the shoulder.

“I can’t bear to keep this opportunity to myself, so I’ll give it to you!”

“No, Lord Winnie, what do you mean?” Malric suddenly had a bad feeling.

“No more talking, Malric. Brothers, I’ll let you take the lead. Go in and explore the way first. We’ll see you in the Dungeon.”

“Eh!? Wait, what are you going to do—” Before Malric could finish his sentence, Winnie secretly kicked him, sending the confused Malric tumbling into the Dungeon.

“Ahhhhh!!!” Malric let out a shrill scream, but before he could finish, he was sucked into the Dungeon without a sound.

Once inside, there was no reaction at all.

“Malric has stepped forward and is truly brave and fearless! Are you okay in there? If you’re okay, please say something.” When no one knew the situation clearly, Winnie shouted toward the entrance to the Dungeon.

There was no response. It seemed that those inside couldn’t hear what was being said outside.

Winnie glanced at the crowd behind him.

Seeing someone so brave, many candidates were already eager to move.

They also realized that hesitating here was pointless and would only allow others to take the lead.

So Winnie didn’t hesitate any longer and jumped into the Dungeon right after Malric.

He didn’t know what happened afterward. He only saw a white light in his vision and couldn’t see anything else.

He felt dizzy, and then the solid ground beneath his feet steadied him.

As his vision cleared, the double images of things gradually overlapped and took shape.

The sound of cicadas filled his ears. Winnie shielded his eyes from the dazzling sun in the sky.

He didn’t know where he was or if he was still on the continent of Terraria.

The sunlight filtered through the gaps between the leaves, casting dappled spots on the ground.

Knowing he had arrived in the Dungeon, Winnie touched his pocket to make sure the token was still on him and that none of his belongings were lost.

It had finally begun.

“Malric, are you there? If you are, please respond,” Winnie called out a few times, but there was no reply from Malric.

If that guy were really nearby, it would be impossible for him not to respond.

It seemed that the entrance to the Dungeon was randomly teleported, and there was no guarantee of being close to a branch entrance.

Even people from the same kingdom would be deliberately teleported farther apart to prevent them from forming teams.

This was a good thing for Winnie. If others met a compatriot, they were likely to encounter old acquaintances.

But if he met a compatriot, it was more likely to be an old enemy.

Hanging the machete at his waist, Winnie walked through the woods with his backpack, listening carefully for any footsteps around him.

“Rustle, rustle…”

The bushes behind him shook. Winnie turned around abruptly, and a black rabbit emerged from them.

This rabbit was twice the size of an average one, with black keratin growing along the edges of its ears.

It was a magic rabbit, an omnivore that ate almost anything and wasn’t picky, much like a pig.

However, this creature wasn’t very aggressive.

It would only defend itself passively and rarely attacked humans.

But just because it didn’t attack Winnie didn’t mean Winnie wouldn’t attack it.

In Winnie’s eyes, these were walking points, and there was no reason to let them go.

Winnie took off the earring from his earlobe, and a long ice crystal spear, glowing with a cold light, twirled a few times in his hand.

The long blue tassel swayed in the wind.

The rabbit sensed danger, jumped on the spot, and immediately tried to dart into the grass to escape.

“Where do you think you’re running?” Winnie hurled the [Frostfang].

It’s better for the enemy to catch the spear than for it to miss.

Seeing this, the rabbit panicked and tried to leap away quickly, but the tip of the spear pierced its ear mid-jump, pinning it to the ground. It struggled endlessly.

But how sharp was the [Frostfang]? The more it struggled, the more it bled.

Winnie drew his sword, seized the opportunity, and rushed over, stabbing the rabbit several times.

He had never learned any systematic sword skills.

This sword technique consisted of nothing but wild, unrestrained swings. It lacked any real skill, relying solely on raw emotion.

He didn’t stop until the rabbit was completely motionless, finally setting down the bloodied sword.

After killing the magic rabbit, he noticed two more points added to the scoreboard on his token.