Chapter 85

The once bare mountains now erupted with cold air, freezing the entire peak into a world of ice and snow.

The Armoured Man knelt in the snowy expanse, clutching a dim earring in his hand.

His left shoulder was severely injured, and his strength was nearly depleted, leaving him barely able to move.

His consciousness urged him to succumb to sleep, but he knew he couldn’t afford to lose consciousness yet.

With trembling hands, he pulled out the token and saw the score on it change from 55 to 400.

Winnie let out a sigh of relief, his body going limp as he collapsed to the ground, shaking uncontrollably, almost falling over completely.

This was his final trump card, the second enchantment skill attached to [Frost Fang], known as [Roar of the Frozen Earth]

Winnie had anticipated that the power of [Roar of the Frozen Earth] would be impressive, but he hadn’t expected it to be so terrifying.

Although the ice dragon he summoned was still in its embryonic form, even when released by him, a beginner apprentice, it froze the world around him.

Such power was truly awe-inspiring.

Bryan hadn’t even had time to react before he was lifted into the air by [Roar of the Frozen Earth] and killed instantly.

Was this the value of an Upper-tier Magic Tool?

He had won.

The power of [Roar of the Frozen Earth] had indeed turned the tide of a battle where the odds were heavily stacked against him.

This was the first time he had used his ultimate move, [Roar of the Frozen Earth], and he hadn’t been entirely sure of its power.

If it had fallen short, he would have lost his greatest asset, [Frost Fang]. That uncertainty had kept him hesitating until he was forced into a desperate situation and finally made up his mind.

And the [Frost Fang] did not disappoint him.

After perfectly demonstrating its potential, it had instantly killed a swordsmanship genius who was one level above him.

It could be said that the enormous gap between him and Bryan had been completely bridged, or even surpassed, by the [Frost Fang].

As he stared at the dim earring in his hand, Winnie couldn’t help but feel that his role in this duel had been minimal.

His only contribution had been to activate the [Frost Fang].

After placing the earring into his bag, he drew his scimitar and struggled to stand, leaning heavily on the ground for support.

The surroundings were frozen solid, yet he miraculously didn’t feel the sudden drop in temperature.

Perhaps it was because the ice had been unleashed by his own hand, granting him an affinity with it that spared him from the cold.

…That should have been the case, so why did he still feel a chill creeping up his neck?

Winnie’s instincts kicked in, and just as he turned around, a dagger was pressed against his throat. At such close range, there was no way to evade.

“Hey, Winnie. I didn’t expect you, of all people, to survive this long, and even take out that Bryan.”

“Forget it, it doesn’t matter. Both of you will become stepping stones for my promotion!” The sharp-nosed, monkey-faced young man swung his knife at Winnie’s neck.

Logically, Winnie should have been eliminated with that strike, but because he had been cautious enough to keep the [Armour Fortress] active, the blow only forced him back a few steps due to his lack of physical strength.

The young man then kicked him, sending him tumbling to the ground.

“The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it. Wow, in this game, mantises and cicadas are running all over the place,” the young man laughed, his face brimming with joy as if he were the sixth one reaping nature’s gifts.

“You’re such a lucky bastard, managing to eliminate Bryan by accident. But you’ve used up all your strength and mana now, haven’t you?”

Winnie struggled to stand, dropping to one knee as he glared at the familiar skinny young man before him. Coldly, he asked, “Malric, what are you planning?”

“What? Of course, I’m going to send you, an unwelcome bastard mad dog, back home,” Malric sneered.

“……What do you mean?”

“What do I mean? Ha, you don’t actually think I was willing to be your lackey and genuinely wanted to cooperate with you, do you? Bah! How could someone like you, a fake descendant of a goddess with no parents, ever be worthy of that!”

“You betrayed me?” Winnie’s gaze was icy.

“Betray you? What’s wrong with that? Winnie, don’t be so self-absorbed. If you weren’t still useful to me, I would’ve spat in your face the moment I saw you!”

“It’s always been like this. If you weren’t worth selling out, why would I bother with a bastard like you?”

“So, all the advice you gave me before was just part of your scheme?”

“Hey, you don’t actually think you have followers, do you? Haha, why don’t you take a look in the mirror and see what you really are!”

“How dare you come to take the entrance exam for Carillian? A piece of rat shit spoils the whole pot of soup. Don’t you know how many people are trying to stop you, the rat shit, from being thrown into the pot?”

“However, you were born with talent. Even a deceitful bastard like you, who thrives on lies and wicked deeds, has a purpose. And that purpose is to serve as my stepping stone into high society and Carillian Academy.”

Malric tossed the knife into the air with practiced ease, like a juggler at play.

“Is this all you’ve done? How pathetic.” Winnie tucked the map dropped by Bryan into his backpack and stood up.

“Bah, you’re still stubborn even when you’re about to die. What do you know?”

“Compared to you, a dandy boy with nothing but family background, I’m clearly more talented and capable. Yet, because of my background, my potential is limited, and everyone ignores and looks down on me!” Malric spat, his voice filled with indignation.

“What do you know, you frivolous mad dog? You were born with everything I could never have in my life, and yet you, a loser, wasted it all.”

“Me? Everything?” Winnie frowned. “What do I have that you don’t? An extra nose or an extra mouth?”

“Bah, there’s no point in talking anymore. Give me your life, bastard!” With that, Malric lunged at Winnie.

His movements were bizarre. He held two daggers and moved on all fours, like a wild beast pouncing on its prey.

Winnie knew this was the fighting style brought by the soul armament Malric had chosen.

Malric’s soul armament was a two-star soul armament called [Hound], and he seemed to have an unusually high compatibility with it.

This was evident in his ability to use [Hound]-related skill freely and with extraordinary power, making his combat prowess far surpass that of others with two-star soul armaments.

Seeing this, Winnie raised his extra sword that he had brought to block Malric’s twin daggers.

However, having just emerged from a grueling battle, Winnie was utterly exhausted.

In just one clash, he was knocked back several steps and stumbled to the ground.

Malric approached Winnie with a sneer. He didn’t seem to be in a hurry to eliminate Winnie, perhaps because, as a two-star soul armament, [Hound] lacked anycasting abilities.

But even without mage abilities, it was more than enough to deal with Winnie in his current state.

If he couldn’t break through the turtle shell, he’d just hit it a few more times.

After dozens of strikes, he would eventually wear down the already severely injured Winnie.

“Hehehe, what’s the matter, Winnie? Why aren’t you talking tough anymore?” Malric laughed, his voice dripping with malice.

It seemed that at this moment, all the resentment he had harbored toward Winnie was finally being unleashed.

“Malric, I really want to know, have I ever bullied you?” Winnie asked after a moment of silence.

“Bah, bully me? You, a fake descendant of a goddess, think you’re worthy of that?” Malric retorted with disdain.

“Then why do you hate me so much?” Winnie asked calmly.

“I’m not the one who excluded you, nor the one who looked down on you. In fact, I’m the one who accepted you. Why don’t you hate the others, but only me?”

“Accept? Who wants your acceptance? Who cares about your acceptance?” Malric spat.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Winnie. People climb higher, and water flows lower. Who wants to be friends with someone like you? There’s nothing to gain from being your friend except humiliation.”

“Even so, shouldn’t you be thanking me? Without me, the ones pulling the strings behind you would never have noticed you.”

“In other words, without my involvement, you wouldn’t even be qualified to act as their white glove.”

Winnie emphasized each word. “It’s only because of me that they see any value in you at all.”

“You bastard!…” Winnie’s words completely shattered what little self-esteem Malric had left.

Even his value was given by Winnie? Who could accept such words!?

“Winnie, although I can’t kill you in this dungeon, I can still make you suffer a little.” Malric laughed angrily.

As he spoke, he crossed his two daggers together.

A venomous snake’s fang materialized in the air, dripping venom onto the blades and soaking them.

[Surgery: Snake Venom]

“Hand over your points, Winnie!” Malric shouted, bringing his twin daggers down in a vicious slash toward Winnie.

Winnie couldn’t dodge in time and could only brace himself for the blows.

The corrosive venom ate away at the [Armour Fortress], and the once shimmering silver barrier was now tainted with a dark hue, emitting wisps of corrosive white smoke.

Winnie’s expression turned grave. The compatibility between Malric and the [Hound] was even higher than he had thought.

The snake venom was powerful enough to corrode the [Armour Fortress].

If his physical body had taken those strikes, the consequences would have been disastrous.

Winnie knew he couldn’t fight Malric head-on. He had no choice but to retreat.

“You can’t get away, Winnie!” Malric grinned, pouncing on him at full speed.

Winnie rolled to the side, barely avoiding Malric’s attack.

The armor on his chest had already been corroded and festered by Malric’s snake venom. If the venom continued to eat away at it, his skin would be in danger.

I have to find a way to escape…

But how can I get away?

The mana of [Frost Fang] was exhausted.

He had also used up a significant amount of his own mana in the previous duel with Bryan, releasing several ice locks, and his physical strength was nearly depleted as well.

So how could I win now? Should I count on [Armour Fortress] to tire out Malric?

It seemed he had been pushed into a desperate situation.

Helpless, Winnie glanced behind Malric, where the thickest frost and snow from the previous [Roar of the Frozen Earth] had formed a sharp icicle nearly ten meters long.

Winnie’s eyes lit up as an idea struck him.

He checked his remaining mana and found it was just enough to use the Frost Lock one more time.

“Oh, just a dying struggle,” Malric sneered, continuing his relentless assault.

Winnie tried to roll away again to avoid the attack, but Malric anticipated his move and slashed at his injured left shoulder.

This strike was infused with Malric’s mana, and the force was tremendous.

Winnie gasped in pain, knowing his wound had likely reopened.

He rolled again, but Malric pursued him without pause, not giving Winnie any room to breathe, hacking at him as he scrambled on the ground.

Malric seemed to realize that the armor on Winnie’s shoulders was the weakest point, so he focused his attacks there, chasing Winnie and slashing repeatedly.

“Hahahaha!” Malric laughed heartily.

“Are you a gopher? How pathetic!”

Winnie gritted his teeth, enduring several stabs as blood dripped from his shoulders.

When Malric pounced again, Winnie saw his chance and released [Frost Lock] toward the massive icicle.

Malric, thinking Winnie was targeting him, immediately dodged.

But the lock hooked onto the tip of the icicle. Winnie quickly retracted the lock, and his body was yanked toward the icicle.

“What!?” Malric’s eyes widened in shock. He hadn’t expected Winnie to have an escape route.

Winnie slid down the icicle, using the ice lock to bypass the gravel wall and quickly descend the mountain.

“Hehe, hehe… I underestimated you. But you can’t escape. Don’t forget what my soul armament is called,” Malric laughed coldly. He crouched low to the ground, his bloodshot eyes wide open, ready to pursue.

This is the ability of the [Hound] soul armament, [Tracing].

A trace of Winnie’s scent lingered in the air.

Malric dropped to all fours and followed the trail like a hound.

After descending the mountain, Winnie quickly removed the [Armour Fortress] and entered a dense forest.

He knew he wouldn’t be able to run far in his current state.

He was seriously injured, bleeding, and exhausted. Malric’s [Hound] was specifically designed for pursuit. It was not only fast but also capable of automatically searching for the traces of specific enemies.

Once it remembers your scent, you can never escape.

“Huff…” Winnie leaned against a large rock, panting heavily.

There should only be a day and a half left until the end of the competition.

Just as Winnie was about to move, he suddenly heard a series of hurried footsteps behind him, as if a wild beast on all fours was chasing him, drawn by the smell of blood.

Not only that, but footsteps were also approaching from the front.

There were people everywhere.

Winnie let out a few hollow laughs, though their meaning was unclear.

If he were just Winnie, he would have reached a dead end by now.

But it was a pity, he was not.

Well, though it was earlier than planned, the timing was close enough to be acceptable.

He pushed himself up, shook off his backpack, adjusted his breathing, and clasped his hands in a praying position.

The next moment, six pure and flawless wings descended behind him, as if bestowed by the mercy of a goddess, and merged seamlessly with him.

“Sniff sniff… huh?” Malric frowned as he chased into the jungle.

No, something was wrong. What was going on?

Why had that guy’s scent suddenly disappeared?

Malric couldn’t believe it and checked again and again to see if there was something wrong with his sense of smell.

But his sense of smell had never failed him since he absorbed the soul armament.

The facts proved it true. There was no issue with his sense of smell.

Winnie’s scent had simply vanished into thin air, leaving no trace.

What did that mean? Could it be that his points had been snatched by someone else?

Malric was furious, scratching at the mud frantically to vent his anger.

No, he couldn’t jump to conclusions like that. He had to see for himself whether Winnie had used some trick to conceal his scent.

Passing through the dense forest, he arrived at a large rock where Winnie’s scent had disappeared and where his blood still dripped onto the ground.

There was no doubt about it, Winnie must have been here just moments ago!

Moreover, there were no signs of a fight in the area.

Even if a fight had occurred, he would have heard it!

It was clear, that brat Winnie must have used some kind of trick to hide himself!

Just as Malric was thinking this, his sharp senses detected danger, and he quickly dodged to the side.

“BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!!”

A heavy mace fell from the sky like a silver comet, smashing into the ground and leaving a massive crater.

The shockwave sent Malric tumbling backward.

Before he could regain his footing, a pair of white high-heeled boots stomped hard on his face, sending him sprawling.

“Damn it! Who’s there?!” Malric scrambled to his feet, panic in his voice, and looked around.

A dazzling cherry blossom-haired girl stood where he had been moments before.

She rose slowly, resting the silver mace on her shoulder, and gazed at him with a serene smile, saying nothing.

“Excuse me,” the girl said softly. She held the mace in one hand, lifted the hem of her skirt with the other, and gracefully performed a standard aristocratic lady’s curtsy, her movements elegant and poised.