Chapter 95. Summit (1)

The Grace Range emitted more and more intense mana. It was a sign that she was approaching the summit.

The magic sword Sivelin increased its radiance because it absorbed that mana.

The Planteras attacked like angry beasts from all directions.

They looked like wasps at an intruder who had touched the hive.

Each time she swung her sword, she cut down about five Planteras.

Something grabbed Zion’s ankle.

A Plantera, whose lower body was cut off, grabbed Zion’s leg.

She quickly cut off Plantera’s hand.

The further she advanced, the less vegetation there was.

Soon an open sky appeared with no trees to block the view.

Finally, she had reached the summit, where there were large boulders.

The sunlight briefly blinded her.

The first thing she saw when her eyes adjusted to the light was a magic slab.

She heard footsteps as she caught her breath.

When she turned her head there, she saw an unfamiliar man.

Her eyes grew large.

She expected to be alone at the summit, she had a great distance from the other applicants.

But one person stood before her.

Her confidence was shattered.

It was as if he had fallen from the sky.

He had no companions either.

Zion could sense it. This person was like her.

“Who are you?”

When Zion opened her mouth, he turned around.

He had dark red hair, a mask and a wooden sword in one hand.

He had a fierce battle on his way here, because blood ran from his shoulder to his wooden sword end.

“……”

Zion remembered him.

She had met this man at the Philine Blacksmith Shop.

She heard that he had received a letter of recommendation, but no rumors spread about him. So she assumed she was less competent than Victor and Abel.

But her assumption was completely wrong.

She never thought this man would be a surprise rival.

The man’s eyes strangely sparkled. It seemed that he had ingested some potion or was under the effect of magic.

The wooden sword, the mask, the cloak. His appearance was mysterious.

He seemed less capable than Zion, who reached the summit without any wounds.

The man in the mask motioned to Zion for her to pass first. Although he was bleeding, his attitude was calm.

She couldn’t help but smile.

Another candidate would have gone for the magic slab.

Surely, the man noticed.

“You’re cunning.”

She wondered if he had cheated the other applicants to get this far. Even though it looked like he was a con man, he couldn’t have made it this far if he wasn’t competent.

“Unfortunately, I know everything.”

This trick wasn’t working on her.

Zion threw a pebble, which landed halfway down the magic slab.

The earth began to shake.

The ground there began to rise. A house-sized Golem appeared.

There was one final obstacle. It was a test to weed out applicants who had simply been lucky so far.

The Golem had to be destroyed before the magic slab could be activated.

The Golem let out such a loud roar. A blow from the Golem would turn a person into a mass.

Zion drew her magic sword.

“You told me to go first. I’ll listen to you this time.”

As Zion took a few steps forward, the Golem’s gaze focused on her.

The mana began to build up in the artifacts at her feet.

She leapt toward the Golem in an instant, three times faster than an average human.

Immediately, the Golem swung its arm toward Zion.

It was a blow so hard that it felt like the ground would collapse.

She dodged it to the side.

She climbed up to its shoulder as if it were a ladder.

It was over in a flash.

She cut off a third of the Golem’s shoulder.

When she attacked again, its shoulder fell to the ground.

The Golem began to frantically move its other arm.

Every time its arm slammed the ground, stone bits flew all over.