Arcane Academy: The Divine Extraction Legacy

Chapter 1288: The True Sorcery

The pressure continued to increase as the five minutes slowly passed.

At first, the stronger applicants managed to remain relatively composed, relying on their physical strength and years of experience to endure Ruth’s Rune Arts. However, as the pressure became heavier, even some of the most confident adventurers began to struggle.

Roderick was among those still standing.

The scarred Gold-Rank adventurer had one knee slightly bent, his muscles were tense as he fought against the invisible pressure weighing down his body. Soon, sweat ran down his face, but he refused to fall.

Bon watched him carefully.

‘As expected.’

Roderick’s physical strength had always been exceptional, and apparently, his years of experience had only made him tougher.

Not far away, Mariel was also standing firmly.

The woman gripped her massive battle-axe with one hand while using it as support. Her expression was strained, but there was still a stubborn smile on her face.

“Hah… So this is the Dawnblades’ examination?” She laughed despite the pressure.

“I’ve endured worse.”

Bon couldn’t help but shake his head.

Even now, she was still as reckless as he remembered.

Then his attention shifted toward another figure.

Kane…

Unlike the others, the Platinum-Rank adventurer was standing almost perfectly straight.

There was barely any change in his expression.

His black spear remained firmly planted beside him as he calmly endured Ruth’s Rune Arts, seemingly more interested in understanding the strange power surrounding him than resisting it.

Bon couldn’t help but feel impressed.

‘As expected of a Platinum-Rank adventurer.’

Kane had clearly noticed something unusual about the Rune Arts…

He wasn’t merely enduring the pressure, he was studying it.

Seeing this, Bon suddenly became even more cautious…

‘He might be trying to understand how it works.’

If someone like Kane was genuinely interested in the Dawnblades, then the organization had attracted far more talent than the Order of the Sky Sword had anticipated.

Then, finally, the five minutes ended.

The moment Ruth lowered her hand, the invisible pressure vanished.

Hundreds of applicants collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath.

Those who remained standing slowly looked around.

Bon’s expression changed.

Only around one hundred and eighty people were still standing.

Out of thousands of applicants, the vast majority had failed.

“What?!”

“Only one hundred and eighty?”

“This isn’t fair!”

Several adventurers immediately began protesting.

“I’ve been a Gold-Rank adventurer for twelve years! How can I fail an examination like this?”

“You didn’t even test our combat ability!”

“Give us another chance!”

The complaints quickly spread throughout the field.

Roderick frowned but remained silent.

Mariel simply rested her battle-axe against her shoulder.

Kane, meanwhile, looked toward Ruth with renewed interest.

He seemed completely unconcerned about whether the others accepted the result.

Nonetheless, Cielo eventually stepped forward.

“Did we ever say that the first examination would test your combat ability?”

The complaints gradually quieted as he looked across the exhausted applicants.

“The Dawnblades do not need people who are only strong. We need people who can endure pressure, maintain their composure, and continue moving forward when things become difficult.”

His gaze briefly swept over the surviving applicants.

“Those who fell today may be strong adventurers, but that does not mean they are suitable for our organization. You can try again next time…”

Just like that, the place was cleared as the people left.

After this matter was settled, Cielo soon smiled.

“Congratulations to the one hundred and eighty who passed.”

The surviving applicants exchanged glances, some looking relieved while others remained tense.

“But don’t celebrate yet. The second examination will begin now.”

His gaze then swept across the remaining applicants.

“I will test your minds.”

Cielo’s words immediately made the remaining applicants nervous.

One of the adventurers finally raised his hand.

“How exactly are you going to test our minds?”

Cielo smiled calmly.

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

He then closed his eyes and stood completely still.

At first, nothing seemed to happen. However, Bon soon noticed that something had changed about Cielo’s presence. There was no sudden explosion of power or visible surge of energy, yet the atmosphere around him gradually became different, as though his consciousness was expanding beyond the limits of his physical body.

Bon’s expression became serious.

He had heard about sorceries that attacked the mind before, although they were extremely rare and poorly understood within the eastern kingdoms. The Order of the Sky Sword possessed a few techniques that allowed knights to resist mental interference, and every knight was taught to maintain control over their thoughts during combat. However, what Cielo was doing seemed to be on an entirely different level.

The invisible force eventually reached the applicants.

Bon’s vision suddenly blurred and the examination field disappeared.

The hundreds of adventurers surrounding him were gone, and even the Dawnblades standing on the distant platform had vanished. Before Bon could react, the environment around him had completely changed.

He was standing in the middle of a dark forest.

Bon immediately reached for his weapon and carefully examined his surroundings. The trees appeared real, the ground beneath his feet felt solid, and even the cold wind brushing against his face seemed completely natural.

Then, a scream suddenly echoed through the forest.

“Help!”

Bon’s expression changed.

He recognized that voice.

“Commander Arthur?”

He immediately turned toward the sound and rushed between the trees.

A battlefield soon appeared before him.

Several knights wearing the armor of the Order of the Sky Sword were surrounded by monstrous creatures. Their weapons were broken, blood covered their armor, and several of them were already lying motionless on the ground.

One of the knights suddenly collapsed.

“Commander!”

Bon instinctively moved forward, but after taking several steps, he stopped.

Something was wrong.

He looked around the battlefield carefully, trying to understand why he had suddenly appeared here.

He had been ordered to infiltrate the Dawnblades, and he knew that Commander Arthur was nowhere near Atrium City. There was no reason for him to suddenly appear in this forest, especially when Bon had been standing in the middle of an examination only moments ago.

Another knight suddenly shouted.

“Bon! Help us!”

His fingers tightened around his weapon.

For a moment, Bon struggled against the instinct to rush forward. Everything in front of him looked real, and the cries of the knights sounded exactly as they should. Even the blood and the smell of the battlefield seemed convincing.

However, Bon slowly closed his eyes.

‘This isn’t real.’

The moment he accepted that conclusion, the battlefield began to distort.

The trees twisted unnaturally, the knights disappeared one after another, and the screams gradually faded until there was nothing left…

Bon opened his eyes.

He was back in the examination field.

His body was covered in sweat…

‘This is true Sorcery… I must report this immediately. The kingdom has to be prepared against these people…’