Chapter 167: Let's Give the Guild Master a Break
Chapter 167: Let's Give the Guild Master a Break
Rod asked, "So, what did you contact us for? Want to have a fight?"
"Just Marcus wanted to say hello."
"Oh, well, let's chat a bit longer then," Rod suggested. "Kana and I are pretty bored here."
"Hey, this is an exam, not a camping trip," the voice reminded him.
"Well, we're just killing time until we find the key and the exit," Rod replied nonchalantly. "And while we’re at it, wasting a bit of your magic power through this chat might make things easier if we do end up fighting."
"..." William cut off the connection.
Kana laughed, "You're quite the trickster, but why did you say it out loud?"
"Just messing with him," Rod said. "It's uncomfortable knowing he's eavesdropping the whole time. Is there no way to block his detection?"
"Besides distance, I don't know what can limit telepathy magic," Kana thought for a moment, then added, "But I've heard that if someone's telepathy is stronger, they can 'intrude' and even 'hijack' another's telepathy."
So this thing can be 'hacked' to cause trouble or even take control? The more we talk about it, the more it sounds like internet communication.
About twenty minutes later.
Rod's eyes lit up, and Kana exclaimed, "We found it!"
"How did you know?" Rod had just sensed a Shadow Wolf dispelling itself.
That was the signal for finding the key and successfully passing it on. Though they didn't know the exact location, a wolf or a Sharpbeak would bring it to them soon.
"I mean, I found it," Kana said, running a few steps and jumping onto a ledge in the rock wall, climbing into a cave someone had carved out.
"Here it is!" Kana held up the key for Rod to see, identical to the one the Guild Master had shown them.
"Double good news," Rod said. "Should I take the other one and sell it to William and the others at the finish line?"
Kana, now in a great mood after finding the key, replied, "Sure, I'll help you negotiate the price. You can split the extra money with me for drinks."
Rod's heart skipped a beat, but he quickly shook his head. "Nah, let's just give the Guild Master a break."
Rod dismissed all the monsters he had summoned, except for the River Crab, making the key drop randomly.
Let's see who gets lucky.
The two of them strolled toward the finish line, easily bypassing any obstacles they couldn't avoid.
When they reached the end, they found that one of the three exits was already closed.
"Someone got here faster than us," Rod checked the remaining River Crab's field of vision.
"Misty and Joey haven't found the key yet... but they seem to be about to fight William and his team. So, the first one to arrive must have been Mest."
"Probably thanks to Wang Qiangji. With his arm turned into a Steel Hound, he can also smell scents," Kana said, holding the large key and looking at the closed exit. "I wonder who they'll run into."
"Let's not worry about them for now. Let's focus on restoring our energy," Rod dismissed the River Crab following Misty, then sat down to recover his magic power as quickly as possible.
"Right, good idea," Kana agreed, sitting down as well. She reviewed the training she had done over the past few days, preparing strategies for each potential opponent.
If the first stage went so smoothly, the second should be just as easy, right?
By the time Rod's magic power was fully restored, two more figures emerged from the maze: William and Marcus.
Woliam held a key just like theirs under one arm, while his other arm was draped over Marcus's shoulder.
Both of their faces were bruised, and their bodies were covered in dust.
Rod chuckled, "Ouch, looks like you guys got beaten up pretty badly, huh?"
The two injured men were in high spirits, though. Woliam managed a grin, but it seemed to pull at his wounds, making his lips twitch. "Still, we won!"
"Can you two even participate in the second round like this?" Kana had been influenced a bit by Rod recently.
She occasionally felt that her injuries or lack of magic power would affect her performance, but the symptoms weren't severe. With a bit of thought, she could still make the same judgments as usual.
But with Woliam and Marcus in their current state, no matter how they thought about it, entering the second round didn't seem like a good idea.
Woliam said, "We've come this far, there's no way we're stopping now."
"Right, just a bit more, and we might succeed." Marcus looked at Rod and Kana, "So, don't underestimate us!"
"Indeed, you can't be underestimated." Rod nodded, thinking for a moment. "So, the best plan would be to take you out now, just to be safe."
Woliam was taken aback, "Hey, hey! You already have the key, no need to take advantage of us when we're down, right?"
"Just kidding, just kidding." Rod laughed. "This is just a pre-exam stress relief session. Shall we go?"
"Okay." Kana took a deep breath. She wasn't sure if she could keep going if they failed again this time...
No, they would definitely pass this time.
She held the key and walked to one of the exits, giving Rod a confirming look.
Rod nodded. They had been looking at these two exits for a while, and they seemed identical.
In a situation like this, they could only trust Kana's intuition. She had said she had good luck today, hadn't she?
Kana lifted the key, but hesitated before inserting it into the magic array. She turned and walked to the other exit, inserting the key there instead.
The key merged with the magic array and vanished, causing the exit to ripple like water.
The two of them exchanged a glance, giving each other a nod of encouragement, and walked in side by side.
Woliam and Marcus craned their necks to see, but they couldn't see anything. The exit was quickly sealed by stones rolling down from the sides.
"I wonder who they'll run into."
"Should we use telepathy to ask?"
Woliam shook his head, "No way, if we interfere with the exam, Kana will kill us."
A moment later, Marcus stood up. "Alright, we've rested enough. Let's keep going!"
Woliam nodded, "Right, we can't fall too far behind them."
The two of them entered the final exit, and a hint of scarlet red caught their eyes.
When they saw the armor, their tongues tied in knots, "E-Erza!"
Among the three S-class mages serving as examiners, Erza might not be the strongest, but she was definitely the one they feared the most.
Not because of anything else, just because they had been hit by her too many times.
If they had encountered the other two, they might have rolled up their sleeves and fought, but with Erza, just seeing her made their legs tremble.
Erza smiled at the two of them, "I've been waiting for you. Now, I'll explain the rules.
Then, I want you to fight me with the intention to kill. I'll be at my full strength, and I won't hold back!"
Woliam and Marcus clung to each other, "No way!!!"
(End of Chapter)
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