Tofan was stunned.

More than that, he felt as though he stood in the light while this being lurked within the shadows.

An uncomfortable feeling spread through him as the two clashed repeatedly in the skies. Clouds churned violently while the oceans below flowed backward under the pressure of their world-altering spells.

This Magi seemed to specialize in spatial magic, while Tofan's spells were deeply attuned to gravity.

This opponent might truly become his Waterloo.

Whenever Tofan attacked, he had to remain cautious of his own spells, for space itself could be shifted, redirected, or replaced entirely.

Tofan felt as though he was facing the toughest battle of his life.

Throughout the fight, he was constantly pushed to the edge, while his opponent, Kilo attacked leisurely, as though everything was under control.

Even more terrifying was the fact that Kilo's goal was merely to stop him.

If the goal had been to kill him instead…

Would he already be dead?

---

While Tofan was being held back, chaos erupted back at the academy.

The entire academy had been trapped beneath a massive dome formed from a terrifying Tier 7 spell.

It was one of the pre-cast spells that only required a slight infusion of mana into the talisman to activate.

"This… was planned thoroughly…" the Dean muttered as his fingers brushed against the dome, causing ripples to spread across its surface.

Attacking this type of barrier was useless.

Any attack directed at it would simply rebound unless the attack itself possessed the power of a Tier 7 spell.

But the Dean was only a Tier 5 Magi.

Hell, he could not even break through most Tier 6 spells, let alone a Tier 7 one.

The Dean did not know whether to laugh or cry.

This was simply too much.

Yet perhaps this was also the mysterious attackers' way of displaying their strength.

Regardless, the Dean and the remaining students were trapped inside the academy with absolutely nothing they could do.

---

Back on the island…

Finally, the roots had completely covered the island.

A gigantic layered cage formed from thick roots stretched across the skies while the purple mist slowly retracted.

At the same time, the beasts began roaring wildly.

"Now… let the real trial begin," the red-robed individual deep within the core muttered coldly.

The monsters immediately started moving.

As the mist disappeared, the unconscious students slowly began waking up one after another.

For a moment, none of them understood where they were or what had happened. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Then they saw it.

Roots.

Massive roots thicker than human bodies covered the entire surroundings.

Soon, they realized their wrist devices no longer functioned.

Contact with the academy…

…and the outside world…

…was gone.

"What do we do now?" one of the students asked nervously.

Silence answered her.

The trial that was supposed to place them in the role of predators hunting mana-devouring beasts had suddenly reversed.

Now…

They were the prey.

And just as that thought surfaced in their minds, terrifying growls echoed from every direction.

---

"Veya?" Lilen called out.

After waking up, he had already found the other three teammates.

Only Veya was missing.

"Here," a voice answered suddenly.

Everyone narrowed their eyes as they turned toward the sound.

The roots had completely blocked the sunlight, leaving the entire area dimly lit.

Veya waved toward them.

Lilen and the others hurried over and saw her crouching beside one of the roots with her palm pressed against it.

"It's alive… and it's transmitting energy toward the center," Veya said softly as she closed her eyes, sensing the steady pulse of power flowing through the roots.

"The core?" Lilen asked in shock, his eyes widening.

"Does that mean it's the Tier 3 creature? Did it finally make its move?"

"Maybe," Veya answered as she slowly stood up.

Cold sweat covered her face.

Any Magi could sense the roots and trace the flow of energy toward the island's center.

But the real question was..

Why?

Why had it not attacked them directly?

Why trap them inside dreams first before covering the island with roots?

"Let's attack it," one of the teammates suggested.

Lilen did not stop him.

Crack!

Lightning exploded outward as the student unleashed his spell.

Then

Nothing.

Not even a scratch appeared on the roots.

The lightning simply dissolved into nothingness.

"No… impossible…" the student muttered in disbelief.

He cast more spells desperately, trying different incantations and extending his chanting time to increase the power.

Yet the results remained the same.

The roots remained completely unharmed.

"Enough," Lilen said firmly as he shook his head.

First, they could not escape this gigantic root prison through brute force alone.

They needed to understand why they had been trapped here in the first place before deciding on their next move.

But suddenly..

Grrrkkk…

ROOOARRR!!

Terrifying growls echoed through the darkness.

Everyone instantly clustered together, their eyes darting around nervously.

Tier 1 and Tier 2 beasts emerged from every direction.

Hundreds of them.

Cold chills ran down everyone's spine.

Where had all these beasts been when the trial first began?

And why were they gathering now?

But before they could fully process the situation, something even worse happened.

"Guys… look," Veya said suddenly, pointing toward the roots.

Sharp spikes had begun emerging from them.

If anyone tried leaning against the roots now…

…they would be pierced instantly.

"Everyone, get ready to attack!" Azar instructed, preventing them from overthinking and losing their composure.

Even he could feel his body trembling slightly.

He could not think of any guaranteed way for them to survive this.

After all, fighting these beasts would rapidly drain their mana reserves.

At this rate, they might eventually be overwhelmed and killed by endless waves of attacks.

Azar gulped as a trace of fear appeared in his eyes.

Even his usually confident self wavered at this moment.

It was not a matter of whether they were strong enough.

The real question was....

Could they endure long enough to survive?

And then…

…the monsters attacked.

"Veya, stay in the middle! The rest of you, form a circle around her!"

"Veya, heal us as much as you can and keep buffing us. Once your mana is depleted, focus on recovering it. As for the rest of you, no monster must pass this circle!" Azar commanded as he took a deep breath.

His mana reserves rapidly depleted as he created multiple traps around them that would explode upon contact.

Then he conjured a lightning sword.

The weapon was unstable and remained intact only because Azar continuously supplied it with mana.

"This should be enough…" Azar thought as he charged forward.

He became the first line of defense, intending to stop as many monsters as possible.

And strangely enough, the spikes around them were not entirely disadvantageous.

Dangerous as they were, they could still be used against the beasts.

Bang!

Azar slammed a monster's head into the roots, causing sharp spikes to pierce straight through it.

Slash!

Stab!

Cleave!

Azar moved like a fish through water, every step accompanied by a Tier 1 spell.

Lightning Step.

He moved continuously as his body strained under the pressure of rapidly draining mana.

Boom!

Boom!

BOOM!!

The moment the monsters stepped onto the traps, they were instantly blown apart or severely injured as bodies collapsed one after another.

For a moment, even his teammates stared in shock.

Azar looked like a one-man army.

He alone was stopping the advancing monsters, finally revealing the true extent of his abilities.

But just as relief started appearing on their faces and they thought they could hold out longer

Veya suddenly delivered terrifying news.

"The roots are getting closer! Senior brother, please push forward!" Veya shouted as she cast a powerful buff on Azar.

"What?!"

Azar was stunned.

Was this thing trying to force them toward their deaths?

Azar gritted his teeth tightly before nodding.

Then, with Veya and the others following behind him, he began carving a bloody path straight through the army of monsters.