Becoming a God Starts with Acting-Chapter 344: A Life-and-Death Challenge!

"Silvanus, the principal wants to see you in his office."

After the first class ended, Walther privately told Silvanus this.

Matthew, who was about to stand and follow Silvanus, could only stay behind.

Silvanus, slightly puzzled, walked into the office.

The principal of Lumina was an elderly man. Mages had a tendency to keep long beards, and the principal was no exception. His hair was also thick and wavy, flowing freely, topped with a pointed hat. He wore a large robe adorned with shimmering patterns of light and sun motifs. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

His kind gaze fell on Silvanus, and he nodded as he said, "Silvanus, my outstanding student, please sit."

Silvanus nodded and took a seat opposite the principal.

The principal pushed a cup of tea toward Silvanus.

Silvanus watched the curling steam and couldn’t help but recall the crying figure of the Merfolk. If the trees he had destroyed were truly the Merfolk’s tea trees, and if the imprisonment was real, then perhaps punishment would be inevitable.

At that moment, the principal’s gentle voice suddenly spoke: "Silvanus, do you remember the creature that attacked you that day?"

Silvanus nodded seriously. "I remember."

He looked at the principal, waiting for him to continue.

"That was a Kirin," the principal said, "a creature only found in legends. Very few have ever seen it with their own eyes."

Silvanus couldn’t help but feel a quiet astonishment. The principal continued, "But in reality, Kirin do exist. They dwell in the deep ocean, in the territory of the Merfolk. They are ancient, revered creatures, and their domain is a fortress that can never be breached."

Silvanus, astonished, nodded repeatedly.

Then the principal got to the point: "So, that day, where exactly did the Kirin take you?"

Silvanus paused for a moment, then softly described the area isolated from the outside world. He explained that the ice forest had attacked him automatically, hiding the existence of Nerio and the Kirin with the red horns.

The principal listened, his expression thoughtful. Silvanus seized the opportunity to ask, "Principal, you know where that place is? It’s hazardous... that day I almost died there!"

The principal looked at Silvanus’s worried and slightly impatient expression and silently thought that, after all, he was still just a child.

He spoke slowly, "Based on your description, that place is likely the forbidden land of the Merfolk. According to legend, it is where crimes are imprisoned—crimes that could bring ruin to the Merfolk."

"Crimes..." Silvanus muttered.

The principal smiled and said, "That’s just a legend. Crimes have no form, no specific appearance. Every race likes to create imaginary enemies, a legend in which their own people always triumph, reinforcing their status. Don’t worry about it too much."

Silvanus felt the principal’s words were profound to the point of being hard to grasp, but he thought the idea of a formless crime sounded pretty cool, even if he didn’t fully understand it.

The principal looked at Silvanus’s expression and couldn’t help but smile a little, raising one hand to gently stroke his hair.

"Even your hair seems to say that you belong to the light. Silvanus, don’t pay too much attention to it."

Silvanus nodded. After bidding farewell to the principal, he walked out.

The principal watched the door slam shut before him and let out a quiet sigh, flipping through pages according to his thoughts.

He looked at the faint lines on the paper, his eyes deep and unfathomable, his voice so soft that only he could hear it: "This time... is it correct..."

As Silvanus walked, he glanced at the murals on the walls. The path leading to the principal’s office was decorated with magnificent murals, and after looking for a while, Silvanus could guess the story behind them. It was the history of the formation of the Land of Light.

Finally, his gaze came to rest on a bronze statue: a young man holding a staff, stepping forward, with a floating book in front of him, its cover adorned with a large eye.

The 23rd principal of Lumina, Alden Vermillion.

"Huh?!"

Silvanus’s mind sharpened for a moment. He stared at the statue and then remembered the principal’s current appearance—it was a world of difference. Time had truly been cruel.

Then he looked at the inscription beneath the principal’s name:

Hero of the continent...

Good heavens, how strong must he have been in his youth?

Strong enough to have a statue, strong enough to be called a hero. Yet, looking at him was now completely different...

Silvanus thought to himself and didn’t linger long. By now, lunch had long passed, and he was starting to feel a bit hungry.

But Silvanus knew he couldn’t have a peaceful meal.

Ariana came dashing, finally stopping in front of him, panting heavily, almost out of breath.

Silvanus couldn’t help but steady her, frowning slightly as he asked, "What’s wrong?"

Ariana took a deep breath and quickly shouted, "Matthew has been taken to Crucible Hall, Silvanus! He’s been forced to fight!"

Silvanus didn’t know where Crucible Hall was, but from Ariana’s tone, it was certainly not a good place.

He looked at her, his voice calm but firm: "Show me the way."

Crucible Hall was a large domed arena with a central battleground and tiered seating rising above it for spectators.

The fight would take place at the lowest level, and once someone accepted a match, it meant admitting that they might live... or die.

So if someone just wanted to train, they wouldn’t come to Crucible Hall. It was purely a place for apprentices to settle their disputes. Lumina wouldn’t intervene as long as the arena operated according to the original rules.

"Silvanus, I think we should tell the Elders..."

At this point, Ariana began to feel a flicker of panic and fear.

But Silvanus didn’t slow his steps.

Ariana instinctively grabbed his hand and hurriedly said, "He’s only a second-year, Silvanus!"

Silvanus turned to look at her. Ariana froze for a moment and instinctively let go of his hand.

"Since we appeared outside the square, trouble has already swarmed us like flies, Ariana. Do you really think the Elders could handle it?"

This time might work, but what about next time?

Silvanus didn’t know if Thora was dead or alive, but at the very least, Thora had vanished. Yet there was still Nana, or some second-year guy here, and many others. They would keep coming—trouble would never end.

A life-and-death arena? Silvanus found it just right.

After all, he would win.

"Oh, look, the hero of the hour has finally arrived! Ha ha ha!"

The laughter thundered like a storm. Silvanus looked up and saw a tall, muscular man. One of his hands gripped Matthew’s head, while Matthew’s face was swollen, bleeding profusely, and his hair matted, barely recognizable.

Seeing Silvanus, Matthew trembled: "Si... Silvanus..."

At the same time, Matthew was suddenly thrown toward Silvanus. The way he was thrown made it clear the man intended to slam Matthew into the ground, not let Silvanus catch him.

But Silvanus didn’t even need to glance. Matthew’s body was gently supported by a soft, radiant light, carried safely to stand before Ariana. From start to finish, Silvanus’s eyes never left that man.