Episode 96 – Replica Dungeon (1/2)

Episode 96 – Replica Dungeon

Previously:

The day of the practical exams is finally here Most of the examinees have failed the first part of the exam, and only those few that passed are allowed to participate in the practical exa for Kiel’s time of the exaeon to take the exa-shaped chairs There, Kiel notices an elibu female

What stood in front of him was the most beautiful elibu female he had ever seen

She wore an elegant sleeveless white dress that revealed her perfect curves in a modest manner and made her skin look even paler Her hair was as white as snow, looking like it was made from strands of silver It was styled up into a sophisticated hairstyle that looked classy enough to be worn on a ball, yet sih to be worn to work

Her skin was flawless and near translucent, giving her an appearance of a surreal entity Intricate elibuher left arht when coe

She had no wrinkles or ble, but Kiel found hie Her face was both soft like that of a child and sharp like the face of an adult She had both the air of eternal youth and aged maturity

Her ti ruining the perfection was her complete lack of e one feeling uncomfortable

Yet, what caused Kiel’s pupils to shrink in shock was neither her beauty nor his inability to feel her presence

No

What caused his heart to still were her eyes

Her eyes were breathtaking, but that wasn’t what shocked hih hi was laid bare in front of those eyes, yet that wasn’t the reason behind his shock either

No, what shocked hi in a way that was very faolden, pink and blue lights looking as if they weren’t eyes but the night sky

Aethernea of Sight?!

Kiel barelyin shock

Who is this person?! This was Kiel’s first ti into someone with an Aethernea asn’t Elaru And it was even the same Aethernea Elaru possessed!

Judging by the pure white hair of this female, she was certainly an Arite – Arites were the only ones in the entire land of Halnea who possessed a pure white hair color

However, that didn’t make sense Arites were noble and far above the mundane world All their children were princes and princesses in the eyes of all Halneans How could they send one of their own to serve as a host for examinees?

Even if this fe she did, surely her punishment wouldn’t come in the form of servitude?

“Welcome to the practical exaht Kiel out of his stupor That voice was just as timeless and beautiful as her face And just as her face, it too had only a single flaw – complete and utter lack of any emotion

“Apologies for htly bowed his head “I am Kiel Rroda, the examinee number 5642”

Kiel pulled out his exam pass and offered it to the female, however, to say that she showed zero interest in his exam pass would be an understatelance

Kiel aardly pocketed his exam pass

“Take a seat” The fees of the roo chairs That’s when Kiel realized that the chairs in the center of the room were already occupied

The people slu Muni professor unifor

Kiel nodded to the female and chose a random empty chair He stepped towards the chair but then paused in his tracks and turned his head towards the female

“May I have the honor of knowing your name?” Kiel couldn’t help but ask

He had to catch onto this strand of intel, perhaps it would lead him to more information on the nature of Aethernea?

The woman stared at Kiel wordlessly, her expression just as blank and apathetic as before

Just when Kiel thought that she wouldn’t respond, she finally opened her eheart”

Kiel blinked several tieheart? What kind of a name is that? Is that some sort of a nickname?

Kiel smiled politely in response and made his way towards the chair

When he finally sat down, the female spoke up “Let me knohen you become ready for me to transport you to the site of the exam When the process starts, you will experience a sudden loss of feeling for a brief moment Don’t panic, that is normal”

Kiel gazed at the lady, expecting her to continue talking He expected her to explain that they will be allowed to use up to two ical artifacts in the exa In preparation for the question, he had even taken out a iven him yesterday

Since the only , Elaru decided to te-shaped artifact She said that she didn’t need it and wouldn’t use it anyway However, it ht come in handy to him Since his exam was a battle type exam, in case he was injured and needed to take a breath, or if he needed to block a powerful attack, he could use the egg

The egg could establish a strong protective barrier around hi inside, be it a physical object, a person, ic However, since it wasn’t a divine artifact, it couldn’t keep it up indefinitely It would eventually run out of power

Depending on the power of the attacks against it, it could last from 20 minutes to several hours However, since the duration of his exa anyway Otherwise, the exam would end

When she offered the egg to hi He wasn’t used to receiving anything fro fro him feel like he owed her, he couldn’t sha her resources

But then he remembered, she wasn’t just anybody – she was his partner, his ally The more powerful he became, the better it would be for her as well

They were in this together

Therefore, sharing of resources is only to be expected

Thus, he accepted the egg Seeing Elaru’s sincere, bright smile only made him feel like it was the correct choice

She then proceeded to spin the different parts of the egg like a Rubik cube until it was adjusted She said that it was a forht way to align all the parts would be able to activate the egg She left a single ring not adjusted at told hi to activate

Kiel clutched the egg in his left hand, waiting for the female to ask him about it However, she remained silent