Chapter 201: A Negligent Friend (1/2)

As he got closer to the flying city, the mana currents got more dangerous. Arthur had to construct barriers upon barriers just to keep himself safe. The others weren't any better as they tried to defend themselves in different ways.

The ones with lower agility but higher defense and strength began to gain an edge in the race. The ten that had ascended first began to be eliminated by those behind them once they've shown weakness.

The flying boards flew everywhere as they cast nets to save those who fell.

As he was about to finish the area of the mana currents, Arthur felt a threatening intent from behind him. He looked back and found a man running after him holding a spear.

'I guess even weapons are allowed,' Arthur frowned.

The man had a wild look on his face as if he was a crazed beast. His hair was shoulder length and his eyebrows were bushy. His spear was taller than he was and he held it with ease.

”Flashing Spear, Third Move.”

Arthur heard the man roar behind him and felt the surge in mana. The moment before the spear reached him, Arthur turned around and side-stepped. With the spear on his side, Arthur slapped it away before punching the man in the abdomen.

The man spat out blood as he was sent flying together with his spear. However, before he could fall into the ocean, his spear elongated and inserted itself between a gap created by the linked chainrings.

Arthur kept heading forward as he estimated his current strength. If he had to give a rough estimate, he would be as strong as Erin from back at the trial now. That was excluding his Release rune, which would allow him to be a lot stronger.

There were a lot of things he didn't know about the trial, so he wasn't sure if Erin's strength was truly just that. After all, he was a genius berserker. Despite being the same age as him, Erin was someone who was considered to be a genius.

However, Arthur himself wasn't normal. He had multiple methods to get stronger and he was working on exploiting every one of them. Maybe, if he could show his powers, he would be considered a genius.

An inhaled breath made Arthur realize that he was in a different environment. Some of his lost mana was replenished quickly because of the difference in the environment.

He had passed the area of turbulent mana. However, the change in mana made him a bit dizzy. It was like spraying gasoline on a fire, it made the mana inside of him chaotic.

'Wind, Destructive Mana, and finally a different environment. The test isn't only about running but also about strength, defense, stamina, abilities, and adaptations.'

Arthur decided to lower his speed. He had shown a part of his strength right now because he was still in the early stages. If he didn't even do that, he would be disqualified.

While trying to adjust to the mana, Arthur used his detection rune. He sensed the presence of the other participants who were fighting against each other while suffering from the harsh conditions. Luckily, the hot air balloon was still going strong despite looking like a wet ball now.

At the same time, he spread his detection range to the other chains. He saw the fight that was underway and he even spotted Emma, running elegantly on the chains.

He was relieved that she was doing well. Since Emma was planning to become the next queen of the Yalveran Union, she needed the qualifications. She has been studying in the royal academy until now but decided to focus on runes to get a scholarship.

She got the scholarship and that was why she was even ahead of Arthur in the marathon on top of the chains. They started from a different point giving them an advantage over others.

As his footsteps rang on the metal, Arthur kept checking the surrounding for any abnormalities. It was then that he detected the presence of two people fighting.

It wasn't odd to find two people fighting here, but one of them was a person Arthur considered to be a friend.

With her petite body and black hair, Ellen dodged an incoming acidic arrow while huffing rapidly. She was still in the middle of the chains so she was struggling against her opponent and the incoming spears.