Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

  The unsolicited words of comfort made Baiyi feel confused. ‘Isn’t there a misunderstanding here?’

  However, the comforting man’s face did not house a malevolent expression, and this made Baiyi feel even more awkward; despite that, he nodded at the man, even though he has no words to say.

  Something even more magical happened next. Every single candidate was given words of support and comfort, and absolutely none of them took the opportunity to act stereotypically cocky. In fact, the entire scene was a shining example of warmth and camaraderie!

  ‘Okay, so although this is not really a bad thing, did you guys already believe that you won’t pass this exam? That’s some chronic lack of confidence in yourself, guys! It’s just the Legendary-level exam, you know; no matter how unfairly tight the passing quota is, the Sorcerers Association will never allow only one or two individuals to pass, right?’

  Just as Baiyi was mumbling to himself, the crowd’s attention shifted to him and Joseph.

  “Look at that young fella. I’ll bet he breezed through the tests! My sources among the examiners told me that in the most critical test, this young lad displayed quite an impressive feat— with an impressive speed, no less!”

  “Wait, are you serious? I, on the other hand, was nursing a migraine on that last test…… gods! Is this young man really that skilled?”

  “However, my sources told me that he wasn’t the best in terms of execution……”

  “You mean that there was someone even better? You mean there is an even stronger powerhouse among us?”

  “Of course! And — it’s that Soul Armature sitting beside him…… shit. Don’t tell me that guy really is the bloody Hope who the Church has been singing about!”

  “Hold on a minute!! Come on now, you guys saw the result of his Total Mana Count Test, right? The paper was sporting a stamp so green, it was practically screaming ‘Disqualified’! There’s no way this guy is Church’s Hope. In fact, I’ll bet that this guy just a namesake. However, I have to admit that he does pack a lot of skills on his person, even more than common sorcerers could boast of. If only his total mana count was higher……”

  Joseph’s expression darkened when he heard these stray comments. He was about to stand up and defend his colleague, but he was stopped short by Baiyi’s arm.

  “Don’t fret over minor details,” Baiyi said, unconcerned.

  Joseph let that thought sink in, then he returned to his seat. “I just…… really believe that your real prowess would warrant you a title far superior to a mere Legendary-level, but…… Curse the Association’s insularity; they put so much emphasis on total mana count that if a candidate does not pass that test, it would seriously debilitate the rest of their test score.”

  “Aww, there really is no need to worry, son.” Baiyi waved his hand in dismissal, acting like a wise old man who had long since placed titles behind him. “Besides, I am not here to pass Legendary-level ranking.”

  “Eh?” Joseph’s face was quizzical. Just as he was about to ask more, an admin barged into the room with his hands full of envelopes.

  The man had obviously been tasked to announce the results, so as soon as he came in, the hubbub quickly died out. Joseph did not dare to break the silence, so he let his curiosity go.

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  “Apologies, gentlemen, for my tardiness.” The admin wiped small beads sweat off his forehead and placed the colorful envelopes on his desk. The crowd quickly noticed that there were only five envelopes.

  Each envelope had the mandatory ranking mission tucked into it. If there were only five envelopes present, it meant that only five candidates in the room had passed the test. Taking the number of candidates in the room into consideration, each of the ten candidates present had a 50 percent chance of being one of those who passed! Hope flared in the candidates’ chests; they may actually be one of the lucky five since the passing rate was this high!

  “Without further ado, I shall announce the names of those who passed,” the admin stated as he grabbed one of the envelopes — which was pale blue in color — from the desk and called out, “Sir Jones, heir to the barons of the Joseph family, congratulations on passing the test. In here, you shall find your next mission, which is also your final test. Please complete what is required within the stipulated time limit.”

  “Whoaaa!” A cheer rang out from the room, which was followed by applause. Some candidates who had insider knowledge eyed the envelope with envy and called Jones ‘lucky’. This was because the color of each envelope revealed a bit about the sort of mission enclosed in it. Pale-blue envelopes contained academic-related missions.

  For most of the time, missions like these only required writing a thesis of some kind. It was the simplest task out there.

  This meant that Joseph was not just the first to pass the exam, he was also given the easiest mission there was. His certificate was already assured; it was just a matter of time.

  “A legendary-level sorcerer who hasn’t even reached the age of 30…… please, continue your good work.” The admin gave Joseph his letter and a congratulatory remark, and that was all there was to their exchange.

  Joseph Jones was a little euphoric as he carefully took the letter from the admin’s hand and tucked it into his pocket.

  The admin continued announcing the names of candidates who had successfully passed the test. However, the next guy wasn’t as lucky as Joseph; he received a yellow envelope denoting a battle-related mission, which may very well have contained a “go to x and kill some y” mission. These kinds of missions were troubling, full of risks, and required a lot of time; a mission for the most unlucky folks. These type of missions were also known as ‘The Crowning Mission of Free Labor’.

  Afterward, another two names were announced. One of them got the lucrative harvesting quest, while the other was tasked with being an instructor for free — another job that saved the Association some labor cost. The only envelope left on the desk was a black one.

  Five of the six remaining sorcerer candidates began to feel as though ants were crawling all over their brains. “This is it, the last one! What does the black color signify? No one ever said there was such a designation!”

  However, the admin did not pick up the black envelope. Instead, he announced loudly, “Gentlemen! That is all there is to our Legendary-level ranking results. Those who didn’t make the cut shouldn’t be discouraged; instead, you should continue striving to improve. Don’t think of ranking exams as too big of a deal, alright? Your true innate capability is your real strength……”

  ‘Cut! Why does this sound so familiar — and for some reason, quite unsettling……’ 1

  “But what about that black envelope there?” Someone asked out loud.

  “This?” The admin lifted the letter in question. “It’s not part of the results of the Legendary-level exam……”

  Suddenly, an uproar ensued. The sorcerers who had failed were baying for blood, decrying the admin’s actions of placing the letter with the others because it had unjustly gotten their hopes up. “You’re just trying to stir up a war! This is anti-professionalism! This screams ‘lack of care’! I’m filing a complaint! Complaint!!!”

  “Gentlemen! It’s still a test result…… for the Immortal-level ranking exam,” the admin said in vapid resignation.

  “Whoa whoa whoa! Immortal-level?” Someone cried out. “One of us actually went for the Immortal-level exam? Then, why is that person lumped together with us?”

  Each candidate began to gaze at everyone else in the room, chattering and speculating under their breath. Only Joseph gave a bemused glance at Baiyi.

  “I told you; I’m not here for Legendary-level ranking,” the soul armature casually said as he spread opened up his palms in a shrug. He was not surprised at the result, either.

  The admin, upon noticing Baiyi talking with Joseph, finally chimed in. “Oh yes. Master Hope came here to try for the Immortal-level ranking exam. Since the details of the exams are similar, he was tested together with all of you.”

  “That soul armature — Immortal? But…… his total mana count was only Master-level!”

  “You guys told me he is a bootlegged Hope! How does a bootleg possess Immortal level power?!”

  “Immortal-level soul armature…… don’t tell me the young lad beside him is his summoner, then?”

  The room succumbed to another uproar. Expressions of doubt were hurled in Baiyi’s direction; the most prominent one was “Are you the goddamned Master Hope?”

  “Gentlemen! Gentlemen! Please restrain yourselves! Allow me to announce his result,” the admin said with a raised voice as he held the black envelope. “This is Master Hope’s Immortal-level mission; it contains…… Vice President Grant’s formal challenge to a duel to the death!”

  The room almost exploded from the ensuing uproar. Nobody had thought that the color black meant that……

  “VP Grant? He is a Holy-level heavyweight! Why would he be interested in challenging the soul armature like this?”

  “Which means that this Soul Armature must be the very same Master Hope the Church talks about all the time. Now, I don’t doubt that he is an Immortal-level fighter, but…… why would a Holy-level powerhouse eye him? Do they have beef with each other?”

  “Sir VP has all the fame and fortune he needs already! Hence, this couldn’t possibly be about money…… So it must be about love!”

  “Well, I have heard that Master Hope is quite kinky. He has this partiality towards young girls…… Don’t tell me he has his eyes on the VP’s younger family member!”

  It was not just these side characters who were flabbergasted. Baiyi, himself, was just as stunned as they were. In his prediction, the Association should not have the gall to cause him trouble at the very last test.

  He had not expected a tactic like this at all……

  ‘Dude, aren’t you a Holy-level fighter? And not just any Holy-level powerhouse, but a famous one, the strongest VP of the Association! Your fame may have even reached the seven seas, and I bet your prowess can’t possibly too far behind the mysterious President, who is only interested in academic research.’ Why would someone like Grant want to duel with Baiyi? Even resorting to challenging Baiyi in a way that made it virtually impossible for the soul armature to refuse.

  ‘Have I crossed him before? No, right? Or maybe…… he’s after one of my precious students! Little Mia? Tisdale? Or is it Laeticia, Attie?’

  The worst case scenario flashed through Baiyi’s mind. He had heard rumors that Grant was about 300 years old, which was rather different from how young the VP appeared to be. ‘His tool must still be in mint condition, right?’ Besides, Baiyi had seen news about workplace harassment before, where superiors would use their authority to solicit sexual favors from their underlings……

  Baiyi opened the black envelope in doubt. The letter within contained a formulaic speech, congratulating him on his success. The speech was followed by the details of his mission.

  In reality, VP Grant was only asking Baiyi for a friendly spar in front of students in advanced classes, as a battle simulation demonstration.

  The Vice President had made special emphasis on the educational aspects of his proposal, as well as it being just a simulation. In other, more honest terms— the VP was only asking for a scripted fight, with both sides pulling punches.

  ‘F*ck you. You called this a duel to death?!’ Who would have known that this admin was an expert at click-baiting! He probably used to work in the media, didn’t he?

  Chapter 292: A Good Choice Is Already Right In Front of You Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

  As soon as Baiyi explained the real details of his mission to the concerned bystanders, the consensus finally united in their desire to choke the admin’s irresponsible tongue out. Of course, the admin had probably predicted that the crowd would feel this way, so he had managed to slip away amidst the chaos……

  Later that evening, a news article titled “SHOCKING! Association’s HEAVYWEIGHT VICE PRESIDENT preparing to COMPLETELY DESTROY FAMOUS SOUL ARMATURE FOR REASONS that will SHOCK YOU!” started to circulate within the inner circle of the Sorcerers’ Association. It attracted the attention of many, who all felt an urge to wallop the anonymous writer, as soon as they finished reading the article.

  Nevertheless, the news of this ‘educational duel’ between Baiyi and VP Grant spread wildly, like a summer wildfire in a Californian forest, due to the article’s clickbait of a title. However, the anonymous writer had done what the VP originally intended him to do, which was to spread the news about the duel to as many interested individuals as possible. Most sorcerers, representatives from other associations, and the interested public had marked the duel’s date, which was three days later, on their calendars, for it was an event they would not miss. Afterward, betting pools were formed, and money began to pour in.

  Meanwhile, Baiyi was sitting in his room, wondering how in the world he was going to handle the fight. He had already designated his teaching duty to Aya and the hammerhead shark plushie, which contained the Soul Armature Practitioner Walker.

  Baiyi knew that the fight was not going to be an easy one — even if it was just for the visuals. Although Baiyi knew that he need not worry about losing his life, he understood that he ran the risk of losing something even more important than life — his face. Furthermore, this was happening when his reputation was one of his biggest assets!

  His opponent was a Holy-level fighter, who had received the rank a long time ago and had the corresponding experience for one with such caliber! Even though Baiyi could give VP Grant a run of his money in a fight involving experience, the Fifth Voidwalker still had a limit to his mana output.

  The key constraint here was also the publicity of this duel. He simply could not go up there and deploy his Void Energy; hell, he could not even use any martial art or assassination techniques. His pool of techniques would have to be restricted to those that sorcerers use, despite fighting against a Holy-level powerhouse. This made the upcoming battle even more challenging than Baiyi would have liked to admit. Besides, apart from Baiyi’s armor and his Saint Quartz Staff, he was practically vulnerable. Even if armor did not matter in a high-level fight, Baiyi could not fight in his birthday suit, right?

  ‘So let’s see what we have here: insufficient mana output, lackluster gear, no home base advantage……’ The only advantage Baiyi had was his limitless mana reserve, which would prove useless in a high-level battle, anyway! Therefore, nothing worked in his favor. Baiyi did not even have the opportunity to overwhelm his opponent with a wide array of techniques.

  In battles like these, both opponents would go all out, and that would greatly accentuate Baiyi’s low mana output problem.

  This was nothing like the fight between Mia and Vidomina back then, where they both took turns to attack and defend. As a matter of fact, sorcerers would hardly stay on the ground for the entire duration of their battle, so except for when they have to draw formations, the duel between Baiyi and VP Grant would be held in the air.

  When that happened, the two sorcerers would have to execute a variety of almost-impossible aerial maneuvers, like modern fighter jets, bombarding each other with colorful magic. The fight would be even more exciting than fights between magical girls; it may even resemble a certain old-school, bullet-hell shoot’em up 1 .

  Battles like these were not fought on land because land-based fights were lame. They were fought in the air because, in battles involving of two incredibly powerful opponents, the impact of their clashes would be fatal. No high-level sorcerer would opt to tank the full impact of their opponent’s magic. This was because most normal energy shields would only be able to protect their user from one or two attacks. In a battle where multiple magic attacks were cast with lightning speed, the opponent who chose to tank the attacks with their energy shield might as well be wearing an eggshell.

  Mana shields, which are constructed from a sorcerer’s own power, are no good in high-level battles, either. They expend too much mana and require the caster to focus on defense, which makes it difficult for them to make headway in battle. Elemental shields are another form of defense that advanced sorcerers could use in battle. These shields are formed with the element that the sorcerer is proficient with.

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  Whenever sorcerers are faced with elemental attacks, they deploy elemental shields which have elements that directly contradict the element in the attacks; for example, water shields counter fire attacks. However, sorcerers had long since learned to infuse additional elements into their elemental attacks so that it cannot be stopped with elemental shields having only one element.

  Debuffs, such as Silence, Sluggard, Bling, etc., can also be sneakily inserted into elemental spells, along with additional elements, and fired off an opponent.

  Hence, in high-level battles, sorcerers have only two options to choose from when faced with attacks: they could choose to evade the attacks, or they could change the trajectory of the opponent’s magical attack with a magical attack of their own. They could also disturb their opponent’s spells when it is being conjured, and wipe out the bit of psychic energy that their opponent uses to track their every move. No matter how one chose to defend, the most vital factor would be their ability to move at high speeds, and one could attain a faster speed by flying, rather than running on the ground. Flying would also allow the sorcerers to avoid tactics that involve hiding attacks underground, which would only trigger when the target is standing right about them.

  A battle between sorcerers was, therefore, very exciting but risky. It was similar to playing Contra; one misstep was no different from a lethal mistake. Hence, sorcerers choose to move in a team of five or higher.

  After all, these were sorcerers, not wizards. Even with two ice-rayguns in each hand, they still would not be able to shoot every other class to death…… except for shamans, of course.

  “Argh, this is so bothersome,” Baiyi cried out in the Void. He turned to the Archmage and asked, “Okay, may I know where the Book of Servitude is? I think I’m gonna have to borrow it for a while.”

  “If I knew where it was, I would not shut up about it! I have always desired to pass my possessions to you,” the Archmage replied, feeling helpless at his beloved apprentice’s new predicament. He was unable to come up with any solutions — a situation that Baiyi also found himself in.

  “Hey, what about my skills? You could use them; they are more reliable than the skills of normal sorcerers’,” the Sorcerer Walker suggested.

  “It’s already a hand I plan to deal, but it alone will not be enough,” Baiyi replied. “This time, it isn’t about how exhilarating the visuals are. I want to win this, badly — for the benefit of my future plans.”

  “If I may? I propose that you use my Great Sage’s Staff to your benefit. My staff must still reside within the Doors of Conundrum. I understand that it may be in the hands of a new possessor, but your membership should suffice in granting you temporary ownership,” the Scholar added helpfully.

  “The Great Sage’s Staff is meant to quickly replenish mana reserves, and it has some passive effects that work wonders when forming battle strategies; thus, this means it’s just not suitable for my case this time,” Baiyi sighed. The Scholar’s old weapon was really not the best complementary tool for him on this occasion.

  “How about demons?! Ahh, enslave some demons!” the Devil suggested. “There are a special few of them that are natural predators to sorcerers. If we snare one of them, your problem would be taken care of!”

  ‘Huh. That’s surprisingly helpful— except the part about demons! However, I could summon some sort of animal or plant spirits to aid me…… The Soul Armature Practitioner is the best man to ask for professional opinions.’

  The Voidwalker in question was still teaching the students. Baiyi began to wonder if the classes were going well. He believed that they should be going well, considering how professional this Walker has always been.

  Baiyi left his room and headed for the classroom; he was curious to know their current progress. As he got closer to the class, he heard the neutral, mechanical voice of the hammerhead shark plushie. “Mia, answer this: What is the evolved form of Butterfree 2 ?”

  “Um……” A sweet voice replied. “Um…… Metapod 3 ?”

  ‘How does a butterfly evolve into a cocoon? That’s a regression! ……And wasn’t the class supposed to be about Deep Meditation? How does this question even fit that curriculum?’

  “Wrong! Butterfree is the final form of its evolution! That was a trick question!” The hammerhead shark plushie replied in a coy voice. “Next! What would Beedrill 4 evolve into? Nota, your turn. ”

  “Huh?…… Um, Queenbee…… drill?” Nota’s weak voice rang out hesitantly.

  “Nuh-uh! The correct answer is Mega Beedrill 5 !”

  ‘That’s not even evolution in the actual sense! Also, what the hell are you teaching them? Even if you call this class ‘zoology’, those critters still don’t exist here! I-is this your professionalism? Grooming my adorable students into compulsive animal-hoarding trainers?’

  Unable to contain himself, Baiyi stormed into the class and grabbed the plushie, and the Soul Armature Practitioner’s consciousness was immediately yanked back into the Void. Then, Baiyi lambasted the man to no end.

  “Why won’t there be critters like these in this universe?! There are so many realms here, and humans have only explored a fraction of them! Who’s to say that there won’t be these magnificent creatures in uncharted realms, huh?” The Soul Armature Practitioner retorted indignantly.

  “Besides, I already finished your Deep Meditation class. What you saw was the result of our Special Subject Voting Gauntlet,” he added.

  The aforementioned Deep Meditation was actually a trance that could be used as a substitute for sleep; it would help the kids improve their mana reservoir. Unlike normal meditation — which was really just a strange way to sleep — Deep Meditation was truly meant to be a substitute to sleep. This was because, in this state, the practitioner would be able to analyze and dissect knowledge they already possess in order to understand them even more deeply. This is the same as being able to meditate and improve one’s of skills. It was a technique that could only be used after learning a significant amount of theories 6 .

  If one did not possess enough knowledge, Deep Meditation would only become deep lullaby because the practitioner would sleep after some thinking. This was one of the reasons why Baiyi kept feeding his students these theories.

  After all, in this world, and to its sorcerer, knowledge was mana, and mana was power. Even combat-type sorcerers like the Sorcerer Walker possessed an impressive amount of knowledge.

  After handing out some simple exercises to the students, Baiyi returned to his room and continued discussing his battle plans with the Soul Armature Practitioner. “So, do you have any good ideas?”

  “If you are allowed to summon a being to aid you, I do have some suggestions that could help boost defense or mana,” the Soul Armature Practitioner replied after some thinking.

  “Bring up bizarre names again, and so help me I’ll silence you for one full day,” the Fifth Walker hissed.

  “Me? Do that? Am I that unprofessional! To be honest, your student, Nota, is already a great choice for a summoned being. Fairies have always been highly complementary partners to sorcerers, you see. They can boost your mana and help you execute magic,” the Soul Armature Practitioner replied. “You know what? Just bring the lady with you. Saves you the entire ‘summoning’ thing.”

  “Are you out of your mind? Nota may be a small creature, but she’s still as large as a human child! Do you think people would not notice her when I bring her along with me?” Baiyi remarked in resignation.