Chapter 69: 69. Planning and Critcal situation

Academy premises, trial domain

A few hours ago…

The cave had become crowded with participants. Rough stone walls surrounded the gathered crowd; on their uneven surfaces, one could see glowing veins spread across the wall approaching the altar at the center.

The air was tense and heavy, thick with a mixture of fear, adrenaline, and unspoken expectation.

Every single individual standing here was among the top-ranked candidates of the entrance trial—people who were geniuses on their own and carried the pride of their races.

Now, all of them were looking at one human.

Will stood at the front of the cave; his posture was straight, and his eyes never showed a single speck of hesitation enough to make even veteran cultivators uneasy. His B-ranked talent, false calm, was always working in the background.

He looked nothing like a student about to join an academy; instead, he looked like a leader.

[You look like an ape general about to start a coup against the leader of apes.]

Will did not even blink at the system’s remark.

Instead, he raised his arm and pointed toward the raised stone platform he had prepared deeper inside the cave.

It was wide, flat, and unnaturally smooth, clearly shaped by him rather than natural formations.

At its center stood an altar, which was simple in appearance, circular, and etched with layered symbols that overlapped in complex patterns.

“Everyone,” Will said, his voice calm but carrying authority that did not invite argument, “place your hand on the altar. One by one.”

A ripple passed through the gathered candidates.

Some hesitated, glancing at one another. Others clenched their fists instinctively. Normally, such an instruction would have triggered a dozen questions, suspicions, and accusations.

But today was not normal.

Just minutes ago, distant explosions had shaken the domain. Even from miles away the echoes of bloodcurdling screams had reached them.

No one here was ignorant anymore. Whatever was happening outside was far beyond the scope of a simple trial malfunction.

Without another word, the first candidate stepped forward.

Then another.

And another.

One by one, hands were placed upon the altar.

The moment their hands made contact, a soft golden light bloomed from beneath their palms. It was warm, not invasive, flowing into their bodies like a gentle current rather than a forced surge.

No one felt any pain or resistance.

The altar’s structure itself was an illusion construct; its existence was being maintained by the illusion array. However, layered above it was the actualization array, forcibly granting it physical reality.

As long as the array held, the altar was real in every way that mattered.

And today, it mattered more than anything else.

As the last person stepped back, Will exhaled slowly.

He immediately opened his inventory.

With a wave of his hand, dozens of bottles spilled out onto the stone floor.

They were mana regeneration potions, stamina potions, and recovery scrolls of varying grades. They clinked and rolled, filling the cave with sharp sounds that snapped everyone’s attention back to him.

“Your storage rings are accessible right now,” Will said without hesitation. “Take out everything related to stamina recovery and mana replenishment. Everything.”

This time, hesitation appeared again.

A few candidates froze, instinctively protective of their supplies. These were rare items, expensive items, and life-saving items in normal circumstances.

Will’s gaze swept over them, but he did not raise his voice. He did not threaten.

He simply waited patiently for some time.

step step.* Then Ethan stepped forward and emptied his ring; Gaelion also followed without a word. After him, Katherine placed her supplies down next.

Leila hesitated only a second longer before complying.

And that was enough; seeing the recognized leaders of their races act without resistance shattered the remaining doubts. One by one, the rest followed. Potions were poured out, sorted, and stacked.

Some people were still hesitant and only took out small portions of what they had.

Will then moved in front of the crowd and divided the candidates with an efficient criterion.

A-rank and B-rank combatants were separated from the rest, forming a frontline group.

The remaining candidates, those below that threshold, were grouped beside them.

No one argued; they understood the criteria as the groups began forming.

Will explained to each group their role clearly.

He did not inspire them with speeches about unity or justice; he knew that the situation was dire enough for them to be motivated.

A few minutes passed like that.

Then Will turned towards Ethan, his gaze hardened.

“When your task here is done,” Will said firmly, “you must come to my location immediately.”

Ethan frowned. “What are you planning to do?”

“I will hold their leader,” Will replied without hesitation. “Until you arrive.”

A chill ran through the nearby listeners.

Ethan stared at him. “Will—”

“If you are late,” Will continued, voice steady, “I will die. And after that, all of you will follow.”

Will did not mean what he said; he knew he was strong enough to survive the calamity, but he still acted that way to add a sense of urgency among the other candidates so that they know that their lives are at stake.

Silence fell as Will’s words settled on everyone’s minds.

Will had specially asked Ethan to come to his location, and the reason was simple.

Ethan’s talent.

—

World-Born Suppression

All beings that do not belong to this world suffer suppression when facing the host. Their effective strength is reduced by half. Suppression increases within areas governed by this world’s laws.

[reference: ch28]

—-

Although the trial domain was a separate space, it still existed under the heavens, so the effect was a trump card if Will managed to do what he was thinking.

***

Academy control room…

The atmosphere inside the control room was suffocating.

Andrea stood at the center, arms crossed; her expression was anything but peaceful.

Around her stood senior professors, formation masters, and the leaders of every major faction whose children were trapped inside the domain.

None of them looked calm.

An elf professor with green hair and thin-rimmed glasses stood before the massive domain orb, his hands glowing faintly as he examined the demonic artifact fused to its surface.

“I am attempting to establish an audiovisual link,” he said carefully, choosing his words with visible effort. “But removing the seals will take time.”

“Time?” the beastfolk emperor roared, his fists clenched. “My child is trapped inside! Why don’t I just break the seal forcefully?!”

Before the shout could escalate, Head Professor Kevin stepped forward.

He adjusted his glasses calmly, positioning himself between the enraged emperor and the orb.

“That artifact,” Kevin said, pointing directly at the floating demonic construct, “prevents forced removal of spatial seals. If we apply brute force, the entire realm will collapse.”

He paused, letting the implication sink in.

“And everyone inside will die instantly.”

The beastfolk emperor clicked his tongue in fury but fell silent.

Suddenly, the air changed.

A pressure descended, vast, ancient, and overwhelming.

Andrea’s eyes widened. So did everyone else’s.

A figure materialized within the control room, turquoise hues crackling faintly around his form.

The Storm Dragon had arrived.

Several powerhouses stiffened instinctively.

Klaus stood rigid, sweat dripping down his back. He did not kneel; he could not. After all, the dragon was not Klaus’s master in everyone else’s mind.

Brian quietly appeared beside him and used voice transmission to tell him the situation.

Meanwhile, Principal Andrea stepped forward immediately.

“Ice Dragon Andrea greets the esteemed Lord of Storms.”

One by one, the faction leaders followed suit, offering greetings heavy with respect.

The old dragon barely acknowledged them; his gaze was fixed on the demonic artifact.

His expression darkened; after reading Klaus’s letter, he, along with Brian, had moved towards the academy domain to observe his grand disciple’s trial.

He had come expecting to observe the trial from Andrea’s office, but when he found it empty, the old man decided to descend to the arena, and what he found was the aftermath of a battle.

“This,” he said slowly as his voice thundered, “is unacceptable.”

———————————————–

[A/N: World-Born Suppression will work against anyone that carries demonic energy, even the cultists, since demonic energy is foreign to this land and has permeated the atmosphere due to the presence of abyssal nodes.]

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