anwhile, as Dilia rolled down, pushed by Ulan, she soon bumped her head against a tree.
"Ouch," she exclaid, tears welling up in her eyes from the jarring impact.
But only for a mont.
She quickly regained her composure; to recall once more the space-warping phenonon she had witnessed just before her fall and it wasn't long before she realized what the magic was.
A type of magic that expands space.
Exactly as it sounds, a type of magic that intervenes in a specific space, either narrowing or expanding the gaps in that space.
It was also sothing she had only seen in books.
'Because this magic is.......
Because it was forbidden magic.
When used, it warped space and destabilized the flow of mana. This increased the likelihood of a mana disaster in the area, which in turn would increase the frequency of appearances of various monsters.
And one more thing.
The catalyst for this magic was a human brain.
A human brain that has just died. For this reason, this magic was called forbidden magic.
Imdiately after thinking of it, Dilia's complexion stiffend to a hard stone.
The use of forbidden magic ant that an Abyss Worshiper had appeared.
To make matters worse, Ulan was nowhere to be found now, and judging by the way space had warped at the mont she was pushed, it had probably expanded and separated them.
"This is bad."
It wasn't a joke; it was genuinely problematic. The thought of being separated from Ulan and isolated in the forest gave her goosebumps.
But she can't continue like this.
First, let's reunite with Ulan.
After setting the top priority, she pondered on how to find him.
"Oh, right."
Suddenly, sothing ca to her mind the amulet she received from Noah.
She rembered Noah saying that it could tell the direction of soone's location even when they're far away.
Holding a glimr of hope, she retrieved the amulet, but strangely, there was no change.
Why is this happening?
She stared at the amulet; she stared at the amulet to observe the techniques and the arrangent of the spells engraved on it. After a while, she fully understood the amulet's capabilities.
It has an effective range of about three kiloters.
In other words, if the distance exceeds 3 km, detection was impossible.
Realizing the limitations of the amulet, Dilia furrowed her brow. It ant that, in the current situation, the talisman was of no use.
If only there were no clouds.......
she would be able to figure out Ulan's direction using the Rank-4 star-constellation magic, the Constellation Map.
However, to use that magic, she needed to receive mana from the stars in the sky and in the current cloudy conditions, it was practically impossible.
Frustrated, she sighed when
Rustle!
suddenly, there was a sound of the bushes shaking. Startled, she imdiately completed the magic formula.
Rank-2 Star Constellation Magic, Star Lightning.
It is a magic that strikes the opponent with the power of the stars, as fast and powerful as a lightning bolt. As she swallowed her dry saliva with a tense face, sothing jumped out of the bushes.
"Puh-ha! A, person?
A boy with his eyes wide open. He was a student of a similar age to Dilia. At the sa ti, a row of students jumped out of the bushes.
Oh, man, I was so scared.
I thought it was a monster again.
What, it was the sa student.
Three young n and won with delicate faces.
Dilia tilted her head, "You are......?"
"Oh, I'm Jane."
"I'm Luke. And this is Amila."
"We're in the sa class. Don't you rember?"
She really didn't rember.
I nodded in silence, and then they spoke again. She wasnt interested in other students other than Ulan in the first place. As she nodded silently, the students spoke again.
"Did you sense it too?"
"Sensed what?"
"That the forest has been strange for a while now."
"There are monsters roaming around that I've never seen before."
They agreed that sothing was off in the forest. Now that the Abyss Worshippers had shown up and used their spatial expansion magic, sothing must have changed.
"Speaking of which, do you mind if we co with you? We're scared by ourselves."
"Right. The more people, the better, isn't it?"
"Let's go together. Please?"
The three students were pleading desperately.
She could guess their reasons; they wanted to gain the favor of the powerful mage, Dilia.
So, Dilia nodded her head.
In truth, she was uneasy being left alone too. But at that mont
Rustle!
the bushes shook again.
"Huh, what?!"
"Sothing else is about to co out......."
Anxious expressions painted the faces of the students when after a while, a familiar figure soon appeared from beyond the shaking bushes a woman with short green hair.
Dilia's eyes widened at the sight of her.
"......Professor, Stella?"
Stella, the proctor of the Practical Hunt exam.
However, her reaction was sowhat strange. Instead of greeting the students warmly, she looked at them with a stern face, as if on guard.
As the three students approached Stella,
"Huh! A-Are you okay?"
"No, just wait a minute. We'll..."
"Don't co closer!"
but at that mont, a sharp shout echoed as a warning. Not only that, Stella aid a crossbow loaded with arrows at the direction where the students were.
"Kyo, Professor, why......?"
Were they panicking at the sudden hostility? The students looked at her, frightened when she opened her mouth and spoke, "I've t five students so far. And without exception, all of them attacked . More precisely, they were attacked by monsters posing as students."
"......!"
The students' eyes widened, including Dilia's.
Soon, the students pleaded with a sense of injustice.
"Ha, but we're not really......!"
"Then prove it."
"P-prove, what?"
"It's simple. If you injure yourself and blood cos out, it ans you're human. Keep in mind, the smoke only cos out from those monster bastards."
Stella slashed her arm with the dagger; a clear, sharp sound followed by flowing blood. In other words, she ant to prove humanity by inflicting a wound and letting blood flow.
"Hurry up! If you don't, I'll consider you as monsters!" Stella shouted like a command.
Sighing in response, Dilia quickly took out her paring knife and stabbed her fingertip
Plip! Plip! Plip!
and vivid crimson blood flowing down the blade.
"......Now, are we good?"
"Good. Dilia can co over here."
As soon as Stella gave her permission, she imdiately started walking. But at that mont, she suddenly felt a strong murderous intent from behind.
"......!"
The students' forms twisted grotesquely.
Soon, sharp claws flew out, aid at Dilia. She tried to parry with her magic, but it was too late. Just as she was about to close her eyes tightly.
Kachakk! Kachh! Kachakk!
With a sharp sound, a clear hit, arrows struck the bodies of the students who were about to attack Dilia. More precisely, arrows struck the creatures disguised as students.
Uhihi, Ihhihihi!
Kkihihi! Kahaha!
Those hit by the arrows vanished into smoke, emitting eerie laughter.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
"......No, I'm fine."
Dilia, who had regained her composure, nodded her head. After all the commotion, Stella asked again, "But where's Ulan? Why are you alone?"
"Oh, that's......."
After a heavy sigh, Dilia explained herself. How she and Ulan had been separated, and how the Abyss Worshippers were responsible for turning the forest into what it was.
After all the stories were told, Stella wore a perplexed expression.
"Hmm, Abyss Worshippers, that's sothing I never thought of."
"......Now, what do we do?"
"Let's get out of the forest," She said decisively.
"This has crossed a line beyond our ability to handle it alone, so we'd better alert the Academy as soon as possible and ask for backup."
"But, what about Ulan......."
"It's okay, he'll be fine," Stella replied, sounding confident.
Ulan had reached the realm of a Master; one who had defeated two of the Empire's greatest swordsn.
Even the most notorious Abyss Worshippers would be no match for a Master.
"So let's do what we can."
That is, to return to the Academy and request for reinforcents.
Dilia hesitated for a mont, then nodded. After a while, the two of them started walking. In order to get out of the forest. But there was sothing that the two of them had not noticed.
Slither!
A figure hiding in the shadows of the forest.
The ashen shadow that had been watching them all this ti. And the fact that the figure was following them, the two of them never knew until the end.
* * * * *
Thud! Squelch!
With the sound of vines tearing apart, the carnivorous plant, Candira, crumbled to the ground.
It was the last one remaining. Watching the one that turned into smoke and disappeared, Ulan, who had just put away his axe, turned his body.
"The monsters have all returned to the Abyss......."
Now it was ti to find Dilia again.
But it wasn't as easy as it sounded.
With consistent tracking abilities from before, Ulan couldn't find any traces or even sense Dilia's presence.
What should he do?
Lost in thought for a mont
"Ulan."
suddenly, a familiar voice echoed; dry yet calm in tone. It was Dilia's voice.
"Ulan. I'm here."
The distinct staccato manner of speaking as well. Ulan imdiately turned his head.
Soon, in the distance, beyond the bushes, Dilia was walking towards him.
But there was a problem.
"Ulan. Who are these people?"
"Don't be fooled. It's not real."
"It's really , Ulan."
"Trust ."
It wasn't just one person. What appeared in front of Ulan were a total of six Dilia.
A very foreign sight indeed. Ulan frowned slightly, clicking his tongue out low, "Tsk, did illusions get mixed in?"
That was the only reaction. Because he had experienced this situation several tis in his past life. Therefore, he wasn't particularly surprised.
In fact, he rembered several solutions to deal with such situations.
'There are three ways to distinguish them.'
First. Use Dilia's magic; among the magic she used, there were types of magic that could distinguish illusions from reality.
But she couldn't use it now. The illusions that appeared were mass-produced versions of Dilia herself.
'Next, the second thod.'
To use the sacred spells of a Saint.
Presumably, illusions were created based on distorted power and magic. Therefore, they could be easily dispelled with purification spells.
But this, too, couldn't be used now; since there was no Saint here.
'In that case...'
Only the third thod remained the Ulan thod. And it was also the thod of the barbarians, the race that gathered, vowing not to let their comrades fall.
"Ulan, Ulan."
"Look at , properly, Ulan."
Before he knew it, they were right in front of him.
Among them, Ulan fixed his gaze on the leading Dilia. As he did, she reached out to him with a light smile, extending her arms.
"I am, indeed, the real, Dilia......."
Similarly, Ulan reached out his arm; a fist, to be more precise.
Pwweeerk!
A fist straight into her stomach.
With a loud sound like a bursting balloon, along with Dilia's body soaring into the air, her figure vanished into a gray smoke. Afterward, Ulan muttered to himself, "This one is a fake."
This was the third thod to distinguish.
To deliver a blow powerful enough not to kill but to expose them.
If it were real, she would have grabbed her stomach, vomited, or writhed in pain. If it were fake, she would have vanished into smoke as she did now.
No illusion had ever survived Ulan's blow.
"Five more to go."
"......."
And in that mont.
The five Dilia stopped in their tracks; looking at each other, they soon began to back away slowly.
"It's okay. Don't worry."
Ulan, on the other hand, stalked forward; with clenched fists.
"I'll be gentle this ti."
Right after a ferocious glare.
Pwaaak! Pweeeeeerk!
A loud sound shook the forest.
A mont later, all five Dilia turned into smoke and scattered into the air. Seeing this sight, Ulan said surprisingly, "I can't believe they were all fake."
He had thought the third Dilia was real.
Judging solely by appearances could be dangerous.
Therefore, Ulan made up his mind next ti he t Dilia, he would use this thod to distinguish.
"I am back to square one."
Now, what should he do? He was lost in thought. Should he just move forward without a plan? As he was about to make such a decision, a certain mory suddenly flashed through his mind.
It was the advice Noah had given
And this is for Ulan. If you find yourself in a difficult situation, open it. There should be an answer inside for you.
And with that, she handed him a pouch.
Soon after he rembered it, Ulan rummaged through his pants. Soon enough, he found the pouch and imdiately opened it.
After a mont, he pulled out what was inside.
"A letter?"
As he unfolded it, a lengthy text appeared; it took quite a bit of concentration to read it.
"Hooo."
Ulan took a deep breath, steadying his mind; a gradually calming feeling.
Regaining composure, he focused his sharp eyes on the letter. Then, slowly, he began to read its contents.
(End of Chapter. . . . . . . .Thanks for Reading. . . . . . . . . )
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