DMS Chapter 256

The next day, everyone returned to delving into the dungeon, while Flinx headed to the Adventurer Guild to learn the results of his examination and proceed to the next step in the ranking-up process.

As he made his way toward the Adventurer Guild, he thought about the outcome of the meeting the previous night.

Basically, everyone had agreed that if Flinx successfully ranked up to Platinum Rank, the benefits they would receive would be tremendous.

The meeting had also concluded that some of them would be able to level up faster. The three who had no family and wanted to focus on leveling up planned to spend the foreseeable future living inside the dungeon.

When Flinx arrived at the guild, he saw that Abericht was already waiting for him. The old wizard led him to an office.

Once they were seated, Abericht smiled at Flinx and informed him that he had passed the written examination.

In truth, Flinx had never doubted that he would pass the written test. As an Earthling who had been part of the workforce for several years before being kidnapped by the Torbal Slavers, he had extensive experience with such examinations. After graduating from community college, he had applied to dozens of companies, and the tests were basically the same everywhere.

“We’ve already arranged for one of the Platinum-Rank adventurers currently in the guild to test your combat abilities. The test won’t be open to the public. Orlando, the Platinum-Rank warrior who will be testing you, has agreed to allow some of the Diamond-Rank adventurers to observe. The test will take place in an arena we’ve temporarily established in an uninhabited wilderness.”

Flinx was glad that he wouldn’t have to wait long for the combat test. Abericht admitted that he was fortunate Orlando was available that day and willing to conduct the examination.

More than likely, Semanor had informed the Platinum-Rank warrior that the guild expected Flinx to pass the test.

Abericht then led him to the spatial gate that would take them to the testing grounds.

When they stepped through the gate, Flinx found himself inside an arena roughly the size of four football fields.

They arrived beside a set of seats arranged by the guild. Flinx noticed that around a hundred people were already seated in the audience.

Abericht looked surprised, prompting Flinx to ask what was wrong.

Apparently, the two people seated separately at the front were Platinum-Rank adventurers. One was a wizard, while the other was a cleric.

The old wizard informed Flinx that he was glad they had come. Their presence meant that both Flinx and Orlando could fight without holding back, since the two powerful adventurers would protect them and ensure they survived, even if they used potentially fatal attacks.

In truth, Flinx was a little nervous. His PvP experience was minimal, so he decided to treat the combat test as though he were fighting an especially powerful dungeon boss.

Flinx watched as the wizard seated beside the cleric cast a spell. A huge magical screen appeared in front of the audience, and Flinx assumed it would display the battle for everyone to see.

He understood why the screen was necessary. Once he and his opponent moved to the center of the arena, they would probably be too far away for the audience to see them clearly.

Abericht instructed Flinx to go to the center of the arena and wait for Orlando to join him.

Flinx followed the old wizard’s instructions and flew toward the middle of the enormous arena.

He cast every defensive spell he could to ensure his protection, including Mage Armor, Stone Shield, Absorb Elements, Misty Step, Mirror Image, Blur, and Clone.

Some of his defensive spells could only be cast during combat, but he prepared himself to use them when necessary.

Soon, a burly warrior appeared in front of Flinx, and the combat began without further ado.

Flinx cast Fly and immediately took to the air. Before the test began, he had memorized the surrounding area so he could use his Teleport spell effectively.

He teleported upward and continued flying.

It turned out to be the right move, as the warrior suddenly disappeared and reappeared in front of him.

The warrior attacked one of Flinx’s mirror images, much to Flinx’s relief. It meant that the warrior couldn’t immediately distinguish the real Flinx from his mirror images and clone.

Flinx summoned an earth elemental and sent it to engage the warrior.

He was surprised when Rocky managed to fight the Platinum-Rank warrior for several seconds before being destroyed. The brief exchange confirmed to Flinx, as well as everyone watching, that his summons were exceptionally powerful.

Suddenly, Flinx sensed extreme danger. He immediately cast the ninth-level Abjuration spell Invulnerability, surrounding himself with a force that would render him invulnerable to the next attack he received.

It was the right decision.

After destroying Rocky, Orlando suddenly disappeared and reappeared in front of Flinx, despite Flinx being high in the sky.

Orlando swung his sword at Flinx, but the attack was stopped by the spell.

The clash between Orlando’s sword and Flinx’s magical protection produced a deafening sound.

Flinx immediately cast the ninth-level Enchantment spell Psychic Scream.

The spell unleashed a tremendous mental assault that damaged Orlando, but its most important effect was that it stunned the warrior for a second.

That single second was enough.

Flinx cast Teleport to disengage from the warrior, leaving behind the ninth-level Evocation spell Ravenous Void.

The sphere of destructive gravitational force began inflicting tremendous damage on the warrior. For a moment, Flinx worried that he might seriously injure the adventurer.

Suddenly, the warrior disappeared.

Alarmed, Flinx cast the fourth-level Illusion spell Greater Invisibility to conceal himself.

He then heard someone speaking directly into his mind, indicating that someone was using Telepathy to communicate with him.

The message informed him that the combat was over. He dispelled the Invisibility spell.

Flinx looked around and turned toward the audience. He saw Abericht in the distance, gesturing emphatically for him to return.

Flinx flew toward the seats.

When he arrived, he saw that everyone was standing, and almost all of them were shouting.

He was relieved to see that Orlando appeared to be none the worse for wear beside the cleric, who was still casting healing spells on him.

The people who had been permitted to watch the combat continued cheering. The wizard, the cleric, and Orlando all nodded at Flinx.

Abericht then led him back toward the spatial gate.

Once they were back in Abericht’s office, Flinx immediately began asking questions.

“What happened? Why did they stop the combat?”

The old wizard stared at him for a few seconds before finally answering.

“You won. They stopped the fight to prevent you from killing Orlando.”

“What?! I thought he would be safe! You told me the wizard and cleric would protect him!”

“Well, they did! Gremendor teleported him away from your spell, and Ruchamon started healing him!” Abericht nearly shouted.

Apparently, everyone had been extremely surprised by the high-level spells Flinx had cast during the combat.

What had astonished the Platinum-Rank wizard most was how Flinx had managed to cast such powerful spells instantaneously.

Ruchamon informed Gremendor, Orlando, and Abericht that if the warrior had remained beside the dark sphere Flinx had summoned, he would have died.

Flinx suddenly grew nervous when he learned how close the fight had come to ending in tragedy.

He had never intended to kill anyone, much less an important member of the guild.