Chapter 77: Spirit Beasts

Elizabeth stared angrily at the snow elf, already beginning to lose her patience. This man was clearly abusing his position of power, offering a blatant display of corruption within the Adventurer Guild hierarchy. He was doing all of this simply because he was an elitist who could not accept that these candidates wanted to join without freely giving away their personal information.

It was all because of this one demand, which she found utterly stupid and, quite frankly, completely uncalled for.

“This is too much! These people are only adventurer candidates. Are you really asking them to take down monsters that only D Rank and above can handle, and usually only in large groups?”

“You are strong yourself, so why not use that power to take them down if you are so worried, young one? You must be a secret prodigy from some prestigious family, huh? Well, we can always let you join if you simply let me see that Status of yours...”

“Tsk...”

Elizabeth grew more annoyed by the second. She had no idea Status windows were treated as such important things in this society, almost like personal identification documents. Because she was actively trying to hide her real identity, showing it casually was simply not an option she could afford.

“We can’t deal with this...!”

“It’s over, it’s over...!”

“We should forfeit. We have to get out of here before we get slaughtered...”

“This is so unfair! Why?!”

“Young Lady, should I help?”

Vlad’s calm voice echoed behind Elizabeth as she felt her own shadow stir slightly.

“I could take care of all the monsters. We can easily mask it as your magic.”

He clearly wanted this entire ordeal to end as quickly as possible.

“I appreciate your concern, Vlad, but it’s fine. I will deal with this myself.”

“...Is that so?”

Vlad smiled lightly and obeyed without further argument, deciding to remain hidden for the time being.

The monsters did not waste much time once they identified the group of candidates as easy prey. They charged forward with hungry aggression.

The first to attack were the Blazing Mane Lions, who looked as though they had been starving for a long while. They roared mightily and leaped toward their victims, unleashing a storm of intense flames as they hissed with predatory hunger.

“Guuaaahhh!”

The adventurers screamed as the searing flames tried to burn their bodies to a crisp.

However, a golden barrier suddenly appeared in front of them, shielding the group from the worst of the attack.

“A-Ah!”

Everyone turned toward Elizabeth, whose grimoires floated gracefully around her body.

“We can’t let him win! Maybe it’s partly my fault that he got so angry... so let me help! But I will need everyone’s strength as well! Once more, Harmonious Reinforcement!”

FLUOSH!

Using Skill Weaver, she conjured the same buffing spell as before, then layered even more of her skills into the casting, weaving the magic into a far stronger boost than the previous version.

This time the spell no longer increased only Strength. It also raised Vitality, Agility, and Magic by a full 30 percent.

“?!”

They all felt her powerful magic coursing through their bodies like warm lightning. Elizabeth nodded firmly at them, and one by one the adventurers gripped their weapons again with renewed determination.

“Then let’s do it!” Borfus laughed loudly. “Let’s show that damn knife-ear we mean business!”

“Yeaaaah!” Reinhardt roared, holding his sword tightly with both hands. “Let’s go!”

“Hmph, this is the last challenge...! If I can overcome this trial, I am certain I will return with glory to my family...!” Archivald shouted, his aura surging as he pushed his stats even higher. “One last push, everyone!”

“Hm... this really shows how corrupt the guild can become,” Hikari sighed with quiet frustration. “They truly did not want us to pass...! Sometimes people carry their own pasts and private problems that they do not wish to display for the entire world to see. A Status is more than simple information. It can reveal who we are, our lives, our deepest weaknesses, things that were never meant to be seen by strangers... That is why I refuse to show my Status, and that is why I will fight and win here. I must become a true Samurai. This is merely one more trial, and I must overcome it if I ever wish to return to my clan as a proper warrior...!”

Elizabeth smiled lightly as she listened to their heartfelt words. Their auras surged together, their memories, emotions, and personal histories mixing into a beautiful nebula of colors around them. Even the weakest person standing here was special in their own way. After all, no ordinary person would ever attempt to become an adventurer. It was a profession filled with constant danger and risk.

“CHARGE!” Borfus roared as he and the other frontliners rushed forward. They swung their shields and unleashed Shield Bash before following up with heavy weapon strikes against the giant lions.

Flames licked across their armor and exposed skin. Their hands burned painfully, yet a soft pale light slowly began regenerating their health and closing their wounds.

Elizabeth had already woven another new spell.

“Skill Weaving – Harmonious Restoration + Versatile Combatant.”

“Harmonious Combatant!”

This reinforced and evolved version of Harmonious Reinforcement enhanced everyone’s stats by 30 percent while also granting them a steady passive Health Regeneration for a full minute.

It was a wonderful combination of buffing and healing magic condensed into a single powerful effect that lasted sixty seconds.

Thanks to the incredible flexibility of Skill Weaving, the special Skill she had learned from the Jack of All Trades Class, Elizabeth’s abilities had become far more adaptable than ever before.

“ROAAARRR!”

The Blazing Mane Lions hissed in fury. One of them was quickly cornered by Archivald and Borfus. Both older men activated Steel Skin to reinforce their bodies, a common ability among seasoned warriors, then launched a coordinated assault on the lion. They struck its head repeatedly while raising their shields to defend against the creature’s fiery breath and sharp claws.

CRASH!

Even when their shields began to shatter under the pressure, Elizabeth simply waved her finger. Through Matter Restructuration the broken shields were instantly restored, then further reinforced by weaving Harmonious Combatant together with several other supportive spells. The ordinary training gear temporarily evolved into much stronger variants.

“A-Amazing...!” Archivald muttered in awe as he raised the newly restored shield and absorbed several more powerful hits. “With this...! Shield Bash!”

He unleashed the Shield Bash Skill once more and smashed the lion’s head downward with crushing force.

“Now, Reinhardt! Borfus!”

At his call, both the dwarf and the half-elf charged forward without hesitation. Borfus gripped his heavy axe and swung it toward the lion’s thick neck, aiming to sever it in a single blow.

CRASH!

“?!”

His weapon struck the incredibly dense bone and only managed to create deep dents and cracks. Yet the stubborn dwarf refused to give up. He clenched his teeth tightly and swung even harder.

“Stone Cleave!”

His aura combined Mana, Qi, and Spiritual Energy into his weapon as he released a powerful technique unique to the dwarves known as Stone Cleave.

The lion roared and swung a blazing claw toward him, only for the entire hand to be cleanly severed by Hikari, who had intercepted the attack with perfect timing.

“I’ll take care of it, do it!”

Reinhardt gathered ambient mana into his sword thanks to his natural elven affinity and then swung his blade downward with all his strength.

“Here I come!”

His sword struck the deep wound Borfus had already opened. Together the axe and blade finally cut clean through the monster’s spine.

“G-Gaarraggghh?!”

The Lion released a horrible, agonizing roar as it vomited blood. Its eyes rolled back and its entire neck was severed. A violent explosion of fire erupted from the corpse a moment later, sending everyone flying backward from the force.

“...!”

Alfrion coughed in pure disbelief at the sight before him. One of the mighty Blazing Mane Lions had actually been slain!

It was only one of the three, yet it was still a massive accomplishment for a group of unranked candidates.

“I-Impossible...”

Camilla, who had remained quietly observant throughout the entire trial, smiled lightly while crossing her arms. She had deliberately chosen not to intervene. She wanted to see how far these people were willing to push themselves when forced to their absolute limits.

And now she was clearly witnessing exactly that.

However, the other monsters were still very much alive. The moment the group lowered their guard after the first kill, new threats appeared.

“CRYAAA!”

One of the Ice Beak Ostriches hissed sharply and fired dozens of razor-sharp icy feathers toward them.

Archivald immediately ran forward to protect the others. His entire body was impaled by dozens of the frozen projectiles, and blood poured from his mouth.

“G-Guugh...”

“A-Archivald?!”

Borfus panicked, his eyes filling with pure horror.

“SHAAAAH!”

Out of nowhere a Shadow Panther materialized behind Hikari. Its claws shredded through her samurai armor and dug deeply into her back, leaving a long and bleeding wound.

“Aaaagghh!”

“Hikari!” Elizabeth cried out in panic, her eyes beginning to gleam with a dangerous red light. “Ugh, enough!”

Anger surged through her body. Her aura exploded outward in a massive wave of bright and dark energies intertwined. Everyone present felt the unmistakable presence of something that was clearly not human.

“Go away!”

With pure fury she summoned an icy wind that quickly grew into a freezing storm. The Shadow Panther was caught completely inside it. Tiny ice crystals shredded the monster’s skin and muscle until it was killed on the spot.

As for the Ice Beak Ostrich, Elizabeth conjured dozens of sharp knives made of pure light and hurled them at the creature. Its icy protective shield shattered under the assault. The luminous daggers pierced its body from every direction and stabbed the giant bird repeatedly until it finally collapsed, dead.

“Hikari! Archivald!”

Elizabeth rushed toward them without hesitation. She quickly disinfected Hikari’s deep wound and healed it completely, then moved to Archivald. She melted the remaining ice embedded in his body and restored his injuries with careful precision.

“I... thank you once more...” Archivald coughed. Even after the healing magic, he still looked exhausted, yet he forced himself to stand. “I cannot rest yet... there is still much left to do... I am a half-orc, the toughest one here...! Let me continue fighting a little longer.”

“Are you sure?!” Borfus demanded angrily. “You’re going to get yourself killed!”

“Your wounds were too deep— Ah, the Oni girl, are you alright as well?” he asked, turning toward Hikari.

“Elizabeth healed me well,” Hikari replied firmly while keeping her eyes locked on the approaching monsters. “More are coming. There is no time to chat. We must move quickly!”

At that moment a huge Blazing Mane Lion smashed through the barriers Elizabeth had conjured, followed closely by several other dangerous monsters. They leaped onto another group of adventurers, slashing and burning their bodies and faces without mercy. The victims screamed in pure agony as they came dangerously close to death.

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