Viktor, floating in midair, fully mobilized his own natural energy, and the red patterns behind him suddenly lit up.
Tens of thousands of plants seemed to turn into dead, charred branches after burning, and the towering giant trees now looked as if their treetops had been heated red.
White ashes were swept up into the air by the whistling cold wind.
The green leaves had become scorched and crimson, giving off little sparks.
The sky was also completely covered by the black smoke rising from the burning of ten thousand trees, and a few strands of yellow sunlight could no longer pierce through the heavy darkness.
Erica looked at Viktor, who resembled a demon god, and felt the powerful natural energy rushing toward her like a flood beast.
She could clearly feel that her insignificant bit of magic power, compared to professor Viktor's endless natural energy…
Was like a small flowing stream standing before a bottomless, boundless ocean.
Her mind immediately turned completely blank, and in her head, she kept recalling the only thought left, 'This is a god.'
Viktor's hands, wrapped in two types of natural energy, looked like he was praying or like he was summoning something, and his mouth slowly began to chant obscure incantations.
The lush green earth began to crack apart, flames rose into the air from the gaps in the rocks, and the vegetation was sliced through one after another by molten lava.
A massive flower suddenly broke through the lava, twisting as it reached toward the sky. Dozens of meters up, the tattered petals peeled open, revealing streaks of glowing flame patterns rolling inside.
The giant flower bloomed toward the sky in an instant, and what burst out from its stamen wasn't fragrant pollen, but terrifying, ash-filled flames.
A pillar of flame that seemed capable of devouring the heavens shot straight into the world, piercing through everything.
At this moment, under the impact of such powerful natural energy, the illusory sky actually shattered, like a mirror that could no longer be restored, cracking apart bit by bit.
The massive pillar of fire instantly swallowed the flower, and the green and red energies intertwined, turning into a huge white light that surged outward, consuming everything, spreading for thousands of miles.
The world suddenly fell silent.
Erica quietly watched as the white light gradually swallowed her completely, and she was powerless to resist.
She opened her mouth, but couldn't hear even her own voice.
Only now did Erica realize, before Viktor's overwhelming strength, he didn't even give people a moment's chance to feel fear.
BOOM!
The white light gradually dispersed, and sound returned to this broken world.
All things around them had fallen into boundless silence, and even the crackling sounds of burning no longer existed.
Only the lonely drifting smoke dispersed, and ash slowly fell into the bottomless cracks in the earth.
Suddenly, a light rain fell from the gloomy sky.
It splashed onto Erica's motionless body.
The cold touch made Erica regain her senses, and she blinked a few times, as if she couldn't believe she was still alive.
With the gentle rain falling, Erica felt like she had returned to that raging volcano.
Only this time, she could quietly feel the comforting rain waking her up.
After this battle... No, perhaps it should be called a one-sided crushing, she personally felt Viktor's earth-shattering power.
And clearly realized the gap between herself and Viktor.
A gap like a heavenly chasm.
Viktor's silhouette had long since disappeared, leaving only the shattered remnants of the illusion behind.
But the shock left in Erica's heart, would not fade for a long time.
———
[Inside Viktor's Mage Tower]
At the edge of the scroll, the ranking board finally began to ripple slowly, as if it was about to show the name of the first student to pass with full marks.
The students rushed up, staring blankly at the name that appeared.
"Erica du Croy."
None of them could even manage to pass, yet Erica actually managed to get full marks?
But Erica's name appearing there also felt somewhat reasonable.
If even the top student couldn't get full marks, then who else could possibly achieve a perfect score on professor Viktor's test?
Soon, Erica's figure appeared from the teleportation array.
Her body was a bit unstable, and she looked somewhat dazed.
Many students hurriedly rushed up to her, asking, "Miss Erica, how did you manage to get full marks?"
"Miss Erica! How did you overcome the third stage encounter battle?"
"Miss Erica…"
The students poured out all their questions in one breath, but Erica didn't respond.
Her eyes were slightly empty, as if she had just experienced a world-shattering disaster.
Only Henny smiled at her and said, "Congratulations, Erica. You are the first full-score student."
"Your results will be immediately recorded into your total score. You may now head to the other exam halls to continue taking the remaining exams."
Erica slowly raised her head, returned to her senses, and nodded in a daze.
Dragging her body, she headed toward the entrance of the Mage Tower, turning into strands of green light and disappearing from this space.
Many people stared at the absent-minded Erica in a daze.
No one knew what Erica had just gone through.
What she saw was something that could completely shatter their worldview.
In a way, not encountering Viktor made these students lucky.
But they still had to remain in this exam venue for a while longer.
Relatively speaking, that was also unfortunate.
———
The three-day examination continued, and today was the final day.
Normally, by the third day, the professors no longer needed to maintain the exam venues the way they had at the beginning.
Most students had basically finished, and only a few examinees, those rushing to catch up, or those wanting to collect all exam recognitions for more points, would continue to take the tests on the last day.
Except under Viktor's mage tower, which was still surrounded by even more people, packed so tightly that not even water could drip through.
Reporters from various news outlets were even more numerous than before.
In such scorching weather, even mosquitoes didn't want to enter the crowd, afraid they'd be crushed into paste by the sea of people in the next second.
A large number of students still filled the inside of the mage tower.
Just as that first student who finished the exam had said, the passing rate of professor Viktor's exam kept getting higher and higher.
No one knew when it began, but once the second student to pass appeared, it was like some secret passage had been opened.
Students who passed began popping up like bamboo shoots after rain.
Reporters gathered under Viktor's mage tower and interviewed every student.
But their answers were all the same, and without exception, their attitudes were excited.
It was through patience, constant repetition, and that strange intoxicating rush…
That's right, what supported these students' success…
Was actually Viktor's unbelievable exam rule.
Students could keep retaking the test over and over again until the time ran out.
And somehow, this boring rule made countless students willingly stay in the mage tower to try again and again.
Did they not feel bored? Not feel exhausted?
The media couldn't understand at all.
But the most ridiculous part was, even though they had already passed the exam… these students acted as if they were addicted, going back again and again to challenge it.
Finally, the bell for the last day rang, signaling the end of the exam.
Inside the mage tower, the students still taking the test, whether they were succeeding or failing, were all kicked out at once.
Some students forced a smile, some beat their chests in frustration.
Others wore pride on their faces, their sense of accomplishment overflowing visibly.
"Just a little more. If those last two monsters had given me one more chance, I could've gotten full marks."
"But at least I passed."
The students sighed.
Henny waved her hands, and the scroll gradually rolled up. The teleportation array inside the mage tower also disappeared.
"The exam time is up. All examinees may now leave the mage tower."
Some students couldn't help but ask, "Professor Henny! Will there be exams like this again in the future?"
This novel kind of exam gave people a feeling that couldn't be described.
It made many examinees feel a sense of thrill.
And they really liked it.
Henny gave them a friendly, gentle smile and nodded.
Receiving the answer they wanted, the examinees cheered happily.
"Yay!"
"I really want to take classes in professor Viktor's class."
"Oh no, I graduated already!"
"I heard professor Viktor's lecture will be held in a few days, I'm already looking forward to it."
The students, carrying excitement, regret, and all sorts of mixed emotions, left the mage tower.
After they all left in an orderly manner, Henny still stood where she was.
She felt the vast magic power within her body, like an ocean.
No one knew what she was thinking at this moment.
Henny experimentally raised her arm, and in an instant, a second-tier magic array formed in the air.
The magic-constructing process was very smooth and effortless.
Henny froze.
A gentle breeze brushed across her cheek, and a reassuring hand was placed on her shoulder.
The familiar scent behind her made Henny turn around in surprise.
"Professor!"
"Not a bad improvement."
Viktor responded lightly.
In his eyes, Henny's level had undergone a shocking change.
[Lv21]
How long had it been since Henny became a mage?
It hadn't even been half a month.
If this were made public, it would be far too shocking.
During the three-day final exam, almost all the students in the academy took part.
This unreasonable exam difficulty, coupled with the anger constantly produced by the examinees…
Let the rage demon inside Henny feast to its fill.
And all the emotions the demon devoured turned into Henny's magic power source.
Making her level shoot up like a rocket, allowing her to become a second-tier mage in one go.
"Keep working hard, Henny."
"I'll be waiting for you up ahead."
As his words fell, Viktor took two steps toward the exit of the mage tower.
The next second, a fierce wind suddenly blew through the space. Henny's robe was lifted by the gust, and she instinctively lowered her head to shield herself with her hands.
When the wind subsided and she looked up, Viktor's figure was already gone.
"Professor…"
Staring ahead, Henny gradually grew dazed.
She understood the reason behind all the magic power she now possessed.
She had received too much help from the professor.
It had always been him helping her, yet she couldn't give anything back.
Soon, Henny steadied herself again. She looked firmly in the direction Viktor had left.
"Not enough. Still not enough."
Just as the professor had said, she was still far too weak.
"At the very least, I need to reach Tier Three."
When a certain desire rises in one's heart, that desire becomes endless motivation.
For Henny, from beginning to end, she had always been working toward that goal.
A small red glow slowly appeared on Henny's body, and a small crocodile lay on top of her head, yawning.
Such thick desire.
'Too bad, this desire isn't the flavor I like to eat.'