Hastora remained silent, not uttering a single word.
Then, he continued his journey, ignoring them all.
"Where are you going?" Valeska asked, grabbing Hastora's arm.
"Let go, I want to go solo in this test," Hastora replied coldly.
Valeska countered, "No, I won't let go of you this time."
Valeska and her friends knew that Luna would deduct points if any member of their group didn't follow the rules of this academy entrance trial.
Valeska seemed to know that Hastora was aware of this.
But Hastora seemed completely indifferent, looking like someone who had no intention of taking the academy entrance trial.
This would harm his group; they had already accumulated quite a lot of points.
If she let Hastora go, the points they had accumulated would be in vain.
However, Hastora had planned something for this.
He knew that their points would be reduced if he separated himself from them.
But, he would also suffer the consequences because he was separating himself from his group.
Hastora had anticipated this event.
The four of them were moving on the palm of his hand, like puppets being controlled.
Hastora sighed, "Fine, if you insist. I'll join you."
Geriya seemed to object to that.
"What! After separating yourself from us and acting as you please... Now you want to return to our group?" Geriya shouted angrily.
"Don't shout, you stupid girl. The monster will attack us because of your shouting," Hastora replied calmly, like an adult advising a child.
Geriya's face flushed—not out of shame but out of anger.
She walked towards Hastora, her steps strong and heavy.
When she got there, she grabbed his collar.
"You!, I'm fed up with your attitude!"
She grabbed Hastora's collar roughly, her face flushed red with anger.
She clenched her fist.
"Take this, you bastard!"
Her fist shot out quickly, but it was a useless action.
As Geriya's fist was about to hit Hastora, he grabbed her hand—preventing the fist from hitting his handsome face.
"So weak," he said.
Geriya became even angrier, she gritted her teeth, then tried to free her hand from Hastora's grip.
But it didn't work.
Hastora added a little more force to his grip.
Making Geriya hurt and stopping her action for a moment.
"Ouch!"
Hastora added a little more force again.
Crkk!
"It hurts! Let me go, you bastard! Do you want to break my arm? You peasant!"
Hastora didn't respond to Geriya's words, he tightened his grip.
"Ugh! It hurts!"
Her legs trembled. Slowly, she fell into the sand in the desert.
Hastora stared coldly.
"So weak. Where did your arrogant words go? Prove it."
Hastora tightened his grip again, like an iron clamp crushing.
Geriya cried, unable to bear the pain.
"I—It hurts... It hurts," she said, her tears flowing freely.
Seeing Geriya in pain, Renia didn't stand idly by.
She attacked Hastora with her kick.
Hastora realized the sudden attack, he jumped back—dodging with ease.
"That's not polite," he said.
Renia carried Geriya, who was in pain, and ran towards Gisella.
"Please take care of her," Renia said.
"Alright."
Gisella carried Geriya, who was in pain, on her back.
Hastora looked on with a flat expression.
"Like a baby," he mocked.
Renia drew her sword, then took a fighting stance—ready to attack.
"What are you doing?" Hastora asked, his voice calm and cold—but containing sarcasm.
Renia replied, "Of course teaching you a lesson."
Hastora raised his left eyebrow.
"Are you kidding? If so, it's not funny at all."
"I'm not kidding. A heartless person like you deserves to be taught a lesson."
Hastora smiled thinly, "Alright then. Please teach me history when we both enter the academy later."
"Don't play around, I'm serious."
Renia coated her sword with aura.
Golden energy enveloped the gleaming blade of her iron sword.
She took a fighting stance for the second time, ready to attack.
"Stop!"
Valeska's shout broke the tension between the two of them.
"Don't fight. We have to focus on finishing this test first, that's more important."
Renia gave up, she sheathed her sword again.
"You're lucky this time," Renia said with a serious expression.
"Is that so?... I thought you were the one who was being saved right now," Hastora replied with a flat expression.
Renia clenched her fist tightly, anger bubbling up inside her.
She took a slow breath, her eyes cold for a moment before returning to calm.
After calming down, she walked back to Gisella, who was carrying Geriya.
Hastora looked at her coldly.
'You should be dead by now. Show your gratitude to this white-haired girl'.
He put both his hands in his pants pockets, then turned around.
This time he didn't immediately leave them.
He was just waiting for orders from Valeska, considering the three of them would only listen to her words.
Valeska pulled slightly on the back of Hastora's clothes.
"Are you okay?... Are you hurt?" she asked.
Hastora turned his head slightly.
"I'm fine."
Not long after, Renia came up to them carrying Geriya on her back.
"What if we continue our journey, Valeska?" Renia asked.
"Right. Let's go."
Valeska stepped forward, followed by Hastora and his three friends from behind.
Zrrrhhh...
Not long after, the sand around them began to tremble.
A soft but threatening sound was heard beneath the surface, as if something was rising from the depths of the desert.
"What's this? Why is the sand shaking?" Gisella asked in panic.
A soft rumble, and the sand began to swirl, forming a large vortex. A giant golem as tall as a tower emerged from within the vortex.
Its appearance caused the sand around it to fly—obstructing everyone's vision.
"W—What is that?" Renia asked, her curiosity piqued.
Slowly, the sand began to disappear—then revealing the sand golem standing large before them.
"A Sand Golem," Valeska said, her gaze sharp and piercing.
She drew her sword from its scabbard.
Vwmm...
A light blue light enveloped its blade. The aura hummed softly but froze the air around it.
Valeska took a fighting stance, then ran to attack the monster.
Seeing Valeska who had already advanced first, Renia lowered Geriya, who was no longer in pain, from her shoulder.
Then ran after Valeska to attack the sand golem.
Gisella didn't stand idly by, she drew her sword and attacked the sand golem.
The three of them attacked the sand golem together.
Leaving only two people for now; Geriya and Hastora.
Geriya glanced at Hastora, but she didn't say a word.
Hastora seemed to realize Geriya was looking at him, he turned his head slightly.
"What's wrong? Do you want to get angry again?" he asked.
Geriya didn't answer, then followed her friends who were attacking the sand golem together.
Leaving only Hastora alone there.
While the others fought, instead of helping, he just sat and watched the fight.
He waved his hand.
"Good luck."
Valeska turned around.
"Suit yourself."
Valeska jumped onto the sand golem's arm, then attacked its neck with her sword.
Krrash!
Her sword landed on the golem's neck. A sound was heard as the blade cut hard through the dense sand skin, followed by a "Krunnch!" as its neck began to crack.
But, the attack was in vain. The golem absorbed the sand around it and regenerated.
The crack in its neck healed again, as if it had never been injured in the slightest.
The golem attacked using its sand hand.
Its sand hand hit the desert sand with great force, creating a temporary sandstorm.
Valeska gathered mana in her palm, light blue energy gently enveloped her hand.
Then, she jumped onto the top of the golem. And...
Krrzzhhh!
The sand golem instantly froze like a glittering ice sculpture.
The attack also instantly froze the air around it.
Valeska glanced at Hastora, hoping he would see her abilities.
However, Hastora didn't react at all to her abilities.
As if considering that it was just an ordinary thing.
Valeska clicked her tongue, feeling a little annoyed by Hastora's attitude just now.
Klak-klak!
Not long after, there was a small cracking sound on the frozen sand golem.
The cracks widened, then broke little by little.
Valeska jumped away, trying to avoid the danger that would happen.
"Valeska... The sand golem has a core in its chest. Destroy its core, if not you will never be able to defeat the golem," Hastora suggested, telling the weakness of the sand golem.
Valeska nodded.
"Alright."
CRRRSSHH!
The ice that froze it shattered into pieces, freeing it completely.
Valeska took a fighting stance again.
"Get ready everyone."
"Alright!" they replied in unison.
Renia jumped, trying to attack the bottom of the golem.
"Wait for me Renia!" Geriya and Gisella said in unison.
They both ran quickly, following Renia from behind.
Valeska held back from attacking first.
She was waiting for an opportunity to attack the golem's core.
Clang-Clang!
Renia's sword couldn't cut through the bottom of the sand golem.
Its bottom was as hard as steel.
Gisella tried to attack its bottom using magic.
She focused mana in her palm. And...
"Lux Javelin"
A large light spear shot out quickly, leaving a trail of light in the air.
FRAKSHH...
Lux Javelin pierced the sand golem's leg like piercing thin paper.
The sand golem's leg was destroyed, after being hit by that attack.
"Now Valeska," Hastora said with a flat expression.
Valeska jumped high. Light blue energy spun rapidly.
"Frost Spirit Swordmanship level one
A sharp slash froze the air and pierced the sand golem's chest with ease.
The sand golem's core shattered and froze.
The golem's body slowly crumbled, then turned into sand.
Valeska jumped for joy.
"We did it."
Her other friends also jumped for joy, wide smiles etched on their faces.
Not long after, a gate appeared in front of them all.
Hastora got up from his seat, then walked towards them.
"Let's go," he invited.
"Where?" Valeska asked.
"Of course, back. Don't you want to go back?"
"What? Back? How?" Valeska asked curiously.
Hastora pointed to the gate in front of him with his index finger.
"Through there," he said.
"Can that take us back to the academy?" Gisella asked.
"Of course it can. We've defeated the boss of this gate, so it's only natural that the gate to exit this dimension will open," Hastora replied.
Gisella sheathed her sword again and asked.
"Boss of the gate? What is that?"
Hastora sighed, not understanding why they were so stupid about such a simple thing.
"The real purpose of this test is to defeat the boss of this gate. That's also the reason why this academy entrance trial is done in groups.
"If someone has successfully defeated the boss of this gate, then the gate that allows us to exit this dimension will also appear right after we defeat the boss of the gate," Hastora replied at length.
Gisella nodded, she easily digested Hastora's explanation just now.
"Then let's go back. I can't stand it anymore, it's so hot here," Hastora invited.
"Alright," Gisella replied.
The five of them stepped into the gate, leaving the hot and vast desert.
...
[Outside the gate]
After coming out, all eyes were on them.
They were the last team to come out of the gate.
That made many people there envious.
It was because they were the team with the highest points and ranked first above other teams.
Luna, who saw the five of them, quickly approached them.
She walked casually while holding a megaphone in her left hand.
"Congratulations, you are the last team to come out of the gate. And the first team to complete this gate."
To be continued in the next chapter…