"Hand over the Divination Crystal, and I will allow you to leave."

  Pierce spoke with an indifferent expression.

  It was the exact same sentence Tanner had spoken to Pierce just moments ago.

  Now, falling from Pierce’s lips, it carried a biting, heavy irony.

  However, Tanner could not spare a thought for humiliation. Upon hearing this, his heart instantly leaped with joy.

  If he could avoid elimination, he was naturally more than willing to comply.

  As long as he remained within the maze, there was still a glimmer of hope.

  Yet, he did not relax his vigilance. His eyes remained fixed on Pierce, ready to activate his teleportation ring at a second's notice, as he asked warily, "How can I trust that you will keep your word?"

  Pierce replied flatly, "We can simply sign a contract."

  Tanner immediately rejoined, "You draft the terms."

  He looked for all the world like a badger cowering at the mouth of its burrow, terrified the hunter might suddenly open fire, ready to dive underground at the slightest provocation.

  Pierce smiled contemptuously and began to manipulate energy particles, writing directly into the void.

  Tanner watched Pierce's every movement with unblinking intensity, terrified of any abnormal gesture.

  But as he watched the glowing runes form, a trace of dazed confusion suddenly clouded his eyes. His body, originally taut as a bowstring, relaxed ever so slightly for just an instant.

  And in that split second, a wisp of black mist flashed behind Tanner like a phantom. It abruptly solidified into the form of a crow, its claws shining with a chilling cold light as they struck Tanner's nape with brutal force.

  Crack!

  The magically enhanced skin was as fragile as parchment before those razor-sharp talons. It was instantly torn and shattered, revealing the tender, bloody flesh beneath.

  Only at this final moment did Tanner startle awake, his face twisting into an expression of absolute horror.

  Instinctively, he tried to activate his teleportation ring.

  Regrettably, it was too late.

  As the talons swept through, a massive head was sent soaring into the air. Blood geysered from the severed neck, spraying three or four meters high.

  Thump!

  The head struck the ground and rolled for some distance before coming to a halt, the face frozen in a rictus of despair and terror.

  Pierce slowly withdrew his hand, a cold sneer flashing across his face.

  Hypnotism. It could lull a creature into a tranced state through specific gestures or incantations.

  From the very beginning, Pierce had never intended to let Tanner live.

  The reason for the charade was merely to prevent Tanner from teleporting away; by feigning interest in the crystal ball, he had lulled the man into lowering his guard.

  Approaching Tanner’s headless corpse, Pierce crouched down and searched it thoroughly. He soon found a Bag of Holding. Upon opening it, he indeed discovered a crystal ball inside.

  After a brief inspection, a satisfied smile touched his lips.

  Excellent. The crystal ball still held seven charges of the Divination spell.

  Standing up, Pierce claimed the Bags of Holding from the other two corpses as well, then led the Dire Wereboar and his Mist Crows out of the room.

  Halfway up the mountain.

  Monkay's smile froze on his face. He stared blankly at the screen in the sky, unable to recover his wits for a long time.

  Defeated? Just like that?

  Three people joined forces, yet they failed to inflict even a scratch on Pierce, and instead were completely wiped out?

  Is this a joke?!

  Monkay’s face turned an ashen iron-grey, and he couldn't help but curse vilely in his heart.

  Idiot! Trash!

  Knowing full well that Pierce had mastered Silent Spell, he still stood there without a shred of defensive preparation. It was stupidity of the highest order!

  The key issue was not just that Tanner died, but that he had gifted Pierce a Divination Crystal.

  Consequently, the difficulty of Pierce reaching the center of the maze had been reduced yet again.

  Monkay was furious.

  The faces of the other Shadow Academy students were also masked with horror.

  In terms of raw strength, Tanner was capable enough to rank within the top ten of this trial's participants.

  Yet such an expert had been rendered almost helpless by Pierce, suppressed from start to finish, eventually dying on the spot without even the time to trigger his escape ring.

  Had they not witnessed it with their own eyes, they would never have believed it possible.

  At this moment, in their hearts, Pierce’s strength had seemingly ascended to the same tier as Monville, Sanford, and the others.

  Several of them couldn't help but steal glances at Monkay.

  Judging by the current trend, Pierce might genuinely have a chance at securing a competition quota.

  Noticing the looks from his companions, the corner of Monkay’s eye twitched slightly. He kept a sullen face and remained silent.

  He could now only pin his hopes on his elder brother, Monville, along with Sutherland and Sanford, reaching the maze's center as quickly as possible.

  As long as they secured the Rainbow Gems first, no matter how powerful Pierce was, he would not be able to snatch food from the tiger's mouth.

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  Observing Monkay’s shift in demeanor, Gwen's lips curled slightly.

  Beside her, Ingram was still immersed in the shock of Pierce slaughtering Tanner’s trio, unable to snap out of it for a long while.

  As the scene of Pierce killing Tanner was noticed by more spectators, a significant buzz swept through the crowd. More and more gazes focused intently on Pierce.

  In this moment, in the eyes of the masses, Pierce had undoubtedly become one of the prime candidates for the championship, standing shoulder to shoulder with Monville’s trio.

  Relying on the Divination Crystal, Pierce's subsequent exploration became significantly easier.

  When encountering relatively simple forks, he relied on the Mist Crows to scout.

  When faced with complex terrain, he directly used the Divination spell to pinpoint the correct path.

  By alternating between the two methods, he barely took a wrong turn.

  Aside from encountering a Legendary Knight-level Girallon—a four-armed ape beast—which took some effort to dispatch, the exploration proceeded smoothly.

  Just as his Divination spells were reduced to three charges, Pierce finally discovered a new treasure chest in a chamber.

  After defeating the guardian monster, he successfully obtained a third crystal ball.

  "Ten more charges of Divination."

  Pierce’s smile deepened.

  Although he didn't know the exact distance remaining, it had been over forty hours since he entered the maze. Estimating by time, he shouldn't be too far from the center.

  The remaining thirteen charges should be sufficient to support him the rest of the way.

  Stowing the crystal ball, Pierce did not rush to continue. Instead, he sat down where he was and began to meditate to recover his mental power.

  Although he had conserved his energy as much as possible, his mental reserves were nearly half depleted.

  To be safe, it was better to restore his condition to its peak before attempting to breach the maze’s core.

  As Pierce entered a meditative trance, the room fell into silence, save for the occasional crackle of sparks from the torches on the walls.

  The Dire Wereboar sat to one side, unexpectedly quiet. It stole occasional fearful glances at the Mist Raven perched beside Pierce.

  For some reason, this massive beast felt an intense, suffocating pressure radiating from the small crow, forcing it to suppress its violent nature for fear of provoking the creature.

  After an indeterminate amount of time, Pierce’s eyes snapped open. He uttered a low, heavy shout:

  "Who is it?"

  Realizing she had been discovered, the intruder no longer attempted to conceal her presence and walked openly through the doorway.

  It was a girl with golden hair, emerald eyes, and a fiery figure.

  Pierce’s gaze fell upon her chest, where a badge bearing a violet insignia was pinned.

  Violet Academy!

  Simultaneously, the girl spotted the Spire Academy badge on Pierce’s chest, and her eyebrows raised slightly.

  Immediately after, she looked at the Dire Wereboar nearby, a flash of surprise crossing her eyes.

  A Dire Wereboar was an extra-planar creature approaching the realm of a Legendary Knight.

  To summon a creature of this tier, the person before her was obviously not weak.

  The girl’s eyes glimmered, and she offered a radiant smile. "I bear no ill will. I am merely passing through."

  Pierce watched her calmly, secretly activating the Omniscient Eye to scan her.

  [Analysis requires 12 points of mental power. Proceed?]

  12 points of mental power!

  Pierce’s heart stirred.

  It should be noted that even for Tanner, the analysis had only required 7 points.

  The girl before him was actually stronger than that veteran soldier!

  Pierce couldn't help but take a deeper look at her.

  For some reason, Cecily felt that the young man's gaze was exceptionally penetrating, as if she were being laid bare, inside and out.

  Even when facing her mentors, she had never felt such a sensation.

  Involuntarily, a trace of wariness toward the youth rose in the depths of Cecily’s heart.

  She did not linger. Nodding to Pierce with a polite smile, she walked toward the exit on the opposite side.

  Only after she had walked a considerable distance from the room and was out of Pierce’s line of sight did Cecily’s tense body relax slightly. She frowned, muttering to herself.

  "Who exactly is that person?"

  She had originally assumed that few people in this trial could pose a threat to her—at most, Monville, Sanford, and Sutherland were worthy of her attention. She hadn't expected to encounter another unfathomable Wizard Apprentice.

  And from The Spire Academy, no less.

  Aside from Yuna, who had already advanced to become a full Wizard, when did The Spire Academy produce another such formidable figure?

  In the flickering torchlight of the room.

  Pierce watched the girl’s figure disappear into the distance, then withdrew his gaze and resumed meditation.

  By the time his mental power was fully restored, more than six hours had passed.

  Opening his eyes, Pierce stood up and stretched, then led the Dire Wereboar to continue the exploration.

  "There are twenty hours left until the trial ends. I wonder how many people are left in the maze?"

  Walking through the empty corridor, Pierce pondered as he scouted.

  Judging from the experience of the past two days, the maze was undoubtedly colossal.

  With fewer than a hundred participants scattered throughout, encountering one another was naturally difficult.

  He had waited until reaching the deep zones before encountering two groups in succession.

  However, it was foreseeable that as he drew closer to the center, the probability of meeting other apprentices would increase.

  In the final few hours, the surviving apprentices would likely all congregate at the center.

  That would be the true test of strength for the participants.

  More than two hours later, Pierce encountered another group.

  There were three of them, dressed in the grey robes and inner armor of army Wizard Apprentices.

  Both parties emerged from opposite ends of a long corridor at the same time, encountering each other across a distance of three or four hundred meters. Almost simultaneously, they assumed defensive postures, sizing each other up with scrutinizing gazes.

  After a moment of standoff, the leading apprentice on the opposite side spoke up.

  "There is no need for us to fight. What do you think?"

  "Indeed." Pierce nodded slightly.

  "Let us pass first. Agreed?"

  "Fine."

  With someone willing to clear the path ahead, Pierce naturally would not refuse.

  Of course, he knew the other party simply wanted to reach the center first.

  They were evidently confident in their own speed and strength.

  As Pierce agreed, the tension in the corridor eased significantly.

  The leader nodded to Pierce, then cautiously led his companions to a room entrance midway down the hall and stepped inside.

  After walking some distance, the young man following behind Sanford whispered, "Captain, I saw that guy holding a Divination Crystal. Why didn't we snatch it?"

  Sanford shook his head. "We shouldn't be far from the center now. The remaining three crystals we have are sufficient. There is no need to create unnecessary complications."

  He paused, a meaningful look in his eyes.

  "Moreover, that young man is not easy to deal with. If we truly fought, even if we won, we would likely pay a hefty price."

  At these words, his two companions were startled.

  The young man who had spoken revealed a skeptical expression. "But I saw he was wearing a Spire Academy badge. He’s clearly just a student. How tough can he be?"

  "Don't underestimate the students. Although they have fewer years of cultivation than us, there are formidable figures among them. Monville is also a student; how would you rate his strength?"

  The young man’s expression froze.

  Monville was recognized as one of the top three favorites to win a quota. His strength was, of course, tyrannical.

  But the young soldier was still not quite convinced.

  Noticing his expression, Sanford shook his head helplessly and explained, "Have you forgotten about Harlan?"

  The young man was stunned for a moment, then reacted quickly, his eyes widening in astonishment. "You mean... that person just now was Pierce?"

  Sanford nodded. "Sixteen or seventeen years old, a student of The Spire Academy, and capable of walking this deep into the maze alone. I can't think of anyone else."

  The young man and the other companion instantly turned solemn.

  If it was Pierce, then it was indeed not worth the risk. The danger did not justify the potential gain.

  Sanford glanced at his two subordinates and said earnestly, "In the future, remember to observe and think more. Do not be blinded by the petty profits before your eyes. Otherwise, if you act as impulsively and recklessly as Tanner, you will get yourself killed sooner or later."

  The two nodded hurriedly in agreement.

  They knew their captain had always been at odds with Tanner, so they thought nothing of his disparaging remarks.

  The three said no more and continued their advance.

  Back in the corridor, Pierce waited patiently for more than ten minutes before entering the middle passage.

  He was extra cautious, ordering the Dire Wereboar to take point, just in case the trio had left any traps in their wake.

  "Come to think of it, these army apprentices must have mastered some form of long-distance communication. Otherwise, it's impossible that the people I've encountered twice in a row were already grouped up."

  Pierce mused silently.

  Unfortunately, he had checked the Bags of Holding from the three men who died by his hand and found nothing of significant value.

  The only item of note was a necklace enchanted with Minor Stoneskin and a weak acid resistance. It was a Faint-aura magic item, worth perhaps a dozen Magic Stones—better than nothing.

  For the current Pierce, only Arcane Artifacts could truly arouse his interest.

  "It is a pity that so few people possess Arcane Artifacts."

  Pierce thought with a touch of regret.

  Arcane Artifacts not only had harsh usage requirements but were also extraordinarily expensive. Even elite scions of Wizard families rarely possessed one.

  Otherwise, he might have been able to make a real fortune in this trial.