Adam gazed at Eleiney’s awkward face with great amusent. He chuckled to himself as he thought, Good. She doesn’t recognize at all.
He turned to Arthur and Aiden and wondered, They look disappointed that I’m not cheering them on from the bleachers, eh?
Heh, my foolish students, little do you know... I’ll be by your side the entire ti.
Unlike the rest of the rogue Magi on the diving platform, he looked quite relaxed and carefree.
Not only because he was a Mana Vortex Magus posing as a Mana Liquefaction Magus, but also because he knew the ins and outs of the First Trial—or any trials for that matter.
Adam flexed his shoulders a little, whistling a rry tune to himself. The people standing nearby felt oddly reassured by his deanor.
Suddenly, the person standing closest to him spoke to him with an amiable smile, "Friend, where are you from?"
Adam arched an eyebrow as he turned toward the speaker. He was a towering middle-aged man with a sturdy physique. His short, dark hair was neatly kept, and a thick beard frad his face. He wore layered robes of black and grey.
"I’m from... the Southern Federation." Adam grinned.
The man was stunned, and so were a few other people around Adam.
"Souther Federation, you say?" He asked with genuine surprise in his voice. "I didn’t expect soone from across from the Murky Mountains to participate in this tournant!"
"Eh, why not?" Adam shrugged.
The following mont, his lips ford a mischievous smile and he added, "I’ll have you know, Magus, I am the greatest talent to erge from the Southern Federation. Heh, so even say that my talent rivals the Dark King himself!"
So rolled thier eyes at him, finding his words amusing. While others simply scoffed at him and turned away, impatiently waiting for the trial to begin.
The towering middle-aged man, however, looked at Adam and spoke in a hushed voice, "Friend, you might want to be careful with your words."
He looked around first, then added, "So of the Dark King’s fans... uhm, let’s just say they’re quite crazy. They might just fight you to death if they hear you comparing yourself to their idol."
Adam’s lips twitched. "Is that so?"
"Very much so." The man nodded solemnly. "Trust , I know. My sons are among those crazy fans, after all."
Towards the end, he shook his head with a sigh.
Adam didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at that remark. He looked toward the bleachers and asked, "Are your kids here, perhaps?"
"Yes, right there." The man pointed at one of the rows where two boys were waving at him. Seeing them act so enthusiastically, his heart was ward, and he waved back at them with doting eyes.
Adam, too, waved at them with a smile. Inwardly, he thought to himself in amusent, I wonder how they’d react if they knew the Dark King was waving at them.
He turned to the man beside him and asked, "What’s your na, Magus?"
The towering, middle-aged man offered a handshake. "Michael Isaac."
Adam firmly shook his hand with a grin and introduced himself:
"I am called... rlin Mathias."
***
Several minutes later, after all the participants on the diving platform had been given ample ti to prepare for their descent to the depths of Marian Lake, Professor Whitaker arrived at the shore, followed by several other faculty mbers.
The kind elderly lady greeted all the Magi from the Four Pillars and Baja High Forest warmly before making her way to a small earthen platform nestled by the shore. The platform was just large enough for one person to stand on.
Stepping onto it, she ford a simple hand seal, and the platform rose gently into the air, levitating until it hovered at eye level with the participants.
The crowd gathered in the bleachers, and the participants standing on top of the diving platforms gradually quietened down.
Mathilda Whitaker scanned the spectating crowd with a gentle smile on her face and greeted, "Ladies and gentlen, welco to the First Trial of the Seventy-Third Grand Magus Tournant."
She paused for a long ti, allowing the cheers and applause to create a sense of anticipation before continuing.
"This trial, like those that follow, is not designed rely to test your magical strength. It is ant to probe your composure, your instincts, and your resolve in the face of the unknown."
Her gaze drifted across the diving platform, observing the nervous but determined faces of the young Magi. Her gaze paused montarily on the young man with coppery-red hair and light freckles dusting his face, causing her brows to furrow ever so slightly.
Professor Whitaker continued, "Beneath the surface of Marian Lake lies an ancient labyrinth. It is a maze woven from coral, kelp, and deepwater flora."
The rogue Magi paid rapt attention to this newfound information. Because, unlike the contestants from the other factions, they knew next to nothing about this trial.
"Hidden sowhere within that twisting domain is your goal: a single magical key," said the elderly Professor. "Only those who find it will earn the right to proceed to the next trial. It goes without saying that the number of these keys is limited."
She paused for several monts, allowing the weight of her words to settle in the heart of the contestants—mostly the rogue Magi.
"You will begin the trial under the effects of the Alter Self spell, granting you a form suitable for aquatic travel. But keep in mind..." her voice turned solemn. "This transformation is temporary."
Soon, her tone grew more serious, more resolute.
"Beware... the maze is not unguarded."
A wave of tensed murmur rippled through the small crowd gathered on the fifth platform. Seeing them beco so panic-stricken, Adam assured them, "Relax, you won’t die in there."
Before these people could even ask him further questions, they heard the elderly Professor continue.
"There shall be no second chances. Only those who retrieve the key will be teleported back to the surface. Once all keys have been claid, the trial will conclude."
With a wave of her hand, she commanded the earthen platform to float back. "Prepare to dive!"
One by one, the participants on the diving platform activated their respective one-ti-use artifacts, each engraved with the model of the Rank 3 Spell - Alter Self.
Almost instantly, their bodies began to shift and contort, undergoing strange and often grotesque transformations.
Professor Whitaker slowly raised her hand into the air. She waited until every last participant had completed their tamorphosis.
Then, with a sharp motion, she brought her hand down as she declared:
"Begin!"
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