Four elemental spirits floated around Eros which was far more complete than what the others summoned. Each one of them radiated a unique energy that would instantly make one think that they are some rare entity. Even those at the wizard realm would not be able to summon them casually, yet Eros did it even with the restriction of Ronsorth’s facility.
“Excellent! Hahaha!” Almon exclaimed. “This is the first that someone did something like that.”
“He is indeed someone noteworthy.” Ruven said while nodding his head.
On the illusory stone tablet, Eros’ name appeared first. This firmly established his talent as the best. Even though he has yet to pass the final test, it was already evident that he would do well compared to the rest.
“Congratulations on those who passed.” Conall said as he waved his hands, making the illusory tablet disappear marking the end of the third round. “It is already late. We will start the last test tomorrow.” Then he departed along with the other observers, leaving the examinees on their own to rest and recover.
Eros was the talk of everyone the entire evening, especially the bet Eldrin and Avel made which everyone thought was a stupid thing. Eldrin and Avel practically already lost; however, they are still unwilling to accept it without the final results.
“Hey Eros, those two might do something to make you fail the last test. Aren’t you worried?” Eris said as she approached Eros.
Eros then glanced at the Eldrin and Avel and replied to Eris, “Don’t worry. It seems like they can’t do anything to interfere with the test.”
Eris then murmured. “I hope so.”
….
Quickly, the third day came. It was the time for the last test. Even though everyone had a good rest, they all still feel stressed. If they fail this last test, their effort for the previous two days would be a waste.
Eros on the other hand, felt confident compared to the previous rounds. “I will use everything I can to pass this exam and continuously try to gain fame in Ronsorth so that I can become strong at the shortest amount of time!
On contrary, Eldin and Avels’ faces were grim; it was obvious that they were scheming something. Even though Eros noticed their odd behavior, he could do nothing but rely on the test facilitator.
They were all advised to go to a certain area by a person sent by Conall. When they arrived, they were all shocked and their eyes went wide. In front of them, an extremely tall tree stood. It span so high as if it will touch the sky. Its leaves were also enormous; that a person could lay on it without falling or feeling nervous. Its branches were so thick that it was impossible to cut it with their magic. Even its trunk looked absurdly sturdy to the point that it feels outwordly.
“The tree of life?” One elf said as he was still trying to see the tree top. Even though his voice was low, everyone heard it which caused everyone’s excitement to grow.
While everyone was still awed, Conall’s voice echoed out. “Everyone. This is where the last will be held.” Then he walked forward catching everyone’s attention. “Sadly, this is not the tree of life. It is only a tree which failed to become the tree of life, and still lived until this point.
“For those who have lived at the Kindom of Sheles since birth, you might have already heard legends about this tree, and how it is not visible outside Ronsorth even though it’s so high that it seems to reach the sky. The reason for that is because this place is a separate dimension created by our ancestors. They made this long ago in hope to nurture this tree in order to create the second tree of life. However, they failed to do it.
“But their efforts weren’t in vain since we were able to use the tree for many things, and one of those is for this final test which test battle potential.”
Conall then pointed at a specific leaf on the tree and said. “Those who could reach that leaf within three hours will pass the exam. There will be creatures that will block your path, so it is time to prove your ability to fight. But, fighting each other is against the rules. So those who do it will automatically fail.”
Conall then paused for a moment, before he said. “You can now begin.”
Everyone rushed as if their lives depend on the line. They were all determined to give their all this time. The tree was so large that even though there were hundreds of them, the way up was still wide as they step on the irregularly shaped skin of the stem.
No one was capable of flight, most of them were only an Arguros mage, and only a handful was at the Khrusos stage.
When they were rushing up, many creatures materialized. They were souls of elemental beasts that the tree seemed to have collected in the past. Now it is uses it to defend itself from those who tried to climb it and trespass.
There were variety of beast, from birds and even monstrous fish. They floated in the air and attacked anyone who came near, or even those who stood still. It was as if the tree itself deigns to be touched; expelling anyone who tries to stand on its branch.
everal magical attacks were released at once, elements exploded in the air and fighting was everywhere. As they climb higher, the spirits were also becoming stronger. However, this did not stop anyone from advancing further.
Eros and Eris climbed in tandem. Lensa also did not wander far away from them. At first it was easy. Eros simply used the magic he learned from his parents to destroy all the spirits. However, he noticed that once the souls are destroyed it easily reformed. It only meant that there was no end to it, and will only get worse the longer they stayed at the tree.
“Arggg!” One elf suddenly fell. Fortunately, a magic cast around the tree caught him. It was a way so that no one dies on the test. Anyone who gets outnumbered by the beast and about to be beaten to death would be instantly pulled by the magic the wizards outside created.
Out of all the participants, Hagen was clearing his way to top. He destroyed the souls nonstop, and kept leaping from one point to another leaving everyone behind and increasing the gap. This is the time that his potential was truly displayed. He was eager to renew the title of genius that he previously gained.
“Amazing.” Everyone said, as they struggle to fight their way up the tree.
Currently, Eros was not showing enough progress to catch anyone’s attention. In fact, he was along with those ordinary participants that it was hard to tell where he was. His display of fighting ability was nothing but ordinary, so everyone was disappointed to see that he who topped the first three tests at a shocking fashion would have difficulty in climbing the tree. Furthermore, he could only step one at a time while fighting desperately.
“Seems like the boy lacks magical skills.” Ruven said with a frown.
Almon simply laughed and said, “It seems like it, but, don’t forget that he topped the second test. It only means that his knowledge is far beyond the rest. With greater knowledge, one could only end up with better understanding of magic.”
After more than an hour of grueling fight, many already failed. But, many of those who are in the verge of failing still cling on the hope of passing. No one wanted to give up since it was the last round. If they pass, they can make their family proud.
Another hour passed, and Hagen already stepped at a branch, he was far away from the weak bunch. Eros was among those who were left behind, but oddly, Eros was not the only one. Eldrin and Avel were even at a lower level on the tree compared to Eros and Eris. It was obvious that they are planning on doing something ridiculous.
Eldrin and Avel suddenly nodded as if they were speaking from the beginning up to the current moment. Then they suddenly moved simultaneously, along with other elves who seemed to be to be their friends. Oddly, each one of them were surrounded by numerous soul of elemental beasts which they were desperately fighting, however, with the signal from Eldrin and Avel, they all suddenly seemed like losing and tried to run away towards the same direction. And at a closer inspection they were headed at none other than Eros and Eris’ location.
Eros’ brows furrowed. He knew that those two were planning something. However, he could only wait and rely on the fact that they could not directly harm him. Now that he noticed their action, he realized that they were planning to lure the beast in his direction.
“Eris! Let’s increase our pace. Those idiots are risking it. Even if there is a possibility that some of them might get caught by that soul beast horde and fail, they still went on and did it!” Eros said as she grabbed Eris’ arm and increased his pace.
Even though Eros increased his speed, he was still slow for Eldin and Avel’s group. Everyone could see the situation, but no one dared to impede their action, since what they were doing was actually not a rule violation. Furthermore, the way they were running resembled someone who was actually trying to escape with all their might. So their action was deemed to be normal, even though many were skeptical.
Eldrin and Avel both smiled with satisfaction. In no time Eros will be surrounded by spirit beast which they slowly gathered with careful calculation. “This time we will make sure that you fail. We waited for hours before acting and observed all your movements to make sure you are not hiding anything. Now we are sure that you are truly weak when it comes to fighting!”
In no time, the horde of spirit beast was near Eros and Eris. Those who wanted to help like Lensa could do nothing since she was already far on a higher level. She could only hope that Eros prepared enough for such a disaster.
Eros gritted his teeth, this time he was really cornered and could only rely on himself. So quickly, he activated his curse magic – The curse of emotion which he had used on several occasion.
Fortunately, the spirit beasts also have a similar thread of a living being, so Eros grabbed many of it without hesitation causing the spirit beasts that are blocking his way to suddenly tremble in trepidation. Then in no time they scurried, and some of them even vanished.
Everyone who were observing suddenly gaped in amazement. They could not tell what magic Eros used to trigger such reaction from the spirits.
Eros then increased his pace, and looked at the direction of Eldrin and Avel who was still trying to reach his location. The two were both shocked of what they saw. Eros who was struggling suddenly did something amazing. They could not comprehend what happened, but now that Eros was able to advance at a rapid speed, they were doomed to be caught by the horde of elemental soul beast.
“Let’s see how you escape that.” Eros then moved forward and used his magic to rapidly climb up.
“What magic is he using?” Ruven frowned,
While Ruven was carefully analyzing Eros’ magic, Meira was ecstatic. “So he has a magic like that!”
While everyone was giving their praise, Eldrin and Avel were struggling to escape the horde of elemental soul beasts which they plan to use against Eros. When they were about to escape, suddenly, the soul beasts previously cowed by Eros’ magic appeared. This time, they were extremely aggressive as if something triggered them to become angered.
“Arg!” Eldrin blocked one elemental soul beasts which attacked him with all its might. “Curse you Eros! I know you did something with these soul beasts!”
With their way blocked, the elemental soul beasts behind them were able to catch up. Now they felt truly doomed, from the danger they have incurred.
The fighting intensified, and many of Eldrin and Avel’s companions decided to jump out of the tree to survive. Their escape path was blocked by aggressive beasts and behind them were hundreds which was impossible to defend against.
Eros on the other hand continued his progress; until such time that he caught up with few of the best. Lensa was included, who gave them a nod expressing her acknowledgement of Eros’ battle prowess and achievement. After a while, Eros overtook them, where his only competition was Hagen who was near the leaf but struggling with every step he make.
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In no time, Eros caught up with Hagen. Hagen could not help but be shocked; earlier, he saw Eros struggling in the fight, so he thought that it was impossible for him to reach this current height.
What was more shocking, was that the number of elemental soul beasts Hagen was struggling to clear, was easily cleared by Eros using an odd magic unknown to him. Then Eros along with Eris stepped in the leaf, clearing the fourth test at the first and second place.
Upon stepping on the leaf, they disappeared and appeared directly below the tree, where Conall was standing with expression of acknowledgement and praise.
Eros’ name appeared in the stone tablet marking his fourth time topping the rankings. Conall gave a smile and said. “Congratulations on passing the final test. From today onwards you are a student of Ronsoth.”
Eros sighed. Finally, he could relax. Luckily, his magic works on those spirits who seemed to be still similar to actual beasts. Having low level of intellect, he could easily stir their emotions without much problem.
Now that he was one of the observers, he noticed Hagen’s fierce battle prowess. Also, another one was noteworthy; he was none other than the fifth person who ignited a blue flame and proved his superiority. He was bald and his skin was swarthy, his figure resembled a human, but his pupils seemed to be a vortex that opens a different world. He was thin and doesn’t look strong, yet he easily proved Eros wrong.
He controlled flame, but oddly, the flames he conjured were from souls that he controlled. His power exceeded the norm and could easily overpower his opponent with his soul swarm. There were tens of souls which emitted flames that burn anything it touched.
He was actually the only person near Hagen’s position. Eros did not bump to him earlier since he seemed to have taken a different route. But now that Eros already completed the round, he seemed to be the only one to compete for the third spot against Hagen.
Soon, Hagen completed the test and also embedded his name on the tablet as the third place. The thin boy also passed and approached Eros fast. “Hello, My name is Firo, I am from a race called sokai, we control souls from a different world and use them to fight. I am amazed by your magic. It was so extra ordinary that no spirit beasts dared to attack you. Even your knowledge is so vast that you topped the second round, and your talent so high that you also topped the first test. We should be friends.. Right? Right?”
Firo talked so fast, that Eros simply nodded as response. He has never met someone so lively and talkative. Eros actually didn’t mind to be friends with him, since he was strong and his magic was actually impressive.
Soon more time passed, Lensa claimed the fifth place and some other strong individuals rushed up as if in a race. One by one they passed, but Avel and Eldrin was still stuck struggling to stay on the tree with their face aghast. Many of their friends already failed and only a few remained.
Eldrin roared, and he used a magic which would decrease his life force. He does not care about the bet with Eros anymore, what he cared about was passing the exam which everyone thought he could pass without trouble.
Wind sprang up which pushed away spirit beasts that surrounded him from all side. An image of a woman appeared, it was a female wind elemental spirit which made the soul beasts tremble from dread.
“A high level elemental spirit?” Ruven said with worry. “Is he trying to die? Summoning a spirit like that when he’s only a Khrusos Mage is amazing, but it could also kill him.”
“I think we should pull him out.” Meira said with a frown. However, Conall did not move, expressing his opinion in the matter.
“I think we should wait and see.” Almon replied even with laugh.
Eldrin then leapt and freed himself from his current predicament. His face paled and his breathing became rugged, but with his determination, he was able to proceed.
Avel on the other hand was forced to give up. After Eldrin left him behind, he had no choice or else he would have died.
“Dammit! I can’t believe I failed.” Avel said while he stared at Eros hatefully. Many were shocked of the result; they never thought that Avel would fail and Eldrin would barely pass.
The test has ended and many failed. Those who passed were extremely delighted, but those who failed were filled with regret.
“Eldrin you bastard. How dare you leave me alone to fail.” Avel gripped Eldrin’s collar as he lashed out.
“What are you talking about? We never agreed to pass together anyway.” Eldrin replied with a sneer.
Eros approached Avel and Eldrin who was in dispute. Everyone glanced at him as he said, “So, can I get my winnings now?”
The two shifted their gaze to Eros and frowned. Many witnessed their bet and it would be impossible to not pay what they owed.
Avel simply threw a pocket towards Eros and did not say anything. Instead, he glanced at Eldrin with contempt as if he was waiting for something interesting.
Eldrin could not help but notice Avel’s insulting stare, but he could not also say a word since Eros won fair and square. So he also threw a pocket, and with hesitation, he kneeled and begged for forgiveness.
Avel laughed hard. The way Eldrin was kneeling made him feel better. Even though he failed, it was better than kneeling to Eros whom he hated. Magic stones for him was also nothing, so giving away ten thousand of it was not as insulting.
“Such a disgrace to your family.” Avel said with disdain, and then he walked away.
Eros looked at Eldrin and said. “That’s good enough.” Then he walked away as if he does not care about Eldrin of Avel. He made it seem like they were someone insignificant and unimportant.
Everyone who was watching have different opinion, some were feeling sorry for Eldrin, but some thought that he deserved what happened to him.
Eldrin knew that the story about him kneeling to Eros would spread far and wide and would stain his reputation, but he could do nothing about it since he lost badly and almost failed the examination.“I will get back at you for this!” Eldrin murmured filled with hatred, as his eyes were filled with killing intent
“For those who passed, I congratulate you and welcome you to Ronsorth! As for those who failed, you can try again next year. Everyone who passed will be guided to their rooms, and those who failed will be guided to the exit.” Conall said with a smile.
As everyone walked out of the area, Eros glanced at the tree before leaving. He felt something familiar about it, but he could not tell what it is without investigating. For now he kept it to himself, since he could do nothing about it with his current strength.
….
In a room simple yet elegant, Eros sat on a chair as he looked out. “So this is Ronsorth. I guess I will be living here for now, and see how much I could gain.”
He then pulled out a book which was given to everyone who was recently accepted as Ronsorth student. In it was information about the school including its rules.
“So everyone is allowed to roam around freely, and listen to any lesson on magic without restriction. We can even enter any magic training area, but it would all depend on our skill on how deep we could enter. There’s also the hall of knowledge where we could study as much as we can based on our capability. As for magical items, we can buy anything if we have enough magic stones.
“So this school allows student to freely hone themselves without restriction. They would not give anything except food and accommodation. We can earn magic stones if we can solve problems at the hall of knowledge or achieving a certain level in the magic training area. We can also do trade which is a common thing.
“The only advantage I have in claiming the top spot is that I can approach any Grand Wizard and ask them for advice. Many would also eye for me to be their personal apprentice which could also be a good thing.” Eros then sighed, since he was expecting that the school would feed him with many resources. But now he realized that there are also many talented individuals like him in the school, which means they would not stupidly waste their riches on an individual who just passed the test.
“For now, I think I should focus on reaching the Wizard realm. I have no idea how I even managed to become a Khrusos mage. I became an Arguros mage after I experienced the life of the Hill of Despair, then I became a Khrusos mage after falling into that weird pond at the Desert of Rawn. But I have no idea how I did it, more so becoming a Wizard.” He sighed again, and decided to listen to a lecture of some wizard. There he might gain something that could help him move forward.
On an open space inside Ronsorth, there is a small platform surrounded by grassland, where a man familiar to Eros is currently giving a lecture about magic while occasionally waving his hand. It was none other than Ruven who watched Eros’ test from the beginning to the end.
Eros sat on a corner among many students who seemed to be fully indulged in the lecture. Their eyes were all glued to Ruven who for them was filled with grandeur. A wizard who was one of the top giving a lecture was not a daily occurrence, so nobody even dared to blink to avoid missing this chance.
Even Eros who made a commotion by showing incredible ability in the exam was ignored by everyone who was listening to Ruven filled with enthusiasm.
However, Ruven noticed him and suddenly made a slight change to his lecture. Previously he was talking about a certain magic skill and item, but now he suddenly shifted to a lecture about stepping into the wizard realm.
Eros realized this, but he was not sure if it was because of him. So instead of uselessly thinking about it, he listened to the lecture and try to gain as much as he could from some small hints.
Slowly, his eyes glittered with understanding. At first he had no idea on how to step from one realm to another or even simply increase his own level. But now he was slowly gaining insight on what he should do by picking up some clues.
Quickly, several hours passed and the lecture finished. Eros woke up from his trance like state with a smile on his face. “So being a Khrusos mage does not immediately allow one to be worthy to enter the wizard realm. Even though I am at the Khrusos stage, I just recently entered it. A single stage could be divided into three, where when I reach peak of the Khrusos stage, only then I could try to become a wizard.
“I am not still sure how I easily stepped from one stage to another, but it’s not important now. What I need to do is focus on becoming a wizard!”
While thinking about those things. He stood up and walked away, along with the other students who started to disperse and go their own way.
After walking for some time, someone suddenly patted his shoulder and said, “Eros, I’m glad you listened to my lecture. Did you gain anything?”
“Sir Ruven!” Eros said a bit startled. He then gave a bow of respect and continued. “Sir, I did receive a bit of enlightenment from your words. I was currently stuck in the thought of how to advance from being a mage to a wizard, but your words gave me direction.”
Ruven then faintly smiled and replied, “That is good. There are many things I could still teach you, if you wish, you could go to my residence and there we could discuss further on many things.”
Eros eyes shone with excitement, he was about to agree when he suddenly heard someone clear her throat and said. “Sir Ruven, don’t you think it is too early to recruit a disciple.” Then a woman appeared in front of him while leaning forward and started caressing his face. “Eros… My boy, you can also go to my place. There you can learn a lot of things. Not just magic, but things essential to a man… such as his needs.”
“Lady Meira, please don’t tease the boy and let him chose who he want to learn from. Choosing a master in Ronsorth should be deeply thought about, since once he chose he could not learn from other masters.”
“Oh.. It’s fine. I bet Eros would love to be by my side all the time.” Meira replied playfully and glanced at Eros seductively and asked. “Right?”
Eros was dumbstruck. He had no idea what the two is on about, but it was clear that they were somewhat fighting on who Eros would chose as a master.
He tried to think of something to say, but he was clueless on how to respond. When he was about to say a word, another voice came from behind. It was also familiar; a voice filled with laughter.
“Hahaha.. You two should explain to the boy the rules about getting a master first.”
“Sir Almon.” Ruven said a bit startled.
Almon then glanced at Eros and started explaining. “Once you chose your master, you cannot learn from other masters without the approval of your master. You also need to abide by your masters orders. This is a rule in Ronsorth which is quite strict. Choosing a master here is everything, so I advise you to choose wisely.” Then he laughed, and continued. “However, you are quite lucky to have both Ruven and Meira fight over you.”
“So for now we will leave you alone to think about it. Ruven and Meira, come with me. We have something important to discuss.” Almon said while walking away with a loud laugh.
Eros was left in deep thought. He never knew that getting a master would mean losing so much freedom, yet many chooses to do so just to improve themselves faster than before. One can also learn so much from getting a private lesson from the master they chose, which is aligned which Eros’ purpose. However, losing freedom is something that he could not afford. He is not a citizen of Eunos, and would wish to leave as fast as he could.
“So I need to think deeply about this.” Eros decided, “For now I’ll go back to that False Tree of Life since it is one of the training area allowed for the students to enter. I felt something familiar with it. It might give me a clue on how to get stronger.”
….
Below the False Tree of Life, Eros stood, staring deeply at the tree. He took his time to observe the tree, waiting for the same familiarity to arise from within him. However, this time he did not have the same feeling so he thought, “Was I wrong?” Then he frowned.
Around him, there were many other students passing by. Each one of them noticed Eros, most stared at him with awe, but some would sneer and glare at him with hatred in their eye.
“So that’s Eros.” One boy said. “What do you think he’s doing here?”
“I think he’s here to challenge the False Tree of Life again.” Another boy answered.
“Tsk… He thinks he can do better than what he did in the test and came back the next day.” A boy filled with arrogance said. “He’s just one of those who tops the entrance exam and then fail big time as time passed by.”
“Yeah. I think he just got lucky, that’s why he has been standing there for quite some time. Thinking how he made it on that leaf.” Another one added.
Many more comments could be heard, but Eros ignored their words. He was focused on the tree and was looking for that sense of familiarity. “I think I should climb it again to get that feeling.”
He then stepped forward and stared at a stone stele just below the tree. On it were names of those who seemed to have tried to climb the tree. The name on the top seemed to be the one who reached the highest point, and the one at the last are names of those who reached the lowest level.
“So there are thousands who already climbed this tree. I wonder how high I could go with my current level.” Eros pondered.
Without hesitating any further, he took his step in the tree. Many observed him, even those who were already climbing.
Elemental beasts started appearing, but he did not use his curse of emotion. He tried his best to fight on his own. To see how far he could go.
“So that’s the person who took the first spot?” The same arrogant boy said. “He seemed to weak . He’s struggling at that level of the tree. I guess this year’s exam has a very low standard.”
“Yeah. The rumors were just exaggerated.” Another boy added.
The onlookers began to laugh at him since they never saw how Eros actually climbed the tree in the exams. For them, struggling like that is something not worth looking at.
Many more insults could be heard, but Eros chose to ignore it. He focused on using his magic for as long as he could.
Time passed, and his progress was so slow that the number of people spewing insults was beginning to grow.
“I still can’t feel it.” Eros murmured. “Maybe I really have no choice but to use the curse of emotion and climb higher.”
He took a deep breath and his eyes gleamed with determination. After which, he waved his hands which caused numerous threads to appear. He grabbed them and shouted. “Now all of you screw off!”