Chapter 257: The F8 Region
[Rosalin’s POV]
Rosalin stared at the white-haired woman who stepped forth from the mist with an almost regal grace. Her deep blue eyes held nothing but cold terror.
And those very eyes were fixed on her, staring unblinkingly into her golden-amber eyes.
"Calyra..."
Rosalin barely managed to whisper.
Instinctively, Freya, Talon, and Arrin drew their weapons and backed away.
Their expressions grew rigid, their faces turning deathly pale.
’Why... why the hell would Lady Calyra be here?’
Sensing the tension spreading through her squad, Rosalin slowly raised a hand, signaling them to stand down.
"It’s alright."
Her voice was calm, almost unnaturally so.
"It’s only the third day. The academy rules are still in effect. So eliminating another player is prohibited, and Lady Calyra has never been one to disregard the rules for something so trivial."
Only then did she let out a slow breath.
"So lower your weapons."
Rosalin looked at Calyra again.
"Am I right, Calyra?"
The white-haired woman slowly touched the ground. At the same time, a blue staff slipped out from her dimensional space and settled into her hand.
"Indeed, eliminating another player on the third day is prohibited..."
Then, she looked past Rosalin — her gaze sweeping across Freya, Talon, Arrin, and Vanessa, each one instinctively stiffening the moment those eyes fell upon them.
"But..."
She rested her staff on the ground.
"What if I still want to?"
The moment those words left her lips, the crystal atop her staff burst into a cold blue glow.
[Ice Wall]
Before anyone could react, a massive wall of ice burst from the ground, sealing Rosalin away from her teammates.
"Shit!"
"Damn it, we’re cut off!"
"H-How... she didn’t even chant a spell..."
"..."
Rosalin glanced behind her without turning her head.
The towering wall of ice still stood between her and the others, muffling every sound beyond it. She tightened her grip around the hilt of her sword before lifting her eyes back to the woman standing before her.
Her blade slowly slid free from its sheath.
"I don’t understand. Why are you doing this?"
Calyra stood motionless, her expression did not change.
Neither did her voice.
"Why am I doing this? Well, to be honest, we still have unfinished business between us. And this island test happens to be a suitable place to settle it."
Rosalin’s eyes narrowed.
"....Then why not wait until the seventh day?"
Calyra met her gaze without the slightest ripple in her eyes.
"Wait?"
She asked.
"Why should I, when you’ve already entered within my range?"
Rosalin frowned then sighed.
"I suppose there’s no changing your mind. But there was no need to raise a barrier between me and my teammates. I wouldn’t have let them interfere with our business anyway."
The moment those words fell, the air around Rosalin quietly changed.
A heavy pressure spread outward from her body, slow and relentless. The mist trembled, loose pebbles rolled across the ground, and the mana in the surroundings began to gather around her.
Calyra stood unmoving, watching Rosalin wrapped her body with [Body Enhancement].
Then, sensing the battle was on the verge of erupting, she cast [Fly].
Her body slowly rose into the air.
Vast currents of blue mana surrounded her from every direction, so dense that the space around her seemed to blur beneath its weight.
"By the way, that ice barrier I made...."
She looked down at Rosalin.
"....It was never meant to separate you from them."
A brief silence settled between them.
"It was a means to protect them from us—"
But before Calyra could finish her speech, Rosalin was already on the move. Her knees bent slightly, and the ground beneath her feet caved in.
In the next instant, she shot forward like a streak of golden light.
Boom!
Her step detonated against the earth.
The frozen wall behind her groaned. Cracks raced across its surface before countless shards tore free and rained onto the ground.
Then, she was gone.
And a second later, Rosalin stood before Calyra.
Her sword carved through the air, its edge aimed straight for the woman’s neck.
Despite all of that, Calyra still didn’t move.
Her robes drifted gently around her, and her calm eyes never left Rosalin. She did not lift her staff or make any move to defend herself.
Then, the sword stopped.
BOOM!!!
A transparent wall — [Magic Barrier] — appeared in the empty space between them. The edge of the blade slammed into it, and a deep metallic sound rang across the forest.
A violent shockwave burst outward, sweeping away the mist and forcing the nearby trees to bend until their branches creaked.
The invisible barrier rippled like the surface of a lake. Countless rings spread across it before slowly fading away. Not even a single scratch appeared on its surface.
Rosalin’s grin widened.
Her golden eyes met Calyra’s azure gaze from only a few steps away.
Neither of them looked away.
Then, Calyra finally spoke.
"I supposed that [Ice Wall] spell was the right call, yet it’s not enough."
Her voice remained soft and completely flat. Even now, there was not the slightest change in her expression.
"It seems we’ll have to continue this elsewhere."
"Huh?"
As the last word left her lips, Calyra cast [Blink]. Space folded, and both she and Rosalin vanished without a trace.
"They... they disappeared..."
Freya stared at the empty sky, her grip around her sword tightening little by little.
"Let’s go after them!"
"No, I don’t think we should."
Everyone turned toward Vanessa. She kept her eyes on the place where Rosalin had vanished, then slowly shook her head.
"I mean... I don’t think that’s our biggest problem right now."
Then, she quietly pointed to their right.
Several figures emerged from the mist. Four scholars walked toward them with calm steps, each wearing the same uniform that made Freya’s expression darken at once.
They were Calyra’s squad.
The young man at the front raised a hand with a carefree smile.
"Hey, don’t look so tense. We’re just as confused as you are, but if Lady Calyra wants to have a private talk with your squad leader, then it’s probably best to let them."
Another member casually rested a weapon over his shoulder.
"And if some of you don’t agree, then you can always stay here and spend the time with us."
"Tch."
Freya clicked her tongue and lifted her stance once more.
Vanessa quietly let out a sigh.
’...Good.’
’Just like you wanted, Ruvian...’
’The two of them... have finally met.’ (+2,000PP)
*****
[Blink]!
Rosalin felt the world contort around her.
The place she was at vanished in an instant, and the next moment she found herself alone in the air, nearly nine metres above the ground.
Wind howled past her face as the open sky replaced the endless white mist.
Her gaze immediately snapped downward.
A wide stretch of marshland spread beneath her, its shallow streams weaving through patches of tall grass and clusters of low trees. Countless narrow waterways reflected the morning light, while damp earth and scattered rocks covered the spaces between them.
On pure instinct, Rosalin shifted her body.
She twisted midair, thrusting her free hand toward the ground. At the moment of impact, mana surged through her limbs, hardening every muscle as her boots slammed into the earth.
Boom!
The ground sank beneath her weight and force.
Rosalin rolled with the impact, letting the last of her momentum carry her across the water-soaked grass before rising smoothly to her feet. Her sword never left her grasp.
Only then did Rosalin raise her head, her gaze slowly sweeping across the unfamiliar landscape.
’She... she teleported me away from [E8], and brought me here.’
It didn’t take long for her to understand where she was now.
She recognised this terrain from the map.
This place, it was...
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[Chapter 257: The F8 Region]
Plot Points= 19,600