The illusions hit like a storm, twisting the world into something unrecognizable. Art’s vision blurred—trees stretched, the ground rippled like water, and shadows crawled, morphing into figures that weren’t there. The illusionist’s single eye flared brighter as he poured far more mana into this than before. Compared to this, the previous illusion was more like a haze. Space. Shape and distance around him all began losing value. ‘Damn it… this is bad.’ Art frowned, nearly tripping despite standing still. This was his first time facing something like this, and he wasn’t sure what to do. ‘GET HIM!’ the illusionist’s voice thundered, echoing from every direction. The woman and the green-armed mage lunged. In the swirl of false images, their bodies multiplied, layered over phantoms until the real ones were nearly impossible to pin down. Art backpedaled, forcing earth to rise. A wall burst up in front of him, but the woman’s axe carved straight through, the blade howling past his mas

"Make sure your ribbons are exposed. The total points grading will be done in half a minute," the man announced.Exactly thirty seconds later, another light flared from the magic circle. This time, it spread outward in a blinding flash before fading just as quickly.When the glow subsided, fresh numbers appeared beside each contestant’s performance ranking."These new numbers are the total amount of points you’ve gathered. As per the rules, only those with over 300 total points will move on to the next test."Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Everyone looked at their scores with a mixture of relief, frustration, or resignation. Most already knew what to expect, but seeing the numbers made it real."I guess this is where I drop out," a girl muttered, her voice tinged with disappointment."To hell with this!" a boy snapped, throwing his yellow ribbon to the dirt. "If I had gotten a red—or even a blue ribbon—I wouldn’t be in this shifty situation!"His score was 260. Such a shame..."Co

The old man making the announcements and the other men behind him all fell into a trance. It wasn’t pronounced, but Art's vision was improved, so he was one of the few people who noticed it from this distance.'Is he talking to someone?' Art wondered.Almost immediately, the color seemed to return to their eyes. The old man then looked at the contestants."Contestant Selene, since you have made your decision, you will be participating in the second test. But you'll lose your eligibility for the grand pass, even if you come out as one of the top three performers after the test. Do you still want this?"She nodded once again."Alright," the old man continued. "In exchange, you are granted the right to choose any partner you wish, with or without the person's consent."Concluding with her case, he moved on."Now, I will be explaining the nature and rules of the next test." He paused shortly. "Contestants will be grouped in pairs. Each pair will be given a stone boulder with a sword embe