Reincarnated Lord: I Conquered Fate With My Harem-Chapter 49: Once Upon A Time, There Lived A Boy

The circles finally broke, and they soon found themselves falling into the abyss.

"I guess... it’s over now." Darios, he murmured.

"It’s not," Muna replied, pointing her hands at the floating words that were still in the air.

[You have passed the first phase of the Test.]

[Points Gained:

>> Muna Seafrost - 43

>> Darios Terravale - 25]

[Brace yourself for teleportation.]

...

Outside the dungeon, where the spectators were watching, various other candidates have been able to pass their tests.

Although the number of these successful candidates of the first phase was comparatively low compared to previous years, it was rumored that their performances were top-notch.

Now, awaiting the next phase, each of them ran to their parents or guardians, and those who didn’t have any met each other and offered their congratulations.

The trio, including Linda, had run to Muna and all embraced her.

"That was a good one out there. Who knew recreating the circles was the test imposed on you," Linda remarked.

Free from their embrace, Muna smiled and went over to the seat reserved for her.

The people were happy to have met these successful candidates, but there were still three people left in their various locations of the test arena.

Across to the Elements’ section, Ngozi and Sandra were already back.

Unlike Ngozi, who kept to her quiet self, staring at nothing but downwards, Sandra was staring inquisitively at the screen.

"I wish him success, though. Sorry, I mean ’I wish them success’," she stuttered, fully aware of her surroundings.

Like the spectators earlier, the candidates outside now anticipated the outcome of the three surviving candidates in the test.

Mobix Seafrost, unknown to them, was currently playing a game with the arcane sentries that once belonged to the demon Master.

Miriam Aeralis, still enjoying her beach experience, not minding at all about what could come of it afterward. Especially if time happens to end.

And also, in there was still Lyra Pyrrath, who had started as the first mage achiever of the test. She was able to kill some demon creatures she had met earlier on to gain the first points of the game, but even luck wasn’t on her side again.

She now wandered around, searching for prey to predate on, but was able to find none.

"I guess being the first doesn’t give you an edge," a mage remarked.

"Be straightforward, man. The first shall be the last," another commented.

"To think that 5 Points is what’s keeping her from joining us is no good," another said, feeling pitiful on Lyra’s behalf.

No one knew what was required to pass the first phase of this test, but after becoming successful, they found out that the pass mark was attaining at least 25 points.

There are those who surpassed this limit, and there were also those whose luck got them to this point because of their candidates.

"But come to think of it, isn’t that Element going to do something?" One male mage said, pointing at the screen that showcased Miriam.

"You haven’t heard of how lazy she is?" another replied.

"I wonder how she will cope with other Elements... I mean, they are known to possess unimaginable powers."

The random mages, both nobles and commoners alike, were surprisingly getting along, murmuring as much as they could about the outcome of the test.

Meanwhile, in the VIP section that contained high mages, there was silence.

Everyone watched with anticipation at the three remaining candidates for the year.

Mobix wasn’t facing an easy situation, and some now secretly wished his success and survival.

Disdain was written all over Miriam’s mother’s face as to how relaxed her daughter was, judging by the fact that time was on no one’s side.

Why Maria felt pitiful for her daughter, whose luck had run out before she got a grasp of all of it.

Amidst the silence, Magister Dango picked up the stopwatch in front of him on the table and announced.

"You have 30 more minutes until it is over!"

...

Sweat dropped continuously from Lyra’s skin as she wandered around. She was no longer in the swampy area but had come out to solid ground covered by forest trees.

"30 minutes?" she said, having heard the echo of the announcement from Magister Dango.

...

"Yah yah yah yah," Miriam muttered, finding her strength to rise from her recline. "How do they expect us to find a way out within this limited period of time."

She now sat upright, having sworn to fight her laziness.

She was now aware of how limited time was and needed to act unless she met a cruel fate if the time elapsed.

"I wonder if other Elements have succeeded already," she said, and rose from the plain.

...

Meanwhile, I was there at my own test arena, having fun with the story the demon sentries had chosen to tell me.

I must admit, it wasn’t the type you saw in fairy tales or moonlight stories. They came with a unique type of brutality.

Across the zone, the first voice boomed.

"Once upon a time, there lived a boy who had never sought to become a demon in life. But what more, there was no existence of demons at that time."

I looked around, not seeing where the voice was coming from, but listened and commented when possible. "If that was fate, he couldn’t have evaded it without rewriting it."

"IT WAS NO FATE!" the voices echoed in unison. Then, the first voice continued.

"All he wanted was power. Power to protect the people he loved. Power to protect the world while he can. But when he got this power, the people he loved rejected it."

"ALL HIS EFFORTS WERE IN VAIN!"

"Uhn, that happens at times," I said, sounding as soothing as possible, but was forced to make an evasive move at the same time.

A flood of fire came, pouring from my top right, directed at me. It was so fast that my speed could only get me to avoid complete burn from it.

But it got me on my right hand.

The pain seared through my vein, internally causing shocks to resonate around my wrists.

"Ouch. That was painful," I said, supporting my wrist with my left hand, trying to withstand the pain.

I now understood how the sentries had planned to tell their stories, and I wasn’t going to be left out.

I will just try my possible best to defend against whatever attack they have in store for me and tell them my story.

In reference to the first attack, the first voice had continued.

"It began with Fire. This boy had gone deep inside a volcanic cavern and touched a glowing ember, which was said to grant courage.

It did grant him courage. But it wasn’t without a con—it had awakened a hunger that flickered behind his eyes like living flame. A type of hunger that brought flame."

The next voice didn’t even wait a second after the first voice’s narration before it continued.

"Seeking balance, this boy had climbed the storm peaks that formed outside the cavern and claimed another element."

On the ground, across the seven slabs, electric energy began to form, connecting itself in the various colors of the seven slabs.

Without a moment to think, I leapt from the ground, somersaulting high into the air.

Then, as I was descending slowly, I remembered my power as a Thalassic Monarch.

Any magic word I muttered becomes a spell.

"Floating Cloud Ice!"

It worked.

A cloud appeared beneath me, becoming the platform on which I stood to avoid getting struck by the connecting electric energies on the ground.

However, the attack didn’t seem to end at that.

"When the heart flash of lightning struck, it filled his nerves with wild energy."

From all corners, streaks of lightning formed, zigzagging furiously towards me.

I had no other option than to summon my sword at this point.

With the sword, I made the usual blue energy to spark around its edges and waited for the electric energies to converge.

My calculations were correct; they were going to converge right at my feet. So, I leapt from the cloud platform and backflipped just enough so that I faced the ground below, and my sword was outstretched to absorb the attack.

All these I performed in flashes.

Once the electric energies were defused by my sword, I flipped again to return my footing on the platform.

As soon as I landed, another attack came from my front.

"His thoughts became sharp..." the second voice continued. "... restless, uncontrollable."

I couldn’t think properly, as the possible solution at the moment was to travel as fast as I could with the cloud platform.

I raced backwards, changing directions at both sides whenever the lightning struck at the opposite sides.

"Decision came quicker than reason could follow."

At those words, the lightning, which initially struck the sides and diffused, now retained their energies. They would hit a wall at the side and reflect towards me from all angles, making it impossible to escape their attack.

Without thinking twice, I spin with my sword held at an akin stance, creating a circular barrage of frost energies that struck outward, connecting with the reflection of the electric energies.

*Crack*

They collided, and both energies vanished.