Sitting in his chair, Lucien examined the flow of his own mana. Soon, he realized that his mana was no longer the same as before. There was an anomaly, and he knew exactly what caused it—it was the mixture of mana from Alter Lucien, also known as The Imitator.
His mana and Alter Lucien's mana had merged. But not completely. That was the only reason he still had a chance to take control.
This process would likely continue until Alter Lucien fully fused with his mana core, taking over completely.
Aside from this, Lucien also questioned Alter Lucien's true intention in lighting the beacon. What was the purpose?
The outpost fell into complete silence. No one spoke, as if they were all lost in their own thoughts. To Lucien, this wasn't a big deal. At worst, if he ended up at the bottom of the rankings, the only consequence would be a reduction in his weekly raw materials—something that didn't concern him much, given that his Sigil Hammer was still incomplete.
But for Elara, it was different.
The silver-haired girl, though maintaining her usual calm demeanor, was filled with countless thoughts. Most of all, she feared the impact on the prestigious name she carried. "Moonveil" was a title given to her by her grandfather, the Hermit from the East, one of the twelve Grandmasters of the Empire.
"What will people think if they find out that the granddaughter of the Hermit from the East failed the ranking exam and ended up at the very bottom?" Thoughts like these plagued her mind.
Her heart pounded.
She could have blamed Lucien, shifting the burden of their collective failure onto him. After all, it was Lucien's actions that got their team eliminated.
Victor, on the other hand, was just as frustrated. From the start, if it weren't for the necessity of teamwork, he would never have accepted someone without talent or a distinguished name like Lucien into his team. As one of the Elites, he carried not only his family's expectations but also those of everyone who knew him.
Yet, there was nothing they could do about the outcome.
Questioning the results would be the same as challenging the rules, and letting their egos take over now would only end badly for them. The academy upheld its rules above all else.
As everyone sank into their own thoughts, a sudden tremor jolted them back to reality.
Lucien lifted his gaze.
Then, a familiar voice echoed in his mind. "Here it comes."
It was his own voice—or rather, his voice as used by Alter Lucien.
Lucien frowned.
As the tremor continued, he caught sight of a reflection in the surface of his metal dagger. It was his own face, but with silver eyes marked by a spiraling pattern—Alter Lucien.
"What?" Lucien muttered.
Elara and Victor simultaneously turned toward the window.
Moments later, the outpost door swung open.
Garrick Fendrel stepped inside.
"What's going on?" Victor asked immediately.
Garrick scanned the three students before his gaze settled on Lucien, his eyes narrowing.
Thud!
Lucien's heartbeat quickened. He felt something strange in that gaze—an odd sensation, the same one he had felt the first time he met Garrick Fendrel. Once again, he sensed a faint connection to the man.
"There's something off about him." As Lucien whispered this thought to himself, Garrick turned away, exiting the room and shutting the door behind him.
Then, a purple light engulfed the outpost, obscuring the view outside the window.
Elara shot up from her seat, rushing to the window to see what was happening. But as she got closer, an instinct told her to stop.
She froze in place, cold sweat forming on her forehead. "What the hell is going on?" It was then that she realized—her hands were trembling in fear, and she didn't even know why.
Victor followed Garrick's path and reached for the now-closed door handle.
Bsshhh!
The moment he touched it, a jolt of energy surged through him, making him recoil in pain. "Ahh!"
Lucien, meanwhile, remained still. Unlike his two teammates, who actively tried to react to the situation, he simply sat there, deep in thought.
His heartbeat continued to race.
Then, his eyes widened.
"What are you doing?" he muttered internally, trying to communicate with Alter Lucien.
Since he had heard Alter Lucien's voice just now, it was safe to assume that he could actively talk to him without having to enter his subconscious—something he had never been aware of when he was the secondary soul.
"You've been trapped by the Guardian Bubble, a Noble-tier spirit."
Lucien's pupils shrank.
"A Noble-tier? On the second floor?"
Alter Lucien chuckled. "You remember when I found you? You must have felt the shift in mana flow and pressure—that was due to a mana leak I intentionally created. It served as both a distraction for the overseers and a lure for you. But in the process, I might have accidentally let a Noble-tier spirit from the lower floor enter the second floor."
"What are you planning with all of this? First, you lit the beacon—I wouldn't be surprised if this Noble Spirit attack is connected to you," Lucien said in his mind.
Alter Lucien laughed.
"Yes. I am the cause of this attack."
Hearing this response, Lucien let out a deep sigh. The answer was short and made it clear that Alter Lucien had no intention of giving further explanations.
"Ashthorn!"
Lucien snapped out of his thoughts as Victor's shout reached his ears.
Startled, he lifted his gaze, meeting the difficult expressions of his two teammates, Elara and Victor.
"Daydreaming at a time like this… Are you tired of living? Hurry up and help us find a way out!" Elara huffed.
Lucien glanced toward the window. He could no longer see the outside of the outpost—the wild, purple energy had completely enveloped it. At the same time, his eyes fell on the tightly shut door.
"Why did Mr. Fendrel lock us in here?" Victor asked, confused.
He had called out, seeking answers from outside, but Garrick never responded. His last appearance had been strange as well, making it clear that this wasn't just some precaution to protect the outpost. No, this was something else.
Neither Elara nor Victor had an answer to this.
Lucien stood up, scanning the surroundings. "What do you guys know about the Guardian Bubble?"
Lucien had heard or read about this type of spirit before, but he didn't have enough information to understand its weaknesses or attack patterns. Since Alter Lucien had confirmed that this was the work of a Guardian Bubble, Lucien had no choice but to find out how to counter it.
Elara frowned. "Guardian Bubble? A Noble Spirit? Why are you asking about that now?"
As soon as she said it, something clicked in her mind. Her gaze swept across the outpost, taking in the purple energy surrounding them and the overwhelming fear she had felt—leading to one clear conclusion.
Her lips parted, but she said nothing. She simply stared at Lucien in silence.
Victor had also realized their situation. He clenched his fists. "If we're trapped inside one of their Bubbles, then the only way out is to destroy it directly."
His expression grew complicated as he looked at Lucien.
"Tell me about this Spirit," Lucien said calmly.
Victor studied Lucien's demeanor. He was reluctant to answer but didn't seem to have a choice. "The Guardian Bubble is a Noble-tier Spirit that specializes in creating isolation traps. They typically trap their targets inside a bubble, infuse them with mental pressure to induce fear and submission, and then gradually digest them."
Knowledge about these spirits was fairly accessible—people could learn about them through books or word of mouth, especially hunters who had both knowledge and experience in dealing with them.
Lucien nodded.
Blub!
A small, purple bubble emerged from the outpost wall, expanding rapidly.
"The digestion process is starting?!" Victor exclaimed in panic.
Elara quickly drew her sword.
"Do you think you can handle it?" Alter Lucien's voice suddenly echoed in Lucien's mind.
"Hmm... I don't think so. But I'm fairly certain you won't do anything reckless that would get this body digested by the Guardian Bubble," Lucien responded internally.
Alter Lucien laughed. "Is that why you're so calm?"
"If you want full control over my body, then you need to keep it intact. I don't know what you're planning by causing this mess… but I'm sure it won't put me in any real danger."
Even so, Lucien knew the situation wasn't as simple as he wanted to believe.
The only way out of this trap was to destroy the Bubble—but that required immense force.
Even Elara's strongest attacks had no effect on the energy barrier surrounding the outpost.
Lucien needed to figure out what Alter Lucien had planned to escape this.
Then, a name came to mind.
Garrick Fendrel.
"Why did he let the Guardian Bubble trap us inside the outpost? Garrick Fendrel is a master blacksmith. There's no way he didn't notice what was happening here," Lucien muttered to himself.
He recalled how Garrick had looked at him. From their very first meeting, Garrick had always regarded him strangely. If Garrick had wanted to, he could have prevented this trap from forming in the first place.
Thud!
Lucien's heartbeat pounded in his ears as he stared at the door in silence.
"Garrick Fendrel… Are you working together with him?" Even though he didn't know the full reason yet, Lucien was certain that Garrick had known about his condition all along. He knew that Lucien's body was a vessel for Alter Lucien.
Alter Lucien chuckled. "Wow. I didn't expect you to figure that out. You're half right."
Hearing this, Lucien became even more certain.
This situation would resolve itself even if they did nothing. Garrick Fendrel would intervene if Lucien was truly in danger.
"Then, what's the point of all this? What do you gain from it?"
Alter Lucien chuckled again.
"I figured you'd find out on your own."