Half a day had dragged by since the final exam began.
The sun had climbed to its peak and was now beginning its slow descent, casting long, shifting shadows across the quiet forest clearing. I stood perfectly still just outside the shimmering boundary of the testing ground. I did not follow the candidates back into the artificial volcanic crater. I simply watched the barrier, observing as, one by one, the elite mages of this era were violently expelled from the portal, tumbling into the dirt.
Thud.
Another mage was spat out, his robes smoking, his face covered in soot. He hit the ground hard, groaning as the breath was knocked out of him.
Yet, as he pushed himself up, wiping the dirt from his face, he wasn't crying in despair. He was smiling.
He immediately limped over to the group of previously ejected mages sitting by the tree line, frantically sketching diagrams in the dirt and sharing whatever he had just learned inside.
There was a specific rule I had implemented for this trial: To initiate the third and final attempt, all candidates must first exhaust their second attempt.
If a mage "died" during the second run, they were locked out. They had to sit in the grass and wait until every last one of their peers had also perished inside the arena. Only when the simulation registered a total party wipe would the portal open for their final chance.
I designed it this way to prevent uncoordinated, desperate rushes. It forced them into a specific rhythm. It forced them to communicate. And, judging by the excited chatter carrying over the clearing, they were using this lockout period to their absolute advantage.
They were using their second attempt not to win, but to run suicide scouting missions. They were gathering data, testing theories, and bringing that intel back to the waiting room so the next person could push the strategy a little further. Even if the advantage gained was microscopic, they were building a foundation for their final run.
This organized, almost cheerful atmosphere was a stark contrast to the mood just a few hours ago…
…
A Few Hours Ago:-
The immediate aftermath of the first party wipe had been a portrait of absolute despair.
After experiencing the sheer, overwhelming devastation of the Blazing Black Dragon's ultimate attack, the mages had collapsed on the grass, their spirits broken. The simulated death had taken a heavy mental toll.
"It's impossible," one mage had muttered, burying his face in his hands. "That thing is a walking natural disaster. There's no place to hide, no shield strong enough to block it."
"This isn't an exam. It's an execution," another whispered angrily, glaring in my direction. "Did we just get unlucky? Is this examiner some kind of sadist?"
My audio sensors picked up every hushed complaint. I remained as still as a statue, my expression completely blank. I felt no need to defend myself.
If they only knew the truth.
The Alatreon they were facing was a heavily restricted, downgraded replica. If I had unleashed the monster at its true, unbridled capacity, none of them would have lasted three seconds. The fact that they were able to survive long enough to even see its ultimate attack was proof of my leniency.
But unlike the demoralized crowd, Frieren's eyes still held a spark of quiet confidence.
She knew me. She knew the cold, mathematical logic that drove my actions.
Stell wouldn't create an unsolvable puzzle,Frieren had deduced, dusting herself off. There is a mechanic here. We just have to find it.
During the rest period I had allotted them, Frieren clapped her hands, gathering the disheartened mages around her. She laid out her observations and her theory.
"The beast is not invincible," she stated, her calm voice cutting through their panic. "It doesn't have absolute immunity to magic like a Crimson Mirror Dragon. It just has incredibly dense scales and terrifying raw power."
She looked around the circle. "But it has a weakness. Elemental attacks."
A murmur rippled through the group.
"Elemental?" one of them echoed.
"Yes. It tanked almost all of our attacks without taking a single point of damage," Frieren explained, drawing a simple tally in the dirt with her staff. "It was like watching a zero pop up over its head again and again. But... there was one attack that registered."
She pointed to a young woman in the crowd. "Your ice magic."
The ice mage blinked, pointing a trembling finger at herself. "Me? You mean my spell actually hurt that thing?"
"It didn't do much," Frieren clarified honestly. "If our spells did zero damage, yours did a 'negative one.' It was barely a scratch. But it proves that the monster's armor can be bypassed."
"Wait, I don't understand," the ice mage stammered. "My magic isn't exceptionally powerful. There are mages here with far more raw destructive force than me."
"It's not about the raw power of the spell," Frieren said, her eyes narrowing as she recalled the flow of the battle. "It's about the condition of the spell. It's about the element itself."
Denken, the veteran Imperial Mage, stroked his long, white beard thoughtfully. He had caught on to her line of reasoning. "Frieren, what exactly is this 'condition' you're proposing?"
This was the core of the puzzle. The key to the entire exam.
From my position at the edge of the clearing, I listened to their tactical meeting. I didn't step closer. I offered no hints, no confirmations, and no denials. As an examiner, my role was absolute neutrality.
Time was abundant. I could stand here for a century if needed. Whether these mages wasted their time or found the answer was entirely up to them.
"If everyone understands the theory," Frieren said a few minutes later, having outlined a daring, coordinated strategy, "then we need to put it to the test. Are there any objections?"
She looked around the circle of battered but elite mages.
Denken shook his head slowly. "None here. I trust your judgment."
"I trust Lady Frieren as well," Fern added softly.
One by one, the other mages nodded their agreement. They had seen her power in the first phase, and her reputation as the Slayer of the Demon King was legendary. If this ancient elf couldn't figure it out, no one could.
"Alright then," Frieren said.
To the surprise of the group, she suddenly stood up and walked away from the circle. She crossed the grass, heading straight toward where I stood.
The other mages watched her go, holding their breath. Approaching the terrifying, emotionless examiner felt like poking a sleeping bear.
I watched Frieren stop a few feet in front of me. She looked up, meeting my glowing golden eyes.
"Stell," she began, her tone casual, as if she were asking about the weather. "I have a question about the rules."
"..."
I waited. I was curious to see why she had interrupted the planning phase to speak with me.
"If we intentionally stagger our entries during this second attempt to test a specific strategy, knowing those who go in will likely be wiped out... does that violate any of your prohibited actions for the exam?"
Ah.
She wanted to know if suicide scouting was considered cheating.
I processed the parameters of the test. There was no rule stating they had to enter as a single, unified group on the second attempt.
"Answer: Negative. Your proposed strategy does not violate any established regulations."
….
The Present:-
That brief exchange was the reason for the current spectacle.
Frieren had confirmed the loophole. And now, they were exploiting it with ruthless efficiency.
As I watched another mage dust himself off, grinning as he relayed how a concentrated blast of lightning had disrupted the dragon's ice-state, I felt a flicker of satisfaction in my logic circuits.
Analysis: The candidates have successfully deduced the elemental shift mechanic.
When they entered to verify Frieren's theory and returned with positive results, their morale had skyrocketed. They had found the chink in the dragon's armor.
With the puzzle solved, the probability of their success had instantly jumped to 50%.
The remaining 50% was no longer a matter of intelligence or strategy. It was a matter of execution. It would come down to their raw endurance, their magical reserves, and their ability to survive the devastating elemental transitions of the Blazing Black Dragon.
….
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