Advika turned her head to the door, seeing Mariana walking inside.
"Look, that spoiled brat is back," she said.
Christopher, standing a few feet away, turned his head to the door, seeing Mariana walking towards Monica.
"Okay, youngsters, out of 25 of you, five failed this round, leaving 30... Please, those who failed should leave," Monica said calmly.
Hearing her name, Monica turned around, staring at Mariana with a raised eyebrow.
"I want to apologize for my past behavior; that’s not who I am... It’s just, Christopher and I aren’t on good terms lately, so I acted inappropriately towards him and you... And I’m sorry for that," she bowed her head.
Although surprised, Monica tapped the earpiece in her ear, disconnected it from the speakers, and said with a slight smile, "It’s good you recognized your mistakes, but I’m not the one you insulted; it’s Master Christopher... As for me, I’m not mad or angry with you... So get ready; we’re entering the third and last stage of the test soon."
Mariana bowed again. "Principal Monica is right; I’ll have to apologize to Master Christopher. Thank you for your kind heart."
With that, she walked towards Christopher, Monica’s gaze on her.
Christopher stared at Mariana, who stopped in front of him and bowed her head.
’Hmm... Here we go,’ he thought.
"Master Christopher, I want to apologize for my previous words and actions... I thought about it and knew I was wrong, so please forgive me."
Christopher stared at her for a few seconds and looked over Mariana’s shoulder, seeing Monica staring at them.
"It’s nothing. I’m not angry; I know it’s not easy to quickly accept my new powers. I’m even blown away by it... So, Miss Mariana, we’ll meet in the third test, and tightly hold on to your points, or I’ll take them from you," Christopher flashed her a smile.
Mariana nodded and turned her head to Advika... Hesitantly, she walked towards her.
"Advika, that’s your name, right?"
Advika scoffed, not answering her.
Mariana wasn’t upset, well, not outwardly... Instead, she smiled and spoke:
"I also want to apologize to you. Please forgive me."
Advika stared at her for a few seconds and sighed softly. "How can an elephant pay heed to an ant? I’m also sorry."
Mariana smiled. ’At least she knows her place,’ she thought.
"A hug to seal it?" she asked.
Advika thought for a moment and nodded.
The two hugged each other, and Mariana whispered in Advika’s ear:
"Be careful in the third test... It’s very dangerous. You might lose... And watch your back."
Advika smiled and spoke:
"An elephant doesn’t pay heed to ants... And you, being the ant, should know how to respect an elephant."
Mariana was stunned; she tried to separate from the hug, but Advika held her down and continued:
"Don’t think because you’re an Intermediate level, you can act however you please. You don’t know how many Intermediate-level Tamers I’ve killed for survival... So watch your back, or you’ll kick the bucket... I’m not threatening you, but warning you... And I only warn once."
With that, she released Mariana, who stumbled back a few steps, staring at Advika with a deep frown.
"You can get going," Advika smiled.
Mariana stared at her for more than ten seconds, then walked away.
Christopher stared at the two in confusion... Not knowing what they discussed, he activated his Life Force to its maximum stage and scanned Mariana, seeing nothing strange about her. He turned his gaze to Advika and was horrified.
Christopher stared at the huge red female spirit above Advika and almost stumbled backward in fear.
Advika felt the gaze on her and turned her head towards Christopher; the huge spirit also turned its head toward him.
Christopher quickly withdrew his Life Force, sweat all over his face.
"What happened, Chris? Why are you so sweaty?" Advika said with a raised eyebrow.
"No-nothing," Christopher stammered for the first time in his second life... He quickly turned his head to the youngsters.
’This?! That’s the Flaming Goddess, the spirit I had been looking for in my past life... How come she chose a body that’s not even a Legendary Level? And why is Advika still alive with the Flaming Goddess in her? How long have they been together? The Flaming Goddess has chosen her successor; I need to follow my late master’s words and find the Water God... Wait, does Advika know such a powerful entity is in her? No, there’s no way she could know that....’
Christopher’s thoughts trailed off, remembering Advika’s battle he spied on... Ahem... He watched.
’Yes! Her Beast fusing itself with her weapon, her courageous attitude... Those are signs of the Flaming Goddess, but it seems she hasn’t gained any skills related to fire. Maybe she needs a Beast with the fire affinity... I’ll have to investigate.’
He thought, staring at Advika from the corner of his eye.
’I must locate the Eye of the Water God... Because if she gets out of control one day, even a Supreme Tamer won’t be able to hold her back.’
"Okay, everyone, the third stage begins. Move forward," Monica’s voice echoed all over the place.
"Come on, Chris. Let’s go," Advika smiled and walked towards Monica.
’She... Hmm... It’s good the goddess is still sealed in her...’ He observed Advika’s back.
’How powerful will this lady become if she absorbed the powers of the Fire Goddess?’ He started walking.
The group stood in front of Monica, who smiled and snapped her fingers.
The space behind her tore open, and a huge portal appeared.
The 30 remaining youngsters stared at the portal, seeing the other world from it... It was a barren and black landscape, with old trees, and the sky was blood red, casting an eerie feeling in their minds.
Monica saw their faces and smiled:
"This area is located at the center of the world; none of you will be placed here, but this is where you can gain a lot of points..."
"Let me explain the rules to everyone."
The book has finally been contracted with WN.
Author’s word: This book will remain free until it reaches 100 Chapters!
All I need from my loyal readers is:
And if you can... Gifts!!
100 power stones, 100 Golden Tickets, or 100 coins gift above: 3 Chapters.
300 power stones, 250 golden tickets, or 500 gifts above: 4 Chapters.
500 power stones, 500 golden tickets, or 1,000 gifts above: 5 Chapters.
Chapters will be released on Sunday [WAT Time]. Release date: 10:00 PM.
Many thanks to Shdel for gifting the book its first power stones... Much appreciated... And thank you, everyone...
Let’s start this journey together... Characters’ photos are out! More will be revealed soon!!