CHAPTER 324: BLOCKED PATH

The initial screening had already eliminated nearly one-third of the people gathered in the plaza.

Those who passed this round would move on to the official selection tomorrow, which would be held inside a special arena—an isolated space said to have been constructed using the lost technology of the Hobbits.

Inside that space, artificial dangers awaited. The contestants’ task was simple: eliminate those threats. The more they destroyed, the higher their rank. Ultimately, only the top two thousand participants would earn a place at The Lumina Magic Academy, Luminous Region. Considering tens of thousands of competitors, the brutal nature of this selection was undeniable.

However, Silvanus had to deal with something far more unpleasant right now.

He had barely stepped out of the plaza when a group of five blocked his path. Most of them were large and muscular, their bulging biceps looking like they might burst at any moment. Just seeing them made Silvanus involuntarily think of Thora.

Sure enough, one of them cracked his knuckles, his expression fierce as he glared at Silvanus and said, "Hey, brat, our young master wants to invite you over for a little chat—and a drink."

Thora wasn’t anywhere in sight, but Silvanus was certain these men were his lackeys.

Behind him, Matthew looked nervous and frightened, his worried gaze darting toward Silvanus. At times like this, he knew better than to speak—best to stay quiet and out of the way.

As expected, Silvanus laughed when he heard the thug’s words. "Invite me? That won’t be easy. You should find something simpler to do." He paused, then smirked. "Like kneeling and begging for mercy, for example."

"You little punk, you’re looking for death!"

One of them immediately lunged forward, trying to grab Silvanus by force. But Silvanus moved like a bird—swift and agile—dodging the attack with ease. His elbow shot up, striking sideways and landing cleanly on the man’s temple.

The man’s eyes rolled back as he dropped to the ground.

Silvanus didn’t stop there. After all, his principle was simple: strike first. No matter how things ended, at the very least, he would make sure these troublemakers got the beating they deserved!

Thinking that, his speed increased even more.

These men were huge, but their speed couldn’t compare to Silvanus’s.

Their advantage was their size — and now that they were on guard, they weren’t easy to put down.

After a scuffle, Silvanus had taken two punches to the face, and the others were no better off.

At that moment, one of the men suddenly stomped the ground hard. Sharp spikes simultaneously shot up from the earth, rushing toward Silvanus like a flood.

Silvanus widened his eyes and leapt into the air. At the same time, a gleam traced an arc from his fingertips and shot straight toward the spikes, slicing through the thorny growths like a razor.

But it didn’t stop there — a fireball suddenly appeared behind Silvanus without warning.

For a split second, he only saw Thora standing at a distance with his arms folded, a triumphant smile at the corner of his mouth.

That bastard!

Silvanus barely had time to think before he raised a layer of light as a shield around himself.

The explosion from the fireball was too close and fast; he couldn’t avoid it and was blasted to the ground. Pain seared through his body as if he’d been burned everywhere.

"Ha ha, let’s see how arrogant you are now, brat."

"Beat him to a pulp first before sending him to the young master!"

Silvanus clenched his fists and watched the feet drawing nearer and nearer.

Then someone shouted, "Guards! Over here — they’re fighting!"

It was Matthew who had run back with the guards outside the plaza.

When the men heard that, they quickly fled — anything involving Lumina Magic Academy would be trouble, and they didn’t want to get punished for a brawl.

"Silvanus, are you all right?" Matthew hurried over as Silvanus struggled up from the ground.

He pulled Silvanus along, fretting the whole time. "Hurry, I couldn’t get the guards on the line — if those guys return, we’re done for."

Silvanus clicked his tongue. A gust of wind rose; he grabbed Matthew and the two shot up into the air, quickly leaving the plaza behind.

Matthew stared wide-eyed. "You could do that — so why didn’t you run before?!"

Silvanus wiped the blood from his lip. "How was I supposed to know whether they could do that too? You can’t leave your back exposed to the enemy. Besides, I wouldn’t lose — those guys weren’t a match for me. The only problem was that fireball."

Matthew was about to say more when Silvanus raised a hand to silence him. "Alright, stop nagging — it’s driving me crazy."

Only then did Matthew notice Silvanus’s left ear was still bleeding, blood running down his neck. Two bruises marred his face, one at the corner of his mouth and another on his cheek.

"I-I’m sorry, Silvanus — sob sob — if it weren’t for me, they wouldn’t have targeted you."

"Alright, stop crying, okay, Matthew? That’s exactly why you always get bullied."

As soon as Silvanus landed at their hiding spot, he released Matthew and frowned at him.

They didn’t have the money to rent an expensive inn here, so they were sleeping in the trees at the forest’s edge these days.

"If you feel sorry, then toughen up a bit. Besides, that guy annoyed me — I wanted to protect you. No need to act guilty, like I was forced into it. I don’t need your tears."

With that, Silvanus vanished into the dense forest. Matthew could only hastily wipe his tears and start a fire.

Sure enough, before long, Silvanus returned, tossing a wild rooster onto the ground. It was huge — probably twice the size of a regular chicken — its feathers shiny and smooth, with a tail twice as long as its body.

No matter how it looked, it was still a chicken, and it was edible.

Matthew quickly picked it up, preparing to clean it by the stream, but he couldn’t resist glancing at Silvanus’s ear.

Seeing the look on his face — wanting to speak but unable to — Silvanus waved his hand. "It’s fine, it’s already healed. Hurry up, I’m starving. That’s your protection fee, so if you feel sorry, move faster."

Matthew nodded repeatedly and hurried to the stream.

Silvanus lay down on the grass. Meanwhile, outside the plaza, the principal watched in stunned silence as others recounted the battle that had taken place. He had ordered a search of all the candidates’ residences, but Silvanus was nowhere to be found.

The principal assumed Silvanus came from some powerful family. He pressed a hand to his forehead, his expression troubled. "I didn’t think this through carefully enough."

An elder nearby shook his head. "It’s alright. We shouldn’t interfere with the growth of talent. The challenges ahead will only refine them further."