Voom…
The world shifted.
The cool, refreshing air of the northern forest was violently replaced by a wave of suffocating, blistering heat.
The sudden change in temperature hit the mages like a physical blow, instantly making them realize they were no longer in the clearing.
They scrambled to assess their new surroundings.
"Where are we?"
"I don't know, but the ambient mana here is chaotic. And this heat... it's unnatural."
They found themselves standing on a massive, circular platform of scorched, obsidian-like rock.
Below them, a churning sea of molten magma bubbled and hissed, casting a lurid red glow over everything.
Towering, sheer walls of jagged volcanic stone boxed them in on all sides, stretching so high that only a tiny, circular patch of blue sky was visible at the very top.
It was an enclosed arena. A death trap.
Everyone was on high alert, scanning the hostile environment. Frieren and Fern were no exception.
"Lady Frieren, where did Lady Stell send us?" Fern asked, stepping closer to the silver-haired elf.
"Ugh..."
"Lady Frieren? Are you alright?" Fern turned, only to see the ancient, legendary mage practically melting onto the hot stone.
"Fern... it's so hot... I feel like I'm going to liquefy..." Frieren moaned, her face flushed and dripping with sweat.
Fern's expression darkened into a scowl. Frieren was notorious for getting cold easily, which was why she was currently wearing the thickest, heaviest winter coat out of anyone in the group.
Being suddenly dropped into a volcanic crater while dressed for a blizzard was a recipe for instant heatstroke.
"Honestly, Lady Frieren, this is your own fault for wearing so many layers," Fern sighed, though her hands moved quickly to help the dizzy elf out of her heavy coat. At the same time, she cast a basic "Temperature Reduction Spell" to cool the air around them.
As the candidates adjusted to the heat, a massive shape at the far end of the platform began to rise.
A colossal draconic monster, easily thirty meters long, stood before them. Its dark, purple-black scales bristled like armor, and its sky-piercing horns gave it a demonic, majestic silhouette.
It swept its crimson, reptilian eyes over the gathered mages. An oppressive, suffocating pressure washed over the platform. The monster hadn't even moved yet, but its sheer presence was enough to put everyone on high alert.
"Look at that!"
"So this is the 'calamity-level threat' the examiner mentioned."
"I've never seen a monster like this. Where did she even find it?"
"A monster that brings natural disasters... just the title alone tells you how dangerous it is."
"Hmph. We'll see how tough it is once we hit it."
I observed their reactions from my position at the back of the group. As expected of mages who had survived the first two phases, they were keeping their composure. They were cautious, but not panicked.
However, I couldn't let them just stand there having a staring contest with the boss. The exam had a time limit.
I projected my gaze through the crowd, locking my optical sensors directly onto the dragon's crimson pupils.
The monster's pupils dilated instantly.
SKREEEEEEEEONGK!!!
An ear-piercing, metallic roar, like the screeching of grinding steel, ripped through the crater, forcing every mage to cover their ears in pain.
I was not surprised by the reaction. I also noted that the moment it finished roaring, the Blazing Black Dragon, Alatreon, locked its gaze entirely on me. Fire began to pool in its maw.
It unleashed a massive, concentrated fireball, aiming straight for my position.
"Watch out! Everyone, scatter!"
The quickest among the mages shouted a warning, diving out of the blast radius.
The entire group scrambled away from the impact zone before the fireball hit.
I was the only one who didn't move.
The fireball struck me dead center. The kinetic force drove a portion of the blast into the stone beneath my feet, creating a series of concentric, expanding rings of fire that exploded outward, nearly catching several of the slower candidates.
The mages watched in horror. They had seen the examiner, the small violet-haired girl, stand perfectly still. She hadn't attempted to dodge. She hadn't even cast a defensive barrier. She was completely engulfed in the inferno.
Alatreon did not press the attack. Having launched its preemptive strike, it maintained its distance, watching the flames with wary, crimson eyes.
Its hesitation gave the candidates a moment to process what had just happened.
Is the examiner dead? Just like that?
"She took a direct hit. Not even a basic shield..."
"There's no way an examiner would go down that easily. She must have had some kind of defensive artifact."
"I bet the one who came with us was just an illusion or a projection. That's why she didn't dodge."
"Lady Frieren, is Lady Stell...?" Fern asked, her voice tight with worry.
"Don't worry, Fern," Frieren replied, her voice calm as she observed the dragon. "An attack of that level wouldn't even scratch her. Even if it's just a clone."
Reassured by Frieren's absolute confidence, Fern turned her attention back to the monster. In truth, few of the candidates were truly concerned for the examiner; their priority was the massive dragon waiting to kill them.
As Frieren predicted, when the flames finally dissipated, I was standing in the center of a scorched crater, completely unharmed. Not a single hair was singed.
I swept my gaze over the candidates, noting their varied expressions of relief, shock, and focus. Finally, I looked back at the tense, coiled form of Alatreon.
It was, in the end, only a magical construct with basic animal intelligence. It was not the true, god-like Alatreon from my memories.
While I could have easily neutralized the creature in a matter of seconds, this was an exam. The proctor does not solve the equation for the students.
"Reminder: This entity is designated 'Alatreon, the Blazing Black Dragon.' It is your target for this phase," I announced, my voice cutting through the lingering crackle of the flames. "Your passing grade depends entirely on your ability to repel or defeat it."
"Addendum: Do not squander your three attempts."
With that, I activated my flight modules and launched myself straight up into the air.
Alatreon lunged forward in a brutal, charging tackle, a 'Dragon Rush', aimed at the spot I had just vacated, but I was already high above it. I engaged my optical camouflage and ascended toward the small patch of open sky at the top of the crater, completely vanishing from their sight.
Stell was gone. The dragon's greatest threat, the terrifying presence that had held its attention, had disappeared. It could no longer sense her anywhere in the crater.
Its primal fear subsided, replaced by a simmering rage. It turned its massive head toward the small, fragile creatures that remained on its platform.
Humans.
The concept had been programmed into its mind upon its creation. Normally, it would ignore such insignificant creatures.
Does a lion care about the ants beneath its paws?
….
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