Free Web NovelChapter 14: Silver-tier Guardians
In the VIP seating area, Ryan couldn’t calm down at all.
His hand gripped the rank S flame badge on his chest tightly.
This had once been his greatest pride.
A power that made the Ashford family place all their expectations on him.
A symbol that earned the admiration of the other students.
But now, watching Laira’s flame casually incinerate a Silver tier 10 Sage Skeleton, the rank S badge on Ryan’s chest suddenly seemed incredibly small.
He unconsciously pulled the badge out from his collar.
For a moment, Ryan really wanted to throw it to the ground.
But when his hand lifted, he stopped.
In the end, he still couldn’t bring himself to let go.
A rank S fire-element power was still the best thing he had.
If even that were thrown away, Ryan would have nothing left to prove he was superior to Ethan.
Selene noticed her son’s reaction.
She immediately placed her hand on Ryan’s arm.
"Calm down."
Ryan turned to her.
His expression was ugly.
Selene lowered her voice, trying to keep her composure. "Laira is very strong. But this is only the third floor. Don’t forget Ethan is inside the Abyss Tower. The tower has no limit on the number of floors. The difficulty will keep rising. No matter how strong Laira is, her power can’t be infinite. And Ethan hasn’t opened his Heaven’s Gate. As long as they meet an enemy strong enough that Laira can’t protect him, the trial will end."
Ryan was silent for a few seconds.
Then slowly lowered the badge.
His gaze was still full of jealousy.
But at least he was a little calmer.
On the top floor, the man in the military uniform looked at the central screen and let out a long breath.
"The Dragon Race."
The gray-haired woman turned to him slightly. "You’re talking about her personality?"
The man nodded. "The Dragon Race is very protective of what they consider their property. If Laira already regards Ethan as someone who belongs to her, her current attitude isn’t too hard to understand."
The gray-haired woman looked at the red mark on Ethan’s neck.
Then fell silent for a brief moment.
"I’m starting to feel that Ethan needs to open his Heaven’s Gate quickly."
The man in the military uniform was silent too.
After a few seconds he slowly said: "I agree."
Headmaster Cole heard this but made no comment.
He only looked at the screen.
His gaze was still on Ethan.
Compared to Laira’s power, Cole was more concerned with Ethan’s reactions. From beginning to end, whether facing the three guild masters, the system error, or the Abyss Tower, Ethan had never lost his composure. He knew when to stop Laira from acting. He knew when to choose Nightmare instead of being goaded by Ryan into choosing Hell or Abyss. He knew clearly that he wasn’t strong enough yet, so he didn’t foolishly try to throw himself into battle.
That ability to stay calm was far rarer than ordinary combat talent.
However, the three guild masters still hadn’t changed their views.
Lionel Hart looked at the screen, his face sinking slightly but his voice still cold. "Laira is stronger than expected. But Rowan isn’t wrong. Ethan is still the weak point."
Vanessa didn’t refute it. "Right now the opponents are still too weak. She can deal with all of them while playing around."
Rowan pressed his staff against the floor. "But when they meet an opponent strong enough, she won’t have the spare strength to protect Ethan. The stronger a Partner, the more it needs a qualified master standing beside it."
Lionel slowly said: "If Ethan can’t grow quickly, he’ll become a shackle on the Crimson Dragon."
In the third-floor arena, the system voice rang out.
[Third floor completed.]
[Opening entrance to the fourth floor.]
A black stone door slowly rose up out of the ground.
Above the door was a blazing red number.
[4.]
Ethan looked at the door.
Then turned to Laira.
The kiss mark on his neck was still a little warm.
"Let’s go on."
Laira smiled.
"Alright."
She walked over beside Ethan.
This time she didn’t lift him up.
She just naturally took his hand.
Then pulled him toward the stone door.
The door opened.
A current of cold air poured out.
The space behind it was much larger than the third floor.
It was still a circular arena.
But this time, four black stone thrones appeared in four different directions.
On each throne was a skeleton wearing completely different equipment.
To the north was a Skeleton Knight in full black armor, both hands resting on a greatsword planted in the ground.
To the east was a Skeleton Ranger draped in a gray cloak, holding a silver longbow.
To the west was a Skeleton Priest in a white robe stained with grime, gripping a staff set with a blue stone.
To the south was a Skeleton Assassin almost blending into the darkness, holding curved daggers in both hands.
The four skeletons raised their heads all at once.
The soul flames in their eye sockets blazed.
Information appeared on the central screen.
[Skeleton Knight.]
[Level: Silver tier 10.]
[Trait: High-level Defense.]
[Trait: Taunt.]
[Skeleton Ranger.]
[Level: Silver tier 10.]
[Trait: Armor Penetration.]
[Trait: Target Lock.]
[Skeleton Priest.]
[Level: Silver tier 10.]
[Trait: Healing.]
[Trait: Soul Shield.]
[Skeleton Assassin.]
[Level: Silver tier 10.]
[Trait: Stealth.]
[Trait: Weak Point Strike.]
[Total number of guardians: 4.]
[Activating combat formation.]
Four different streams of energy blazed up all at once.
The Skeleton Knight pulled its greatsword from the ground.
Boom!
A black barrier quickly spread out, covering the entire arena.
The Skeleton Ranger raised its bow.
The Skeleton Priest began chanting.
The Skeleton Assassin vanished into the darkness.
In the main hall, cries of shock immediately rang out.
"Four of them?"
"All of them Silver tier 10?"
"It’s not just a high level."
"They coordinate with each other too."
"The knight defends."
"The priest heals."
"The ranger locks onto targets."
"The assassin strikes weak points."
Ryan looked at the screen.
The corner of his mouth slowly curled up.
"Finally."
"This time she can’t keep going at it carelessly."
Lionel also leaned forward slightly. "A complete formation. Completely different from the previous floors."
Vanessa said nothing.
But her gaze had turned more serious.
Rowan concluded coldly: "If the Crimson Dragon only cares about attacking head-on, the Skeleton Assassin will get past her."
Inside the fourth-floor arena, Ethan calmly observed the four guardians stepping down from their thrones all at once.
The Skeleton Knight stood in the front position, its heavy black armor covering nearly its entire body. Every step it took made the ground tremble slightly. A layer of dark energy kept spreading out from the greatsword in its hand, quickly forming a semicircular barrier shielding its three teammates behind it.
Farther out, the Skeleton Ranger had already raised its silver longbow. A thin energy arrow slowly formed on the bowstring, but the arrowhead wasn’t aimed at Laira.
It locked straight onto Ethan’s chest.
The Skeleton Priest planted its staff into the ground. Gray-white symbols appeared one after another around the four skeletons, forming an almost transparent soul shield. Light kept connecting between them, like a web that could share damage and quickly heal any injury.
As for the Skeleton Assassin, it had completely vanished.
No sound of footsteps.
No obvious energy fluctuation. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
Only a vague current of cold air silently moving through the dark areas behind the stone pillars.
In the main hall of Aurora Academy, murmurs quickly rang out.
"The Skeleton Assassin disappeared."
"It’s not going to attack Laira."
"It’s aiming at Ethan." freēwēbnovel.com
"This is the right way to deal with a strong Partner. No need to defeat the Crimson Dragon. Just kill her master."
Ryan looked at the central screen, the corner of his mouth slowly curling up. The jealousy that had nearly contorted his face finally eased a little.
"Finally, a formation that knows how to think." He said in a low voice, but deliberately let those around him hear. "Laira may be stronger than the previous monsters. But she’s only one person. Four Silver tier 10 Skeletons attacking from different directions, with a Priest supporting and an Assassin ambushing. Just letting one blow through, and Ethan dies."
Selene, sitting beside him, nodded faintly. "This is still only the fourth floor. The stronger Laira is, the more dangerous the trials for her become. Ethan has no ability to keep up with his own Partner. Sooner or later he’ll become a burden."
In the VIP seating area, Lionel Hart was no longer sneering as openly as before, but his cold air of appraisal still hadn’t completely vanished. "The Skeleton Knight handles the front. The Ranger applies pressure from afar. The Priest maintains the defensive web. The Assassin aims directly at Ethan. A simple but effective formation. If the Crimson Dragon only knows how to rely on wide-area destructive power, she’ll find it very hard to protect Ethan from every ambush."
Vanessa Crowe didn’t answer right away. Her pale violet eyes were still focused on Laira. After a while, she said gently: "Maybe. But I don’t think she really regards those four skeletons as opponents."
Rowan pressed his metal staff against the floor, his hoarse voice ringing out: "Arrogance is a common weakness of the Dragon Race. One slip is all it takes."
Inside the arena, Ethan didn’t hear the murmurs outside.
His gaze was focused entirely on the four guardians.
For the first time since entering the Abyss Tower, he actively activated [The Eye of Truth].
A sharp pain immediately shot through both eyes.
The view before him changed.
All the colors around him quickly grew fainter. The energy fluctuations that couldn’t be seen with the naked eye began to appear as faint streams of light.
On the bodies of the four Skeletons, a few small red points appeared one after another.
Behind the Skeleton Knight’s knee joint were two blinking red points.
On the Skeleton Ranger’s hand holding the bowstring, another red point appeared only for a very brief moment each time energy was channeled into the arrow.
At the center of the soul web created by the Skeleton Priest, a thin red line kept contracting, like the shield had a certain limit to what it could endure.
And in the darkness behind a stone pillar, a small red point suddenly flashed and then vanished.
The Skeleton Assassin.
Ethan narrowed his eyes slightly.
No need for the system to explain.
He already understood.
The four guardians weren’t entirely without weak points.
He was just about to speak up to remind Laira when a current of hot wind suddenly swept past beside him.
Whoosh!
Laira’s long red hair flew up.
The colossal dragon wings behind her suddenly spread open.
